Circuit switching establishes fixed bandwidth circuit/channel between nodes and terminals before the users may communicate. Packet switching is a communication in which packet are routed between node over data links shared with other traffic. In each network node packets are queued in buffered resulting in variable delay.

In packet-switched networks the message is broken into packets each of which can take a different route to the destination where the packets are reassembled into the original message.In Circuit switching the a circuit(a path)will be selected and it will be dedicated for transferring the entire message..

In circuit switching path will be choosen before transmission..which is not in case of packet switching...

1.circuit switching statically reserves the required bandwidth in advance whereas packet switching acquires & releases it as it is needed.

2.With circuit switching any unsed bandwidth on a allocated circuit is just waisted.with packet switching it may be utilised by other packets .

3.Circuit switching needs to set up an end to end path before any data can be sent.

4.When packet switching is used it is straight forward for router to provide speed and code conversion.

5.In packet switching packet may be delivered in the wrong order.

6Packet carriers usually base theier charge on both the no. of bytes(or packets carried and connect time.

7.with circuit switching the charge is based on the distance and time only not the traffic.