More For The Money: GTE rolls out Multi-T-1 service as alternative to full and channelized T-3

GTE Internetworking is introducing a new service for business Internet customers who need greater than T-1 access but can't cost-justify a full T-3.

The new service, called Multi-T-1, is initially being offered in 27 cities. It allows a user to aggregate up to six T-1 lines, garnering up to 9 Mb/s. GTE is using Cisco Systems hardware and software to implement the service.

Cisco Express Forwarding, a Cisco Internetwork Operating System software function, is the key element in the mix.

CEF allows end users' loads to be balanced across all the T-1s at their disposal. That means that if a customer has two T-1s, the traffic travels simultaneously on both lines whenever an Internet connection is made. That gives all connections the benefit of greater-than-T-1 access speeds. In a load-sharing scenario, individual connections would use one T-1 or the other.

The service would not be as attractive if the software allowed only for load sharing, said Richard Kane, service line manager for GTE Internetworking's managed connectivity service.

"Each session gets the full aggregate capacity of all the T-1s installed [at the customer site]," Kane said. "It's attractive for cost as well as for performance."

GTE believes it can better serve existing customers as well as attract new business with the new service, Kane said. There's strong interest among existing customers to graduate from T-1 (1.54 Mb/s) service, but GTE's network monitoring indicates that T-3 customers use on average only 6 Mb/s of the 45 Mb/s the service allows, he said.

"We believe this provides a competitive alternative for companies that don't need a full T-3," he said.

The key for the multiple T-1 service is that it's cheaper than channelized T-3, according to Dan Taylor, senior analyst at The Aberdeen Group.

"There's a lot of leverage in using multiple T-1s rather than channelized T-3," Taylor said. "Once you hit 6 Mb/s, channelized T-3 makes a lot more sense."

For customers who wish to use the service, deployment time is the same as for a T-1. The favored method of installation is to deploy two T-1s and switch the customer over when the hookup is complete, Kane said. A single new T-1 also can be added, but that method is more likely to cause service interruptions for end users.

The creation of Multi-T-1 was a joint effort between Cisco's JumpStart consulting program and GTE. The companies formed a team to create the service that included marketing, training and tool development.

Although the service is an important addition for GTE and came from a specialized effort, using multiple T-1s instead of channelized T-3 is not a new concept-it's just a matter of the right timing, Taylor said.

"It's not a technical issue; it's more a marketing issue," according to Taylor, who said that carriers need "a critical mass" of customers who demand the service. "Remember, a T-1 is still a lot of capacity for a [wide area network] connection," he said.

Kane said the initial service rollout covers a number of cities where GTE offers T-3 service but also includes markets where only T-1 service has been available. And while the initial offering covers a fairly large number of markets, the service will be turned up in more markets soon.

"We're in the process of an aggressive network buildout," Kane said. "We'll bring this [service] up in new areas."

GTE Internetworking is offering multiple T-1 service as an alternative to full T-3 in 27 markets. Here are some key points of the service and some major markets in which it is deployed.

Features * Two to six T-1 lines

* 3 Mb/s to 9 Mb/s

* Load balancing across installed T-1s

Major cities * Atlanta

* Boston

* Cleveland

* Denver

* New York

* Baltimore

* Chicago

* Dallas

* Los Angeles

* Philadelphia