OC-12 broadband is the 12
th Optical Carrier (OC) level carried on a Synchronous Optical NETworking (SONET) fiber optic network. The OC level is directly proportional to the data rate of the digital signal with each level representing approximately 51.84 million bits per second (Mbit/s).
OC-12 speed is therefore 622.08 Mbit/s of which 601.344 Mbit/s is payload and 20.736 Mbit/s is overhead (including the path overhead). An OC-12 line may also be known as a Synchronous Transport Module 4 (STM-4) line, which is 4 times the basic transmission rate of the Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication (ITU-T) standard.
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) most often use OC-12 lines as Wide Area Network (WAN) connections and small ISPs may use them as a backbone for local or regional connections.
SONET SDH is currently the standard for optical telecommunications and will provide the data transmission infrastructure for telecommunications until at least the year 2030. It has significantly more bandwidth and flexibility over older telecommunications systems like traditional telephone lines.
In order to obtain OC-12 service you will need to:
1. Obtain quotes from multiple OC-12 providers on customized OC-12 service packages.
2. Locate the available flat rates on standardized OC-12 service packages.
3. Find any ongoing discounts or specials from OC-12 service providers your area.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Get bids on broadband OC from competing providers
A competitive bidding process frequently determines OC-12 pricing. You should determine your specific business requirements first before getting a quote from each OC-12 carrier.
I recommend: Complete this
online form to get quotes from a specific OC-12 Internet provider. Your requirements will automatically forward to any broadband OC vendors meeting your criteria.
Look for fixed rates on OC-12 Internet service
A specific broadband OC carrier may also list flat rates on their website. They will usually list the area they service as well with the aid of a locator tool.
I recommend: Use the service availability tool at
US*Access. Enter your phone number to check for service to your specific location. A zip code entry will tell you if US*Access generally provides OC-12 service to your area.
Check for discounts from OC-12 service providers
Many OC-12 providers have ongoing specials, frequently targeted for businesses looking to resell bandwidth.
I recommend: Look at the current specials at
broadband.com. Their participating carriers also provide pricing options primarily for large enterprises that require dedicated connectivity with high-end bandwidth.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- You will generally want to use the same OC-12 carrier for all of your service locations. Providers of OC-12 broadband should be accustomed to providing service to multiple locations.
- OC-12 service may also be in burstable and fractional rates. The transmission rate on burstable OC-12 has a minimum floor but the exact throughput can vary greatly. Fractional service is simply a fixed percentage of the full 622 Mbps rate.
The official source of OC-12 Broadband is the OC-12 Broadband page at Business.com
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