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S interface

Interface reference point

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
1 min read
Source updated January 5, 2022

The S interface or S reference point, also known as S0, is a user-network interface reference point in an ISDN BRI environment, characterized by a four-wire circuit using 144 kbit/s (2 bearer and 1 signaling channel; 2B+D) user rate.

The S interface is the connection between ISDN terminal equipment (TE) or terminal adapters (TAs) and an NT1 (network terminator, type 1.) Not all TE or TAs connect externally to an S interface, but instead integrate an NT1 so they can connect directly to a U interface (local loop from central office.)

Contrast to the T interface, which connects between an NT2 (PBX or other local switching device) and NT1. However, the S interface is electrically equivalent to the T interface, and the two are jointly referred to as the S/T interface.

The S interface operates at 4000 48-bit frames per second; i.e., 192 kbit/s, with a user portion of 36 bits per frame; i.e., 144 kbit/s.

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This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “S interface”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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Related topics

R interface

R interface or R reference point defines the point between a non-ISDN device and a terminal adapter which provides translation to and from such a device.

T interface

A T-interface or T reference point is used for basic rate access in an Integrated Services Digital Network environment. It is a User-network interface reference point that is characterized by a four-wire, 144 kbit/s (2B+D) user rate.

U interface

The U interface or U reference point is a Basic Rate Interface in the local loop of an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), connecting the network terminator (NT1/2) on the customer's premises to the line termination (LT) in the carrier's local exchange, in other words providing the connection from subscriber to central office. Unlike the ISDN S/T interfaces, the U interface was not originally electrically defined by the ITU ISDN specifications, but left up to network operators to implement, although the ITU has issued recommendations G.960 and G.961 to formalize the standards adopted in the US and EU. In the US, the U interface is originally defined by the ANSI T1.601 specification as a 2-wire connection using 2B1Q line coding.