Digital signal 1 (DS1, also known as T1, sometimes "DS-1") is a T-carrier signaling scheme evised by Bell Labs. DS1 is a widely used standard in telecommunications in North America and Japan to transmit voice and data between devices. E1 is used in place of T1 outside of North America, Japan, and South Korea. Technically, DS1 is the transmission protocol used over a physical T1 line; however, the terms "DS1" and "T1" are often used interchangeably. Also, the 24 channels of traffic in a T1 line are sometimes called a T-span.