Data Rates - or Speeds Page 1 of 6

Data Rates - or Speeds

Just show me
the Tables !!!
(the tables are listed here also - but with descriptions included)

*** also see http://www.zytrax.com/tech/data_rates.htm

*** this page explains the speeds - for detailed descriptions of the complex T-carrier system - see the T1 and T3 pages

Here the DSx or T-Carrier Table and the STS-STM-OC Table describe the families of data rates, or speeds. In addition, we list most of the
common data rates in a separate table.

There are two main, standardized Telecom families of data rates - and a number of other data rates (for example, Ethernet/Fast-Ethernet/ Giga-
Ethernet, etc.).

z Digital Signal (DSx), also called the T-Carrier (Tx) & E-Carrier (Ex) System - based on multiples of the DS0 (which is
64kbps) - common speeds range from 64 Kbps up to 44.736 Mbps (DS0 to DS3) but can go as high as 274.176 (DS4). Uses copper cables
primarily. standardized by the ANSI accredited Committee T1
z Synchronous Transport (STS & STM), also called Optical Carrier (OC) - speeds range from 51.84 Mbps to 9953.28 Mbps
(OC-1 to OC-192). Uses optical fiber cables.

DSx vs Tx - yes, there is a slight difference between, for example, a DS1 and a T1. They describe identical data rates - but DSx is at the
equipment, and Tx is on the cable.

The Tx Acronym - no one ever states what the "T" stands for (you can search the web, fruitlessly), but it sometimes is said to mean Terrestrial,
and other times is said to mean Transmission.

Plesiochronous Systems (DSx/Tx/Ex) vs Synchronous Systems (STS/STM/OC)

SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) is a standard technology for synchronous data transmission on optical media. It is the international
equivalent of Synchronous Optical Network. Both technologies provide faster and less expensive network interconnection than the traditional
PDH (Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy) systems, such as the T-carrier.

Synchronous means the systems that connect to each other are running on a master clock (Stratum-1 clock, which is nuclear and therefore
virtually exactly timed), and the data is timed perfectly.

Plesiochronous means "almost (but not) synchronous," - this means the systems that connect to each other are running at the same data rate but
are on separate clocks. The clocks, of course, can be off slightly, which means the data is not timed perfectly. To get around this, "stuff bits" are
inserted by the faster of the two systems - the stuff bits are meaningless bits, inserted only for timing correction, and they must be marked as stuff
bits so that the receiving end can remove them..

The following tables list the standard data rates for DSx/Tx/Ex systems, and the Synchronous Transport or Optical Carrier systems. SONET
bases it's data rates on the STS/STM/OC system.

Speed & Data Rate vs Bandwidth & Capacity

z Speed and Data Rate define how fast data is flowing in one direction.
z Bandwidth and Capacity define how fast data can flow (the max) in one direction.

Data can be any type of information. But with computers and networks, the fundamental block of Data is the Bit (1 or 0) and the Byte (a group
of eight bits). Bits and Bytes are numeric information. This numeric info can be encoded at the sending end and decoded (interpreted) at the
receiving end to represent any type of info. For example, alphabetic characters can be encoded/decoded into numbers using ASCII code.

Speed, or Data Rate, is simply the speed that the data is flowing from one point to another, through some type of physical medium, or pipe.

The pipe or circuit, may be one channel or multiple channels. For example, a DS0 is one channel at 64 Kbps - whereas a DS1 is 1.544 Mbps,
but consists of 24 channels at 64 Kbps.

IMPORTANT - data is bidirectional (flows in both directions) . The data rate or speed is the value of how fast data flows in one direction. The
aggregate data rate is 2 times that !! For example, a T1 has data flowing at 1.544 Mbps, in one direction, and it has 1.544 Mbps flowing in the
other direction as well. This is a symmetric circuit since the speeds are the same. Most circuits are symmetric. However, there are examples of
assymetric, such as ADSL (Asymmetric DSL).

Bandwidth or "capacity," describes how wide the pipe is - which corresponds to the maximum rate that the bits can be sent through pipe or the

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channels in the pipe.

How Channels in a Pipe are Separated (TDM) - in telecom, channels are separated by TDM (Time Division Multiplexing). This is where
groups of bits (frames) take turns in entering the pipe for transmission. Then at the receiving end these groups of bits are separated again. For
example, a DS1 is actually 24 DS0's being sent in alternating groups of bits, using TDM (see the T1 page).

The T-Carrier Standards

If you EVER find the official original T1 standards paper, that defines the basics - please email me. Originally, ANSI came up with the first T1
standard document. But now there are tons of T-carrier standards documents !!! A few common ones I have seen mentioned are ANSI T1.403-
1998, T1.-107-1995, T1.107a-1990, etc

If you are wealthy, all the ANSI and T1 Committee standards can be found and bought from https://www.atis.org/atis/docstore/searchform.asp
(about $250 each). Actually, the T1 Committee has been split up into several new groups. The one that deals with T-carrier stuff the most is the
T1X1 group (see http://www.t1.org/t1x1/_x1-prj.htm for a listing of all their documents).

DSx/Tx/Ex/Jx Data Rates

The following speeds include several DS levels (such as DS1C, DS2, and DS4) that you will rarely, if ever encounter. The DS2 is a building
block of the DS3 (7 DS2's = 1 DS3) - you won't see it as an available access speed for a circuit, but it's there.

DSx/Tx/Ex - North America, Europe & ROW, and Japan

Europe &
Digital DS DS0 U.S. T- Japan J-
Data Rate ROW E-
Signal Level Multiple carrier carrier
carrier
DS0 0 64 Kbps 1 - -
DS1 1 1.544 Mbps 24 T-1 - J-1
- 2.048 Mbps 32 - E-1
DS1c 3.152 Mbps 48 - -
DS2 2 6.312 Mbps 96 T-2 - J-2
7.786 Mbps 120 J-2 (alt)
- 8.448 Mbps 128 - E-2
32.064 Mbps 480 J-3
- 34.368 Mbps 512 - E-3
DS3 3 44.736 Mbps 672 T-3 -
97.728 Mbps 1440 J-4
- 139.264 Mbps 2048 - E-4
DS4/NA 139.264 Mbps 2176 - -
DS4 4 274.176 Mbps 4032 - -
DS5 5 400.352 Mbps 5760
4 E4
- 565.148 Mbps - E-5 J-5
channels

For a T1 if you multiply 24 x DS0 (64,000) you do NOT get 1.544 Mbps (that would be 24 * 64,000 = 1.536 Mbps). The extra bits are lost
between 'frames' where a frame consists of one 8 bit sample for each of the 24 channels (remember the DS0 basics). So every 192 bits (24 x 8 =
192) we add a 'frame separator' bit to give 193 bits per frame. The final arithmetic is 193 bits x 8K samples = 1.544 Mbps. Easy really.

If you do the same arithmetic for DS1C, T2 etc. the above will not give the right answer. In short above T1 things get even messier with M-
Frames and M-subframes. Its mind numbing stuff and if you really want to know you need ANSI T1.107-1995 and lots of coffee.

The T-carrier system, introduced by the Bell System in the U.S. in the 1960s, was the first successful system that supported digitized voice
transmission. The original transmission rate (1.544 Mbps) in the T-1 line is in common use today in Internet service provider (ISP) connections
to the Internet. Another level, the T-3 line, providing 44.736 Mbps, is also commonly used by Internet service providers. Another commonly
installed service is a fractional T-1, which is the rental of some portion of the 24 channels in a T-1 line, with the other channels going unused.

Digital signal X is based on the ANSI T1.107 guidelines. The ITU-TS guidelines differ somewhat. The T-carrier system is entirely digital, using
pulse code modulation and time-division multiplexing. The system uses four wires and provides duplex capability (two wires for receiving and
two for sending at the same time). The T-1 digital stream consists of 24 64-Kbps channels that are multiplexed. (The standardized 64 Kbps
channel is based on the bandwidth required for a voice conversation.) The four wires were originally a pair of twisted pair copper wires, but can
now also include coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital microwave, and other media. A number of variations on the number and use of channels are
possible.

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In the T-1 system, voice signals are sampled 8,000 times a second and each sample is digitized into an 8-bit word. With 24 channels being
digitized at the same time, a 192-bit frame (24 channels each with an 8-bit word) is thus being transmitted 8,000 times a second. Each frame is
separated from the next by a single bit, making a 193-bit block. The 192 bit frame multiplied by 8,000 and the additional 8,000 framing bits
make up the T-1's 1.544 Mbps data rate. The signaling bits are the least significant bits in each frame.

OC/ STS/STM Data Rates

These are standards that describe data rates. Unfortunately the world did not agree on one standard, so we have two systems in place: SONET
(Synchronous Optical Network) for North America and SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) for the rest of the world.

North America Terms

z SONET - Synchronous Optical Network

z OC - Optical Carrier - a SONET-based data rate where OC-n = 51.84 Mbps x n
z STS - Synchronous Transport Signal (standardized by ANSI) - a SONET-based data rate

Europe and ROW Terms

z SDH - Synchronous Digital Hierarchy

z STM - Synchronous Transport Module (standardized by the CCITT)

OC and STS speeds are part of the SONET (Synchronous Optical Network) United States system. Optical Carriers are typically known by their
OC-xn number where n is a multiple of the OC-1 rate of 51.84 Mpbs

STM speeds are part of the SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) European and ROW (Rest Of World) system.

Conversion
STM-n = STS-3n = OC-3n

For example: STM-1 = STS-3 = OC-3 = 155.52 Mbps

SDH vs SONET - Both systems are standards for synchronous data transmission on an optical media (fiber) - and their speeds are identical.
However, SDH is an international standard, while SONET is a North American standard. Therefore, in the United States you will rarely hear
speeds stated in STS-x or STM-x terms - instead they will be stated in OC-x terms.

North America uses an STS-x format for frames (packets) and Europe an STM-x (Synchronous Transport Module) format.

*** four OC-3 or STM-1 circuits can be aggregated to form a 622.08 Mbps circuit designated as OC-12 or STM-4.

*** the current state of the art maximum data rate is the OC-192 or STM-64 circuit, which operates at rate of just under 10 Gbit/s.

z STS = Synchronous Transport Signal

z STM = Synchronous Transport Module
z OC = Optical Carrier

Optical Signal Hierarchy

Hierarchy Data Rate SONET SDH OCx
Level Zero 155.52 STS-3 STM-1 OC-3
Level One 622.08 STS-12 STM-4 OC-12
Level Two 2488.32 Mbps STS-48 STM-16 OC-48
Level Three 9953.28 Mbps STS-192 STM-64 OC-192

OC vs STS vs STM Data Rates

Optical Carrier Data Rate Overhead Rate Payload-SONET (SPE) User Data Rate SONET SDH
(Line Rate) (Data Rate - Overhead) (Mbps) STS STM
(ANSI) (CCITT)

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OC-1 51.84 Mbps 1.728 Mbps 50.112 Mbps 49.536 STS-1 --

OC-3 155.52 Mbps 5.184 Mbps 150.336 Mbps 148.608 STS-3 STM-1
OC-9 466.56 Mbps 451.044 Mbps 445.824 STS-9 STM-3
OC-12 622.08 Mbps 20.736 Mbps 601.344 Mbps 594.824 STS-12 STM-4
OC-18 933.12 Mbps 902.088 Mbps 891.648 STS-18 STM-6
OC-24 1244.16 Mbps 1202.784 Mbps 1188.864 STS-24 STM-8
OC-36 1866.24 Mbps 1804.176 Mbps 1783.296 STS-36 STM-12
OC-48 2488.32 Mbps 82.944 Mbps 2.4 Gbps 2377.728 STS-48 STM-16
OC-192 9953.28 Mbps 331.776 9.6 Gbps 9510.912 STS-192 STM-64
OC-768 40Gbit/s 1327.104 38.5 Gbps - STS-768 STM-256
OC-3072 160Gbit/s - - STS-3072 STM-1024

SDH uses the following Synchronous Transport Modules (STM) and rates: STM-1 (155 megabits per second), STM-4 (622 Mbps), STM-16 (2.5
gigabits per second), and STM-64 (10 Gbps).

Definitions
STS-1 Synchronous Transport Signal 1: SONET standard for transmission over OC-1 optical fiber at 51.84 Mbps.
STS-n Synchronous Transport Signal "n" : (where n is an integer) SONET standards for transmission over OC-n optical fiber by multiplexing
"n" STS-1 frames, (e.g., STS-3 at 155.52 Mbps STS-12 at 622.08 Mbps and STS-48 at 2.488 Gbps).
STS-nc Synchronous Transport Signal "n" concatenated: (where n is an integer) SONET standards for transmission over OC-n optical fiber by
multiplexing "n" STS-1 frames, (e.g., STS-3 at 155.52 Mbps STS-12 at 622.08 Mbps and STS-48 at 2.488 Gbps but treating the information
fields as a single concatenated payload).
STM Synchronous Transfer Module: STM is a basic building block used for a synchronous multiplexing hierarchy defined by the CCITT/ITU-
T. STM-1 operates at a rate of 155.52 Mbps (same as STS-3).
STM-1 Synchronous Transport Module 1: SDH standard for transmission over OC-3 optical fiber at 155.52 Mbps.
STM-n Synchronous Transport Module "n" : (where n is an integer) SDH standards for transmission over optical fiber (OC-'n x 3) by
multiplexing "n" STM-1 frames, (e.g., STM-4 at 622.08 Mbps and STM-16 at 2.488 Gbps).
STM-nc Synchronous Transport Module "n" concatenated: (where n is an integer) SDH standards for transmission over optical fiber (OC-'n x 3)
by multiplexing "n" STM-1 frames, (e.g., STM-4 at 622.08 Mbps and STM-16 at 2.488 Gbps, but treating the information fields as a single
concatenated payload).

SONET SDH
SPE VC
STS-SPE Higher Order VC (VC-3/4/4-Nc)
STS-1 frame STM-0 frame (rarely used)
STS-1-SPE VC-3
STS-1 payload C-3
STS-3c frame STM-1 frame AU-4
STS-3c-SPE VC-4
STS-3c payload C-4
STS-12c/48c/192c frame STM-4/16/64 frame AU-4-4c/16c/64c
STS-12c/48c/192c-SPE VC-4-4c/16c/64c
STS-12c/48c/192c payload C-4-4c/16c/64c

RFC2615 - Table Comparing SONET and SDH entities

SONET SPE's SDH VC's

STS-3c-SPE VC-4
STS-12c-SPE VC-4-4c
STS-48c-SPE VC-4-16c
STS-192c-SPE VC-4-64c

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RFC2615 - the only currently supported SONET/SDH SPE/VCs

(SONET SPE's = Synchronous Payload Envelopes, are basically the same thing as SDH VC's = Virtual Containers):

Virtual Tributaries and Virtual Containers

** SONET and SDH Payloads and Envelopes

SONET: SPE (Synchronous Payload Envelope) VT (Virtual Tributary)

SDH: VC (Virtual Container - ROW) AU (Administrative Unit) TU = Tributary Unit (used in RoW)

SONET is designed to support a wide variety of payloads. The SONET node accepts these payloads and multiplexes them into a SONET
envelope called an SPE (Synchronous Payload Envelope). These payloads are called virtual tributaries (VTs) in North America and virtual
containers (VCs) in SDH.

SDH/SONET defines a way or packaging capacity into Virtual Containers (VCs) which may be Higher Order Virtual Container (HVC) or Lower
Order Virtual Containers (LVC). The term Tributary Unit (TU - used in RoW) or Virtual Tributary (VT - North America) describes a method of
mapping PDH (e.g. T1) carriers onto SDH/SONET.

SONET SDH
Name Speed Name Speed
(Mbps) (Mbps)
VT-1.5 1.728 VC-11 1.728
VT-2 2.304 VC-12 2.304
VT-3 3.456 - -
VT-6 6.912 VC-2 6.912
STS-1 50.112 VC-3 48.960
STS-3c 150.336 VC-4 150.336

GigE Speeds
The standards for high-speed Ethernet are GbE, or GigE (Gigabit Ethernet at 1 Gbps which equals 1000 Mbps), and 10 GbE (10 Gbps). GbE can
use Cat6 copper cable but preferably fiber, while the 10 Gbps speed requires fiber. As far as the circuit speed required, GbE (1 Gbps) requires an
OC-24, and 10 GbE (10 Gbps) requires an OC-192. Virtually no SONET network providers offer OC-24 circuits, so to transmit GbE across a
fiber link, you would need to purchase either an OC-12 and just accept that you will only get 622 Mbps, or get an OC-48 and accept a huge
amount of wasted bandwidth. Or you could buy non-SONET dark fiber and run your GbE across it (although DF is expensive !!).

Common Data Rates

This table shows the stated data rates for the most important end-user and backbone transmission technologies.

Technology Speed Physical Medium Application

GSM mobile telephone service 9.6 to 14.4 Kbps RF in space (wireless) Mobile telephone for business and personal use
High-Speed Circuit-Switched
Up to 56 Kbps RF in space (wireless) Mobile telephone for business and personal use
Data service (HSCSD)
Regular telephone service
Up to 56 Kbps twisted pair Home and small business access
(POTS)
Dedicated 56Kbps on frame
56 Kbps Various Business e-mail with fairly large file attachments
relay
The base signal on a channel in the set of Digital
DS0 64 Kbps All
Signal levels
General Packet Radio System
56 to 114 Kbps RF in space (wireless) Mobile telephone for business and personal use
(GPRS)
BRI: 64 Kbps to 128 Kbps
PRI: 23 (T-1) or 30 (E1) assignable 64-Kbps BRI: Twisted-pair BRI: Faster home and small business access
ISDN
channels plus control channel; up to 1.544 PRI: T-1 or E1 line PRI: Medium and large enterprise access
Mbps (T-1) or 2.048 (E1)
IDSL 128 Kbps Twisted-pair Faster home and small business access
Local area network for Apple devices; several
AppleTalk 230.4 Kbps Twisted pair networks can be bridged; non-Apple devices can
also be connected
Enhanced Data GSM
384 Kbps RF in space (wireless) Mobile telephone for business and personal use
Environment (EDGE)
satellite 400 Kbps (DirecPC and others) RF in space (wireless) Faster home and small enterprise access
frame relay 56 Kbps to 1.544 Mbps Twisted-pair or coaxial cable
Large company backbone for LANs to ISP

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ISP to Internet infrastructure

Twisted-pair, coaxial cable, or optical Large company to ISP
DS1/T-1 1.544 Mbps
fiber ISP to Internet infrastructure
Universal Mobile
Mobile telephone for business and personal use
Telecommunications Service Up to 2 Mbps RF in space (wireless)
(available in 2002 or later)
(UMTS)
Twisted-pair, coaxial cable, or optical
E-carrier 2.048 Mbps 32-channel European equivalent of T-1
fiber
Twisted-pair, coaxial cable, or optical Large company to ISP
T-1C (DS1C) 3.152 Mbps
fiber ISP to Internet infrastructure
Twisted-pair, coaxial cable, or optical Second most commonly-used local area network
IBM Token Ring/802.5 4 Mbps (also 16 Mbps)
fiber after Ethernet
Twisted-pair, coaxial cable, or optical Large company to ISP
DS2/T-2 6.312 Mbps
fiber ISP to Internet infrastructure
Twisted-pair (used as a digital, Home, small business, and enterprise access using
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) 512 Kbps to 8 Mbps
broadband medium) existing copper lines
Twisted-pair, coaxial cable, or optical
E-2 8.448 Mbps Carries four multiplexed E-1 signals
fiber
Coaxial cable (usually uses Ethernet);
512 Kbps to 52 Mbps
cable modem ** in some systems, telephone used for Home, business, school access
(see "explanation" below)
upstream requests
10BASE-T (twisted-pair); 10BASE-2
Ethernet 10 Mbps or -5 (coaxial cable); 10BASE-F Most popular business local area network (LAN)
(optical fiber)
Twisted-pair, coaxial cable, or optical Second most commonly-used local area network
IBM Token Ring/802.5 16 Mbps (also 4 Mbps)
fiber after Ethernet
E-3 34.368 Mbps Twisted-pair or optical fiber Carries 16 E-l signals
ISP to Internet infrastructure
DS3/ T-3 44.736 Mbps Coaxial cable
Smaller links within Internet infrastructure
ISP to Internet infrastructure
OC-1 51.84 Mbps Optical fiber
Smaller links within Internet infrastructure
Between router hardware and WAN lines
High-Speed Serial Interface Short-range (50 feet) interconnection between
Up to 53 Mbps HSSI cable
(HSSI)
slower LAN devices and faster WAN lines
100BASE-T (twisted pair);
100BASE-T (twisted pair); Workstations with 10 Mbps Ethernet cards can plug
Fast Ethernet 100 Mbps
into a Fast Ethernet LAN
100BASE-T (optical fiber)
Fiber Distributed-Data Large, wide-range LAN usually in a large company
100 Mbps Optical fiber
Interface (FDDI) or a larger ISP
ISP to Internet infrastructure
T-3D (DS3D) 135 Mbps Optical fiber
Smaller links within Internet infrastructure
Carries 4 E3 channels
E-4 139.264 Mbps Optical fiber
Up to 1,920 simultaneous voice conversations
Large company backbone
OC-3/SDH 155.52 Mbps Optical fiber
Internet backbone
Carries 4 E4 channels
E-5 565.148 Mbps Optical fiber
Up to 7,680 simultaneous voice conversations
OC-12/STM-4 622.08 Mbps Optical fiber Internet backbone
Optical fiber (and "copper" up to 100 Workstations/networks with 10/100 Mbps Ethernet
Gigabit Ethernet 1 Gbps
meters) plug into Gigabit Ethernet switches
OC-24 1.244 Gbps Optical fiber Internet backbone
SciNet 2.325 Gbps (15 OC-3 lines) Optical fiber Part of the vBNS backbone
OC-48/STM-16 2.488 Gbps Optical fiber Internet backbone
OC-192/STM-64 10 Gbps Optical fiber Backbone
OC-256 13.271 Gbps Optical fiber Backbone

** Cable modem note: rhe upper limit of 52 Mbps on a cable is to an ISP, not currently to an individual PC. Most of today's PCs are limited to
an internal design that can accomodate no more than 10 Mbps (although the PCI bus itself carries data at a faster speed). The 52 Mbps cable
channel is subdivided among individual users. Obviously, the faster the channel, the fewer channels an ISP will require and the lower the cost to
support an individual user.

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