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Estimate Bandwidth

This document discusses the differences between dedicated leased lines and shared access broadband for businesses. Dedicated leased lines provide symmetrical, guaranteed bandwidth through a direct connection but have higher installation and equipment costs. Shared access lines through DSL or cable are less expensive but performance is reduced during peak usage times when many users are sharing the bandwidth. The document provides a table to help businesses estimate the bandwidth needs for different types of applications and the number of simultaneous users.

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ArmandoRilentuahParhusip
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105 views2 pages

Estimate Bandwidth

This document discusses the differences between dedicated leased lines and shared access broadband for businesses. Dedicated leased lines provide symmetrical, guaranteed bandwidth through a direct connection but have higher installation and equipment costs. Shared access lines through DSL or cable are less expensive but performance is reduced during peak usage times when many users are sharing the bandwidth. The document provides a table to help businesses estimate the bandwidth needs for different types of applications and the number of simultaneous users.

Uploaded by

ArmandoRilentuahParhusip
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Understanding Dedicated Leased Lines Versus Shared Access

Leased lines (such as T1, DS1 lines) are a common Internet access solution for high-speed, guaranteed broadband services for
businesses. Leased lines are dened by a contract and provide a dedicated connection between the ISP and business premises.
They are typically symmetrical lines, meaning the download and upload speeds are the same. Leased lines come with service level
agreements that dene performance, reliability and support criteria. Installation cost is based on the equipment needed, location of
the business premises and distance to the nearest ISP access point.
Shared access lines are less expensive because they are shared by multiple users. However, as the number of users in the area
increases, the peak performance is reduced. An example of shared access would be the DSL or cable Internet service to your home.
If you choose to go this route, ask your provider for their contention ratio which is the ratio of the potential maximum demand to the
amount of actual bandwidth for which you pay. The higher the ratio, the greater number of users who are trying to use the actual
bandwidth at any one time. High ratios will lower the bandwidth you can use, especially at peak usage times. You can see this effect
by taking speed tests at various times of dat (one test is available at http://www.colorado.gov/BroadbandSWF/speedtest.htm).
Bottom line, when calculating what you need for shared access lines, you!ll want to over-purchase (for example, from 1.5 to 3.0
Mbps) if you can!t afford slow-downs during peak usage times.
Estimating Needs
In determining basic broadband needs, a recent forum discussion on Spiceworks (a community of small-medium business IT
professionals), suggested that a 1.5 Mbps dedicated leased line (not shared) would support 10-20 typical ofce users. However, this
is dependent on the type of applications your users typically run and how often. General use of email, web searching or document
sharing is different than businesses who have a large web, e-commerce or e-business presence. Businesses with IT professionals
typically monitor their Internet trafc to see if they have enough bandwidth.
For businesses without such IT help, the following table can help you estimate your needs. You can also work with your ISP.
NOTE: The table on page 2 is estimating speed needed per single user for acceptable performance, unless otherwise noted. If your
users will be doing high-bandwidth applications at the same time, you!ll need to look at the requirements of the services you use. This
will usually include nding out the typical le sizes that are downloaded or uploaded by the application and by looking at the stated
bandwidth requirements of your applications, along with knowing the number of users online line at the same time. Most software
applications will provide you guidance on minimum and optimum Internet speeds. Microsoft also suggests that you assume your daily
peak will be twice the average speeds you calculate.
How to Estimate Business Broadband Needs
1
Typical applications and their performance for various download/upload speeds - single user
Application 1.5 Mbps /
384 Kbps
7 Mbps /
768 Kbps
10 Mbps /
1 Mbps
20 Mbps /
2 Mpbs
50 Mbps /
2 Mpbs
100 Mbps /
10 Mbps
Simple email, no attachments
Web browsing
Email, attachments and graphics
Download small les (1 MB, 50 pages)
Download large les (2 MB, 100 pages)
Online trading, e-business
Online meeting, with document sharing
Videoconference (384 Kbps) - 1 user
Skype videoconference - 5 users
Cloud applications (business apps, backup)
VPN, remote service access
Videoconference (768 Kbps) - 5 users
Voice over IP (ten external lines)
Upload videos, presentations (1 GB)
Download HD video (2 GB) in real-time
Server backup, up to 20 GB (off-hours)
Telecommuting
Distance learning
Telemedicine (160 MB, radiologic images)
Table adapted from The Impact of Broadband Speed and Price on Small Business at http://archive.sba.gov/advo/research/rs373tot.pdf
How to Estimate Business Broadband Needs
2

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