The

Public Switch Telephone Network

Lesson
Lesson 11 Topics
Topics
PSTN
PSTNOverview
Overview
The
TheRole
Roleof
ofThe
ThePSTN
PSTN
CPE
CPEAn
AnExample,
Example,How
HowAA
Telephone
TelephoneWorks
Works
Thought For The Week
Building on Lessons Learned In TCM 134

Study This Set Of PowerPoint Slides

Complete Assignment 1 And Post All Answers
In The Lesson 1 Drop Box By The Due Date.

Objectives
In This Lesson, You Will Learn How The Public
Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) Was
Originally Designed To Carry Voice Services.
Next, We Will Learn That The Original Design
Of The PSTN Has Evolved To Carry Most Of
Todays Advanced Voice, Data And Video
Services.
You Will Study A Brief Overview Of The PSTN
A Building Block For Our Course.
Finally, You Will Learn How One Piece Of CPE
Works In Conjunction With The PSTN.

Section 1.1 PSTN Overview

What Is The PSTN?

The Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN)
Is A Mesh Network Of Lines, Trunks, Switches,
Etc. That Connects Customer Provided
Equipment (CPE) Together To Allow The CPE To
Communicate Together.
The PSTN Was Originally Designed To Optimize
The Transmission Of Voice Services.

Major Elements Of The PSTN

CO Class 1
Switch

PSTN
CO Class 2
Switch

Analog Loop

Digital Interoffice
Trunks

CO Class 5
Switch

Residence
CPE

Digital Loop

PBX or KTS

Office Bldg

The Four Major Elements Of The PSTN

There Are Four Major Elements Of Todays Public

Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
Customer Premises Equipment (CPE)
Access System
Transport
Signaling

Customer Premises Equipment

Prior To 1984 And The Breakup Of The AT&T Monopoly,

All Parts Of The Public Switched Telephone Network Was
Owned And Operated By The Telephone Company.
After 1984, The Ownership And Maintenance Of All
Telecommunications Equipment And Wiring On The
Customers Site Became The Responsibility Of The Customer.

Customer Premises Equipment Includes:

Telephones

PBXs

Fax Machines

Key Systems

Wiring & Jacks

CSUs

Multiplexers

DSUs

Cross Connect Systems

Video Codecs

Computers

Etc.

Customer Premises Equipment - Continued:

Each Of These Pieces Of CPE Are Different.
They Each Work Differently Electronically, And Many
Have Different Ways In Which They Connect To The
PSTN.
Later In This Lesson We Will Study In More Detail, As
One CPE Example, How Telephones Work Electronically
And How They Connect To The PSTN.
Later In This Course, We Will Study How Several Other
CPEs Work Electronically And How They Connect To
The PSTN.

Demarcation Point
The FCC Defined A Point, The Demarcation Point, In The
Telecommunications Network That Separates CPE From
Telephone Company-Provided Equipment And Wiring.
The Demarcation Point Is Often Referred To As The Demarc.

Access System
The Access Component Of The PSTN Provides Customers
All Of The Wiring And Equipment For The Customers
CPE To Be Connected To The Central Core Of The Public
Switched Telephone Network.
The Access System Includes Both Lines And Trunks And The
Termination Equipment In The End Office.
Access Lines And Trunks Along With The Telephone Poles,
Conduits, Connector Boxes, Etc. Are Referred To As The
Local Loop.

Central Office Termination Equipment

Some Samples Of End Office Termination Equipment.

Access System

Most Access Circuits Run From The Carriers Central Office

And A Residence Are Analog Circuits (Ref. Slide 6).
Most Access Circuits Run Between The Carriers Central
Central Office And Businesses With Private Branch
Exchanges Are Digital Circuits (Ref. Slide 6).
Since Most Circuits That Connect Central Offices To
Customer Premises Are Connected To Residences, Then, Most
Circuits In The Local Loop Are Analog.

Access System Residential Access

Each Customer Circuit Is A Two-Wire Cable From The
Customer Demarc Out To The First Cross Connection Box

Class 5 Switch

A & B Cross
Connection Pedestal
Or Cross Connection
Box

Access System Residential Access

Even Though Customer Circuits Are Two-Wire Cable,
Carriers Will Install Either 2-Pair, Or 4-Pair Cable.
Customer Circuits Are Combined With Other Circuits At The
Cross Connection Box
Class 5 Switch

2-Pair Cable

100-Pair
Cable

Access System Residential Access

Class 5 Switch

Each Customer Circuit Is A Two-Wire Cable From The

Customer Demarc Out To The First Cross Connection Box.
From The Cross Connection Box To The Central Office The
Customer Two-Wire Circuit Is Carried Inside Of A Much
Thicker Cable That Carries 100 Pairs Of Cable Or More.
Each Customers Two-Wire Circuits Remain Separate From
Other Customers Circuits Which Are Carried On Separate
Sets Of Wires.

Sample 4-Pair Cable

The Photo Below Shows A 4-Pair Copper Wire Cable
Similar To The Type Of Cable That Might Be Run To A
Residence.
Each Pair Of Cable Supports A Separate Circuit.
Because Of The Cost Of Installing Outside Cable, Carriers
Usually Install More Than 1 Pair Of Wires.
Plastic Insulator

Metal Conductor

Access System Business Access

Trunks

Business W/ PBX

Class 5 Switch

Access For Small Business Customer Circuits Are Similar To

Residential Access Circuits.
Business Trunks From PBXs Are Digital, Usually T1s Or T3s.
If The Trunks Are T1s, 24 Separate End-User Applications
Are Carried On One Set Of Wires At A Time.
Well Study More About Data Rates Of Trunks In The
Lessons In Module 3 Of Our Text.

Transport Component Of The PSTN

Transport Means Transmission Taking Voice, Data, And
Video Signals From One Subscribers Access Line And
Delivering Them To Another Customers Access Line.
The End-Office, Or Class 5 Central Office Is The Point Where
All Customer Access Lines Connect.
The Trunks Within The Transport Core Include A Wide
Variety Of Transmission Speeds (e.g. T1, T3, OC-1, OC-12)
And Transmission Media (e.g. Copper And Optical Fiber).
Well Study More About The Transport System Later In This
Course.

Signaling Component Of The PSTN

Signaling Means The Controlling Of Calling Including:
Setting Up A Path For A Conversation Through The
Transport Core.
Maintaining And Terminating The Conversation Path.
Collecting Billing Information.
Handling Other Supervisory Functions.
Well Study More About The Signaling System Later In
This Course.

Section 1.2 The Role Of The PSTN

The Role Of The PSTN

Many People View Voice Services, And The PSTN
Used To Deliver Those Services, As Old, Ho- Hum
Topics.
Those People Reason That The Most Lucrative,
Future Growth Areas In Telecommunications Will
Be In Data Services As Opposed To Voice Services.
Many Of Those People Believe That
Telecommunications Students Should Not Study
Topics Related To Voice Communications Services
And The PSTN.

The Role Of The PSTN - Continued

Those Same People Believe That Data
Communications Will Underpin The New
Emerging Technologies And Will Be The Wave
Of The Future.

Why Then Study Plain Old Telephony?

Throughout This Course We Will Learn How POTS

And The PSTN Play Vital Roles In Providing Many
Services Such As:
Voice-over-IP (VoIP)
Third Generation
Cellular
Internet Applications
E-Mail
E-Commerce
WANs & MANs
Etc., Etc., Etc.

Todays
Emerging
Technologies
Do These
Services Seem
Like POTS!

Several Examples Of The Role Of The PSTN

Cellular Many Major Cellular Features Depend On

The PSTN Two Examples Follow

A Cell Call Placed To A Land-Based Phone

Travels Through The PSTN
CO Class 1
Switch
Cellular User

CO Class 2
Switch

Digital Interoffice
Trunks

CO Class 5
Switch

Radio

Controller

MTSO

Analog Loop

Residence
CPE

Cellular Roaming Depends On The PSTN SS7 Network

Roaming
Cellular User

STP
SSP
VLR
Roaming
MTSO

STP

Internet
SS7/

SSP

PSTN

HLR
Home
MTSO

Cellular Roaming Would Not Be

Possible Without SS7 Network In PSTN

Another Example Of The Role Of The

PSTN

Private Line Data Networks Rely On Several

Elements Of The PSTN

PSTN Backbone Circuits Are Provisioned To Create

Corporate Private-Line Data Networks
Site D

Site A

OC3 Private Line

Router
Router

56 Kbps
Private Line

T3
Private Line
T1
Private Line

Site E

56 Kbps
Private Line

Router
56 Kbps
Private Line
Router

Site B

Router

Site C

Internet Access Relies On The PSTN Another

Example

ISP Access Use PSTN Circuits

Corporate
End-User

CO Class 1
Switch

PSTN
MCDL

CO Class 2
Switch

Digital Interoffice
Trunks
CO Class 5
Switch

Analog Loop
Multiplexed/Channelized
Digital Loop
Residential
End-User

Router

ISP

Section 1.3 Customer Premises Equipment

Customer Premises Equipment

CPE Includes All Telecommunications-Related Equipment
That Is Located On The Consumers Side of the Demarcation
Point.
Customer Premises Equipment

Lets Study How Telephones, One Type Of

CPE, Works

Example Of Some
Modern Telephones

Direct Current (DC)

- An Electrical Charge
Flows Steadily In One
Direction Over the
Conductor.

Voltage

Do You Remember From TCM 134 How DC Current Flows?

+
-

Time

Voltage Over Time In A DC Circuit

Ohms Law: V = I x R

I Flows When
Resistor R

Switch Closed

Resistor R

I
DC
Voltage

DC
Voltage

DC Series Circuits With & W/O A Switch

Ohms Law: V = I x R
Do You Remember From TCM 134 How A Capacitor Affects
Current Flow In A Circuit?
Capacitor

Resistor R

Capacitor

Does I Flow?
DC
Voltage

Resistor R

Does I Flow?
AC
Voltage

Does Current Flow In Circuits A Or B?

A View Of A Telephone Set

Functional Diagram Telephone Set

Examine The Diagram Below To See If You Can Apply Any
Of The Lessons Learned From The Previous Two Slides.

Line Ringer
From
CO

Closed

Hybrid
Coil

Balancing
Network

Under What Conditions Will Current Flow (1) Through The

Ringer, (2) Through The Keypad, and (3) Into The Hybrid
Coil.
Switch Hook
T
Receiver

Transmitter

What Does The Central Office Do To Allow You

To Dial Your Telephone?
What Should The CO Switch Do First?
What Should The CO Switch Do Next?

Line Ringer
From
CO

Receiver
Closed

Hybrid
Coil

Balancing
Network

Switch Hook

Transmitter

How Does DTMF Dialing Work?

A Touch Tone Phone Operates By Transmitting A
Combination Of Two Frequencies Each Time A Button Is
Pressed.
Pressing Each Button Sends Out A Different Combination
Of Frequencies.

How Does Rotary Dialing Work?

Rotary Dialing - A User Chooses A Number And Turns A
Wheel From That Number To The Finger Stop Then
Releases The Wheel.

Finger Stop

How Does Rotary Dialing Work? - Continued

The Phones Internal Electronics Repeatedly

Breaks The Electric Current To Signal The
Number Dialed.
The Interrupts In The Current Causes Pulses Of
Specific Lengths,
These Pulses Of Interrupted Current Flow Are
Used In Pulse Dialing Rather Than Frequencies
To Represent Each Digit.

How Does Rotary Dialing Work? - Continued

To Dial The Number 2 The Phones

Electronics Breaks The Current 2 Times.
To Dial The Number 9 The Phones
Electronics Breaks The Current 9 Times.
Question: How Is The Number 0 Dialed?

Operation Of The Receiver And Transmitter

How Is Current Transitioned From The Two-Wire CO Circuit To
The Four Wires Required To Operate The Receiver And
Transmitter?
What Is An Impedance Mismatch & How Does It Apply Here?

Line Ringer
From
CO

Receiver
Closed

Hybrid
Coil

Balancing
Network

Switch Hook

Transmitter

Carbon Filled Receiver/Transmitter

Carbon Particles Used To Create Current.
Transmitter - The Input Voice Alternately Compresses
The Carbon Particles Which Create A Matching
Oscillating Current.
Receiver The AC Current
From The Telephone Wires
Moves A Membrane Which In
Turn Alternately Compresses
The Carbon Particles Which
Produces Sound.

Hybrid Coil And The Balancing Network

What Is The Role Of The Hybrid Coil Or Hybrid Network?
What Is The Role Of The Balancing Network?

Line Ringer
From
CO

Receiver
Closed

Hybrid
Coil

Balancing
Network

Switch Hook

Transmitter

How Does The Central Office Ring Your

Telephone?
What Should The CO Switch Do First?
What Should The CO Switch Do Next?

Line Ringer
From
CO

Receiver
Open

Hybrid
Coil

Balancing
Network

Switch Hook

Transmitter

Functional Diagram Telephone Set: Switch

Hook Closed

Line Ringer
From
CO

Receiver
Closed

Hybrid
Coil

Balancing
Network

Current

Switch Hook

Transmitter
Current

When The Switch Hook Is Closed, Current Flows.

Summary Of CPE

The Electronics Within Each CPE Listed Earlier Works

Differently.
All CPE Are Similar, However, Since They All Eventually
Create Electrical Signals Which Are Transmitted Over
Telecommunications Wiring And Those Signals Are
Received By A Compatible Piece Of CPE.
Later In This Course, We Will Have The Opportunity To
Study How Additional CPE Works.