Explain how PSTN communication systems are used to

support the internet.

PSTN (public switched telephone network) is the world’s collection of
interconnected voice-oriented public telephone networks.

PSTN stands for public switched telephone network, or the traditional circuit-
switched telephone network.

PTSN comprises all the switched telephone networks around the world that
are operated by local, national or international carriers.

These networks provide the infrastructure and the services for

public telecommunication.

This is the system that has been in general use since the late 1800s.

It’s the aggregation of circuit-switching telephone networks that has evolved

from the days of Alexander Graham Bell.

Using underground copper wires, this legacy platform has provided

businesses and households alike with a reliable means to communicate with
anyone around the world for generations.

Today, it is almost entirely digital.

The phones themselves are known by several names, such as

PSTN, landlines, Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS), or fixed-line
telephones.
How PSTN works?
A public switched telephone network is a combination of telephone networks used
worldwide, including telephone lines, fiber optic cables, switching centers, cellular
networks, satellites and cable systems. A PSTN lets users make landline telephone
calls to one another.

A PSTN is made up of switches at centralized points on a network that function

as nodes to enable communication between two points on the network. A call is
placed after being routed through multiple switches. Voice signals can then travel
over the connected phone lines.

The PSTN phone line is used with traditional dial-up network modems to connect a
computer to the Internet. Dial-up Internet connections support up to 56 Kbps. In
the early days of the Internet, this was the main method for home Internet access but
it became obsolete with the introduction of broadband Internet services.

PSTN structure
The traditional PSTN has a hierarchical architecture and a star structure. The
individual subscriber lines are connected to a local exchange, which
communicates with trunk exchanges as well as main and central exchanges. The
lines within a local exchange typically have the same area code. A user who
wants to call a number outside the local exchange has to add an area code. To
make an international call, a user has to dial the country code.

PSTN vs. ISDN

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) was developed for the digital
transmission of data and voice over ordinary phone lines. ISDN provides better voice
quality than PSTN. The ISDN provides 128 Kbps. One of the key features of the
ISDN is that it integrates both speech and data in the same line, which is not
available with ordinary telephone wires. Users can make faster calls with ISDN than
with PSTN.
PSTN vs. VoIP
Voice over IP (VoIP), also known as IP telephony, broadband telephony or Internet
telephony, means voice communication is transmitted over the Internet or private
wide ware network (WAN) service. VoIP eliminates the need for circuit-switched
networks for phone calls.

VoIP uses codecs to turn audio into data packets, transmits them across an IP network
and turns the packets back into audio on the receiving end of the call. Many
organizations get their VoIP services from cloud unified communications providers,
such as RingCentral and Vonage, or from VoIP providers, such as Dialpad and
Nextiva.

VoIP has advantages over PSTN, including lower network infrastructure costs,
scalability and advanced features, such as unified communications and app
integrations.

History of PSTN
The commercialization of telephones began in 1876. At that time, there were no
network connections. Rather, telephones were wired in pairs for use between
locations, which meant it wasn’t possible to call more than one location. People who
wanted to talk to people in different locations had to have several different telephones
– each with its own purpose. In the early days, operators connected one party of a
phone call to another manually.

Telephone networks expanded in the 1900s as the number of people using

telephones increased. This led to the growth of PSTN. Older telephone
networks used analog signaling.

However, providers began to digitize voice calls by the 1960s and manual
switching was replaced by automated electronic switching. This upgrade
meant that digital voice signals could share the same wire with other phone
calls.
Although most people associate the PSTN with copper wiring, modern PSTN
infrastructure also uses fiber optic cables. Today, services have become
increasingly digital, as new last-mile infrastructure -- such as fiber optic cables
-- replaces copper lines.

Telecommunications providers are transitioning from PSTN to all-IP

communications. The main reason is that most carriers don’t want to manage
two infrastructures – one with analog and one with digital equipment -- when
just a digital architecture can offer the same or better level of service for
customers.

In addition, manufacturers of telecom equipment are phasing out analog

equipment in favor of digital equipment, making it increasingly difficult for
carriers to maintain their analog infrastructures. Because digital technology
can enable telecom operators to offer more services, they also prefer to invest
in technology that may increase their revenue.