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PSTN (public switched telephone network)

The (PSTN) public switched telephone network also referred to as the Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) is the Communication network of the Global public circuit-switched telephone networks. It is a global net of telephone lines, fiberoptic cables, microwave transmission links, cellular networks, communications satellites, and undersea telephone cables connected by switching centers, which allows any telephone in the world to communicate with any other. Originally a network of fixed-line analog telephone systems, the PSTN is now almost entirely digital in its core and includes mobile as well as fixed telephones.

The technical operation of the PSTN utilizes standards created by the ITU-T. These standards allow different networks in different countries to interconnect seamlessly. There is also a single global address space for telephone numbers based on the E.163 and E.164 standards.