When circuit switching is used, what is the maximum number of circuit-switched users that can be supported?

In circuit switching, the maximum number of circuit-switched users that can be supported is determined by the number of available physical circuits or channels in the network. Each user requires a dedicated circuit for the entire duration of their communication, and the total number of simultaneous users is limited by the number of available circuits.

if a circuit-switched network has 100 communication channels, it can potentially support up to 100 simultaneous users. This is because each user is assigned a dedicated circuit, and the network can handle as many users as there are available circuits.

It's important to understand that the concept of "maximum number of circuit-switched users" is tied directly to the number of physical communication channels in the network infrastructure. If more users need to be accommodated simultaneously, additional physical circuits or an expansion of the network infrastructure would be necessary.

Circuit switching is less efficient in terms of resource utilization compared to packet switching, where bandwidth is dynamically shared among multiple users. In circuit switching, dedicated circuits are reserved for the entire duration of a communication session, even when users are not actively transmitting data, which can lead to underutilization of resources.