Focus

The evolution from the current master-slave telecommunication architecture to NGN will be seamless. We expect public switched telephone networks (PSTNs) and public switched data network (PSDNs) to merge and transform to become a single, multi service network.

IP-based communication solutions optimized for Next Generation Networks (NGN)

In a converged communication culture, users are free to switch between data, voice and video. The switch is seamless and totally transparent to the user. Such a culture has been long propagated by the addition of voice services in an Internet Protocol (IP) or Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network. It has existed for many years and has led to the maturation of NGN call-control protocols like Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP). Both protocols are in use in a variety of devices. You can find SIP and MGCP being used in:

• IP-based terminals and phones, soft-phones, soft-private branch exchanges (PBXs);
• network hardware, including access gateways, integrated access devices (IADs), media gateways, DSL access multiplexers (DSLAMs), cable modem termination systems, and cable head ends;
• intelligent user phones, terminals and IP-based gateways supporting industry-standard call-control protocol stacks.

This has made it possible for competitive carriers to offer NGN communication services which were previously impossible in existing PSTNs. Furthermore, new interpretations of existing Custom Local Area Signaling Services (CLASS) have also made it possible for these services to exist between carriers.