Telephones and networking work hand in hand. The telecommunications industry has been gradually integrating with the computer industry and the computer industry has been gradually integrating with the telecommunications industry. The common goal is to join distantly located Local Area Networks into Metropolitan and Wide Area Networks (MANs and WANs).
When we think of telecommunications, the first thing that comes to mind is telephone systems and the phone at home. Talking to someone on the phone uses voice channels. This doesn't seem to have much to do with networks!
We use voice channels for modem communications to connect to BBSs (Bulletin Board Services) or to connect to the Internet. We also use voice channels to connect LANs using remote access. Due to the bandwidth limits on voice channels, the data transfer rate is relatively slow.
Voice Channel: Dial-up connection through a modem using standard telephone lines. Typical voice channel communication rates are: 300, 1200, 2400, 9600, 14.4k, 19.2k, 28.8k, 33.6k and 56 kbps (bits per second).
Data channels are dedicated lines for communicating digitized voice and data. At the end of 1996, there was a major milestone when more data was communicated in North America's telecommunications system than voice.
Data Channels are special communications channels provided by "common carriers" such as Telus, Sprint, Bell Canada, AT&T, etc. for transferring digital data. Data Channels are also called "Leased Lines". They are "directly" connected: you don't have to dial a connection number. The connections are up and running 24 hours per day. They appear to work as if there were a wire running directly between the source and the destination. Typical transfer rates for data channels are: 56 k, 128k, 1.544 M, 2.08 M, 45M and 155 Mbps.
Common carriers charge for data connections by:
The amount of data transferred (megabytes per month)
The transfer rate (bits per second)
The amount of use (time per month)
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