By Patrick Barnard, Group Managing Editor, TMCnet

Of the components that make up a communications network, the softswitch is arguably the most critical. These all-software “switchboard operators” are the workhorses of today’s communications networks -- and they are playing an increasingly crucial role as networks become more complex and businesses gravitate to advanced multimedia services.


The softswitch performs a lot of different important duties, but its main responsibility is to efficiently route calls across disparate networks -- particularly bridging calls from packet-based networks to circuit-switched networks (i.e. the Public Switched Telephone Network or PSTN). To do this, the softswitch must use various signaling protocols, including, for example, SIP, H.323, MGCP, MEGACO, SS7 and SIGTRAN, so it can deliver voice signals (and data) across different types of networks using the shortest and most efficient path. In this regard, the softswitch plays a critical role in maintaining quality of service, as the shortest available path is always the best path, in terms of signal quality.

Today’s softswitches also play an important role in the security of the business network. Typically used to control the sets of media gateways deployed at the network edge, the softswitch handles the registration of each user as they access the service provider’s network, letting only registered users get on and keeping non-registered users (and accidental visitors) off. In addition, many softswitches are now offering both NAT (Network Address Translation) and PAT (Port Address Translation) and firewall capabilities to enable the connection of different IP networks on different subnets, as well as providing public to private network address translation. Thus today’s softswitches largely solve the problem of complex transcoding schemes, allowing calls to effortlessly pass through network after network and through, for example, a DSL router’s NAT and firewall, without any serious degradation of the signal.

In addition to “knowing” who each registered subscriber is on a network, the softswitch ensures that each user is delivered the correct type of service from the appropriate servers. Today’s softswitches also provide advanced reporting functions so that companies can get reports on network activity and keep track of which services are being accessed, and how often.

With all the different functions a softswitch can perform on a communications network, it can be difficult for a business go about choosing the right softswitch to best meet its needs. That’s why most vendors are offering softswitches in a range of models to help meet the needs of businesses of every type and size. In addition, because they are software based, these solutions can often be customized to meet a customer’s specific needs.

Tadiran (News - Alert) Telecom’s Coral Sea software is a comprehensive softswitch solution delivering both voice and data communications for businesses of every type and size -- from small home offices to SMBs to large enterprises -- with flavors for the government, real estate, healthcare, financial services, education, utilities, hospitality, manufacturing, retail and assisted living market segments. It’s “grid-based” architecture provides instant redundancy and scalability without any geographic limitations.  The Coral Sea is designed to work with the Coral IPx modular gateway platforms, supporting both IP and TDM architecture, offering core functionality including ACD, contact center applications, integrated unified messaging, conference bridge and mobility capabilities.

Based on Tadiran’s universal VoIP architecture, which allows businesses to connect multiple offices, this full featured softswitch supports both SIP and MGCP, and therefore works with all SIP-enabled devices, including video phones, soft phones (PC or PDA) and SIP trunks, in addition to Tadiran’s MGCP-based FlexIP telephones and soft-phones. Tadiran’s “evolution” methodology provides a clear path for organizations to implement softswitch technology. The softswitch is highly scalable and can serve from just a few users to more than unlimited users spread out in unlimited locations. Models range from Emerald ICE, which packs many of the same features found in enterprise IP PBXs, but in a compact, easy to deploy system, to the Coral IPx 4000, a server-based system which can handle massive amounts of traffic while delivering “five 9s” reliability.

To learn more about Tadiran Telecom’s flexible, full-featured softswitch solutions, visit www.tadiranamerica.com.

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Patrick Barnard is Associate Editor for Customer Interaction Solutions magazine and Assignment Editor for TMCnet. To see more of his articles, please visit Patrick Barnard’s columnist page.