Bearer Channel

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What Does Bearer Channel Mean?

A bearer channel (B channel) carries the main data, voice and other services in an integrated service digital network (ISDN). Primary ISDN service generally consists of 23 bearer channels in the U.S. and around 30 bearer channels in Europe.

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This term is also known as a B channel.

Techopedia Explains Bearer Channel

Basic rate ISDN service consists of two 64 Kbps B channels that transmit control information. As such, basic rate interface users can have up to 128 Kbps service. In common channel signaling schemes for telephone systems, the bearer channel carries customer data. It has bit rates of 64 Kbps in full duplex.

The two levels of service in ISDN are basic rate interface, designed for home and small enterprises, and primary rate interface, designed for large users. Both of the rates include numerous B and D channels.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology expert

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.