Synchronous Optical Network (SONET)

SONET is an ANSI standard for synchronous data transmission. It is designed for transmission over fiber optic networks. It may be deployed in a ring, such that if one fiber cable is cut traffic will be rerouted without disrupting service.

The international equivalent of SONET is Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH).

Speeds of a SONET connection are measured in units called "optical carrier levels" or "oc", where OC-1 is 51.84Mbps.

See Also: Optical Carrier Level (OC)