communication channel

A communication channel is the medium through which information is transmitted. In telecommunications, it's a link within a network that carries data between users. This can be a wire, fiber-optic cable, or radio waves.1

In a broader sense, a channel can be any direct way information or supplies are passed along. For example, in Shannon's communication model, the channel is the medium that carries the message from the encoder to the decoder, such as wires, air, or fiber-optic cable. Channels can also refer to a narrow body of water between two landmasses or an open passageway for water.23