You have multiple options for setting up high-speed Internet access for your company. The one you select will likely be based on your company size, data requirements, budget, and proximity to the central office of the Internet Service Provider (ISP). Here are the most common high speed Internet access solutions:

DSL: An inexpensive and distance-sensitive solution that provides Internet and telephone access on the same lines. While a standard dial-up connection transmits data at speeds up to 56,000 bits per second (56 Kbps), DSL speeds range from 384 Kbps to 1,500 Kbps, or greater. This is one of the more popular high speed Internet access options for small businesses, supporting up to 20 employees who need only basic Internet applications like web surfing or e-mail. (See “Business DSL service” for more details)

T1: Also known as DS1, T1 service supports data connections up to 30 times as fast as a 56 Kbps dial-up modem with digitized voice capabilities over the same lines. This is the most popular option for small-to-medium-sized businesses with up to 50 employees, and can support all basic Internet functions as well as large file downloads and uploads.(See “T1 connections” for more details)

T3: A T3 line offers the combined bandwidth of 28 T1 lines – up to 45 megabits per second (1 Mbps=1000 Kbps.) It’s a good option for mid-sized to-large businesses with 100 or more employees. T3 lines run on fiber optic cable and can support 30,000 times the traffic of standard copper phone wires. While T3 is available in fractional increments like T1, it is more expensive than having multiple T1 lines bonded together to produce the same speed.

Frame Relay: An alternate solution for customers who can’t get DSL or cable service. Frame relay is fast and flexible and sends digital information between one or several destinations at T1 speeds. While the service is inexpensive, the equipment and setup can be quite pricy. It’s not a recommended option for small-to-medium businesses.

Cable: A high-speed Internet access option that uses the same connection as cable television. It offers data transfer speeds around 1.5 Mbps, but is not really considered a business-quality service. Because many people in your area share a cable network, performance dramatically decreases as multiple users go online at the same time. Also, many high-tech applications of broadband – VoIP and streaming video, for example – do not work well over cable.

Satellite: Internet access using a satellite dish. This technology can be deterred by bad weather and the speeds can’t handle large applications such as web site hosting, video conferencing or multiple file downloads. This is only a worthwhile option for very remote locations such as boats at sea.

MPLS: Many organizations are replacing their frame-relay networks with multi protocol label switching (MPLS). MPLS is a relatively new technology, designed to handle voice, data, and video across multiple locations. Widely distributed organizations that depend on high-bandwidth communications should look into MPLS for their wide area networks (WANs).