SONET simplifies communication on multiple levels, offering a reduction in equipment required for processing, increasing network reliability and decreasing both equipment and maintenance costs.
SONET is designed to allow many subchannels without encapsulation, therefore reducing overhead and allowing subchannels to be easily added or dropped from a SONET connection. The SONET standard specifies methods for multiplexing common lower-level signals such as DS1 and DS3 into the SONET stream.
SONET carefully standardizes the overhead bytes used in transmission to increase inter-vendor equipment compatibility. The design allows complete management of the payload bytes, and rapid fault detection and isolation.
SONET includes various automated back-up and repair mechanisms to cope with system faults. Failure of a link or a network element does not lead to failure of the netire network, which could be a financial disaster for the network privder.
SONET is future-proof. SONET can handle POTS, ISDN, raw data communications (WAN, LAN) and is able to handle new, upcoming services such as video on demand.
SONET's high level of global standardization makes it much easier to set up gateways between different network providers. Standardization also makes it possible to combine network elements from different manufactuers into a network. The result is a significant reduction in equipment costs.
SONET supports very high transmission rates. Rates up to 10Gbit/sec are well-standardized within the protocol.