T1 and copper backup

[coniglio]

if I have my local and l.d. traffic going out on a T1 but I keep six POTS lines in a second route in the event the T1 fails then I still have to pay the LEC a monthly charge for each of those six lines, correct? and if the LEC doesn't charge me for local calls then it would make more sense to use LEC for outbound local traffic, right? or is there a charge I'm missing here? besides the monthly charge for the line, if the LEC includes local calls then would there be any way for me to incur any additional charges? i hope your answer is NO. Thank you.

 

[Phonz]

I always recommend back-up lines. I believe that there is a cost however they could be used for faxes, modems, 911 and such. If the T span did go down, you wouldn't have any way to dial out. I guess it depends on you and the nature of your business. Also, do you have a dial out alarm? you could terminate a pots line on that with a RJ-31x.

It's always a good idea to have an alternate route out though!

 

[SYQUEST]

The separate analog lines you use for backup would have a their own monthly charges if they are not bundled with your T1 service. Depending upon your service provider/LEC/CLEC and calling package, if any, there may be local usage charges in addition to the basic line charges. Check with your provider to find out the details on local calling area, etc. If the provider does NOT charge for local usage then by all means I would route all local traffic on those lines first and then overflo to the other route. ESN is very flexible for this type of call routing.

Hope this helps!

...JIM...