T Carrier Technical Summary
What is a T Carrier?
T Carrier is a generic name for any of several digitally multiplexed carrier systems. T Carrier systems were originally designed to transmit digitized voice signals. Current applications also include digital data transmission. T1 and T3 are the most popular T Carrier links used in United States and Canada. E1 and E3 are similar links used in Europe, and J1 and J3 are similar links used in Japan. The North American, European, and Japanese versions differ somewhat in the transmission rates and signaling protocols used. The “T” in T Carrier stands for “Trunk”.
T Carrier Rates
The following tables list the designators and rates for current T Carrier systems:
North American Hierarchy |
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Designator |
Transmission
|
Number of
|
| DS-0 | 64 Kbps | 1 |
| T-1 (DS-1) | 1.544 Mbps | 24 |
| T-1C (DS-1C) | 3.152 Mbps | 48 |
| T-2 (DS-2) | 6.312 Mbps | 96 |
| T-3 (DS-3) | 44.736 Mbps | 672 |
| T-4 (DS-4) | 274.176 Mbps | 4032 |
|
European Hierarchy
|
||
Designator |
Transmission
|
Number of
|
| E-0 | 64 Kbps | 1 |
| E-1 | 2.048 Mbps | 30 |
| E-2 | 8.448 Mbps | 120 |
| E-3 | 34.368 Mbps | 480 |
| E-4 | 139.268 Mbps | 1920 |
| E-5 | 565.148 Mbps | 7680 |
Japanese Hierarchy |
||
Designator |
Transmission
|
Number of
|
| J-0 | 64 Kbps | 1 |
| J-1 | 1.544 Mbps | 24 |
| J-1C | 3.152 Mbps | 48 |
| J-2 | 6.312 Mbps | 96 |
| J-3 | 32.064 Mbps | 480 |
| J-3C | 97.728 Mbps | 1440 |
| J-4 | 397.200 Mbps | 5760 |