DSL, T1, Cable or Ethernet over Fiber,

Which one should you choose?

So, you’re trying to choose an internet provider for your business and can’t decide which is best
for you and your business? I propose the following information to help you decide.

Bandwidth - The first thing to consider is that Bandwidth is not necessarily the speed you get
but merely the capacity of what the connection can handle. Simple test, on a broadband
connection (DSL or Cable) ping a site. The latency (The true indicator of speed) will show
anywhere from 50 to 300 milliseconds. A T1 will show between 5-8 MS and Fiber Optic Ethernet
will show 3-6 ms (depending upon provider). Satellite internet is a perfect example of a high
capacity slow connection. Click on a page on a satellite connection and you will have a long
delay waiting for the page. But then all of a sudden the content will explode on to the page. The
propagation delay slows down the fetching of the content even though there is sufficient
bandwidth.

The problem or question to ask is neither the physical speed nor the bandwidth (in which cable
is superior), but in other problems, specifically: network delay and packet loss.

Network Delay - T1’s and Ethernet over Fiber connects from your office directly to an ISP POP
(point of presence) and (if on a Tier I) directly to an IP backbone. The physical distance is usually
covered in less than 6ms.

A cable routes around the cable ring, to the cable office which then connects either to another
cable office or to an ISP POP and (if they are on a Tier I) directly to an IP backbone. If you aren't
on a Tier I in either application (cable or DSL), you usually hit some sort of core router which
eventually gets to another transport to an IP backbone, just increasing delay time. The network
delay in this varies widely on traffic, but is usually in the neighborhood of 50 - 300 ms.

Similarly, DSL routes through various Remote Terminals, Central Offices and routers before
hitting the actual internet. Ping tests result in network delay of 50-300 ms. Another factor with
DSL however, is distance. The further you are from a central office (CO) or remote terminal
(RT), the slower your speed and greater the network delays. Cable does not experience this
problem.

End Result - Network delay decreases performance by 3-6

times compared to T1 and Ethernet over Fiber.
Packet Loss - Tier 1 T1s and Ethernet over Fiber loose less than 1 packet in 1000, meaning that
you don't have to resend information. Cable and DSL are subject to higher levels of electro-
magnetic interference and loose in some cases 5% or more of its packets, meaning you have to
resend more information (thereby taking more time). Recent changes in cable technology have
helped, but you normally still see a 2-3% drop-off rate as opposed to .01 -.1% on a T-1 and/or
Ethernet over Fiber.

Reliability – DSL and Cable internet services boast great capacity for a low cost. However, they
come with NO Service Level Agreements and are what the industry considers “best effort”
technology. Meaning, if you have a problem with your service and you call technical support,
they will make their “best effort” to get your service restored as soon as possible. However,
there are no guarantees when that will occur within a reasonable timeframe or credits to your
bill for the outage. You could be down for as little as 2 minutes or as long as 2 days with no
contractual recourse.

With T1 and Ethernet over Fiber you pay more but receive guaranteed service level agreements
(SLA). SLA’s vary by provider; however, they all typically included the following:
- Uptime/Availability – Ranging from 99% to 99.99%
- Meantime to respond – Guaranteed response and repair times for outages
- Latency, Packet Loss and Jitter are usually in the contract as Service Level Objectives

If you are a company that relies heavily on

the internet and email to efficiently conduct
business, a service with SLA’s is highly
recommended. The amount you save with
DSL and/or Cable is not worth the risk to your
company’s productivity and potential
revenue loss.
Now that we have established the difference between Cable/DSL and
T1/Ethernet over Fiber; let’s take a look at the difference between T1 and
Ethernet over Fiber.

Similarities:
- They both come with SLA’s
- They both give your business a direct connection to an internet POP
- The Network Delay and Packet loss are very similar

Differences:
- Transport Reliability
o T1 lines are delivered via twisted copper pairs.
o Ethernet over Fiber bring Fiber directly to your facility. Fiber is the core of the
network and much more reliable than copper. Repair times are quicker with
Fiber and it’s not affected by bad weather as easily.
- Scalability
o T1 speeds range from 1.5Mbps to 12Mbps. Your carrier has to role a truck
and install more copper wires to bond T1’s and increase your speed. Install
30-60 days.
o Ethernet over Fiber speeds range from 5Mbps to 10Gbps. These speeds
are scalable to whatever speed you need without bringing in new facilities
or equipment. Typical timeline is 3-5 days.
- CPE Equipment needed
o T1 needs expensive routers to bond T1 lines and handle complex IP Routing
from TDM based transport to work on your LAN.
o Ethernet over Fiber is handed off to you as native Ethernet which works with
your current LAN infrastructure already. You only need basic routing
capabilities in your router and/or Firewall to handle the IP’s.
- Cost: These are all very rough estimates. Prices depend on location and carrier.
o T1 Lines can cost roughly $350 for 1.5Mbps, $750 for 3Mbps, $1,500 for
6Mbps and $2,000 or more for 12Mbps. This does not include the cost for a
complex router.
o Ethernet over Fiber can cost roughly $600 for 5Mbps, $1,300 for 20Mbps and
$1,800 for 50Mbps.

For more information, please contact your local Comcast Business Consultant:
Jeremiah Mullens
Comcast Business Services
Enterprise Sales Executive
Mobile: (916) 275-8606
jeremiah_mullens@cable.comcast.com