Covad Bonded Business T1 Service

Frequently Asked Questions

How does bonded T1 work?
How many T1s are bonded?
What T1s can be bonded?
What is the bonded Business T1 coverage area?
Is the SLA different for bonded Business T1?
Do I order two T1s?
How do I know which speed is right for me?
What hardware is required?
If I already have a Cisco 1841 CPE, can I use it?
If I already have Netopia or Siemens CPE running T1, can I use it in place of the Cisco 1841?


How does bonded T1 work?
Covad uses multi-link point-to-point protocol (MLPPP) to combine two T1s to deliver a coherent 3 Mbps of symmetrical bandwidth. There is no need to implement load balancing over two separate T1s.

How many T1s are bonded?
Presently, two T1s are bonded. 

What T1s can be bonded?
T1 circuits must be from the same POP going to the same customer location.

What is the bonded Business T1 coverage area?
Bonded T1 has the same nationwide coverage area as Business T1. You can enter your telephone number and address to see if your location pre-qualifies for service.

Is the service level agreement (SLA) different for bonded Business T1?
No. Bonded Business T1 is backed by the same industry-leading SLAs as a single T1.

Do I order two T1s?
No. When you place your order, select 'Business T1 3.0M'.

How do I know which speed is right for me?
The Covad Sales Consultants will help you determine exactly which speed is best for your needs. Some of the things you should take into account are: applications you are running, number of employees using the connection.

What hardware is required?
Covad-approved CPE is required for bonded Business T1 and the options will be presented at the time the order is placed.

If I already have a Cisco 1841 CPE, can I use it?
Your CPE must have the configuration below. Please note that Covad does not provide support for non-Covad issued CPE.

• Flash 64 MB
• DRAM 256 MB
• Two RJ-45 WICs (WAN interface cards) with integrated CSU/DSU (Cisco Part# WIC-1DSU-T1-V2)
• Two autosensing 10/100 Fast Ethernet ports
• One RJ-45 asynchronous serial console port
• Built-in VPN accelerator
• Advanced security IOS 12.4(6)T3

If I already have Netopia or Siemens CPE running T1, can I use it in place of the Cisco 1841?
No, Business T1 3.0M requires the Cisco 1841 with a 2nd WAN interface card.