T1/DS1 broadband in Washington, DC uses two pairs of copper wire for transmission over telephone lines. An ordinary telephone line uses the DS0 transmission protocol, which carries 64 Kbit per second. A T1 line uses the DS1 protocol to combine the equivalent of 24 telephone lines for a total bandwidth of 1.536 Mbit per second.

T1 providers in Washington, DC usually offer T1 lines to private customers in DS0 fractions. However, a small business will typically use a full T1 line to connect to the Internet and a larger business may use multiple T1 lines bundled together.

There are three primary factors to consider when you compare T1/DS1 broadband in Washington DC:

1. Prices for DC broadband vary in part according to your distance from the carrier’s Point of Presence. The further you are from the carrier’s POP, the more your T1/DS1 line will cost.

2. Major carriers usually own and operate their own networks, generally resulting in the best actual transmission speeds.

3. A channel bank is necessary to separate the DS1 data stream back into the 24 DS0 data packets. This device is relatively expensive to purchase or lease and represents a substantial investment for a small business.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Locate a Washington, DC T1 provider that sells full T1 service

Give your employees the power to work at some of the highest speeds available with dedicated T1 access from providers of broadband. Washington, DC Internet providers frequently include multiple static IP addresses and email addresses under your domain name.

I recommend: Comcast offers businesses connection speeds much faster than DSL with downloads up to 16 Mbps and uploads up to 2 Mbps. XO Communications is one of the largest nationwide networks and offers connection speeds from T1 up to 1 Gbps.

Find a dedicated T1 service in Washington, DC that specializes in business packages

Do business with a Washington, DC business broadband provider that can meet your needs now and scale your requirements as your business grows.

I recommend: EarthLink offers a symmetrical T1 business line so you can upload as fast as you download and guarantees 99.99 percent uptime. Corecomm offers dedicated T1 service for businesses of all sizes and guarantees uptime of 99.5 percent.

Check out local packages from dedicated T1 providers in Washington, DC

The local provider of T1 broadband in Washington, DC connects your business to the carrier's POP. This connection is known as the local loop and represents a substantial component of a T1 line's cost.

I recommend: DC Access is in Washington, DC and provides businesses on Capitol Hill with speeds of up to T1. Washington, DC businesses also can utilize Free Flow, which provides full, fractional and burstable T1 connections.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  T1 service in Washington DC is almost always substantially faster than a DSL line of the same rated speed. Providers of T1/DS1 Broadband in Washington, DC rarely oversubscribe their services, meaning that these customers will have access to the full transmission rate of 1.544 Mbps. By contrast, the oversubscription rates for DSL lines routinely exceed 4:1.