> Are T1's used to enhance or speed up your     PHONE SYSTEM
> ???  If I have my phone system installed and it is working,
> would I order a "couple of T1's" to speed up my phone system?
>
> I was under the impression T1's were for "Dedicated Lines" to
> give you a fast, on all the time, bypass your modem, type of
> internet connect.
>
> Am I laboring under an illusion?

T1 was *created*--over 30 years ago--by and for the telephone system.
Specifically, T1 (which is not a signal-speed identifier, though it is
often misused as such) is a network conforming to the DSX-1 ("Digital
Signal Crossconnect") specification. The signal carried on these
networks is "DS1" ("Data Signals"), and consists of 24 64Kbps voice
channels multiplexed together. T1 identifies the framing used to
multiplex and transmit those signals; specifically, as frames of 193
bits consisting of one byte from each of the 24 channels plus a frame
bit. So, a T1 network carries 1.536Mbps of data plus 8Kbps of frame
bits, for a total of 1.544Mbps.

T1 forms the backbone of the North America telecommunications system.
It has nothing to do with Internet access, predating it by decades. In
addition, it has become common for organizations that require
significant traffic on an ongoing basis to install their own T1 trunks
rather than leasing phone lines for point-to-point links. In that
context, they get a "fast, on all the time, bypass *the phone
company*" connection as opposed to using high-speed modems over leased
lines. So, to answer your first question, ordering a 'couple of T1's'
to speed up my phone system" is exactly what they do.


Steve Dirickson   WestWin Consulting
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