Cutting-edge technology: Discussion on Softswitch Business System

1 Introduction
Currently, mainstream fixed network operators are facing severe challenges. The competition in the telecom market is becoming increasingly fierce. Traditional voice services are subject to heterogeneous delivery of mobile and grouped voice, which lacks business and revenue growth points, traditional businesses are gradually commercialized with low-value Commodity), so finding new business growth points, increasing business revenue, reducing costs, and making full use of network resources have become the consensus of operators. Specifically in the business field, carriers generally hope to enhance service provision capabilities through the next-generation network technology and gradually provide multi-network and multi-terminal integrated services until they provide a "ubiquitous and consistent" customer experience, and realize the transformation of the business operation model, cultivate the multi-win value chain.
With the global test and commercial expansion of the softswitch network, the softswitch service system built on the softswitch network has gradually developed and can provide some new services. However, on the one hand, the softswitch service system still has several problems to solve, and different operators and vendors have different understandings of the softswitch service system. On the other hand, as a prototype of business systems widely deployed in the industry based on the concept of the Next Generation Network, the development direction of softswitch business systems deserves attention.
This article starts from the expectations of mainstream fixed network operators in implementing strategic transformation in the business field, explores the development trend of softswitch business systems, and analyzes the requirements of these development trends on the target architecture of softswitch business systems. In this way, some suggestions are made for the operator to develop the softswitch service system in the near future and far future.
2. Development Trend of the softswitch service system and requirements for the system architecture
In general, the softswitch Service System 1 is shown. The Softswitch service system is built on the softswitch network and provides functions such as business operation, business development, and business operation management. The Softswitch service system accesses the underlying network through business interfaces and provides business development interfaces for business developers.
Fixed Network Operators place many expectations on the softswitch service system out of competition needs and new technology hopes, forming the future development trend of the softswitch service system, it also puts forward new requirements for the target architecture and future development direction of the softswitch service system.
2.1 Standardization
The operator expects that the new Softswitch business system can achieve multi-vendor intercommunication, so as to achieve business development independent from the manufacturers and avoid repeating the same mistakes that the intelligent network multi-vendor intercommunication difficulty relies on the manufacturers for business development.
Therefore, carriers are required to pay great attention to the standardization of softswitch service systems. There are three aspects: standardization of business interfaces for application businesses to access network resources to promote device intercommunication between multiple manufacturers; standardization of business development interfaces, to provide business development capabilities that do not depend on specific manufacturers and equipment, and to achieve real-time loading and operation of third-party business development and application business; Business standardization, this allows multiple manufacturers to provide similar services across the network.
2.2 diversity
The business provision and development methods in the softswitch service system should be diversified to meet the service provision and development requirements at different levels and different angles, we should not advocate the idea that a certain type of business provides a uniform world.
Multiple Service Provision methods must coexist in the softswitch service system. You can use the SIP application server and SIP service interfaces to provide proprietary services for carriers without the need for third-party security access management control. You can use the Parlay/OSA application server and Parlay/OSA open service interfaces, provides multi-network integrated services and third-party services.
The Softswitch service system should allow multiple service development interfaces to meet the needs of business developers at different levels. Table 1 lists the differences between the degree of abstraction of software technology used by open business interfaces and the degree of abstraction of interfaces on network resources.

2.3 openness
Building an open business system and fostering a win-win value chain is the trend of the times. In the past, the closed model where operators were independently responsible for business development and operation was only applicable to providing large-scale public services, only the division of labor and collaboration among multiple business roles can better respond to users' demands for personalized services with rich business features. To this end, the softswitch service system is required to adopt open business interface technology to achieve business and network separation, provide third-party business development and third-party business operation capabilities, and thus create and cultivate open and win-win value chains. At the same time, the operator's different positioning in the value chain also puts forward new requirements for business system operation management. In the open Telecom Value Chain, at least the network operators, virtual network operators, third-party business operators, third-party business providers, third-party content providers, and other commercial roles are included, the operator's different positioning of its own business roles will lead to different relations with other business roles, thus affecting the operator's operation management system requirements.
2.4 Multi-level integration
Multi-network converged services have always been the pursuit of ISPs. The operator expects to gradually achieve different layers of integration from low to high, and puts forward new requirements for the target architecture of the softswitch service system and the future development direction of the softswitch service system.
1) provide combined services
This is the initial form of integrated services. The purpose of a combined business is to package a variety of businesses and provide users with a unified management interface, such as a unified business ordering service and a unified bill service. To this end, you can use the secondary summary processing in the background to provide combined services. In the future, the Business System should be required to support centralized storage and management of user data and provide a unified operation support system.
2) provides application services that integrate multiple network capabilities covering multiple network terminals
Multi-network converged services are a hot topic in the industry. It includes three meanings: 1. The business covers a variety of networks and terminals, such as fixed networks, mobile networks, broadband terminals, and narrowband terminals; second, application services can utilize a variety of network capabilities, such as services that combine multimedia and mobile capabilities, such as services that integrate telecom network call control capabilities with enterprise applications; the third is to provide unified management for users, such as unified business order service and unified bill service.
To this end, we can use open business interface technology, centralized storage and management of user data, and unified operation support system technology. Based on the softswitch business system, we will gradually carry out research on multi-network integrated business systems. Considering that the architecture of the fixed mobile converged network system is not yet mature, research can be conducted in stages:

● The existing Softswitch business systems can basically meet the requirements for fixed Softswitch Network and PSTN network convergence, broadband narrowband convergence, and the combination of telecommunication network capabilities with enterprise and Internet applications. 1. Based on the open service interface technology, the softswitch service system can cover the PSTN and fixed Softswitch networks, covering broadband narrowband terminals, integrating the telecom network capabilities and enterprise application capabilities.
● Conduct research on unified User Data Storage Management and unified operation support system to provide unified user management.
● Extend the coverage of business systems based on open business interfaces to mobile networks, provide fixed broadband and narrowband mobile terminals, and integrate fixed and mobile network capabilities, integrated Services that integrate telecom network capabilities and enterprise application capabilities provide unified management for users, as shown in figure 2 ).

3) provides a "ubiquitous and consistent" unified customer experience
This is the highest goal of integration and the ideal for carriers and technical fields. Based on the softswitch Service system, you can further build the Personal business Environment PSE and Personal Service Environment) and Virtual Home Environment ), gradually explore the integrated architecture and business that focus on providing a unified personal experience.
2. 5 refined operational management capabilities
There is always a conflict between the limited network resources of operators and the diversity of customer needs. How can we effectively allocate network-wide resources to better meet customer needs to reduce costs and increase business revenue, it is one of the key problems facing operators.
The core idea of implementing refined operation management capabilities is that operators can precisely schedule resources across the network and provide Differentiated Services with quality assurance levels on this basis, in this way, key resources can be invested in key services to maximize profits and meet the needs of different customers, so as to effectively integrate resources, reduce costs, increase business revenue, and improve customer satisfaction.
In the business field, precise operation and management capabilities are mainly reflected between network operators and third-party business operators, network operators are required to provide differentiated network resource services with quality assurance levels for third-party service operators, provide service level evaluation, management and guarantee mechanisms between the two, and make them accurate. Furthermore, it can provide third parties with adaptive and fine-grained network resource selection capabilities, such as the ability to automatically select the most ideal network resources for third-party service operators as the cost-effectiveness of network resources changes.
To this end, it is required to enhance the softswitch service system in two aspects, as shown in figure 3 ). Enhance the evaluation and management capabilities of SLA and Service Level Agreement between third-party applications and network resources in open business interfaces and operation support systems, including service technical indicators and measurement methods, penalty measures for service violations, and communication rules between service providers. In the operator's network, the network resource allocation capability is enhanced, it supports refined management and automatic optimization management of network resources.

3. Suggestions for carriers to develop their Softswitch business systems
1) pay great attention to standardization. Relevant interface specifications should be formulated at the initial stage of network construction, and the factory equipment should be strictly tested in the network, to ensure that multiple manufacturers can communicate with each other and independent from the business development capabilities of the factory products.
2) clearly positioning in the value chain. Operators should clearly define their position in the future open multi-win value chain and formulate overall development strategies. For example, you need to be a network operator or a comprehensive provider of network operators, business providers, and content providers.
3) Build a variety of softswitch business systems to gradually implement integrated services. Various capabilities and business development methods should be supported based on actual needs. In the initial stage, the softswitch service system can be used to provide a comprehensive solution for PSTN and fixed softswitch network convergence, broadband narrowband convergence, and convergence of telecommunication network capabilities and enterprise applications based on the operator's network conditions. In the later stage, we can gradually carry out centralized management of user data covering multiple networks and unified operation support systems, and gradually carry out fixed mobile integrated services. Ultimately, research on Virtual Private environments and personal business environments can be carried out to achieve a ubiquitous and consistent personal business environment.
4) Actively explore precise operational management capabilities to effectively allocate network resources and meet user-level service requirements.
4 Conclusion
Starting from the operator's expectations for the next generation network business system, this paper analyzes the main development trends of the softswitch business system and the requirements for the target system architecture of the softswitch business system, operators can plan their own Softswitch Business System Construction objectives based on actual conditions.