Technologie :
Smartphones
PSTN

PSTN stands for Public Switched Telephone Network . The PSTN is the set of the world's circuit-switched telephone networks that are operated by national, regional, or local telephony operators, providing services for public telecommunication.

The PSTN consists of telephone lines, fiber optic cables, microwave transmission links, cellular networks, communications satellites, and undersea telephone cables , all interconnected by switching centers, thus allowing most telephones to communicate with each other.

Originally a network of fixed-line analog telephone systems, the PSTN is now almost entirely digital in its core network and includes mobile and other networks, as well as fixed telephones.

PSTN is the abbreviated term used for landline telephone system. Another term commonly used for it is POTS, which stands for Plain Old Telephone System, a a way of naming the landline that is now old and quite plain and flat when compared to new competitors on the market.

This network was created mainly for analog voice communication over cables that covered countries and continents.

It is an improvement over the basic telephone system discovered by Alexander Graham Bell .

Alexander Graham Bell (1847 – 1922) was a Scottish-born scientist, inventor, engineer, and innovator who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone, and founding the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) in 1885.

Mobile telephony emerged as the first alternative to PSTN when it comes to voice communication.

Cellular communication (2G) allowed people to communicate on the go while the PSTN allowed people to make and receive calls only within the reach of the wires, that is at home or in the office.

Nevertheless, the PSTN still remains the so far unchallenged leader in call quality.


The PSTN has also kept its place at home and in businesses for several reasons. Until the recent past, many people had still not adopted mobile telephony and could therefore only be reached through their plain old landline phone number.

Also, the PSTN remains the main carrier for Internet connectivity in some parts of the world.

In any cases, VoIP is the more serious competitor to PSTN operators than any other technology by allowing people to communicate locally and worldwide for free or cheaper.

Think of Skype, WhatsApp and all the other VoIP services and apps, which are even banned in some countries as a means to protect the local and often government-owned telcos.