A method for processing low-rate service data, an apparatus, and a system, where the method includes: mapping low-rate service data into a newly defined low-rate data frame, where a rate of the low-rate data frame matches a rate of the low-rate service data, the data frame includes an overhead area and a payload area, the payload area is used to carry the low-rate service data, a rate of the payload area in the low-rate data frame is not less than the rate of the low-rate service data, and the rate of the low-rate service data is less than 1 Gbps; mapping the low-rate data frame into one or more slots in another data frame, where a rate of the slot is not greater than 100 Mbps; mapping the other data frame into an optical transport unit (OTU) frame; and sending the OTU frame.