In telecommunication, the term has the following meanings:
#In a communications switch, a state or condition that occurs when more subscribers attempt simultaneously to Access the switch than it is able to handle, even if unsaturated.
#In a saturated Communications System , the condition that occurs when an additional demand for service occurs.
See the Traffic Congestion article for a discussion of congestion in transportation.
In Electric Power Transmission it means the inability to supply an area with the cheapest available Generation due to a Binding Constraint on the point to point transmission route. Some plant or equipment could be causing the constraint due to thermal overload or security limits being potentially breached.
