Why you might need to upgrade your 100Mb circuits sooner than you think

How things change. I can remember when owning a Walkman was cool; when mobile phones were just for making phone calls and the unmistakable sound of the dial-up modem. Well it wasn’t that long ago was it?

You only have to go back a few years when transmitting data at 300 bits per second over PSTN was considered state-of-the-art. Today, our Ethernet networks run over 3 million times faster.

The impressive bandwidth 1Gb offers is the natural choice for network backbones, but with traffic growing rapidly on networks across the UK, 1Gb Ethernet will soon become the preferred high-speed network solution. Despite the inherent benefits of upgrading to 1Gb, however, many don’t think it’s worth the cost or trouble.

Some are worried about the cost of adopting new technology. Others don’t feel there’s any need to rush, and that they’re actually saving money by postponing their upgrade until they’re entirely sure they need it, or a specific application requires it.

But are you really saving money by postponing your upgrade to 1Gb EAD? The answer is probably not; in fact, not upgrading may actually be costing your business.

So why aren't you using 1Gb EAD?

Being frank, there isn’t a reason to rush to upgrade your network immediately if you’re not experiencing any performance issues. But, if you’re in the early throes of setting up a network backbone, you’ll be seriously hampering your network and thus your business’ growth by continuing to use 100Mb Ethernet. You’ll probably end up spending more money and expending more effort when you eventually upgrade.

Sometimes a lack of funds gets in the way; budgets may not be able to stretch to accommodate a full upgrade. There’s always the option of using Ethernet switches with combinations of both 100Mb and 1Gb. It depends on what applications you need to support and you may be able to meet some of your present and future needs.

Whatever approach you believe is best, one thing is clear: there has never been a better time to upgrade your Ethernet circuits.

The Openreach EAD 1Gb upgrade offer is a great way to reclaim some of your investment costs, with rebates of up to 75 per cent of the upgrade connection fee. But you’ll need to hurry as the offer expires on 31 March 2013.

If you’re interested in taking advantage of this offer you'll need to opt-in by adding your details in our opt-in form. This will ensure that any 100Mb to 1Gb upgrades you make in the special offer period between 1 October 2012 to 31 March 2013 are eligible for the rebates.

Don’t forget that EAD 1Gb rental prices have been reduced by up to 42 per cent, so it’s a great opportunity to make 1Gb Ethernet part of your network development plans. Even if you don't think you need 1Gb Ethernet now, you need to make sure you’re prepared. The time to upgrade will come sooner than you think.

It’s funny how quickly things change.

If you have any questions, please speak to your Sales & Relationship Manager.

Juwon Adenyin