Finding a Suitable T1 Provider
Telecommunications agreements can be much like a marriage and as we all know there are good and bad marriages. The fact is, when you commit to a telecommunications contract with a T1 provider for a reasonable amount of bandwidth or voice service, you will have to enter into a long term contract. Telecommunications contracts for T1's and T3's normally range from 1 years to 3 years. Anything longer than a 3 year contract is generally only seen for very large applications like OC3 and OC12 or complex frame relay connections with many nodes. While the term of the contract will not be a problem if you have the right provider, the contract could prove extremely burdensome with an unsuitable provider.
We recommend using a broker to help you through your options and explain to you the providers and services available in Charlotte. A broker or independent agent can help reduce the time it takes you to shop around for a T1 provider by asking you the questions once and investigating multiple providers to acquire the service that is right for you. The agent helps steer clear of the bias you will receive when speaking with one vendor as the agent will be paid regardless which service you choose. As the agent doesn't work with a specific provider like AT&T or Sprint, he or she will not pressure you in that direction if they are not right for you.
Bear in mind that the T1 provider you select will be your partner for quite some time so take caution in your decision. The worst thing with being with a bad provider is the fact that it will impact your business. Dropped calls or an Internet connection that goes down can be disastrous to a business. We found that the larger companies like AT&T and Sprint will release companies from long term contracts it if is shown that the voice or data T1 service was faulty on a regular basis, however the release from such a contract will not help recoup the damages of the lost calls and e-mails from the poor service. When shopping for a T1 provider we suggest using a broker and asking for referrals from current customers to give you an indication of what you can expect.
