What is the difference between PRI and T1 service?

Recently, you may have heard a lot about T1 PRI services, but what exactly are they? T1 PRI can be better explained by separating these two individual aspects.

The term PRI refers to the primary rate interface. This is provided by the ISDN or Integrated Services Digital Network. ISDN provides two basic levels. The first, and the most common, is known as BRI or Basic Rate Interface. The second is known as the PRI or Primary Rate Interface. Both utilities are a method in which many voice and data transmissions can be sent and received over a single fiber optic cable.

BRI provides 3 independent lines that can be used for voice or data. PRI is more robust and uses 24 channels to support individual threads, making it more geared towards businesses or other situations that require many voice lines or higher amounts of bandwidth to be delivered.

The T1 service is not actually a service at all, but it should be considered more like hardware. This type of thread provides the necessary means for the PRI service to be delivered to one location. In short, PRI is the actual service, while T1 is the hardware used for delivery.

A T1 line consists of 24 channels, each of which can be used for a different purpose. They can all be used to deliver 24 individual telephone wires to a location, or they can be used to deliver bandwidth for data networks and Internet connections. Alternatively, the 24 channels can be divided and dedicated to voice or data in any combination, such as 12 voice lines and 12 bandwidth lines.

When used for bandwidth, each channel is capable of delivering 64 Kbps of data, which means that a T1 line fully dedicated to bandwidth will provide 1.54 Mbps of data.

The real beauty of the utility is that the customer basically rents the T1 line itself. This means that it is dedicated only to this client, providing reliable bandwidth for networks or Internet use at all times. This is in contrast to traditional data delivery methods, where lines are reused over and over again and shared by multiple users, lowering the quality of the connection. This is a process known as “switching” and it can significantly decrease the quantity and quality of bandwidth that is delivered.

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