T1 PRI For PBX Telephony
A T1 PRI, also called an ISDN PRI, is a "Primary Rate Interface"
providing 23 individual digitized telephone lines plus data such
as Caller ID on a single digital telephone trunk line. A PRI line
is usually much less expensive than a dozen or more analog business
phone lines.
Advantage of Colocation Bandwidth
Colocation is locating your servers in a colocation facility,
also known as a carrier hotel. Advantages of this approach include
ready availability of low cost bandwidth including T1, DS3, Carrier
Ethernet and SONET Fiber Optic options. These data centers also
offer backup power, environmental control and high levels of security.
Channelized T1 vs ISDN PRI
T1 lines can support two protocols of switched circuit telephony.
Channelized T1 lines offer 24 phone lines using in-band signaling.
ISDN PRI, or Primary Rate Interface, offers 23 phone lines and
common channel signaling that can include data such as ANI Automatic
Number Identification or Caller ID.
T1 Digital Cross Connect Systems
A digital cross connect system, often abbreviated DCS or DCAS,
allows you to switch traffic among your T1 lines. It will even
reach into the line to connect individual channels or timeslots
rather than the entire circuit. A manual device that cross connects
T1 lines is called a DCX or patch panel.
Bandwidth to Support Convergence
Convergence means combining or converging voice, data and video
onto a single network. Enterprises usually need to expand their
LAN bandwidth and set up a QoS or Quality of Service priority
system to give priority to real-time streams such as telephone
calls or video conference feeds, which are more sensitive to network
delays than data transfers. Most often, the common protocol for
convergence is IP.