Webster’s dictionary defines dialtone as a low steady tone in a telephone receiver indicating that the line is open and a number may be dialed. Although true, this definition hardly helps a business that’s actually trying to acquire dialtone and it certainly doesn’t mention the fact that it is available with a wide variety of optional features from an even wider variety of vendors. Years ago it was very simple; call the local phone company, describe your needs and they’d hook you up. The world has changed and so have business needs and options.

Here in the Southeast, BellSouth has been the primary incumbent local exchange company (ILEC) ever since Judge Green broke up AT&T, however, over the past 10 years many new players have entered this marketplace. Many of these startup companies have gone under but several are still viable options. These other companies are known as CLECS (competitive local exchange carriers) and sometimes offer slightly better pricing than the ILEC.

For small companies dialtone has typically come in the form of local analog lines or POTS lines – (Plain Old Telephone Service) while larger firms that needed 15 or more lines would probably save money and get more benefit from ordering what is known as a T1. A T1 can accommodate up to as many as 24 lines. It is common nowadays for a T1 to provide both dialtone and bandwidth.

BANDWIDTH

With the advent of the internet, Voice over IP and the rapidly increasing need to transmit data from one location to another, most firms now have a need for “bandwidth” in addition to dialtone. Bandwidth comes in many flavors and price points and can be delivered from the same set of CLEC’s and ILEC’s that offer dialtone. DSL, T1’s and Frame Relay are just a few examples of bandwidth options. The number of simultaneous internet users you employ along with the type of data you download and the amount of voice and data traffic will determine the amount of bandwidth you will need.

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