OC-48, which stands for Optical Carrier Level 48, is a high-speed data transmission standard within the SONET (Synchronous Optical Networking) hierarchy. It provides a substantial increase in data rate compared to lower-level OC-12. OC-48 is commonly used in telecommunications and networking applications to handle large volumes of data and ensure efficient data transfer.
Key features of OC-48:
- Data Rate: OC-48 operates at a data rate of approximately 2.488 gigabits per second (Gbps), making it four times faster than OC-12 and twelve times faster than OC-3.
- Frame Structure: OC-48 frames consist of payload data and overhead information necessary for synchronization, error detection, and management.
- Transmission Medium: OC-48 is designed to work over optical fiber cables, enabling high-speed and long-distance data transmission.
- Application: OC-48 provides a significant increase in bandwidth, making it suitable for demanding applications such as high-definition video streaming, large-scale data transfers, and communication between data centers.
- Multiplexing: OC-48 can be used to aggregate multiple lower-speed signals into a single OC-48 stream, allowing for efficient utilization of available bandwidth.
- SONET Hierarchy: OC-48 is part of the SONET hierarchy and corresponds to STM-16 (Synchronous Transport Module level 16) in the SDH standard.
- Upgrade Paths: Higher-level optical carriers like OC-192 (9.953 Gbps) and OC-768 (39.813 Gbps) offer even greater data rates for networks that require more bandwidth.
- Legacy: OC-48 was widely used in telecommunications networks to provide high-speed connections between various points, but as networking technology has advanced, newer technologies like Ethernet and optical networking have taken over.
Overall, OC-48 played a crucial role in enabling high-speed data transfer in telecommunications and networking. However, modern networks have transitioned to faster and more efficient technologies to meet the growing demands of data-intensive applications.