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Circuit vs packet switching

Short answer

Circuit switching establishes a dedicated path before transmission with setup, transfer, and teardown phases; bandwidth is reserved but can be wasted. Packet switching breaks data into packets that are store-and-forward routed independently, sharing links on demand with variable queuing delay. Circuit switching suits voice, packet switching is efficient for bursty data like Internet.

Compare circuit switching with packet switching.

Switching is the method of moving data from a source to a destination through intermediate nodes of a network. In circuit switching a dedicated end-to-end path is set up before data transfer. In packet switching the message is split into packets which are routed independently through the network and share links.

 Circuit: A ==[sw]==[sw]==[sw]== B   (dedicated path, setup/teardown)
 Packet : A --> [R]-->[R]--> B       (store and forward, packets may
              \--> [R] -->/          take different routes)
PointCircuit switchingPacket switching
PathDedicated path set up firstNo dedicated path
PhasesSetup, transfer, teardownNo setup (datagram) or virtual circuit setup
BandwidthReserved; wasted when idleShared, used on demand
DelaySetup delay, then constant, smallVariable queuing delay at nodes
Data unitContinuous streamSmall packets with header
Store and forwardNoYes
CongestionBlocking at call setup; no congestion laterPossible during transfer; packets may be dropped
FailureCall is droppedPackets re-routed
EfficiencyPoor for bursty dataHigh for bursty data
ChargingBy timeBy data volume
ExamplePSTN telephoneInternet, X.25, frame relay

Circuit switching suits real-time voice; packet switching suits data traffic.

✓ Answer checked by Claude Sonnet 5.5

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