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.

Looking for T1 service but you don't have time to listen to all carriers sales pitches? Consider shopping in real time by using a broker at ShopforT1.com. While a broker is always a time saver in telecom shopping, the creators of Shop4T1.com have made it even easier to shop for T1 service by introducing the first real-time bandwidth and loop calculator.

ShopforT1.com truly lives up to its mantra of "1.5Mbps in 1.5 seconds". Simply enter your information in the front page and have multiple customized quotes for service at your location instantly! This is an amazing tool considering the fact that each service provider has a unique set of POP's and a unitque pricing model which is based on the customer's location in relation to the service provider's POP's. While we don't know how it was accomplished we do know it works! We've tried it and seen 10 accurate quotes instantly.

If you are searching for T1 service I highly recommend a look at this website. I have searched the web and found that this is really the only tool that differentiates itself from the long list of brokers that are happy to take your information and return it to you in a few days with quotes from a few carriers. In the age of instant gratification Shop4T1.com is a winner!