Packet Switching
An efficient means of routing and transferring data over a network by breaking it up into very small pieces (packets). Each packet is addressed to its destination, like pieces of mail in a postal system. A great many packets, from a large number of senders and recipients, can move through a data network simultaneously and efficiently.
Essentially all data (including voice) is now packet-switched. This was always how the internet worked, and is now the basis for mobile networks as well.
The alternative to packet switching was circuit switching, which was inefficient. Circuit-switched connections took time (up to several seconds) to set up, and used resources even when inactive.
See: Circuit Switching
Packet-switched data was introduced to mobile networks with 3G technology. This brought faster data speeds and "always-on" data.
Later, voice calls also moved to packet switching by essentially treating audio as just another type of data. This happened with the introduction of VoLTE technology during the 4G era.
See: VoLTE
Last updated Feb 11, 2022 by Rich Brome
Editor in Chief Rich became fascinated with cell phones in 1999, creating mobile web sites for phones with tiny black-and-white displays and obsessing over new phone models. Realizing a need for better info about phones, he started Phone Scoop in 2001, and has been helming the site ever since. Rich has spent two decades researching and covering every detail of the phone industry, traveling the world to tour factories, interview CEOs, and get every last spec and photo Phone Scoop readers have come to expect. As an industry veteran, Rich is a respected voice on phone technology of the past, present, and future.
