Telecom connections

Introduction
This document has been drawn up at the request of REWIN West-Brabant in order to inform companies establishing in the region of West Brabant on their choice of data and speech connections. All prices mentioned in this document are indicative, and no rights can be derived from this document. 

Internet connections
Formerly, an internet connection was usually established with a modem over an analogue telephone line. This type of connection was slow and expensive and is hardly ever applied anymore.

Nowadays frequent use is made of DSL connections for establishing a (permanent) internet connection. There are three different types of DSL connections:

• ADSL connections;
• SDSL connections;
• Extended Ethernet DSL.

In an A(asymmetrical)DSL connection, incoming traffic has a higher speed than outgoing traffic. In an S(symmetrical)DSL connection these are the same.
An SDSL connection is especially interesting for organizations with a large amount of outbound data traffic. Examples are companies with their own webserver, teleworkers or links between different offices through DSL connections. In these cases, high outbound speed is necessary. In most other cases ADSL is sufficient.
An Extended Ethernet DSL connection is in fact an SDSL connection in which several copper wires (phone lines) are used to achieve very high speeds.

Transfer and speed
After the choice between ADSL and SDSL is made, the right velocity and ¡®transfer¡¯ have to be chosen. Transfer determines with how many other users the band width has to be shared. Obviously, this influences the eventual performance of the DSL connection. For private individuals (= home connections) transfer is 1:50, in business services a number of different transfers cen be chosen from, like 1:1 / 1:4 / 1:10 of 1:20.

The choice of transfer and speed depends on the number of users and the intensity of connection use. In general, it is easy and cheap to increase transfer and/or speed later on.

The table below shows the maximum speed (per 1 October 2007) per different type of connection. Incidentally, in the end the distance of your location to the nearest KPN local telephone exchange is decisive for the maximum speed that can be reached at your specific location.

IP adresses
It may be important to provide 1 or more fixed IP addresses with the internet connection. A fixed IP address is a neccessity in the following situations:

• SMTP mail is used;
• The company wants their webserver to be accessible from outside the office;
• Links with other locations through VPN are required;
• The company uses its own firewall, in which case at least 4 fixed IP addresses are required.

In business connections, practically always at least 1 fixed IP address is furnished.

Choice of provider
There are 3 different DSL networks in the Netherlands, namely those of KPN, bbNed and Versatel. Access to a DSL network always runs through a copper wire (phone line) owned by KPN. On these networks, a large number of different providers is active. It is important to choose a good one, as the quality of the DSL connection is largely determined by the provider. Of equal importance is the provision of reliable support, specifically aimed at professional users. Most business internetproviders work through intermediaries like IT and telecom suppliers. However, connections can also be ordered directly from bBeyond, KPN and Versatel.

Price indication
The table below contains an overview of different connections and prices. Because many different up- and download speed- and transfer combinations are available on the market, this overview is far from complete..

Next to the fixed monthly price, there usually are initial costs involved in setting up a connection.

For teleworker connections (semi-professional connections) lower rates apply. A 3 Mbit Up and 16 Mbity down ADSL teleworker connection costs around € 40,25 a month. This connection has a 1:40 transfer.

Other types of internet connections
On some industrial estates, glass fibre cables are layed in to all office buildings. In that case you can use a highspeed connection at favourable rates. You can check at the industrial board of your industrial estate if glass fibre is available.

Ofcourse it is possible to have a glass fibre connection installed exclusively for yourself. This however, involves substantial investments.

Telephone connections
Telephone traffic can be conducted over the following connections:
- Analogue phone lines

- ISDN lines and bundles

- VOIP tetelephony (through SDSL connections).

Analogue phone lines
This type of line is mostly used to connect alarm systems and fax machines. Over an analogue phone line only 1 conversation can be conducted simultaneously.

ISDN lines and bundles
A single ISDN line consists of 2 channels. Therefore, over a ISDN line two conversations can be conducted at the same time. For this reason a single ISDN line is often called an ISDN2 line. If for instance you would like to have 6 external lines at your disposal at the same time, you must have 3 ISDN2 lines installed.
An ISDN ¢bundle¢ is an ISDN line, consisting of more than 2 channels. There are different kinds of bundles, KPN for instance provides ISDN15, ISDN20 and ISDN30 bundles. So over a ISDN30 line , 30 conversations can be conducted at the same time. Your office switchboard must have sufficient however. For new ISDN lines you can only apply to KPN or a KPN partner, although in some parts of the Netherlands Versatel can also provide ISDN lines.
For analogue lines as well as ISDN bundles, the phone traffic can be payed to other parties from KPN. For the actual calls many providers are availables, and they are mostly cheaper than KPN.

VOIP telephony
For a short time now, is is possible to have your speech communications handled by a VOIP provider through a data connection (for example a SDLS line). In this case, it is very important to have a reliable and stable data connection to ensure a good sound- and connection quality.

VOIP providers are directly linked to several large global telecomcompanies, as a result of which they can attain competitive prices, based on the volume they bring in. In its turn, this translates into keen prices for the customers. With most providers, the connection quality they offer is certainly acceptable, even though at a lower level than speech through ¡®normal¡¯ connections.
Examples of VOIP providers are Priority Telecom, VoiceData, bBeyond and 12Connect. As is the case in DSL connections, these providers often work with parners, usually IT companies.

Mobile telephony
The major mobile telephony providers are T-Mobile, Vodafone, Telfort, Debitel and KPN. If you use a number of mobile numbers business wise, it is generally speaking worthwile to enter into contracts with a business telecom provider. They are aware of promotional offers that may be advantageous to you. These offers are usually in the field of a higher entry fee or a temporary reduced subscription rate.

At negotiating a subscription, your telecom provider receives a once-only fee that is shared with you in the form of a discount on your mobile phone(s). However, you can also ask for a remittance of this discount. An amount of between € 100 and € 150 per 12-month contact is customary.
To save on mobile phone charges for calls between staff members, you are often able to buy off the mutual phone traffic for a fixed monthly sum, under the condition that all subscriptions are with the same provider.
It is often worth your while to, after the contract period has expired, have your consultant on the matter check which provider has the best offer for you at that moment. The general advice is therefore to make a contract for 12 months, instead of a longer term.