SONET Last modified: Thursday, July 28, 2005
Short for Synchronous Optical Network, a standard for connecting fiber-optic transmission systems. SONET was proposed by Bellcore in the middle 1980s and is now an ANSI standard. SONET defines interface standards at the physical layer of the OSI seven-layer model. The standard defines a hierarchy of interface rates that allow data streams at different rates to be multiplexed. SONET establishes Optical Carrier (OC) levels from 51.8 Mbps (OC-1) to 9.95 Gbps (OC-192). Prior rate standards used by different countries specified rates that were not compatible for multiplexing. With the implementation of SONET, communication carriers throughout the world can interconnect their existing digital carrier and fiber optic systems. The international equivalent of SONET, standardized by the ITU, is called SDH.
•E-mail this definition to a colleague• For internet.com pages about SONET . Also check out the following links! SDH/SONET Tutorial A short tutorial on SDH and SONET from Queen's University of Belfast. SONET presentation notes This student page provides a good overview of SONET, including historical notes, terms, protocols, frames and how it works.	Fiber Optics Networking Standards ADM broadband ISDN (B-ISDN) fiber optics OC optoelectronics SDH T-1 carrier T-3 carrier Give Us Your Feedback Expansion Modules SONET Products Shop by Top Models: Cisco T3/E3 ATM Network Module - Expansion module - ATM/ SONET - T-3/E-3 (NM-1A-T3/E3=) Expansion Module 10 store offers from $3855 - $4310 Cisco - Expansion module - HDLC, Frame Relay, SONET/SDH, PPP - fiber optic - 2 ports - OC-3c/STM-1 (746320777320) Expansion Module 1 store offers from $7499 - $7499 Enterasys Networks Enterasys Network Module 155Mbps Sonet OC3 Singlemode Fiber 1-Port Ref. APIM29R Expansion Module 1 store offers from $2714 - $2714 CISCO Cisco Expansion Module SONET/SDH OC-3 155Mbps 4-Ports MGXSMFIR4155BRF MGXSMFIR4155BRF Expansion Module 1 store offers from $3601 - $3601 Cisco Expansion Module Sonet Sdh Dwdm Fiber Optic 1550.12 Nm OC 192 in 15454192L1501RF Expansion Module 1 store offers from $22584 - $22584