There are many options to consider when a business decides to start phone/internet service with a new carrier or arrange for service to begin at a new location. Below, we have outlined four of the most common delivery methods for providing service to a building:
1. Copper infrastructure: Type of service: T1/PRI and/or analog lines. This is the traditional way that service has been delivered to homes and business locations for nearly a century. Unfortunately, a large amount of the infrastructure in urban areas was installed over 100 years ago and has its problems. If your business is located in Baltimore City, this would not be our first recommendation because the city is experiencing major problems with the deterioration of the copper infrastructure. The cost for this option can range from $25 a month for an analog/POTS line to $400-600/per month for a T1/PRI telephone/internet service depending on the carrier and your exact location.
2. Coax Infrastructure: Type of service: PRI, analog lines and Ethernet. This can deliver the same type of phone service, but has more desirable internet offerings due to the availability of greater speeds. Instead of using the aging copper infrastructure, the delivery method is Coax cable. The disadvantage is that a Coax infrastructure is not available everywhere and you are typically limited to one vendor – the cable TV company in your area. There are various options available for phone, TV and internet service with a wide range of costs – we are all familiar with “bundling” these services!
3. Fiber Infrastructure: Type of service: T1/PRI, analog lines and fast symmetrical internet (Fast Ethernet). Fiber service can be provided by any carrier that has fiber in your area (Verizon FIOS, TW Telecom, Windstream or Comcast to name a few) and prices would vary depending on the carrier, type of service and the cost to build fiber to your office building (if not existing).
Teltek has access to a real-time online fiber map where we can plug in your business address to see which carriers have fiber closest to your building. Fiber is one of the most desirable options because of the speeds available and the fact that fiber optics is constructed of glass instead of metal, so it does not conduct electricity. This greatly reduces problems that are all too common on copper and coaxial infrastructures.
Fiber is the newest and most reliable option, but often also the most expensive (FIOS excluded). Another factor to consider is that your business may have to make a financial contribution to have the fiber brought out to your building, but if there are other companies in the same building, you could split the cost with them since you will all benefit from the service in the end. Some carriers also have construction budgets available that increase depending on how many other business customers they could potentially service along the delivery route to your building, so check around.
4. Wireless Delivery: Type of service: T1/PRI, Analog Lines and Ethernet. There are two main carriers that supply wireless internet in and around Baltimore – Airband and Believe Wireless. This works by having an antenna placed on the roof of your building that would communicate with antennas on other buildings. This option eliminates the copper, fiber and coaxial infrastructure altogether. There are various options with a wide difference in costs.
If you would like more information on these delivery methods or are interested in scheduling a free site survey, give Teltek a call! We will inspect your building, phone system and physical location to determine which options would best suit your needs. After you decide on a delivery method, our project managers will facilitate the cutover and the porting of your phone numbers. We can also install or repair your interior wiring. Let us handle all of that for you!
Teltek is a Certified Avaya Business Partner, NEC Dealer, and Microsoft Partner with three locations in the Baltimore and DC Metropolitan areas. We specialize in providing one call technology support for small to mid-sized businesses and nonprofits in Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Our dedicated team of experts enables Teltek to provide, install and repair business phone systems & computer networks, run voice and data cabling and coordinate local, long-distance, and internet service providers all under the watchful eye of our dedicated project managers.