Introduction of carrier and Softswitch

Abstract: firstly, this paper introduces the definition of softswitch, the background of softswitch, and the market-driven mechanism. Then, it analyzes the content of softswitch concerned by carriers and the measures that can be taken when carriers adopt SoftSwitch, finally, the situation of China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Netcom adopting Softswitch is analyzed.

At present, with the increasing demand of users and the rapid development of modern communication technology, telecom networks are gradually entering the digital, intelligent, integrated and Personalized era. As one of the most important technologies in the evolution of traditional telecommunication networks to the next generation network, the Softswitch technology has received increasing attention from operators.

I. Overview

1. Definition of Softswitch

Softswitch is a software-based distributed exchange and control platform. Its software system is not only independent of the controlled hardware, but also independent of the platform on which it runs. It relies on the intercommunication of various protocols to access various types of devices, and works with the business control point SCP) to inherit existing businesses, and allows users to program the system to create new businesses, this allows business providers and third-party independent software vendors to truly participate in business development and provision, and effectively promote the integration and evolution of existing communication networks.

According to the definition of Institute of Communication standards of the Institute of Telecommunications Research of the Ministry of Information Industry, Softswitch is one of the core devices for network evolution and next-generation grouping networks. It is independent of the transmission network, it provides call control, resource allocation, protocol processing, routing, authentication, billing, and other functions. It also provides users with all the services available for existing circuit switches and third-party programmable capabilities.

2. Background of Softswitch

In the traditional TDM-based PSTN network, all functions provided to users are directly related to switches, and services and control are completed by switches. In the circuit switching network, call control, service provision, and switching matrices are all concentrated in one switching system. The functions of the vswitch and the services provided by the vswitch must be completed at each contact point, and the services are provided by the vswitch and the command, therefore, the specification of each open service must be detailed in the technical standard and the standard of the switch.

Because the number of vswitches is very large and the models are different, the principle, structure, design method, and software of the vswitch are different. Every time a new service is added, the software of all vswitches in the network must be modified, so it involves a great deal of work. Some switches cannot implement new services only by modifying software due to design limitations. Even if they can be implemented, there are problems such as high costs, long cycles, and poor reliability, so the promotion process of new businesses is very slow.

To accelerate the development and promotion of new businesses, carriers have introduced intelligent networks. However, because the intelligent network is still built on the circuit switching network, the separation of services and switches is incomplete. At the same time, its access and control functions are not separated, it is not convenient for devices to integrate multiple networks. Moreover, the intelligent network service Generation Environment SCE relies on the service-independent module SIB, SIB is closely related to the complex intelligent network application protocol (INAP), which is not conducive to the large-scale participation of third-party application vendors and cannot generate new services conveniently and quickly. As a result, Softswitch emerged. by referring to the idea of separating services from switches in the intelligent network, the call control and bearer connections are further separated with the diversity of bearer services.

　3. market-driven Softswitch

As the goal of Softswitch is to provide a value-added service architecture in the packet switching network based on the core idea of "separation of services and exchanges" in the intelligent network architecture, so that third-party value-added service providers can) flexible value-added services. As a result, the emergence of Softswitch technology not only enables operators to provide a variety of value-added services that meet the needs of different user groups more quickly and effectively on the Internet, it can also increase the operating profit of network operators and the sales profit of equipment manufacturers.

To better provide services to users, carriers have invested a lot of money in their existing networks to continuously optimize their existing networks. Although in many cases, the adoption of existing, especially mature technologies may make the network more reasonable and save money, in the long run, when establishing a network, operators need to introduce new technologies and consider factors related to the integrity, scalability, and smooth transition of the entire network platform, therefore, we should adopt technologies that can retain existing needs and meet future business needs to form and operate networks. Otherwise, new devices will indeed meet existing and short-term requirements, however, the expansion of the entire platform brings a lot of troubles and difficulties.

For these reasons, when a carrier considers introducing a softswitch system to an existing network, the focus of value-added services will still be on the voice service. Although the introduction of various new media services based on videos and the Internet enriches the business content and inspires users' enthusiasm for use, however, the use of softswitch in the early stage will not have a great impact on the existing business models and operations.

2. Carriers and Softswitch

1. Softswitch content that the operator is concerned

The development direction of softswitch-based network technology is to provide comprehensive support capabilities including voice, multimedia, and mobile services. Therefore, carriers need to pay attention to the following issues:

① Relationship between Softswitch devices and intelligent network devices. In order to provide users with value-added voice services, carriers have already deployed a considerable number of intelligent network devices in the current network, which are often mixed by multiple manufacturers to provide services). After the introduction of softswitch, can existing intelligent network devices be transformed and used?

② Due to the increasingly fierce competition in the field network, how can we solve the implementation problem of softswitch on the user end? Is it still able to meet the basic requirements of softswitch after the customer line quality declines due to fierce competition in the field network?

③ Mixed networking of softswitch devices and switching devices on the current network and network security issues arising therefrom.

④ Operational problems such as maturity of softswitch related equipment, domestic and foreign applications, business support capability, service quality, and maintenance management.

⑤ Is there any new operation space after the adoption of softswitch, can it bring more benefits to operators, can it reduce more costs, and can it provide users with more diverse services?

6. How can we coordinate the relationship between operators, equipment vendors, and third-party content providers in the value chain after the adoption of SoftSwitch and establish an effective cooperative operation model?

7. How can data and voice be integrated after Softswitch is adopted?

⑧ How is the network running of multiple devices and manufacturers? In a competitive environment with multiple operators, how can networks achieve interoperability?

How does one integrate the billing method with the existing billing system?

　2. Measures that operators can consider when adopting Softswitch

In the future network development process, the business has gradually become the main factor in whether to remain invincible in the market competition. However, according to the current maturity of softswitch, voice services are the most mature and reliable. Therefore, when conducting a Softswitch experiment, carriers can initially consider using only Softswitch for VoIP, then, more telecom services are gradually implemented using IP addresses. In this process, you must note that it is easy to implement pure VoIP, but it is much more complicated to put traditional services on the IP network than the IP Phone.

Different from the setting of the traditional PSTN network, in the early stage of the softswitch system, because the media gateway and the soft switch only transmit signaling information, the softswitch system can be placed anywhere in the network, and flexible configuration according to the system capacity. Therefore, in the initial or experimental network construction phase, operators only need to configure network devices, including Softswitch control devices, application servers, media gateways, and signaling gateways, on the core nodes of the Metro Data Network, you can configure media gateways for different access devices on the network edge to flexibly provide local VoIP services. The capacity of network devices and the layout of access devices can be flexibly selected based on the actual user scale to reduce the risks caused by a large one-time investment cost.

　3. Analysis of Operators

For traditional telecom operators, if they change their existing services implemented by circuit switching to IP addresses, they may not save network resources or costs. Therefore, traditional carriers have introduced Softswitch, saving less than 1/3 of the cost. However, it is important that Softswitch can achieve many services that cannot be achieved or that are costly. For emerging operators, when their circuit switching networks are incomplete and they are exploring new markets, and the region has not yet implemented their own long-distance switches, we can consider implementing it in the form of SoftSwitch. In this way, traditional vswitches can be no longer purchased in some regions, which will greatly benefit future business development and investment cost savings. In addition, Softswitch can implement many new services.

1) China Telecom

Currently, a large number of long-distance telephone services in a fixed network are diverted by IP addresses, while local telephone services are diverted by mobile phones, therefore, fixed network operators need to find a way to increase business revenue, reduce costs, and expand market space. They hope to surpass traditional businesses and develop new business spaces.

Recall that when China Telecom started its IP phone business, it worried that if it stepped up its efforts to promote IP phones, it would have a big impact on its long-talk business and revenue, therefore, I always hesitate when launching an IP phone call. However, China Unicom, China Mobile and China Netcom are vigorously promoting IP phones, forcing China Telecom to launch IP phones. In fact, to some extent, China Telecom's test of Softswitch is a reflection on the slow launch of IP Phone initiatives. Because the development of technology has determined that in the future fixed network communication, the existing traditional Switches of China Telecom will be greatly affected, A Softswitch or system similar to Softswitch is required to accelerate service provision.

　2) China Unicom

As the only full-service provider in China, China Unicom has also launched its fixed-line telephone service in some provinces and cities, but it is difficult to compete with China Telecom's fixed-line network. China Unicom's traditional switches have similar problems with China Telecom. At the beginning of China Unicom's fixed telephone business, it hoped to gain a certain share in the huge market of fixed telephone, but its business expansion was not ideal.

Softswitch has many technical advantages that traditional switches cannot match. Therefore, China Unicom will devote a lot of energy and enthusiasm to Softswitch, and try to achieve its goal in the fixed network communication field through SoftSwitch. China Unicom already has a mobile license and is actively promoting its CDMA network, how to combine 3G and Softswitch technology to integrate the existing mobile network and fixed network of China Unicom may be a concern of China Unicom in the process of adopting SoftSwitch.

　3) China Netcom

China Netcom, as a new operator, has a significant advantage in that it has rich experience in operating, managing, and maintaining IP networks and a considerable amount of user resources. According to the current technology development model and network development direction, no matter whether the mobile network includes 3G), fixed telephone network, or other, it is moving towards the whole IP network without exception. China Netcom's rich experience in IP network operation will be its valuable wealth and resources in the field of softswitch test and operation. Since China Netcom has only allocated part of the transmission resources in southern provinces, how can we quickly implement voice services that can compete with China Telecom through emerging technologies including Softswitch technology in southern provinces, the implementation of voice services in southern provinces will be a major concern of China Netcom.

　4) China Mobile

Currently, China Mobile only has a mobile license. China Mobile's existing resources cannot compete with China Telecom's fixed communication networks. According to the future development pattern, all four telecom operators will be full-service operators. Therefore, how to smoothly carry out relevant services after obtaining a fixed network license is an urgent problem for China Mobile.

At present, there are rumors that China Telecom will merge with China Unicom, and China Mobile will merge with China Netcom. Although the rumor remains to be further confirmed, China Mobile does not expect a situation similar to the situation where China Unicom obtains a fixed network operating license. Considering the advantages of Softswitch technology, China Mobile will step up its research and analysis on Softswitch to avoid the embarrassing situation that it cannot operate after obtaining a fixed network license.

Iii. Jiyu

Softswitch is a relatively new technology. If carriers want to use this technology to achieve smooth transition to the next generation network, the first thing they need to do is to extend the life cycle of traditional voice services, in this way, the original investment can be protected and continued with the reasonable cost rate provided by the IP network. Second, carriers need to consider adopting the grouping architecture, which will enable service providers to provide users with new multimedia services as needed.

During the operation of softswitch, carriers can consider using broadband services to attract users and use new services provided by the softswitch system. As time passes, these initial user groups will gradually spread to the public, so that the services provided by the softswitch system will be accepted and used by the public. However, there are also some risks, because new businesses are relatively slow to accept, this period will be a test for operators. However, with the gradual maturity of the architecture, the revenue from New Business Services will roll in, and operators will also get profits from it.