Introduction
Wide Area Networks (WANs) form an important part of modern telecommunications, dealing with the ability to transfer data over relatively long distances. The latter links geographic locations from the smallest to the largest scale, even from offices to countrywide. Technology has bloomed with time, and the improvement of technology has brought improvement in the protocols and methods of facilitating WAN communication. This paper will discuss three major WAN technologies: Point-to-Point (dedicated), Packet Switched, and Circuit Switched. We will describe each of the protocols with at least two data transmission technologies that pertain to the protocols. Then, we will detail the bandwidth limitation that the selected technologies carry.
Point-to-Point WAN
Point-to-Point Wide Area Network (WAN) technology is considered to offer dedicated communication lines that link two different end hosts directly (Jones, 2020). Such a type of connection is highly valued when the data privacy and the security of the data exchange are topmost, making it a favourite choice for those organizations who attach their data with high importance of confidentiality and integrity.
Implementing Point-to-Point WANs often involves using specialized data transmission technologies, with T1 and T3 lines being among the most prevalent. This is the T1 type of line; its Bandwidth equals 1.544 Mbps and is the most suitable for average businesses. T1 would support them at quite a balanced cost. On the other hand, T3 lines will be a gargantuan step up in capacity, as they provide a bandwidth of 44.736 Mbps (Mallick, 2022). Therefore, these render it the best solution for large businesses with more intensified data transmission requirements.
However, even with such merits, Point-to-point WANs come with their share of disadvantages. One central obstruction is the cost associated with the technology. Organizations may find the nature of dedicated communication lines prohibitive in terms of installation and maintenance costs (Aakriti, 2023). Other possible drawbacks include the fixed Bandwidth, which remains assigned to each connection point for its exclusive use, which may be less robustly flexible and scalable than others in WAN technologies.
Packet Switched WAN
Packet-switched WANs epitomize the static way of data transmission by implementing a network routing strategy that allows data packets to travel through several paths to get to the destination. This, then, is the reason upon which is built the operation of the Internet enables flexibility and efficiency in dealing with all manners of traffic (Azap, 2022).
The packet-switched WANs’ other outstanding data transmission technologies are Frame Relay and As, which means Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). Most of it is engineered for cheap data transmission, more importantly with the intermittent traffic occurring among the Local Area Networks (LANs) and endpoints within a WAN. They benefit from using the variable Bandwidth to an extreme level; at the same time, they can fit into the bursty tendency of the traffic (BasuMallick, 2022). On the other side, ATM is a cell-based switching technology, simply an example of high-speed data transfer. Besides, the ATM supports real-time communications for voice and video, which will be in addition to the existing data application services.
However, there is a limit to the effectiveness of packet-switched WANs since the bandwidth and performance limits of the technologies mentioned above are often subjected to the service level agreement with the provider (Azap, 2022). These may be anything from network congestion to how well the routing protocols can ensure adequate, reliable, and rapid data transfer.
Circuit Switched WAN
WAN Circuit Switching is the traditional telecommunication service requiring the establishment of a dedicated circuit between points. The circuit remains connected during the whole session of communication between the points. Such technologies include, among others, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), and data services (BasuMallick, 2022).
PSTN is a worldwide network system that offers voice services obtained from public telephone systems. It usually provides Bandwidth ranging between 64 Kbps and 2 Mbps. At times, Bandwidth in this range may be sufficient for standard voice communications. In most instances, more is needed for applications that consume vast data. On the other hand, ISDN offers digital transmission of voice and data over conventional telephone copper wires. It provides services at two levels: Basic Rate Interface (BRI) with 128 Kbps bandwidth and Primary Rate Interface (PRI) with 1.544 Mbps in North America and 2.048 Mbps in Europe (Azap, 2022).
The major shortfall of this circuit-switched WAN is that bandwidth utilization only affects time sometimes dedicated, whether data is flowing over it or not. This action can cause underutilization of network resources (Azap, 2022). This inefficiency has been coupled with the emergence of many flexible and cost-effective alternatives, and hence, Circuit Switched WANs are quite the popular choice.
Summary/Conclusion
In summary, with the current communication needs of a networked world, WAN technologies are inevitable. Point-to-Point WAN provides a dedicated and secure connection but at the maximum cost. The data transmission in packet-switched WANs is very efficient and flexible, which is very suitable for the dynamism characteristic of internet traffic. One old technology, however, that is still in operation is the circuit-switched WANs, which are typically only used for particular applications that need a dedicated connection. This will help network designers and IT personnel understand the issues better, giving them knowledge that they will use while making decisions on informed planning and deployment of WAN solutions.
References
Aakriti. (2023, March 2). WAN Topologies and their Types | Best Explained- 2023. https://www.nwkings.com/wan-topologies
Azap, B. (2022, August 23). What Is a Packet-Switched Network? PhoenixNAP IT Glossary. https://phoenixnap.com/glossary/packet-switched-network
BasuMallick, C. (2022, August 8). Packet-Switched Network vs. Circuit-Switched Network: Understanding the 15 Key Differences. Spiceworks. https://www.spiceworks.com/tech/networking/articles/packet-switched-vs-circuit-switched-network/
Jones, D. (2020, November 23). What is a Point-to-Point Network? APC Solutions. https://www.apcsolutionsuk.com/point-to-point-network/
Mallick, C. B. (2022, February 10). What Is a Wide Area Network (WAN)? Definition, Types, Architecture, and Best Practices. Spiceworks. https://www.spiceworks.com/tech/networking/articles/what-is-wide-area-network/#:~:text=In%20a%20point%2Dto%2Dpoint
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