Developed by AT&T, this carrier circuit gets its name because of its order of creation. Before there was a T-carrier series, there was an L-carrier and before that, a C-carrier and on back through the line. A new carrier series is created as technology demands outgrow the current carrier supply limits. Since this is the first application in a particular carrier series, the T is followed by a number one.
Most countries still use an E1 carrier system to handle their communications needs. Japan, a major hub of telecommunications demands, as well as South Korea, have turned to the more advanced T1 Line setup. North America has also chosen this carrier series to handle all the voice and data information on its networks. There are many different systems available to meet the needs of all the individual markets that require these services.
The vast amount of information each circuit is able to handle is one thing that makes this carrier series very popular in the areas with major telecommunications needs. Twenty-four individual channels make up each T1 circuit. Every individual channel in the circuit is designed to process eight bits.
The amount of information each circuit is able to process will vary depending on how the individual channels have been configured. The speed in each twenty-four channel circuit, no matter how the channels are configured, will always be a dependable 1.54 Mbit/s. For companies that need to handle large amounts of information in different formats such as voice and data, the ability to have the channels reconfigured is a very attractive quality in this carrier series.
Still containing twenty-four channels per circuit and maintaining a consistent speed, the T1 Line connections actually come in two types. The first type is the plain T1, or Inband carrier system. The second type is known as the Primary Rate Interface, or PRI. Though basically the same in their physical make up and speed, the difference between the two types of carriers is how the channels are configured to better suit varying needs.
In the T1 Line Inband system, all twenty-four channels are configured to process voice calls, though the system is also capable of processing small amounts of very basic data info such as Caller ID. The PRI system has only twenty-three channels set to handle the voice calls, but they handle exclusively voice calls. The twenty-fourth line is dedicated solely to data processing. This reconfiguration makes the PRI much faster and more efficient for businesses such as call centers that need to handle larger amounts of data along with the voice calls.
The consistent speed in the T1 system means no lag in the transfer of information. The ability to reconfigure the channels in the PRI makes the system more client-friendly. Versatility and dependability are two factors that make the T1 Line system desirable to areas that handle vast amounts of both voice and data information.