(1) The distribution of IT products through independent sales organizations. The manufacturer sells its products either directly to IT resellers (the dealers), which are the point of contact with the customer, or they sell to an IT distributor organization that sells to the dealers. Manufacturers that sell in the channel rely on the sales ability of the dealers and the customer relationships they have built up over the years. Sometimes, manufacturers also compete with the channel by selling directly to the customer via catalogs and the Web.
(2) A high-speed mainframe subsystem that provides a pathway between the CPU and the control units of peripheral devices. Each channel is an independent unit that transfers data concurrently with other channels. In contrast, the PCI bus in a desktop computer is shared among all attached devices. See
mainframe and
PCI.
(3) The physical connecting medium between devices in a network; for example, twisted wire pairs, coaxial cable and optical fibers.
(4) A frequency assigned to a TV or radio station, which allows it to transmit over the air simultaneously with other broadcasters. See
carrier.
(5) See
alpha channel.