The t1 internet service has been around for over 40 years but never have there been so many "flavors" available. The number of providers has jumped since deregulation in 1996 from a few dozen to several thousand. As the telecom shakedown that began in 2001 continues many of these comapnies are trying to stay afloat by capturing as many customers as possible with inexpensive products they claim to be T1. Don't be fooled!

Many of the desperate companies are putting together inferior products they claim are T1 products. Be leary of products with the funny titles like "burstable" and "reach". These products are oversubscribed much like a DSL product. This means the provider put's a singled T1 connnection in a CO (Central Office) and sells T1 connections to 3 or 4 customers hoping they don't all use the service at the same time. True T1 access means dedicated access to the internet and you always have access to 1.54Mbps.

Make sure your T1 product is a "clearchannel" product and is not shared with other users. Also be sure you have an SLA or Service Level Agreement from your provider. A SLA will specify the access you will receive and the penaly the service provider will pay if they do not provide such service. If you need help establishing the proper SLA seek the help of a professional if you don't have one in house. It's much better to pay a small fee up front than to enter a long term contract with an inferior carrier. You can also get professional assistance free of charge by simply contacting one fo the many T1 brokers on the internet.

If a T1 service isn't enough to meet your needs, you can choose from the Tier 1 service providers' comprehensive t3 line (DS-3) service options. This high-speed line is offered in variables of up to 45 Mbps (from 3 Mbps to 45 Mbps or just 45 Mbps, depending on your needs) of continuous bandwidth so you can optimize the response time of your Web site, transfer large video files, or offer regional Internet access. We found 5 service providers that offer great plans. The first plan we found was with ACC Business. ACC uses the ATT network exclusively and is at the top when it comes to reliability. At ACC you'll get the realiability you would expect from ATT without the price.

Sprint also came up high in our review of T3 service plans. Sprint offers an incredible SLA (Service Level Agreement) with their service standing behind the product they offer 100%. While this may seem like something all providers do, further research will show that not all providers offer an SLA like Sprint. The third provider offering a great T3 plan is Telepacific. Unfortunately Telepacific is a regional player and only offers service in California and Las Vegas. Because of their focus they are extremely specialized and offer incredible customer support and reliability. If you're not in California you may consider moving there just to get this service!

The fourth plan we found and highly recommend is Telarus. Telarus is a reseller for Global Crossing, Qwest, and Wiltel. While you will get the value of the underlying provider you will not pay the price you would going in the front door. Telarus buys in bulk from these networks and transfers on the cost savings to its customers. Telarus is a virtual provider so you will not have extra hops to the network. You jump right on from your local CO and don't have to worry about extra latency! The final plan we suggest in our top 5 is Savvis. Savis offers Tier 1 service and highly reliable customer service. While they have a limited footprint, once you're on the network you'll have one of the best services around.