Understanding DS3 and T3,
a Tutorial
DS3 T3 Tutorial offers the technical
background and applications for DS3 over T3 lines.
If you need a lot more bandwidth than the
1.5 Mbps delivered by a T1 line, it might be time to step up
to DS3 service delivered on a T3 line. How much more bandwidth
can you get? How about as much as 28 T1 lines or 45 Mbps? That's
enough throughput for broadcast quality video transport, high
volume call centers or Internet Service Provider backbones. If
you have a really large organization, perhaps you want that 45
Mbps as YOUR Internet service connection.
The Relationship of DS3 to T3
So what is DS3 and how does it relate to T3? As you might guess,
T3 and T1 lines are related. They were designed as part of family
of digital network services for the telephone companies called
the T-Carrier system. This isn't exactly new technology. The
first T1 lines went into service in the late 1950s. What is new
is the availability and reasonable pricing of T3 and DS3 services
to non-telecom carrier businesses.
DS3 stands for Digital Signal level 3.
That's the definition of the protocol that runs on the physical
T3 line. DS3 is a TDM or Time Division Multiplexed synchronous
format. It runs at 44.736 Mbps, which we usually call 45 Mbps
for short. The transmission rate of 44.736 Mbps isn't some arbitrary
number. It has to be that speed so that DS1 signals that are
carried on T1 lines can also be carried on T3 lines.
There are actually two types of T3 circuits.
The oldest is channelized T3 which is used to transport digitized
telephone calls. Each channel is 64 Kbps wide and carries one
phone call. A T1 line can carry 24 of these DS0 channels. A T3
line carries 672 of them or 28 DS1s. A device called an M13 Multiplexer
combines the 28 DS1s and gets them aligned in the proper time
slots to make a DS3, which can then be carried on a T3 line.
The other type of T3 format is called unchannelized
T3. If you don't need all those little channels to support phone
calls or modem connections, unchannelized T3 gives you one big
data pipe with a payload rate of 44.210 Mbps. This is similar
to an unchannelized T1 line but with a much higher bandwidth.
The Physical Layer
The physical connection from your equipment to the phone line
Network Interface Unit consists of two 75 ohm coaxial cables
with BNC connectors. That's different from a T1 line which gives
you an RJ-48 jack at the NIU for use with unshielded twisted
pair cable. One of the T3 coaxial cables is transmit, the other
is receive. T3 is a full duplex circuit, meaning that transmit
and receive are independent and both run at the 45 Mbps rate.
Outside your building the T3 line might
stay as coaxial cable, but it is more likely to be carried on
a fiber optic cable between your location and the carrier's office.
It will likely be multiplexed onto a larger fiber optic carrier,
even an OC48 or OC192, for long haul transmission.
But what if a T3 line has way more bandwidth
than you need and a T1 line isn't nearly enough? In between,
there are a number of options. If you need 3 to 9 Mbps your lowest
cost option may well be to bond several T1 lines together to
get the equivalent of a single larger circuit. Above that, fractional
DS3 may be the better option until you need a full T3 or multiple
T3 lines. Once you get to needing a 100 Mbps connection to carry
your network traffic, OC3 or 100 Mbps Ethernet service on fiber
optic cable makes sense.
What Flavor of DS3 or T3 Service is
Right for Your Company?
Not sure what type of dedicated line service is most cost effective
for your needs? Let our technical team explain the range of services
available in your particular location and help you pick the digital
service that best suits your applications. Our consultants can
help you get the best price on the bandwidth you need. Simply use this handy inquiry form:
You may call a Shop for T1 consultant
toll free anytime at 1-866-436-7868 and mention Reference
#: 129701 to get our best hosted telephone and network bandwidth prices, for business locations
only. Sorry, no residential service available.
