Primary channel


In telecommunications, the term primary channel has the following meanings:
  1. The communication channel that is designated as a prime transmission channel and is used as the first choice in restoring priority circuits.
  2. In a communications network, the channel that has the highest data rate of all the channels sharing a common interface.
  3. The main Television channel of several operated by a broadcaster.
A primary channel may support the transfer of information in one direction only, either direction alternately, or both directions simultaneously.
  1. On a computer motherboard, it is the first physical connector for an IDE or ATA drive.