VT1.5
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VT1.5 is a type of virtual tributary in SONET.
SONET bandwidth is defined in multiples of an OC-1/STS-1, each of which can transport up to 51.84 Mbit/s. However, it is frequently desirable to address much smaller portions of bandwidth. To meet this need, sub-STS1 facilities called Virtual Tributaries have been defined. In North America, the VT1.5 is the most common virtual tributary because it can carry 1.728 Mbit/s; just enough room for a DS1/T1 signal. In Europe, the VT2 (with a data rate of 2.304 Mbit/s) is used to transport E1s.
Some SONET manufacturers offer products that can switch at the VT1.5 level. Such equipment is able to re-arrange the data payloads so that inbound VT1.5s are placed into a completely different set of outbound STS's than the ones they arrived in. Among other things, this allows the bandwidth usage to be optimized and facilitates a cleaner network design.
