| A T1 line has 24 channels, each of which can transfer data at a rate of 64 kilobytes a second.
Because it has 24 channels, the T1 line is commonly costly. Businesses with large amounts of data transfer taking place multiple times every day often choose to pay for a full T1 line because it is cost-effective to do so. However, another option is available. Customers can now implement a fractional T1 line, which is, as its name suggests, only part of a T1 line.
A fractional T1 line allows a customer to use only a certain number of the 24 channels on a T1 line. In a sense, the customer who pays for a fractional T1 is renting the use of those channels. This kind of business decision certainly makes sense if the customer requires only a few channels, yet wants to take advantage of the speed, precision, and security that a T1 line delivers. Despite using only a few or perhaps several channels, a fractional T1 does not suffer from slower or less intense data transmission speeds or performance.
As is probably not surprising, the fractional T1 routinely costs a fraction of the full T1 line. Providers usually charge customers for each channel used, and fractional T1 costs correspond to the fraction of the full T1 line that a customer is renting. |
