To enable integrated voice and data networking in service provider networks worldwide, Bay Networks recently unveiled its strategy for leveraging the Signaling System No. 7 (SS7) protocol. In support of helping carriers increase their network efficiency by redirecting data traffic away from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), Bay and Stratus Computer have agreed to work together towards developing an open protocol which will act as a gateway between SS7 and IP networks. The two companies plan to develop and offer a complete intelligent access solution and the aim is to define and develop an open Access Signaling Protocol (ASP) for SS7 Gateways and drive the standards process. The decision to work with Stratus Computer was based upon its strength in building fault tolerant central office (CO)-compliant computer platforms. They will also provide resources and support for the design of new SS7 applications for service providers, conduct interoperability testing with leading voice switch suppliers, and deliver service management products designed for outsourcing and wholesaling. Bay plans to develop a functional specification for the ASP which will provide communication between its Versalar Remote Access products and SS7 Gateway implementations. This is integral in the creation of new services for carriers and a major factor for lowering costs in the delivery of these services. Bay`s support of SS7 will offer the opportunity to integrate voice switches and Versalar Remote Access Concentrators (RACs) by customising remote access offerings and leveraging existing voice and signaling facilities. For the RBOC and LEC it will mean Internet Offload services will be located across multiple POPs thus freeing upstream circuits for real revenue producing voice traffic. The IXC could develop high density POPs (Mega-POPs) which would combine dial data traffic over standard telecommunication trunks. The connection of Versalar RACs with SS7 eliminates the need for PRI upgrades using channelised T1 trunks. Once SS7 is controlling dial access, current voice services in the Intelligent Network can be applied to remote access. This will create opportunities for consolidation and economies of scale for Telecommunication providers. The SS7 strategy will require an SS7 Gateway to provide a signaling interface between Versalar RACs and Class 4 and 5 voice switches. This gateway will be developed to support an open ASP which will transport commands between the Ethernet networks and the Versalar RACs. Initially, the Bay SS7 Gateway solution will be supported on the Sun platform after which support for multiple platforms, including NT, will be available. It will deliver an open application optimised network by which SS7 and Network APIs will be supported and it will also enable further development of advanced multivendor applications and services. SS7 also supports policy integration for advanced IP services and the features include Radius, LDAP and Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Its support will help carriers increase their network efficiency by redirecting data traffic off the PSTN. In addition, SS7 signaling between Versalar RACs and telco voice switches will expand the number of revenue-driving services a carrier can offer. SS7 signaling combined with the additional intelligence which is being built into the Versalar platform, can effectively transform ports on Versalar RACs into intelligent access ports. In doing so, carriers can offer cost effective services such as Internet wholesaling, voice and fax, and Virtual Private Networks. Bay's commitment to industry standard SS7 signaling means that service providers can deploy leading data solutions while retaining the voice infrastructures they have invested in for the past 20 years. Finally, the ASP is an open protocol that will enable Bay to work with multiple partners to rapidly deliver a variety of solutions for this growing market. As a result, the SS7 Gateway will allow other types of applications to leverage the same platform used in the SS7 node.
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