What Is Bearer Channel (B Channel)?

When you think about the world of telecommunications, you can't help but feel like it's strange. All these acronyms and made-up words make sense to the people who use them but can be pretty confusing for the rest of us. One such acronym is bearer channel (or B channel). It's a digital network that carries voice, data and other services over telephone lines in an integrated digital network (ISDN). In the United States, primary ISDN service generally consists of 23 bearer channels, but in Europe, it's closer to 30! A bearer channel (B channel) carries the preliminary data, voice and other services in an integrated digital network (ISDN). Primary ISDN service generally consists of 23 bearer channels in the U.S. and around 30 bearer channels in Europe. A primary rate interface (BRI) is a standard that allows two 64 Kbps channels (bearer channels) to be used in one B channel. This means that users have up to 128 Kbps service with a primary rate interface, which is excellent! The bearer channel carries customer data in typical medium signaling schemes for telephone systems. It has bit rates of 64 Kbps in full-duplex. In other words, it's a fancy way to say that users can have up to 128 Kbps service because two 64 Kbps channels are combined into one B channel. ISDN is a two-tiered system designed to make dialing up your friends, family, and business contacts easier. The first level of service is Basic Rate Interface (BRI), intended for home and small enterprises. BRI includes numerous B and D channels. You can use it to call your friends or family members! The second level of service is the Primary Rate Interface (PRI), designed for large users. PRI also includes numerous B and D channels to call your customers!