"Show & Telecom -
What is T3?"
T3 Internet and
Voice -
Take Advantage of the New Special Reduced Rates
For the not-so-technically-minded, the question, "What is
T3?" easily arises as a telecommunication customer reviews the
many possible plans, rates, and access services available to
provide for their internet and networking business needs.
T-Carrier is a generic designator for telecommunications
carrier systems that transmit digitized data through a series
of channels, or a multiplex system.
When examining the question, "What is a T3?" it could
just as easily be asked, "What is T3
Internet service?" or even "What is DS3?"
Since T3 service is most often used in business to support a
Wide Area Network (WAN), this explains how it ties in with the
question of T3 Internet service. But how does it compare with
DS3? Well, DS3 is Digital Signal (DS) access at level 3 in the
digital hierarchy.
The amount of data transferred between access points is
identical, and now often synonymous with that of a T3 access
connection. That explains what a T3 is comparable to, but it
still has not answered the question, "What is a T3?"
To be more specific, a T3 is a designation for the level of
digital signal access within the North American (and Japanese)
digital hierarchy. The number of channels used to transmit
digital telecommunication services from one access point to
another defines these levels of signals.
Each channel is measured in increments of 64 Kilobytes per
second (Kbps). These channels are then grouped into levels
within the digital hierarchy known as "Trunks". A T3 is thus an
acronym for "Trunk-Level 3".
While a T1 has the capability of transferring digital signals
at a rate of 1.544 Megabytes per second (Mbps), or 24 channels,
a T3 utilizes 672 channels, producing a digital transfer rate
of 44.736 Mbps. The T3 has been used for such major
telecommunication services as Automated Teller Machine (ATM)
access.
So now when you think of the question, "What is T3?" you have
an easy answer. It is the computer lines that not only connect
big businesses around the world, but also the one powerful
enough to give you instant access to your money.
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