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Next-Gen Networks
 September 2000
Kevin Mayer  

What Is A Softswitch?

BY KEVIN MAYER

Go Right To:
Next-Gen Network News
Packet Voice Networks: The Value-Added Solution...
Case Study: Global Crossing Taps Sonus...
This month, we open up the floor to a discussion organized by the Multimedia Telecommunications Association. In this discussion, which attempts to define "softswitch," it becomes clear that switch manufacturers and service providers should open their architectures, and integrators should focus on the critical role they can play in configuring differentiated, value-added applications.

Bob Panoff, principal, Technology Marketing Partners and chair, MMTA's Network Service Provider Solutions Division: The softswitch enables service providers to open up a vast array of new services to the benefit of their own businesses and those of their subscribers. But we need to define the "softswitch."

Art Klein, president and CEO, IpVerse: I think the market is getting very, very confused as to what a softswitch really is. Is the media gateway a softswitch? Yes, it has some softswitch functionalities in it, but is it truly a softswitch? The softswitch is just software that supports the decentralization of functionality previously centralized in Class 5 switches.

Jeff Simpson, manager, Strategic Services, Lucent Technologies: I'd say it's about taking the core call processing capability of the switch and unlocking the software-driven capability. We are creating a software app that can be put anywhere on the network or on any platform. It's a devolution of the call processing functionality.

Klein: Well, Lucent coined the term "softswitch." But I think that a lot of people are using softswitch simply because it's a well-known marketing term right now. As ipVerse uses the term, we are separating the brains from the hardware. The softswitch really is just a part of the solution. It places call control closer to the end user.

Jeff Dworkin, co-founder and general manager, iFace: Well, we build voice applications. So we're sitting on the top layer of the softswitch. We all have our own definition of softswitch. It's software that spans multiple elements of both hardware and software. So it includes media gateways and media gateway controllers, media packet servers, and signaling gateways. The application server sits at the top.

A softswitch bridges the IP world and the TDM world, so you're not throwing away all your old stuff. You're simply using it within the architecture. And again, you support multiple vendors and protocols.

At iFace, for example, we've created, a "click to talk" application, so our customers who know nothing about telecom can bring telecom services to their customers in a number of vertical markets, including the hospitality industry and finance. So system integrators are having a larger role in the service provider rollout of next-gen networks.

Panoff: If we settled on anything, a softswitch is the software only. It's just the software that allows interoperability between multiple vendors and multiple transport media. And the objective is the creation of services by integrators who are non-telecom personnel.

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Next-Gen Networks News

3Com Enhances MultiService Access Platform
3Com announced enhancements to its Total Control 1000 platform, adding new card sets for migration to higher density performance and expanded service capabilities. In addition, 3Com indicated the Total Control 1000 platform complements the new Total Control 2000 platform, which combines media gateways, the CommWorks 4000 softswitch, and enhanced back-end servers. The Total Control 1000 platform is meant for smaller POPs serving tens of thousands of subscribers, while the Total Control 2000 platform is designed for areas of higher population densities where hundreds of thousand of connections are needed.
No. 539, comsolmag.com/freeinfo

Lucent Launches Solution For Converged Services
 Lucent announced the ExchangePlus VSE, a compact version of the carrier-class EXS ExchangePlus tandem, an international gateway solution. By combining the two platforms, service providers may deploy a network solution that concentrates voice, fax, and data traffic onto IP connections and converts incoming and outgoing traffic between circuit and packet networks. By handling circuit and packet conversions at the edge of the network and concentrating traffic onto the main backbone, carriers can increase network efficiency, supporting more customers using the same bandwidth. The EXS ExchangePlus portfolio of open, scalable switching products originated from the former Excel Switching Corporation acquired by Lucent last November.
No. 540, comsolmag.com/freeinfo

Unisphere Ships New Version Of Service Mediation Switch
Unisphere Solutions announced that it is now shipping the next version of its SMX-2100 Service Mediation Platform. According to Unisphere, the latest version of the platform includes:

  • New scalability features including rolling upgrades, allowing non-service affecting software upgrades, ensuring maximum uptime and revenue.
  • Support for call processing and shelf control 1:1 redundancy, providing maximum uptime with no loss of stable calls.
  • Increased selection of routing and hunting algorithms.
  • Enhanced network management and ease of operation features, such as fault management, performance management, and service level assurance features, with the integration of MicroMuse's Netcool and Quallaby's Proviso in conjunction with Unisphere's Management Center platform.
  • Enhanced online backup and restore facilities.
  • Increased density with the support 48 fully protected DS3 connections, providing up to 32,256 redundant DS0s in a single SMX-2100 shelf.

No. 541, comsolmag.com/freeinfo

Sonus And Pactolus Provide Service Creation Solution
 Sonus Networks and Pactolus Communication Software announced that they are working together to help communications service providers and ISPs quickly create and deploy new services through Sonus's Open Services Architecture (OSA). Pactolus's Rapid-FLEX SCE provides an XML-based, "drag-and-drop" visual development environment for the Sonus PSX6000 SoftSwitch. New services envisioned by the partners include specialized routing, custom call flows, voice announcements, and calling services.
No. 542, comsolmag.com/freeinfo

Convergent Interoperable With Mariposa, Sonoma
Convergent Networks announced that its broadband infrastructure solutions may include integrated access devices (IADs) from Mariposa Technology. In a separate announcement, Convergent noted that its solutions are also interoperable with IADs from Sonoma Networks. Relevant products included customer premises equipment from Mariposa (the ATX family of IADs) and Sonoma (the Sonoma Integrator and the Sonoma Xchange), as well as Convergent's Integrated Convergence Switch, the ICS2000, which may be deployed in an end office. Both announcements stressed the benefits of leveraging ATM transport to deliver QoS for integrated voice/data services.
No. 543, comsolmag.com/freeinfo

Lucent Highlights MultiVoice Deployments
Following up on the release of the new version of its MultiVoice VoIP software, Lucent announced that STSI.net, a wholesale provider of IP telephony, Internet access, and e-commerce services, had deployed the new software across its network. Also, Lucent indicated that United Telesis, a next-gen communications company, plans to become a global clearinghouse of VoIP traffic. United Telesis announced that not only is it using a new MultiVoice software module, it has also signed up STSI.net, USA Talks, and SkyWay as its first partners.

The MultiVoice software is designed to enable service providers to carry conventional, pre-paid, and calling card traffic on a single VoIP network based on MultiVoice gateways and gatekeepers. The software may be augmented by the MultiVoice Settlement Engine, a module for the MultiVoice Access Manager gatekeeper. The module interfaces with OSP (Open Settlement Protocol) and billing servers to allow authentication, routing, billing, and settlement between service provider partners.
No. 544, comsolmag.com/freeinfo

VPSwitch Introduces A DSL Voice Switch
Data Connection's VPSwitch Group announced the VP3000 integrated DSL voice switch, combining the functions of a DSL voice gateway and a Class 5 switch in a single, high-density, carrier-class system. The system is designed for central office and regional switching center deployments and offers service providers a strategy for rolling out voice over DSL to small business and residential markets.

The system also provides a service creation environment, allowing service providers to deploy novel, value-add, revenue-generating telephony and enhanced services. The VPSwitch family is architected around MGCP/Megaco and SCTP, so that future versions can evolve to fill a range of roles within next-generation, distributed networks, as access or trunk gateways, call agents or softswitches, or services platforms.
No. 545, comsolmag.com/freeinfo

Convergent Networks To Acquire TCS
Convergent Networks, a provider of broadband infrastructure solutions for the new public network, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Technology Control Services (TCS). TCS designs and manufactures an advanced softswitch platform that provides both call control and an open service creation environment that enables the rapid delivery of carrier-class services such as traditional CLASS features, and enhanced applications such as unified messaging and pre-paid calling card services.
No. 546, comsolmag.com/freeinfo

Sonus's Open Services Partner Alliance Grows
Sonus announced that the Open Services Partner Alliance (OSPA) includes three new members: Sylantro Systems Corporation, T-Portal, and VoiceGenie Technologies.

Sylantro has developed an applications-enabled softswitch designed to provide a carrier-grade service creation platform and a suite of "revenue-ready" applications.

T-Portal, an Applications Telecom Service Provider (ATSP), provides access to applications such as clearinghouse services, unified messaging, IP fax, conferencing, and online collaboration via IP connections.

VoiceGenie Technologies has developed an advanced voice portal platform that provides a convenient, personal, and flexible way to access information and make transactions over the Web using a conventional or wireless telephone.

With the most recent additions, the Alliance now comprises 40 companies that develop and deliver services and applications based on Sonus' Open Services Architecture (OSA). According to Sonus, the additions expand the range of applications and services available to Sonus's customers, helping them take advantage of the many emerging benefits of the new public network.
No. 547, comsolmag.com/freeinfo

GDC And Taqua Team To Deliver Voice/Data Solutions
General DataComm and Taqua Systems announced a packet switching system designed to enable low-cost, rapid deployment of packet telephony services. The system is provided through a combination of Taqua's Open Compact Exchange (OCX) Class 5 access switch and GDC's NexEra 6400 and 6600 packet voice and data gateways, which the two companies will jointly market and sell worldwide.

Together, the companies' platforms will enable a range of differentiated services:

  • New-generation Class 5 access switching and enhanced voice services.
  • Low-bandwidth, toll-quality packetized voice transport and switching over a broadband infrastructure.
  • A suite of local telephony functions with both voice and packet billing information.
  • Integrated traffic management capabilities enabling guaranteed QoS for interactive real-time, interactive non-real-time, and best-effort services.

No. 548, comsolmag.com/freeinfo

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Packet Voice Networks: The Value-Added Solution For Service Providers

BY RICHARD STANKEVICH

Packet voice networks employ new technologies and open the telecommunications market for voice services to a broadening range of traditional carriers and emerging service providers. In this respect, there are real ways for service providers of all stripes to save and make money.

In the classic voice networks of today, voice calls and dialed Internet calls demand identical network resources. Every ILEC, CLEC, IXC, and PTT worth its salt trumpets their Internet offering -- flat-rate billing rules! The idea is to capture a customer base, then figure out how to profit from that base later.

However, the same network resource that earns Internet revenue of x-dollars in a year, earns the same carrier 30x-dollars a year when that resource is used for voice connectivity. When you consider that Internet traffic consumes half of all U.S. network resources while contributing 6 to 7 percent of revenues, the message becomes clear -- promote the Internet, make money on voice.

Broadband packet voice gateways provide Internet offload, so classic voice tandem switches are burdened only with profit-making voice calls, with Internet traffic efficiently transported across broadband links to consolidated ISP remote access servers for routing and content.

Packet voice gateways also provide dramatic savings and operational efficiencies on the trunk side of classic tandem switch networks. Tandem trunks are statically engineered, physical link by physical link, to other tandems in the network. These links are generally designed to support projected busy-hour traffic in the time zones they serve. Rather than employing such a tandem mesh, a tandem-broadband packet gateway solution can reduce the number of physical trunks to a single trunk between the Class-4 switch and the packet gateway. Employing switched connections between tandem and gateway, and broadband switched virtual circuits (SVCs) and AAL2 VoATM, the service provider will need approximately 40 percent less tandem trunk capacity.

This approach may free up capacity for more revenue-generating services, or allow service provider to reduce the cost of new voice switches. It could even mean that the provider can reduce the number of high-cost voice switches it needs to deploy to meet the provider's business objectives.

Richard Stankevich is ATM Product Marketing Manager, Broadband Division, General DataComm. 

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CASE STUDY: Global Crossing Taps Sonus To Enact VoIP Strategy

Global Crossing, which is building and operating an extensive global IP-based fiber optic network, is getting ready to light up its voice over IP backbone in its domestic production network. By going to a VoIP network, Global Crossing will be able to offer customers enhanced services such as long distance (dedicated and switch), unified messaging, OneLink, and converged services supported with managed care services. The company will also realize a cost savings from reduced space and power requirements.

Global Crossing is deploying VoIP over an ATM backbone and SCPs utilizing an SS7 network to integrate traffic from the PSTN into a VoIP production network. Global Crossing will first light up its VoIP network in seven U.S. cities. By the end of 2000, Global Crossing will place core VoIP gateway centers in an additional 15 U.S. cities. Global Crossing is also deploying core VoIP gateway centers internationally and will extend the VoIP backbone to Tokyo, London, Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Brussels by year-end.

Sonus Networks' comprehensive Packet Telephony suite was selected after extensive testing through Global Crossing's development network, known as "DevNet," which connects Denver, Detroit, and Rochester. DevNet provides Global Crossing an opportunity for aggressive equipment testing and network validation.

Sonus provided trunking gateways, softswitches, and SS7 gateways that were integrated Global Crossing's SCP and PSTN networks. According to Global Crossing, the Sonus Softswitch was scalable, reliable, redundant, global, and able to handle carrier grade traffic. Global Crossing is building its VoIP network to be able to handle more than three billion minutes of traffic per month. Through DevNet testing, the Sonus Softswitch, coupled with the Sonus gateways, was able to handle 1,600 calls per second. The next closest softswitch solution tested by Global Crossing maxed out at 50 calls per second.

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