Advantages and Disadvantages of Softswitch
With the rapid development of communication network technology, people’s requirements for broadband and services are also increasing rapidly. The concept of a first-generation network, and currently major telecommunications operators have begun to experiment with next-generation communication networks. Softswitch technology is also one of the focuses in next-generation communication network solutions, and has become a hot topic in the industry in recent years. Today I will tell you about VoIP Softswitch in this article. So, Let’s continue at Get started..
What is VoIP Softswitch?
Softswitch is a device that is able to connect circuit networks with packet networks, including public switched telephone network (PSTN), IP-based internet, cable TV and cellular networks that have existed so far. It is the core technology of the NGN network, and provides call control and connection control functions for the next-generation network (NGN) services that have real-time requirements. The softswitch technology is independent of the transmission network and mainly completes the main functions of call control, resource allocation, protocol processing, routing, authentication, and charging. At the time of interconnecting traditional telephony networks, including wireless networks and 3G networks with packet switching (IP), the Softswitch acts as a manager seeking ultimate goal of achieving the reliability and quality of service similar to that enjoyed by a circuit-switched network at a lower price.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Softswitch
The benefits of running and operating a multi-service network is that Softswitch explicitly introduces the Next Generation Network as the traditional telephone network (PSTN) evolution to act like a conventional PBX.
Often we refer to softswitch as an aspect of the network (which is actually the Media Gateway Controller). The word soft switch itself, which meets all the requirements of a Next Generation Network according to the principle of 3GPP integration.
The feature server is the practical portion that provides request-related functionality, mostly integrated into a call agent/softswitch. The function server supports features such as call forwarding, call waiting, last call return, and three-way video conferencing, if introduced in the network. The feature server works closely with the call agent and may call these services on the media server. These features do not require a specific order by the user but appear to be activated within the context of call handling.
Many softswitch technologies are only delivered by a Hosted Service Provider model owing to the high network costs and management thereof. Users focus on a third-party operated softswitch network to provide services to end users without controlling or running their own softswitch.
How Does Softswitch Work?
Softswitch functions for various forms of applications in the telecommunication industries. The advanced analysis has decomposed the soft switch core system into two sub-parts which are as follows, operating for its two parts.
Call Agent:
The call agent is the first part of the soft switch; this part is responsible for sequential functions such as bilking, call routing, signal transmission, call operation, and other minor functions. A call agent can also often monitor the functionality of the other component of Softswitch through the Transfer control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP) connections.
Media Gateway:
The second component of the soft switch is called the media gateway, which is responsible for the different forms of digital streams that function together to establish end-to-end voice control and call over the line. It involves several interfaces which are used to link the media to PSTN networks such as DS1, DS3, and often E1 and US and No us networks. The call agent will monitor the working of the network gate way to connect the data sources, as well as the interfaces, in order to keep them open to the phone line end users.