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<h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Circuit switching</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 30 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-30" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">30 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AA%D8%A8%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%84_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA" title="تبديل الدارات – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="تبديل الدارات" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commutaci%C3%B3_de_circuits" title="Commutació de circuits – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Commutació de circuits" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cs mw-list-item"><a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C5%99epojov%C3%A1n%C3%AD_okruh%C5%AF" title="Přepojování okruhů – Czech" lang="cs" hreflang="cs" data-title="Přepojování okruhů" data-language-autonym="Čeština" data-language-local-name="Czech" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Čeština</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leitungsvermittlung" title="Leitungsvermittlung – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Leitungsvermittlung" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-el mw-list-item"><a href="https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%9C%CE%B5%CF%84%CE%B1%CE%B3%CF%89%CE%B3%CE%AE_%CE%BA%CF%85%CE%BA%CE%BB%CF%8E%CE%BC%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%82" title="Μεταγωγή κυκλώματος – Greek" lang="el" hreflang="el" data-title="Μεταγωγή κυκλώματος" data-language-autonym="Ελληνικά" data-language-local-name="Greek" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ελληνικά</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conmutaci%C3%B3n_de_circuitos" title="Conmutación de circuitos – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Conmutación de circuitos" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eu mw-list-item"><a href="https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zirkuituen_kommutazio" title="Zirkuituen kommutazio – Basque" lang="eu" hreflang="eu" data-title="Zirkuituen kommutazio" data-language-autonym="Euskara" data-language-local-name="Basque" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Euskara</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%85%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%DA%AF%D8%B2%DB%8C%D9%86%DB%8C" title="مدارگزینی – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="مدارگزینی" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commutation_de_circuits" title="Commutation de circuits – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Commutation de circuits" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ko mw-list-item"><a href="https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%ED%9A%8C%EC%84%A0_%EA%B5%90%ED%99%98" title="회선 교환 – Korean" lang="ko" hreflang="ko" data-title="회선 교환" data-language-autonym="한국어" data-language-local-name="Korean" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pengalihan_sirkuit" title="Pengalihan sirkuit – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Pengalihan sirkuit" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it badge-Q70893996 mw-list-item" title=""><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commutazione_di_circuito" title="Commutazione di circuito – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Commutazione di circuito" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-he mw-list-item"><a href="https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%92_%D7%9E%D7%A2%D7%92%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9D" title="מיתוג מעגלים – Hebrew" lang="he" hreflang="he" data-title="מיתוג מעגלים" data-language-autonym="עברית" data-language-local-name="Hebrew" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>עברית</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-lv mw-list-item"><a href="https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%B6%C4%93%C5%BEu_komut%C4%81cija" title="Ķēžu komutācija – Latvian" lang="lv" hreflang="lv" data-title="Ķēžu komutācija" data-language-autonym="Latviešu" data-language-local-name="Latvian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Latviešu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mk mw-list-item"><a href="https://mk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D0%BC%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B0_%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B0" title="Комутација на кола – Macedonian" lang="mk" hreflang="mk" data-title="Комутација на кола" data-language-autonym="Македонски" data-language-local-name="Macedonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Македонски</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ms mw-list-item"><a href="https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pensuisan_litar" title="Pensuisan litar – Malay" lang="ms" hreflang="ms" data-title="Pensuisan litar" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Melayu" data-language-local-name="Malay" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Melayu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuitgeschakeld_netwerk" title="Circuitgeschakeld netwerk – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Circuitgeschakeld netwerk" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%9B%9E%E7%B7%9A%E4%BA%A4%E6%8F%9B" title="回線交換 – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="回線交換" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-no mw-list-item"><a href="https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linjesvitsjing" title="Linjesvitsjing – Norwegian Bokmål" lang="nb" hreflang="nb" data-title="Linjesvitsjing" data-language-autonym="Norsk bokmål" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Bokmål" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk bokmål</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komutacja_kana%C5%82%C3%B3w" title="Komutacja kanałów – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Komutacja kanałów" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comuta%C3%A7%C3%A3o_de_circuitos" title="Comutação de circuitos – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Comutação de circuitos" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ro mw-list-item"><a href="https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comuta%C8%9Bie_de_circuite" title="Comutație de circuite – Romanian" lang="ro" hreflang="ro" data-title="Comutație de circuite" data-language-autonym="Română" data-language-local-name="Romanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Română</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%BC%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2" title="Коммутация каналов – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Коммутация каналов" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fi mw-list-item"><a href="https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piirikytkent%C3%A4" title="Piirikytkentä – Finnish" lang="fi" hreflang="fi" data-title="Piirikytkentä" data-language-autonym="Suomi" data-language-local-name="Finnish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Suomi</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sv mw-list-item"><a href="https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kretskopplade_n%C3%A4tverk" title="Kretskopplade nätverk – Swedish" lang="sv" hreflang="sv" data-title="Kretskopplade nätverk" data-language-autonym="Svenska" data-language-local-name="Swedish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Svenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-th mw-list-item"><a href="https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%8A%E0%B9%8C%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%88%E0%B8%A3" title="การสวิตช์วงจร – Thai" lang="th" hreflang="th" data-title="การสวิตช์วงจร" data-language-autonym="ไทย" data-language-local-name="Thai" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ไทย</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devre_anahtarlama" title="Devre anahtarlama – Turkish" lang="tr" hreflang="tr" data-title="Devre anahtarlama" data-language-autonym="Türkçe" data-language-local-name="Turkish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkçe</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B6%D0%B0_%D0%B7_%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BC%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%86%D1%96%D1%94%D1%8E_%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%96%D0%B2" title="Мережа з комутацією каналів – Ukrainian" lang="uk" 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<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1251242444">.mw-parser-output .ambox{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;border-left:10px solid #36c;background-color:#fbfbfb;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+link+.ambox{margin-top:-1px}html body.mediawiki .mw-parser-output .ambox.mbox-small-left{margin:4px 1em 4px 0;overflow:hidden;width:238px;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output .ambox-speedy{border-left:10px solid #b32424;background-color:#fee7e6}.mw-parser-output .ambox-delete{border-left:10px solid #b32424}.mw-parser-output .ambox-content{border-left:10px solid #f28500}.mw-parser-output .ambox-style{border-left:10px solid #fc3}.mw-parser-output .ambox-move{border-left:10px solid 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decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg/60px-Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg/80px-Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="48" data-file-height="48" /></span></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This article includes a list of <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources#General_references" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources">general references</a>, but <b>it lacks sufficient corresponding <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources#Inline_citations" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources">inline citations</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help to <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Reliability" title="Wikipedia:WikiProject Reliability">improve</a> this article by <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:When_to_cite" title="Wikipedia:When to cite">introducing</a> more precise citations.</span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">June 2009</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p><p><b>Circuit switching</b> is a method of implementing a <a href="/wiki/Telecommunications_network" title="Telecommunications network">telecommunications network</a> in which two <a href="/wiki/Network_nodes" class="mw-redirect" title="Network nodes">network nodes</a> establish a dedicated <a href="/wiki/Communications_channel" class="mw-redirect" title="Communications channel">communications channel</a> (<a href="/wiki/Telecommunication_circuit" title="Telecommunication circuit">circuit</a>) through the network before the nodes may communicate. The circuit guarantees the full bandwidth of the channel and remains connected for the duration of the <a href="/wiki/Communication_session" class="mw-redirect" title="Communication session">communication session</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The circuit functions as if the nodes were physically connected as with an <a href="/wiki/Electrical_circuit" class="mw-redirect" title="Electrical circuit">electrical circuit</a>. </p><p>Circuit switching originated in analog <a href="/wiki/Telephone_network" title="Telephone network">telephone networks</a> where the network created a dedicated circuit between two telephones for the duration of a <a href="/wiki/Telephone_call" title="Telephone call">telephone call</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It contrasts with <a href="/wiki/Message_switching" title="Message switching">message switching</a> and <a href="/wiki/Packet_switching" title="Packet switching">packet switching</a> used in modern digital networks in which the <a href="/wiki/Trunking" title="Trunking">trunklines</a> between switching centres carry data between many different nodes in the form of <a href="/wiki/Data_packet" class="mw-redirect" title="Data packet">data packets</a> without dedicated circuits. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Description">Description</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Circuit_switching&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Description"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The defining example of a circuit-switched network is the early analogue <a href="/wiki/Telephone_network" title="Telephone network">telephone network</a>. When a <a href="/wiki/Telephone_call" title="Telephone call">call</a> is made from one telephone to another, switches within the <a href="/wiki/Telephone_exchange" title="Telephone exchange">telephone exchanges</a> create a continuous wire circuit between the two telephones, for as long as the call lasts. </p><p>In circuit switching, the bit delay is constant during a connection (as opposed to packet switching, where packet queues may cause varying and potentially indefinitely long <a href="/wiki/Packet_transfer_delay" class="mw-redirect" title="Packet transfer delay">packet transfer delays</a>). No circuit can be degraded by competing users because it is protected from use by other callers until the circuit is released and a new connection is set up. Even if no actual communication is taking place, the channel remains reserved and protected from competing users. </p><p>While circuit switching is commonly used for connecting voice circuits, the concept of a dedicated path persisting between two communicating parties or nodes can be extended to signal content other than voice. The advantage of using circuit switching is that it provides for continuous transfer without the overhead associated with <a href="/wiki/Network_packet" title="Network packet">packets</a>, making maximal use of available bandwidth for that communication. One disadvantage is that it can be relatively inefficient because unused capacity guaranteed to a connection cannot be used by other connections on the same network. 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src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Multiplexing_diagram.svg/150px-Multiplexing_diagram.svg.png" decoding="async" width="150" height="106" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Multiplexing_diagram.svg/225px-Multiplexing_diagram.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Multiplexing_diagram.svg/300px-Multiplexing_diagram.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="362" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><th class="sidebar-heading" style="background:#cfc;"> <a href="/wiki/Modulation#Analog_modulation_methods" title="Modulation">Analog modulation</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="padding:0.15em 1.0em 0.8em;"> <div class="hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Amplitude_modulation" title="Amplitude modulation">AM</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Frequency_modulation" title="Frequency modulation">FM</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Phase_modulation" title="Phase modulation">PM</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Quadrature_amplitude_modulation" title="Quadrature amplitude modulation">QAM</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Space_modulation" title="Space modulation">SM</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Single-sideband_modulation" title="Single-sideband modulation">SSB</a></li></ul> </div></td> </tr><tr><th class="sidebar-heading" style="background:#cfc;"> <div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;"><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Circuit mode<br /><span class="nobold">(constant bandwidth)</span></a></div></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="padding:0.15em 1.0em 0.8em;"> <div class="hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Time-division_multiplexing" title="Time-division multiplexing">TDM</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Frequency-division_multiplexing" title="Frequency-division multiplexing">FDM</a> / <a href="/wiki/Wavelength-division_multiplexing" title="Wavelength-division multiplexing">WDM</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Space-division_multiple_access" title="Space-division multiple access">SDMA</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Polarization-division_multiplexing" title="Polarization-division multiplexing">Polarization</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Spatial_multiplexing" title="Spatial multiplexing">Spatial</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Orbital_angular_momentum_multiplexing" title="Orbital angular momentum multiplexing">OAM</a></li></ul> </div></td> </tr><tr><th class="sidebar-heading" style="background:#cfc;"> <div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;"><a href="/wiki/Statistical_multiplexing" class="mw-redirect" title="Statistical multiplexing">Statistical multiplexing<br /><span class="nobold">(variable bandwidth)</span></a></div></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="padding:0.15em 1.0em 0.8em;"> <div class="hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Packet_switching" title="Packet switching">Packet switching</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Time-division_multiple_access#Dynamic_TDMA" title="Time-division multiple access">Dynamic TDMA</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Frequency-hopping_spread_spectrum" title="Frequency-hopping spread spectrum">FHSS</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Direct-sequence_spread_spectrum" title="Direct-sequence spread spectrum">DSSS</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Orthogonal_frequency-division_multiple_access" title="Orthogonal frequency-division multiple access">OFDMA</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Single-carrier_frequency-division-multiplex" class="mw-redirect" title="Single-carrier frequency-division-multiplex">SC-FDM</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Multi-carrier_spread_spectrum" class="mw-redirect" title="Multi-carrier spread spectrum">MC-SS</a></li></ul> </div></td> </tr><tr><th class="sidebar-heading" style="background:#cfc;"> Related topics</th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="padding:0.15em 1.0em 0.8em;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Channel_access_method" title="Channel access method">Channel access methods</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Medium_access_control" title="Medium access 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id="The_call">The call</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Circuit_switching&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: The call"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>For <a href="/wiki/Call_setup" title="Call setup">call setup</a> and control (and other administrative purposes), it is possible to use a separate dedicated <a href="/wiki/Signalling_(telecommunications)" class="mw-redirect" title="Signalling (telecommunications)">signalling</a> channel from the end node to the network. <a href="/wiki/ISDN" title="ISDN">ISDN</a> is one such service that uses a separate signalling channel while <a href="/wiki/Plain_old_telephone_service" title="Plain old telephone service">plain old telephone service</a> (POTS) does not. </p><p>The method of establishing the connection and monitoring its progress and termination through the network may also utilize a <a href="/wiki/Separate_channel_signaling" class="mw-redirect" title="Separate channel signaling">separate control channel</a> as in the case of links between telephone exchanges which use <a href="/wiki/Signalling_System_7" class="mw-redirect" title="Signalling System 7">CCS7</a> packet-switched signalling protocol to communicate the call setup and control information and use <a href="/wiki/Time-division_multiplexing" title="Time-division multiplexing">TDM</a> to transport the actual circuit data. </p><p>Early <a href="/wiki/Telephone_exchanges" class="mw-redirect" title="Telephone exchanges">telephone exchanges</a> were a suitable example of circuit switching. The subscriber would ask the operator to connect to another subscriber, whether on the same exchange or via an inter-exchange link and another operator. The result was a physical electrical connection between the two subscribers' telephones for the duration of the call. The copper wire used for the connection could not be used to carry other calls at the same time, even if the subscribers were in fact not talking and the line was silent. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Alternatives">Alternatives</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Circuit_switching&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Alternatives"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In circuit switching, a route and its associated bandwidth is reserved from source to destination, making circuit switching relatively inefficient since capacity is reserved whether or not the connection is in continuous use. Circuit switching contrasts with <a href="/wiki/Message_switching" title="Message switching">message switching</a> and <a href="/wiki/Packet_switching" title="Packet switching">packet switching</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-:4_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:4-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Both of these methods can make better use of available network bandwidth between multiple communication sessions under typical conditions in data communication networks. </p><p>Message switching routes messages in their entirety, one hop at a time, that is, <a href="/wiki/Store_and_forward" title="Store and forward">store and forward</a> of the entire message. Packet switching divides the data to be transmitted into packets transmitted through the network independently. Instead of being dedicated to one communication session at a time, network links are shared by packets from multiple competing communication sessions, resulting in the loss of the quality of service guarantees that are provided by circuit switching. </p><p>Packet switching can be based on <a href="/wiki/Connection-oriented_communication" title="Connection-oriented communication">connection-oriented communication</a> or <a href="/wiki/Connectionless_communication" title="Connectionless communication">connection-less communication</a>. That is, based on virtual circuits or datagrams. </p><p><a href="/wiki/Virtual_circuit" title="Virtual circuit">Virtual circuits</a> use packet switching technology that emulates circuit switching, in the sense that the connection is established before any packets are transferred, and packets are delivered in order. </p><p>Connection-less packet switching divides the data to be transmitted into packets, called <a href="/wiki/Datagram" title="Datagram">datagrams</a>, transmitted through the network independently. Each datagram is labelled with its destination and a sequence number for ordering related packets, precluding the need for a dedicated path to help the packet find its way to its destination. Each datagram is dispatched independently and each may be routed via a different path. At the destination, the original message is reordered based on the packet number to reproduce the original message. As a result, datagram packet switching networks do not require a circuit to be established and allow many pairs of nodes to communicate concurrently over the same channel. </p><p><a href="/wiki/Multiplexing" title="Multiplexing">Multiplexing</a> multiple telecommunications connections over the same physical conductor has been possible for a long time, but each channel on the multiplexed link was either dedicated to one call at a time, or it was idle between calls. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Examples_of_circuit-switched_networks">Examples of circuit-switched networks</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Circuit_switching&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Examples of circuit-switched networks"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Public_switched_telephone_network" title="Public switched telephone network">Public switched telephone network</a> (PSTN)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/B_channel" title="B channel">B channel</a> of <a href="/wiki/ISDN" title="ISDN">ISDN</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Circuit_Switched_Data" title="Circuit Switched Data">Circuit Switched Data</a> (CSD) and <a href="/wiki/High-Speed_Circuit-Switched_Data" class="mw-redirect" title="High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data">High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data</a> (HSCSD) service in cellular systems such as <a href="/wiki/GSM" title="GSM">GSM</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Datakit" title="Datakit">Datakit</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/X.21" title="X.21">X.21</a> (Used in the German <a href="/w/index.php?title=DATEX-L&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="DATEX-L (page does not exist)">DATEX-L</a> and Scandinavian <a href="/w/index.php?title=DATEX&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="DATEX (page does not exist)">DATEX</a> circuit switched data network)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Optical_mesh_network" title="Optical mesh network">Optical mesh network</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Circuit_switching&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Clos_network" title="Clos network">Clos network</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Switching_circuit_theory" title="Switching circuit theory">Switching circuit theory</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Time-driven_switching" title="Time-driven switching">Time-driven switching</a> – a circuit-switching variant</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Circuit_switching&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFSchneps-Schneppe2015" class="citation journal cs1">Schneps-Schneppe, M. A. (2015-01-01). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://link.springer.com/10.3103/S0146411615010083">"Circuit switching is coming back?"</a>. <i>Automatic Control and Computer Sciences</i>. <b>49</b> (1): 57–65. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.3103%2FS0146411615010083">10.3103/S0146411615010083</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISSN (identifier)">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0146-4116">0146-4116</a>. <a href="/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:15237860">15237860</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Automatic+Control+and+Computer+Sciences&rft.atitle=Circuit+switching+is+coming+back%3F&rft.volume=49&rft.issue=1&rft.pages=57-65&rft.date=2015-01-01&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A15237860%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft.issn=0146-4116&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.3103%2FS0146411615010083&rft.aulast=Schneps-Schneppe&rft.aufirst=M.+A.&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.com%2F10.3103%2FS0146411615010083&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ACircuit+switching" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFMetcalfe1973" class="citation journal cs1">Metcalfe, Robert M. (May 1973). "Packet Communication". Cambridge: MIT: 1–1, 1–2. <q>When you make a telephone call, for example, the telephone system establishes an electrical path between you and the person you're calling by joining available telephone cables -- circuits -- end-to-end. To complete your "connection", the telephone system's exchanges -- switching nodes -- allocate cable-miles in the form of circuits and maintain this allocation for the duration of your call. Thus, in circuit-switching, we say, circuits are allocated to carry connections. In pure circuit-switching, the making of a connection requires a number of distant switching nodes to piece together a continuous path from end to end; and, for the life of the connection, its constituent circuits are dedicated to carrying a conversation.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Packet+Communication&rft.pages=1-1%2C+1-2&rft.date=1973-05&rft.aulast=Metcalfe&rft.aufirst=Robert+M.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ACircuit+switching" class="Z3988"></span> <span class="cs1-visible-error citation-comment"><code class="cs1-code">{{<a href="/wiki/Template:Cite_journal" title="Template:Cite journal">cite journal</a>}}</code>: </span><span class="cs1-visible-error citation-comment">Cite journal requires <code class="cs1-code">|journal=</code> (<a href="/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#missing_periodical" title="Help:CS1 errors">help</a>)</span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:4-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-:4_3-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFDavies1979" class="citation book cs1">Davies, Donald Watts (1979). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://archive.org/details/computernetworks00davi"><i>Computer networks and their protocols</i></a>. Internet Archive. Chichester, [Eng.]; New York : Wiley. pp. 456–477. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780471997504" title="Special:BookSources/9780471997504"><bdi>9780471997504</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Computer+networks+and+their+protocols&rft.pages=456-477&rft.pub=Chichester%2C+%5BEng.%5D%3B+New+York+%3A+Wiley&rft.date=1979&rft.isbn=9780471997504&rft.aulast=Davies&rft.aufirst=Donald+Watts&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fcomputernetworks00davi&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ACircuit+switching" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Circuit_switching&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: External 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class="mw-empty-elt"></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Packet_switching" title="Packet switching">Packet-based</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Contention_(telecommunications)" title="Contention (telecommunications)">Collision recovery</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/ALOHAnet#The_ALOHA_protocol" title="ALOHAnet">ALOHA</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/ALOHAnet" title="ALOHAnet">Slotted ALOHA</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Reservation_ALOHA" class="mw-redirect" title="Reservation ALOHA">R-ALOHA</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/AX.25" title="AX.25">AX.25</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Carrier-sense_multiple_access_with_collision_detection" title="Carrier-sense multiple access with collision detection">CSMA/CD</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Contention_(telecommunications)" title="Contention (telecommunications)">Collision avoidance</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Multiple_Access_with_Collision_Avoidance" class="mw-redirect" title="Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance">MACA</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Multiple_Access_with_Collision_Avoidance_for_Wireless" title="Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance for Wireless">MACAW</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Carrier-sense_multiple_access" title="Carrier-sense multiple access">CSMA</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Carrier-sense_multiple_access_with_collision_avoidance" title="Carrier-sense multiple access with collision avoidance">CSMA/CA</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Distributed_coordination_function" title="Distributed coordination function">DCF</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Point_coordination_function" title="Point coordination function">PCF</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/IEEE_802.11e-2005#802.11e_MAC_protocol_operation" title="IEEE 802.11e-2005">HCF</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/CSMA/CARP" class="mw-redirect" title="CSMA/CARP">CSMA/CARP</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Collision_domain" title="Collision domain">Collision-free</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Token_Ring" title="Token Ring">Token Ring</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Token_bus_network" title="Token bus network">Token bus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mobile_Slotted_Aloha" title="Mobile Slotted Aloha">MS-ALOHA</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Delay and disruption tolerant</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Mobile_ad_hoc_network" class="mw-redirect" title="Mobile ad hoc network">MANET</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vehicular_ad-hoc_network" class="mw-redirect" title="Vehicular ad-hoc network">VANET</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Delay-tolerant_networking" title="Delay-tolerant networking">DTN</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dynamic_Source_Routing" title="Dynamic Source Routing">Dynamic Source Routing</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Duplex_(telecommunications)" title="Duplex (telecommunications)">Duplexing methods</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> 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