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Networking Fundamentals · Foundational

Circuit Switching

A method that reserves a dedicated communication path for the duration of a session.

Definition

In circuit switching, resources are allocated end to end before communication begins and remain reserved even when idle, as in the traditional public switched telephone network. It offers predictable latency but uses capacity inefficiently. ISDN and classic TDM voice circuits are circuit-switched.

Example

A traditional landline phone call reserves a 64 Kbps channel for its entire duration.

Exam tip

Contrast with packet switching, where the Internet shares links among many flows.

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