Episode Details

When you place a call from a DSL landline or a smartphone in 2026, does your voice travel over an IP network end-to-end, or does it still rely on ancient circuit-switched technology? The answer, frustratingly, is "it depends." In this episode, we trace the actual routing path behind three specific scenarios: a DSL landline call, a mobile-to-mobile call, and the messy hybrid of mobile calling landline. We explore the role of media gateways, the stubborn persistence of Class 5 switches, and why the resilience of copper POTS lines during power outages is actually slowing down the transition to an all-IP world.