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| Digital Signal (DS) Level |
T-Carrier Name |
Number of Channels |
Throughput (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| DS0 | – | 1 | 0.064 |
| DS1 | T1 | 24 | 1.544 |
| DS1C | T1C | 24 | 3.152 |
| DS2 | T2 | 96 | 6.312 |
| DS3 | T3 | 672 | 44.736 |
| DS4 | T4 | 4,032 | 274.176 |
| DSL Type | Max Upstream Capacity (Mbps) |
Max Downstream Capacity (Mbps) |
Max Distance to POP (feet) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADSL | 1 | 8 | 18,000 |
| G.Lite | 0.512 | 1.544 | 25,000 |
| HDSL | 1.544 or 2.048 | 1.544 or 2.048 | 12,000 |
| SDSL | 1.544 | 1.544 | 9,000 |
| VDSL | 1.6, 3.2, or 6.4 | 13, 25.9, or 51.8 | 1,000–5,000 |
| OC Level | Throughput (Mbps) |
|---|---|
| OC1 | 51.84 |
| OC3 | 155.52 |
| OC12 | 622 |
| OC24 | 1,244 |
| OC48 | 2,480 |
| OC96 | 4,976 |
| OC192 | 9,953 |
| OC768 | 39,813 |
| WAN Technology | Availability | Throughput | Reliability | Security | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSTN (Dial-up) | High | 56 Kbps | Low | Low | Very Low |
| X.25 | Low | 64 Kbps to 2.048 Mbps |
Medium | Medium | Low |
| Frame Relay | Medium | 45 Mbps | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| ISDN | Medium | 64 Kbps (BRI) to 1.544 Mbps (PRI) |
Medium | Medium | Low |
| T-carrier (Fractional T1 to T3) | High | 64 Kbps to 45 Mbps | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| DSL | Medium to High |
1.544 Mbps to 52 Mbps | Medium | Medium | Low to Medium |
| Cable | Medium to High |
36 (down), 10 (up) Mbps | Medium | Medium | Low to Medium |
| SONET | High | 51 Mbps to 39 Gbps |
High | High | High |
| ATM* | High | 9953 Mbps | High | High | Medium |
| FDDI* | Medium | 100 Mbps | High | High | Medium |
| VPN | High | <56 Kbps | Low | High | Low |
| FAST | None | 8.6 Gbps | Medium | Medium | Medium |
* Not really a WAN technology, more of a logical topology or transport system that is often run on top of a WAN.
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Send comments and questions to
pollock@acm.org. |
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