
372 Networking Explained, Second Edition
6. OK. What else can you tell me about ISDN?
Well, for starters, as a completely digital service, ISDN eliminates the need for tradi-
tional modems, which perform analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversions. This
provides extremely fast connections. For example, a traditional dialup modem connection
over analog telephone lines requires anywhere from 30 to 60 seconds to establish a con-
nection; an ISDN connection takes approximately 2 seconds.
ISDN also maintains a logical separation of user data (voice and non-voice) from sig-
naling and control information. ISDN uses bearer or B channels for transmitting ...