Featured White Paper SS7 Maintainability and Evolution to Diameter Address the evolution of the SS7 network and its subsequent evolution to Next Generation LTE/EPC/Diameter networks.

Overview

The current status of today’s telecommunications signaling network can be described by two important characteristics  the maturity of the Signaling System 7 (SS7) Network and the evolution from SS7 signaling to Diameter signaling, each providing benefits and challenges. The SEGway STP addresses these challenges by providing cost effective solutions to the legacy SS7 network and an evolutionary path to the Next Generation LTE/EPC Diameter network.

The IP-Centric design of the SEGway product portfolio facilitates its integration into service providers networks worldwide without the use of external IP switching equipment. The incorporation of internal Ethernet switches provides a high capacity IP backplane and is also the basis for the most efficient, network friendly SIGTRAN implementation available.

SEGway STPs allow a service provider to “take control” of and maintain the viability of their SS7 signaling network while evolving to the next generation LTE/EPC/Diameter network based on the following:

Flexible Interfaces

The SEGway STPs vast array of network interfaces provide network planners the ability to design and implement SS7 network architectures that meet both the physical and business requirements of their companies. These interfaces include Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) SS7 Links, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) SS7 links, High Speed “HSL” Annex “A” SS7 Links and the IP-based SIGTRAN Links.

Scalability

The architecture of the SEGway STP allows it to be cost effectively deployed in SS7 Networks of any size. The incremental scaling concept of the SEGway STP provides growth to 4536 SS7 Links or 3000 SIGTRAN associations in a single system.

Network Protection

The SEGway STP acts as the gateway to a signaling network, managing and controlling all traffic, securing and protecting the operator’s network from unauthorized access thereby preventing denial of service or malicious network attacks.

Advanced Services Offerings

The SEGway STP has expanded the functionality of SS7 Global Title Translation and Gateway Screening delivering the flexibility to steer messages across specific paths by utilizing multiple origination and destination parameters during the routing decision process. SEGway STP’s "open systems approach" provides carriers the ability to copy or redirect received messages to external or internal value added, revenue generating applications based upon a comprehensive set of screening parameters.

SS7 Evolution to LTE/EPC/Diameter

The SEGway STPs utilization of the network proven “Dynamic Routing Engine”: coupled with PTs 17 years experience in SS7 routing has paved the way for the introduction of the SEGway Universal Diameter Router (UDR) providing network operators an evolutionary path to LTE/EPC/Diameter networks. The SEGway UDR uses the same routing engine and Operations Administration and Maintenance as the SEGway STP thus easing the migration to Next Generation Networks and enabling the monetization of the LTE/EPC Diameter network.