Optical carriers are connections that transmit voice and other data via fiber optic phone lines which also serve Internet. Optical carriers are much faster and have much greater bandwidth than traditional telephone carriers.

These "OCs" are used by large corporations, particularly those with global offices operating worldwide. Optical carriers can handle data exchange that includes multimedia file transfer, audio and video downloads, and voice.

Data can be exchanged via wireless servers at multiple locations. There are many types of OCs. Beginning with OC1 and working up to OC192, the varying optical carriers can handle increasing amounts of data. This article will focus on OC48 in the telecommunications industry.

T-carriers were developed in the 1960s and have been improved upon continuously as the Internet has grown in popularity. Private companies began to create their own "Intranets" that required private connections rather than less secure Internet connections.

T1 and T3 lines were used by growing businesses with 5-30 or more than 50 employees, respectively. T-carrier lines could handle the increasing demand for data transfer as employees began using email, audio and video file transfer, and multimedia exchanges on a regular basis.

Businesses continued to grow, and though optical carriers had also been around for some time, they have only recently become popular. T1 and T3 lines are inefficient for large corporations. They simply cannot handle information and data exchange between hundreds of employees whether in the same state, between states or between countries.

Optical carriers can handle various types of communication in a large geographic range. They have superseded T-carriers in many areas of the corporate world.

OC48 in the Telecom Industry

OC48 is in the mid-range for speed and price in the realm of optical carriers. It can handle 2.488 gigabytes of information per second. This type of connection can cost $300,000-$500,000 just to start out. The high price is worthwhile to global corporations who require a fast and efficient data transmission connection. T-carriers are approximately $10,000 in starting costs by comparison with optical carriers.

OC48 requires a strong Internet Service Provider to provide a backbone for its many connections. Businesses should carefully research OC48 and other optical carriers to make sure they are purchasing the right carrier, at an affordable price, from a reputable Internet Service Provider.

Finding information about optical carriers on line is daunting so a great deal of time and effort may need to be spent to gather necessary information. It will be worthwhile to get your business connected worldwide.