This signaling technique transmits phone numbers by rapidly opening and closing the local loop circuit. Each digit corresponds to a specific count of electrical clicks, usually generated by a mechanical rotary dial returning to its rest position. Because it relies on physical circuit interruptions, it takes significantly longer to transmit a full phone number compared to later frequency-based systems.
The new PBX doesn't support pulse dialing, so those old rotary phones in the lobby are finally going to the scrap heap.
A standard pulse dial operates at 10 pulses per second, meaning a zero (which sends ten pulses) takes a full second just to transmit the single digit.
Also heard as
- rotary dialing
- decadic dialing
- loop disconnect dialing
Related terms
Tone dialing
A method of telephone signaling that uses specific audio frequencies to represent dialed digits.
Touch-tone dialing
The Bell System's trademarked implementation of dual-tone multi-frequency telephone signaling.
POTS
Plain old telephone service is the traditional analog voice transmission network using copper wires.
Local loop
The physical wiring connecting a customer premises to the nearest telephone exchange.