This sums aborted HDLC frames and 'octet error' frames, where an octet error specifically means the received frame didn't begin on a byte boundary. A rising count on a satellite modem is a classic symptom of bit-level synchronization problems on the RF link, such as clock slips or signal degradation, since byte-boundary misalignment occurs at the physical/framing layer rather than from congestion. For example, this counter climbing during a rainstorm-driven signal fade while other counters stay flat would point to the satellite RF link itself rather than a configuration issue.