The operational requirement of a traditional facsimile device often includes a dedicated connection to a public switched telephone network (PSTN). This connection enables the transmission of documents by converting them into an electrical signal, which is then sent across the phone network to another device that decodes the signal and recreates the document. The presence of a phone line facilitates this process, providing the necessary pathway for data exchange.
Historically, the dependence on a physical phone line was intrinsic to facsimile technology. This was because the technology was designed around the existing infrastructure of telephone networks. The benefits included widespread availability and a standardized transmission protocol. However, the reliance on physical lines also presented limitations, such as line availability constraints, potential transmission errors due to line noise, and the costs associated with maintaining a separate phone line solely for facsimile purposes.
