ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Routing in the PSTN

Okay kiddo, have you ever tried to call your grandma on the phone? The phone that you use is part of something called the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) which is like a big network of phones that helps people to connect with others all around the world.

Now, when you pick up the phone and dial your grandma's phone number, do you know how your phone knows where to send that call? This is where routing comes in. Routing is like a map that helps your phone find the way to your grandma's phone. It tells your phone the best path that the call can take to reach your grandma's phone successfully.

This map is made up of a lot of different phone lines and equipment that are owned by different companies and are spread out all over the world. These companies work together to connect all the phones in the PSTN, so that you can reach whoever you want to call.

So, when you dial your grandma's phone number, your phone sends the information to your local phone company and they use routing to figure out how to connect your call to your grandma's phone. It might go through a few different companies before it finally reaches your grandma's phone, but it happens so quickly that you never notice.

In short, routing in the PSTN is like a big map that helps your phone find its way to the phone of the person you are trying to call. It's like following the directions on a treasure map to find the treasure, but instead of treasure, you get to talk to your loved ones.