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We currently have 2 DS1 lines in a multilink configuration delivering 3mbits. It works well, but we could certainly benefit from more bandwidth. As I was talking to our sales rep at XO communications, they mentioned something called 'ethernet over copper'.

Does anyone have any expereince with this technology. How is it in terms of SLA, uptime, reliability etc.

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    Ethernet over Copper is the same type of connection you have between your computer and a network switch. It's not a fancy product, your sales rep is probably a little low on knowledge :)
    – pauska
    Nov 11, 2010 at 22:21
  • The fancy sales-speak for this line would be a MAN or Metro-Ethernet: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Ethernet They might also be backhauling the connection with Fiber or another technology.
    – Chris S
    Nov 12, 2010 at 13:39

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We are in the same situation. We have 4 bonded T1s for 6mbps looking to upgrade to 10mbps Ethernet over Copper. Ethernet over Copper(EoC) usually means that the ISP is delivering an Ethernet connection over standard Copper wires. The twisted pairs that your DS1 lines use now are Copper wires.

This article claims that EoC ranges from 1 to 45 mbps, varying based on Distance. 10mbps is the most common speed that I have seen offered from XO, Verizon, and Broadview.

I would expect(not based on facts, just assumption) the SLA, uptime, reliability to be very similar to what you have now. This is just a different protocol operating over the same physical medium. SLAs and Time-To-Repair will vary based on your contract, but I would expect these to remain the same/similar especially if you are staying within XO.

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In this case, I'd guess they're talking about taking a bunch of DS1 lines and handing them to you as ethernet. There are several products out there that do this, but perhaps the most popular are made by Overture Networks. I have never had the chance to use these, but I'd assume that they work well. Regarding uptime and reliability, I would guess it's about the same as your current DS1 line(s) since the service will be delivered over the same circuits.

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  • The do work well. We have EoC service from XO in our suburban St. Louis office, because DS1/DS3 were all that was available in that location. We get 10 mbits from 7 DS1 lines, without a hiccup in three years. This is much better than multilink because a single TCP connection can use all 10 Mbps (I assume they do something at the link layer to "stripe" packets across the DS1s and prevent out-of-order delivery).
    – rmalayter
    Nov 11, 2010 at 22:40

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