Gwinnett ISP spearheads ultra-highspeed ethernet system
If you think your internet is fast now, just wait.
Digital Service Consultants, Inc., a Gwinnett-based internet service provider, is spearheading the development of a new system called PME (Premium Metro Ethernet) that the company believes will soon replace T1 lines as the standard for network administration.
"The best way to explain the speeds of these lines is in terms of modem speeds," says Bill Tidwell, founder and CEO of DSC.
"Most everyone can understand a 56k modem. A T1 is about 25 to 30 times faster than a 56k modem. A 10 megabyte Premium Metro Ethernet connection is about seven times faster than a T1, or 180 times faster than a 56k modem."
In addition to the speed capacity, according to Tidwell, these PME lines are more reliable than existing systems and are becoming more affordable every day. PME is more reliable than traditional T1 lines and other existing systems because it uses a fiber-optic connection. ADSL and T1 lines, conversely, rely on copper lines, which are sensitive to weather and other interferences that cause service interruptions.
With the faster speed and decreasing price, Tidwell says it's only a matter of time before businesses are adopting this new technology.
"About five years ago, a T1 was maybe $1,500 to $2,000 per month for a business," Tidwell says. "Now you get them from DSC for $399 per month. The T1 is rock-solid reliable, but its maximum speed is half the download of the average person's home DSL connection, so businesses are looking for better speeds without forfeiting the reliability."
"DSC is, I would say, the leader in Gwinnett for this," he adds. "Even just with regard to sales, I think we're one of the only providers really pushing this service widely right now. PME has been around for a couple of years, but it's only recently become accessible price wise, and we are leading the way in Gwinnett to make this service available. Because of the speed and increasing affordability, we expect PME to be widely adopted."
According to DSC Technical Manager Ashia Gramby, PME lines will be extremely attractive to network administrators who constantly need to increase network workload capacity without losing network speed or efficiency.
"As we become more and more dependant on the internet in business, speed and dependability become limiting factors," says Kevin Myers, a Gwinnett-based networking specialist. "As companies increasingly move more processes to software solutions and put more strain on internal networks, network systems that can handle increased workloads without loss of speed or efficiency are a must to keep businesses functioning. Technologies like Premium Metro Ethernet will allow companies to expand and use the internet in ways many of them have never thought of."
"The more speed a network has at its disposal, the more efficiently it can transfer files, upload, download, etc.," Gramby explains. "PME speed can be increased very easily without all kinds of complex re-ordering of the line. And network transition from T1 to PME is amazingly simple. Any good router with a Fast Ethernet port will handle it, so usually companies don't have to purchase a new router."
