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So what is the pricing on a DS3? The answer is: it all depends. DS3 pricing depends on what State you are in, how far you are from the serving central office, how many available copper pairs exist in the local network, how much local access competition there is, and possibly even the relative position of the moon and the sun. You can safely bet on the following relative pricing terms: A DS3 price will be roughly 10 times that of an equivalent T1 (though it has 28 times the capacity) For example: one carrier offers T1 access to a particular location for $398, but also offers a DS3 to the same location for $4223. A DS3, also known as a T3, will be delivered either via fiber (and converted by an FLC, see DS3 fiber web page) or, if there is sufficient copper capacity in the network, it may be delivered on copper pairs. Either way, you'll end up with a 45Mb access circuit that gives you 10,656 bits per dollar, compared to a T1 (1.5Mb) that only provides 3879 bits per dollar. That's more than twice the bandwidth per month for each dollar spent. Who quotes DS3 prices? Every carrier that provides DS3s will be happy to quote a price. Be prepared to offer the location name, address, suite number, contact information, etc for an accurate DS3 fee quote. If you're looking to use an online source that will "shop" the retail rates for you, consider a source such as Bandwidth.com, but don't expect an immediate response. An inquiry will alert a salesperson that will work with you on the best DS3 cost he/she can find for your location. Volume discounts are commonplace in the telecommunications pricing structure. If your lease covers only a single DS3, your volume discount structure would be based upon this revenue level only. However, if this DS3 charge is part of the overall company's voice and data expenditures, significantly larger discounts can apply. Customers who sign term agreements will also benefit from discounts, but beware: It is not suggested that companies enter into agreements longer than 2 years, and never commit at the revenue level, only the duration of the agreement. As prices may continue to fall, you may have locked yourself in to a pre-set spending minimum, so tread carefully on revenue commitments to carriers. Don't forget that if your equipment can't accept a DS3 input, and requires T1 interfaces, you're looking at some form of multiplexer or M13 to de-multiplex the DS3. Please see our multiplexing page for an in-depth tutorial about multiplexing schemes. |
DS3 Pricing
