What Is a Publicly Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)?
The publicly switched telephone network (PSTN) is comprised of the world’s telephone infrastructure, including telephone lines, switching centers, fiber optic cables, cellular networks, satellites, and cable systems. It is a hard-wired landline telephone system, and it ensures that calls placed on phones move through the network to reach their recipients. Today, people may use PSTN for communications or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) which is communications based on internet connections.
Key Facts About the PSTN
Here are some key facts about PSTN:
Originated in the late 1800s
Consists primarily of underground copper wires hardwired from homes and businesses to switching locations
Originally, telephone operators had to make switches manually by connecting wires
Fiber-optic cables now connect thousands of calls on a shared line
PTSN converts sound waves into electrical waves and then back to sound waves – within seconds
