Channel use

Channel use¹ is a quantity used in signal processing or telecommunication related to symbol rate and channel capacity. Capacity is measured in bits per input symbol into the channel (bits per channel use). If a symbol enters the channel every T_s seconds (for every symbol period a symbol is transmitted) the channel capacity in bits per second is C/T_s. The phrase "1 bit per channel use" denotes the transmission of 1 symbol (of duration T_s) containing 1 data bit.