Flexing The Digital Muscle:
DS3 Definition

DS3 Voice and Internet Rates

To properly explore the DS3 definition, we will first go to the very basics of understanding. In the telecommunication services industry, whether discussing voice, computer networks, or Internet connections, the information from one access point is digitized, compressed, and then sent via communication lines to another access point. 

The amount of data able to be transmitted is measured in terms of Kilobytes per second (Kbps), Megabytes per second (Mbps), and so forth. All of these are grouped into a digital hierarchy that defines the amount of transmitted data in terms of "bandwidth" capability. In order to better understand the DS3 definition, it helps to first comprehend how this digital hierarchy works.

The "DS" in DS3 stands for "Digital Signal". The "3" is the level of signal output defined by the rates of access and transfer as set by the digital hierarchy standards.

These rates of signal transmission are further broken down into channels. A single channel will support 64 Kbps of data transfer. These channels are grouped into levels within the digital hierarchy. For example, a DS1 will produce access and transfer rates grouped into a single "level" of 64 channels, or 1.54 Mbps of data.

How does this explain the DS3 definition?

As previously noted, DS3 can be defined as a Digital Signal Level 3. It is a digital carrier level that accesses and transfers data through a group of 672 channels, equating to 44.736 Mbps. To break it down into a very simple analogy, the Kbps rate was determined to be the optimum transfer rate for a single phone conversation.

The most simplistic way to look at the DS3 connection is in these terms. A DS3 is transporting the equivalence of 672 phone conversations every second. That is the power behind the DS3 definition.