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Circuit Switching Vs. Packet Switching

Circuit Switching Vs. Packet Switching

TL;DR

Switching NetworkCharacteristicsSuitable forUse Cases
Circuit SwitchingA dedicated channel or circuit is established for the duration of communicationsCommunications which require data to be transmitted in real timeTraditional telephone calls
Packet SwitchingConnected through many routers, each serving different segment of networkMore flexible and more efficient if some amount of delay is acceptableHandles digital data

Circuit Switching

  • A dedicated channel or circuit is established for the duration of communications.

  • The method used by the old traditional telephone call, carried over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)

  • Also referred to as the Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS)

  • Ideal for communications which require data to be transmitted in real time

  • Normally used for traditional telephone calls

This is what a typical traditional telephone network look like.

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The PSTN networks are connected through central offices, which act as telephone exchanges, each serving a certain geographical area.

When person A calls Person B:

Circuit_switching

Packet Switching

  • Packet switching networks are connected through many routers, each serving different segment of networks

  • How it works?

    Packet_Switching_1 Packet_Switching_2 Packet_Switching_3 Packet_Switching_4 Packet_Switching_5

  • More flexible and more efficient if some amount of delay is acceptable

  • Normally handle digital data

Reference

Circuit Switching vs. Packet Switching