Ethernet: The Urge to Converge!

Ethernet is the standard for high speed Internet. You may already be using it internally to connect your office computers. It is fast, reliable, and plug-and-play. Up to 45 Mbps Ethernet over copper provides customers with a cost effective way to handle the incredible bandwidth needs of any company. Data centers, web based applications, and high-end workstations all benefit from the increased bandwidth of an Ethernet connection.

How is Ethernet Over Copper delivered?

EoC is delivered to the customer premise through five pairs of copper telephone wire. Virtually all businesses have extra pairs running to their building, or can receive them for free. For this reason, EoC is available to all businesses which are within the distance range of Ethernet over copper.

How about redundancy?

Ethernet over copper has inherent redundant features. As mentioned earlier, EoC is provided over five copper pairs. If any of these pairs go down, the circuit continues over the remaining pairs that continue to be up.

What are the general price comparisons for EoC, EoDS1 and Bonded T1?

At this point, EoC costs approximately 35% (65% savings) of what the equivalent bandwidth of Bonded T1 or Fractional DS3 would cost. Ethernet over copper averages about $1200 per month. 10 mbps of BondedT1 averages approximately $2700. EoDS1 costs about 65% of what the equivalent bandwidth of 10 mbps Bonded T1 would cost, at an average of about $1800 per month, depending on loop length.

Can EoC provides Symmetrical Bandwidth?

Ethernet bandwidth is symmetrical which means that bandwidth is the same for both upload and download. Also, both upload and download can be used at full bandwidth simultaneously.

EoC has been referred as the new T1, why?

Approximately ten years ago, a business would pay approximately $1,000 for a 1.5 mbps T1 circuit. In those days, a T1 circuit often did a great job of meeting the needs of a small to medium sized business. In present times, however, small to medium businesses require much more bandwidth. Bandwidth consuming applications, which greatly increase the efficiency of a business, are increasingly more common and essential for business success. Ethernet over copper now meets these needs perfectly, providing about 7 times more bandwidth than T1 for little more than what the cost of T1 was 10 years ago.

Features of EOC:

  • Dedicated up to 45 Mbps bandwidth - Support broadband applications including image & file transfer, videoconferencing, distance learning, workgroup collaboration, real-time streaming video, storage area network (SAN), and disaster recovery
  • Service level guarantees including 100% availability
  • 24/7 service and network monitoring
  • Network design that maximizes redundancy with no single IP point of failure