Evaluating Your Local Loop Choices

You have three basic options for how you order the local loop portion of a dedicated circuit. Each option has different benefits and drawbacks. The best choice for your company depends on how much your business is based on phone service, and the level of responsibility you want for ordering and troubleshooting your circuit.

The three basic options for your local loop are:

• Have your carrier order the local loop. If you don’t have an in-house technician and aren’t very comfortable with telecom, this is your best choice. Having your carrier order the loop reduces your responsibility for coordinating the order and troubleshooting the circuit.

• Order the local loop yourself. If you are technically sharp and want to be responsible for all aspects of the local loop, this is your best choice.

• Eliminate the local loop by collocating to the same building as your carrier. Companies typically take this option when telecom is their business, and their employees work to take care of their phone system, rather than vice versa.

Your interaction in the order process and the average time to completion will vary depending on the option you choose. The same steps happen during every ordering process, even though some of them may happen without you knowing about it.

Understanding the complexities of type 2 (and type 3) circuits

 Remember  In a perfect world, you order a dedicated circuit from your long-distance carrier, the long-distance carrier contracts with the local carrier in your area, and the circuit is delivered. Local loops set up like this, with only one local carrier, are called type 1 circuits. Unfortunately, this isn’t always how things play out. Sometimes, the territory for your local carrier stops short of the POP where your long-distance carrier is located. Your local carrier then must contract with the neighboring local carrier to connect to the POP in what’s called a type 2 circuit. It can get even worse if your long-distance carrier doesn’t have the facilities available to receive the local loop from the second local carrier, and has to contract with a third local carrier (type 3 circuit).

All these circuit types are relevant to you because every time you add another local carrier to the loop, you can expect to add 15 days to the installation date of your circuit. Every carrier adds more possibility for error in provisioning the circuit, because the order now must run through another company’s order system. And, of course, there’s always the ka-ching factor: a higher local loop cost per month, and more difficulty if you ever have to troubleshoot the circuit. If you can avoid a type 2 or 3 circuit, it’s in your best interest to do so.