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I have seen DSL compared to PTSN (public switched phone network).

What are some of the major differences?

Is there anything about this answer to a similar question [https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-ISDN-PSTN-and-DSL] that is particularly right or wrong?

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    This question is very vague. Please provide more context or details.
    – Ron Trunk
    Commented Dec 1, 2017 at 11:31
  • Did any answer help you? If so, you should accept the answer so that the question doesn't keep popping up forever, looking for an answer. Alternatively, you can provide and accept your own answer.
    – Ron Maupin ♦
    Commented Feb 19, 2018 at 20:42
  • @RonMaupin cheers for the reminder! idky I didn't immediately accept the answer given that I thanked the respondent; slipped my mind
    – Zach Valenta
    Commented Feb 20, 2018 at 0:05

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You can't compare those two. They are completely different things.

xDSL is a family of point-to-point line protocols which can transport just about any digital data over a few hundred meters to a few kilometers, especially various packet-switched or virtual-circuit network protocols.

PTSN is a generalized term for a circuit-switched, analog/digital hybrid network that can be global. It can be used with (at least) a dozen of different transport mechanisms with hundreds of variations.

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  • "You can't compare those two. They are completely different things." --> exactly what I was looking for i.e. I'd seen them compared and, as a newb, didn't know if the comparison was valid.
    – Zach Valenta
    Commented Dec 1, 2017 at 12:18
  • "a dozen of different transport mechanisms" --> what are the most prominent of these?
    – Zach Valenta
    Commented Dec 1, 2017 at 12:20
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    I'm definitely no expert on that, so off the top of my head: several different analog systems (roughly: manually switched, hook switched, tone switched), numerous, probably proprietary multiplexes (mostly FDM), ISDN, ATM, SDH, SONET, ...
    – Zac67 ♦
    Commented Dec 1, 2017 at 14:58

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