About Ds3
In order to meet the growing need of high end IP throughput for todays large enterprise, tier-one providers are rapidly expanding their DS3 foot print making this carrier-grade internet connection a viable option for more and more corporate buyers.
A DS3, also called a T3, is a dedicated circuit delivered by a LEC via traditional local copper networks and in some cases, over fiber. In its full rate form, a DS3 has the same capacity of 28 T1s. Like a T1, a DS3 can be changed to deliver voice as well as data. When programmed for voice, a DS3 can hold 672 individual 64 kbps POTs lines. When connected to a tier-one carrier edge router however, it delivers 45 Mbps of bi-directional internet connectivity.
People who buy DS3 service consist of enterprise size business with high data demands such as large scale VPN, video conferencing, and corporately hosted application servers. Software development firms will often require throughput above the capability of a T1 to handle client upload and download traffic as buyers log onto FTP servers to access patches and newer versions of their product. Hospitals and clinics who share a large number of electronic images such as MRI will require bit rates in excess of the 1544 kbps available on a standard T1. The print industry is a voracious consumer of bandwidth also as they pass large graphics files to and fro. Local and regional ISP themselves will use DS3 circuits as the backbone of their consumer oriented broadband delivery and just about any user of tier-one, carrier grade bandwidth that has outgrown T1 and NxT1 options is a likely candidate for DS3 service.
While a DS3 service will always incorporate a full 45 Mbps access Loop, a typical deployment of a DS3 circuit rarely begins with a full rate Port. Most corporations expanding beyond the limits of their T1 and NxT1 service opt to make the jump to fractional DS3 such as 6 or 9 Mbps. Often times, a 6 Mbps fractional DS3 will be more expensive from a monthly recurring cost standpoint than simply bonding more T1s. Corporations who jump from a dual bonded T1 or higher NxT1 speed to a 6 Mbps DS3 will typically incur a larger monthly price than that of just adding more T1s. The draw to DS3 is found in its scalability properties. Upgrades are a matter of resizing the port, which will rarely take more than a few days, and growth to full 45 Mbps can occur at a pace the corporation is comfortable with. As users scale above 9 Mbps, the DS3 begins to become the better priced option also as the cost of CPE required to implement large scale T1 bonding, along with lowering per megabit prices of the DS3, begin to sway in the favor of the DS3.
