WAN Technologies Leased Lines Circuit and Packet Switching and Cell Relay

There are several WAN technologies that are commonly used to connect geographically dispersed networks:

Leased Lines: This is a dedicated point-to-point connection between two locations, provided by a telecommunications service provider. It is typically used for high-speed data transfer and is often the most reliable option for mission-critical applications.

Circuit Switching: This is a connection-oriented WAN technology that establishes a dedicated communication channel between two devices for the duration of a communication session. It is commonly used for voice communications and has largely been replaced by packet switching for data communications.

Packet Switching: This is a connectionless WAN technology that divides data into small packets and sends them over a shared communication channel. The packets are reassembled at the receiving end to form the original data. Packet switching is more efficient than circuit switching, as it allows multiple devices to share the same communication channel.

Cell Relay: This is a WAN technology that is similar to packet switching, but uses fixed-length cells (rather than variable-length packets) to transmit data. Cell relay is more efficient than packet switching and is commonly used for high-speed data transfer.

Each of these WAN technologies has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the choice of technology will depend on factors such as bandwidth requirements, reliability, cost, and the specific needs of the organization.