Circuit Switched vs. Packet Switched Technology

Old Technology vs. New Technology

Circuit Switched Technology Connection is established between 2 devices on a network before they begin transmitting Bandwidth is dedicated to this connection and remains available only to the source and destination devices until the connection is terminated During connection all data follows the same path 1 st selected by the switch or other connectivity device

Packet Switched Technology Form of switching that breaks data into packets or small groups of data before they are transported Size and content of each packet conform to some predefined standard Each packet contains a destination address information about how to combine it with other packets to recreate the original transmission once the packets reach their destination

Advantages Circuit Switched Ensures 2 devices exclusive use of a communication channel Transmissions between the 2 devices does not compete with other devices on the network Well suited for applications of live radio and video conferencing Is used for modem connections across PSTN, ISDN, and T-carriers Packet Switched Packets are free to travel any path on the network to their destination Makes it possible to find the fastest circuit available at any instance Much faster and efficient technique than circuit or message switching Enables Service Providers to integrate 3 rd party applications with capabilities to interface signaling between IP and PSTN networks

Disadvantages Circuit Switched Monopolizes a piece of the bandwidth which is not an efficient technology Can become overwhelmed by continuous heavy traffic In heavy traffic cannot prevent data loss This technology has been defined as being geographically limiting Packet Switched Replacement of the “Class-ful” switches makes for concerns because of E911 and CALEA Cost of replacement of some circuit switched equipment Problems with latency when data packets are jumping and become scattered between transmissions. In case of power outages u

Next Generation With growth it was soon discovered that the media gateways were not dense enough for the levels of traffic they were handling Estimates suggest that half of all traffic today on core networks is comprised of data and within 5 yrs 90% of that traffic WILL be data New demands for , instant messaging, video conf and World Wide Web applications were indicators of a growing demand for IP data based communications as opposed to circuit switched communications Evolution to IP alternatives for the PSTN would not have happened without the softswitch technology Necessity, high reliability, scalability and intelligence in the bypass network became the mother of invention which came in the form of the softswitches

Next Gen ‘Cont When economics of legacy equipment begin to favor the next generation of technology the legacy equipment will be replaced by softswitch architectures New installations will have the advantage by purchasing and deploying softswitch solutions from the beginning without the burden of integration of older technology Migration to softswitch can however be accomplished gradually since the softswitch has also been designed to easily integrate with the legacy PSTN

Summary Those who are deep into the old technology will be fractured by an architecture that is cheaper, simpler, smaller and more convenient to to use. They will not be quick to change until the economics show acceptable cost savings. Most importantly, we don’t really know what the applications are that customers will demand in the future. We do know however that current voice-centric infrastructure of “class-full” switches will not be able to support these converged voice/data/video applications. This belief that customers will demand new services that require a new infrastructure is widespread and I strongly believe that it is an accurate belief! So the need to continually meet customer expectations of quality over a network built from new technology IS THE FUTURE!

What happens when old & new technology are not converged? ANY CARRIER THAT FAILS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH NEW GENERATION IN THE NEXT 3 YEARS WILL BE A GOOD CANDIDATE TO BE THE SUBJECT OF A QUIZ SHOW QUESTION,…. WHAT COMPANY USED TO BE A COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY BUT NO LONGER EXIST??????? ANY CARRIER THAT FAILS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH NEW GENERATION IN THE NEXT 3 YEARS WILL BE A GOOD CANDIDATE TO BE THE SUBJECT OF A QUIZ SHOW QUESTION,…. WHAT COMPANY USED TO BE A COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY BUT NO LONGER EXIST???????