Related Communication Terms and Definitions. For a complete list go to our
Terms and Definitions Page.
Data Rate
Data Rate is the maximum number of bits of information which can be transmitted per second, as in a data transmission link. Typically expressed as megabits per second (Mbps).
Optical Signal-to-noise Ratio (OSNR)
Optical Signal-to-noise ratio is the ratio between the signal power and the noise power in a given bandwidth. Most commonly a reference bandwidth of 0.1 nm is used. This bandwidth is independent from the modulation format, the frequency and the receiver. For instance a OSNR of 20dB/0.1nm could be given, even the signal of 40 GBit DPSK would not fit in this bandwidth. OSNR is measured with a Optical Spectrum Analyzer. It is generally measured at the wavelength of interest.
SONET
Synchronous Optical NETwork (SONET) is a fiber-optic transmission system for high-speed digital traffic. Employed by telephone companies and common carriers, speeds range from 51 Mbps to 40 Gbps. SONET is an intelligent system that provides advanced network management and a standard optical interface. Specified in the Broadband ISDN (B-ISDN) standard, SONET backbones are widely used to aggregate T1 and T3 lines. The European counterpart to SONET is the Synchronous Digital Hierarchy, and the term "SONET/SDH" is widely used when referring to SONET
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