Yes, it's like a regular sump pump, except it's got a large intake and a grinder.

I can see where in older neighborhoods, more urban, where the sewer system existed before the residential, that sewer would still be lower than basements. Or maybe when the residential is much nearer to the water treatment facility, and it's at the lower end of its slope to get there. New subdivisions on what used to be farmland, way away from water treatment, I'm sure they don't dig the sewers as deep, and do ejector and sump pumps in the basements.