The Public Telephone Network

THE PUBLIC
TELEPHONE
NETWORK
Introduction OUTLINE
Telephone Transmission System Environment
The Public Telephone Network
Instruments, Local Loops, Trunk Circuits, and Exchanges
Local Central Office Telephone Exchanges
Operator-Assisted Local Exchanges
Automated Central Office Switches and Exchanges
North American Telephone Numbering Plan Areas
Telephone Service
North American Telephone Switching Hierarchy
Common Channel Signaling System No. 7 (SS7)
■ The telecommunications industry is the largest industry in
the world.
■ Telephone networks all over the world is jointly referred to
as the public telephone network (PTN).
■ The PTN uses the largest computer network in the world to
interconnect millions of subscribers in such a way that the
myriad of companies function as a single entity.
■ One characteristic of the PTN that makes it unique from
other industries is that every piece of equipment, technique,
or procedure, new or old, is capable of working with the rest
of the system.
INTRODUCTION
■ transmission path
■ switching function
Telephone Transmission System Environment
■ signaling functions
PTN
Privateline circuits
or dedicated circuits
common usage equipment
public switched telephone
PUBLIC PRIVATE
For example, large banks
network(PSTN) do not wish to share their
and sometimes simply as the communications network
dial-up network. with other users, but it is
The Public Telephone Network
not cost effective for them

to construct their own
networks.
Telephone network equipment can be
broadly divided into four primary
classifications:
■ instruments
■ local loops
■ exchanges
■ trunk circuits.
INSTRUMENTS
■ An instrument is any device used to originate and
terminate calls and to transmit and receive signals into
and out of the telephone network.
■ The instrument is often referred to as station
equipment and the location of the instrument as the

station.
■ A subscriber is the operator or user of the instrument. If
you have a home telephone, you are a subscriber.
LOCAL LOOPS
■ The local loop is simply the dedicated cable facility used to
connect an instrument at a subscriber’s station to the closest
telephone office.
■ Everyone who subscribes to the PTN is connected to the
closest telephone office through a local loop. Local loops

connected to the public switched telephone network are two-
wire metallic cable pairs.
■ Local loops used with private-line data circuits are generally
four-wire configurations.
TRUNK CIRCUITS
■ A trunk circuit is similar to a local loop except trunk circuits
are used to interconnect two telephone offices.
■ The primary difference between a local loop and a trunk is
that a local loop is permanently associated with a particular
station, whereas a trunk is a common usage connection.

■ A trunk circuit can be as simple as a pair of copper wires
twisted together or as sophisticated as an optical fiber
cable. A trunk circuit could also be a wireless
communications channel.
EXCHANGES
■ An exchange is a central location where subscribers are
interconnected, either temporarily or on a permanent basis.
■ Telephone company switching machines are located in
exchanges.
■ Exchanges connected directly to local loops are often called

local exchanges or sometimes dial switches or local dial
switches.
■ A central exchange is also called a central telephone
exchange,central office (CO), central wire center, central
exchange, central office exchange, or simply central.
EXCHANGES
The purpose of a telephone exchange is to
provide a path for a call to be completed
between two parties. To process a call, a switch
must provide three primary functions:
■ Identify the subscribers

■ Set up or establish a communications path
■ Supervise the calling processes
Telephone sets were originally connected directly

to each other with heavy-gauge iron wire strung between poles,
requiring a dedicated cable pair and telephone set for each subscriber
you wished to be connected to.
■ The first commercial telephone switchboard began operation in
New Haven, Connecticut, on January 28, 1878, marking the birth
of the public switched telephone network.
■ The first local telephone exchanges were switchboards
(sometimes called patch panels or patch boards) where manual
interconnects were accomplished using patchcords and jacks.
ringdown system
Automated Central Office Switches and
Exchanges
■ An automated switching system is a system of sensors,
switches, and other electrical and electronic devices that
allows subscribers to give instructions directly to the switch
without having to go through an operator.
■ In addition, automated switches performed interconnections

between subscribers without the assistance of a human and
without using patchcords.
Stowger’s Switch
■ In 1890 an undertaker in Kansas City, Kansas, named
Alman Brown Strowger was concerned that telephone
company operators were diverting his business to his
competitors.
■ Consequently, he invented the first automated switching

system using electromechanical relays.
■ This type of switching machine was called a step-by-step
(SXS) switch, stepper, or, perhaps more commonly, a
Strowger switch.
Switch
Strowger’s
Xbar
Switch
ESS
ESS and SPC
■ ESS switches differed from their predecessors in that they
incorporate stored program control (SPC), which uses
software to control practically all the switching functions.
■ SPC systems make it possible for telephone companies to
offer the myriad of services available today, such as three-
way calling, call waiting, caller identification, call forwarding,

call within, speed dialing, return call, automatic redial, and
call tracing.
Circuits, Circuit Switches, and Circuit
Switching
■ Circuit
■ Circuit switch
■ Circuit switching
■ Transparent
■ The public telephone network is considered a circuit-switched network.
Local Telephone Exchanges and
Exchange Areas
■ Exchanges connected directly to
local loops are appropriately called
local exchanges.
■ Because local exchanges are
centrally located within the area they
serve, they are often called central

offices (CO).
■ A telephone call completed within a
single local exchange
■ is called an intraoffice call
(sometimes called an intraswitch
call).
Interoffice Trunks, Tandem Trunks, and
Tandem Switches
■ Interoffice calls are calls placed between two stations that are connected to
different local exchanges.
■ Interoffice calls are sometimes called interswitch calls.
■ Today telephone-switching machines in local exchanges are interconnected to other
local exchange offices on special facilities called trunks or, more specifically,
interoffice trunks.
Tandem Switch
■ A tandem office is an exchange without any local loops
connected to it (tandem meaning “in conjunction with” or
“associated with”).
■ Therefore, tandem switches interconnect local offices only.
A tandem switch is called a switcher’s switch,

■ Trunk circuits that terminate in tandem switches are
appropriately called tandem trunks or sometimes
intermediate trunks.
Toll-Connecting Trunks, Intertoll Trunks,
and Toll Offices
■ Interstate/Intercountry long-distance telephone calls require a special telephone
office called a toll office.
■ When a subscriber initiates a long-distance call, the local exchange connects the
caller to a toll office through a facility called a toll-connecting trunk (sometimes
called an interoffice toll trunk). Toll offices are connected to other toll offices with
intertoll trunks.
Answer the following questions:
(Recorded as Recitation)
1. What are the two types of subscribers to the public
telephone network? Briefly describe them.
2. Briefly describe the following terms: instruments,
local loops, trunk circuits, and exchanges.
3. Briefly describe interoffice trunks, tandem trunks,
and tandem switches.
4. Briefly describe toll-connecting trunks, intertoll

trunks, and toll offices.
5. Create a simple block diagram showing station
equipments, local exchanges, tandem offices and
toll offices.

The Public Telephone Network

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Public Telephone Network

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

THE PUBLIC

not cost effective for them

equipment and the location of the instrument as the

closest telephone office through a local loop. Local loops

station, whereas a trunk is a common usage connection.

■ Exchanges connected directly to local loops are often called

■ Identify the subscribers

Telephone sets were originally connected directly

■ In addition, automated switches performed interconnections

■ Consequently, he invented the first automated switching

way calling, call waiting, caller identification, call forwarding,

serve, they are often called central

A tandem switch is called a switcher’s switch,

4. Briefly describe toll-connecting trunks, intertoll

You might also like