switched circuit

A circuit established through one or more intermediate switching devices, such as circuit switches or packet switches. A typical switched circuit can comprise a dedicated circuit from an originating device to an ingress switch port, or point of interface, a switch matrix through which a path is established to an egress port, and a dedicated circuit to a destination device.There may be many intermediate switches in a more complex scenario. Switched networks are highly shared, as a number of users contend for access to limited network resources through switches, which serve as points of contention, with connectivity between transmitters and receivers provided through the network on demand and as available. This sharing of limited network resources clearly allows the network providers to realize significant operational efficiencies, which are reflected in lower overall network costs.The end users realize the additional advantages of flexibility and resiliency, as the network generally can provide connectivity between any two physical locations through multiple alternate transmission paths. A switched circuit is in marked contrast to a dedicated circuit, which is dedicated to connecting two or more physical locations. Such a dedicated circuit is highly available, offers reliable levels of performance, and provides guaranteed bandwidth, but is inflexible and susceptible to catastrophic failure. See also circuit, circuit switch, dedicated circuit, packet switch, and switch.