| By :
Dirik Hameed
Leased lines are high-performance circuits that are private and used between the customer and service provider networks. These lines are rented annually and carry voice and data or both. Leased line internet services are used across two sites (point-to-point) or for internet access because they are always active. These lines do not share bandwidth and are not in contention like when using broadband so there is immediate certified bandwidth over a dedicated line. A comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) having a certain fix time and compensation of losses clause support these business leased lines and have premium costs. The internet service provider's contractual requirement guaranteeing that the service will be kept at the same level is confirmed by the SLA. This is usually not found in cheaper services. Money back objectives on delivery, service availability and performance are provided by leading SLAs. These SLAs will provide for giving money back if these objectives are not met. There are fixed annual, quarterly or monthly rates for connection fees as well as the install set-up cost. The fees charged are chiefly affected by the circuit speed in addition to the distance of the customer to the closest service provider point of presence (POP). A standard RJ45 connector is used by the installed router for a connection. The carrier connects the router to the local service provider POP. Network termination equipment connects to either fiber optic or a copper circuit. Point-to-point, dedicated access, private circuit or private lines are other terms referring to leased lines. A company may have specific requirements for bandwidth ranging from 64 Kbps to 1000 Mbps. The required speed depends on how many employees need internet access and on what applications are being used. Applications vary in the amount of bandwidth used. Businesses use these services when needing high quality 24/7 internet access with an SLA as well as running critical applications using fast upstream speeds. There are a great number of benefits when using these services. Privacy and security are provided to customers with these dedicated lines. There is no contention and the lines have direct speed. Bandwidth is in the range of 64 Kbps to 10 Gbps. There are fixed guarantees because of the fast, reliable and private premium circuit local loops. These flexible lines provide redundancy so that outages are reduced and a wide selection of speeds are used. An easy upgrade is bandwidth on demand. On location web hosting is suitable for this service because it is dependable. The disadvantage of the service is that it is often expensive to install and rent so it is not suited for individuals or workers at home. The lead time for installation can be as long as 65 working days and it is dependent on the distance to the nearest POP. Leased lines and existing telephone network infrastructure work together to provide a wide area of coverage. Unlike broadband, these lines are only available in well served areas of the country. Rural companies should find out their required upstream bandwidth before selecting a location. Business broadband connections are designed for from fifteen to twenty users. If a company has more employees that that, it is to their advantage to use leased line services with greater power. Offices that host data at a central office, send large files, or support end user demands with fast speed downloads, must have extensive upload bandwidth for office support. Using business broadband, there can be lower speeds during maximum load hours and line speeds may change at different times of the day. Contention, line quality, and distance from an exchange in addition to several other events can affect the speed of broadband.
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