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Feature Articles
NMS Adds Support for SIGTRAN and BICC
By Joanne Babbitt, Product Marketing Manager, NMS, Joanne_Babbitt@nmss.com
SS7 5.0, the latest release of NMS’s SS7 software, will be generally available in early July 2008. This release includes roll-up patches and bug fixes, as well as the beta support for both SIGTRAN and BICC.
SIGTRAN Support
SIGTRAN, which provides reliable IP network transport for SS7 signaling, is a key element in the evolution of new service platforms to voice over IP (VoIP). SIGTRAN reduces costs by utilizing commodity IP network connections versus T1/E1-based SS7 networks. Using high-bandwidth IP connections solves the throughput constraints of SS7 networks.
SIGTRAN replaces the lower layers of the SS7 protocol stack—MTP 1, 2, and 3—with IP-based equivalents—IP, SCTP, and M3UA—as the transport over which the higher level protocols (SCCP, TCAP, ISUP, and TUP) run, leaving these upper level stacks unchanged (see Figure 1). As networks evolve toward IP-only, both legacy SS7 and SIGTRAN-based systems can co-exist by using signaling gateways.
Figure 1: NMS’s SS7 and SIGTRAN Protocol Stacks
The NMS SIGTRAN software requires a host server and any of NMS’s TX 4000 Series boards that are licensed for full stack operation. Two levels of performance are available—high performance on the TX 4000 PCI board and the TX 4000C CompactPCI board, and basic performance on the TX 4000/20 and TX 4000C/20 boards.
A properly licensed TX board can be configured for TDM or SIGTRAN by simply downloading the desired software and configuring the board. This powerful ability allows the same ISUP, TCAP, or SCCP application to be installed in either a TDM or IP network with just a change in configuration files.
NMS’s SIGTRAN implementation is based on proven protocol stacks that have been tested around the world. Like NMS’s SS7 TDM implementation, IP, SCTP, and M3UA, as well as the upper layer stacks, all run on the TX 4000 hardware, freeing the host for application development.
For more information, see the data sheet for NMS’s SIGTRAN Software on our web site.
BICC
Also in support of IP network based signaling, NMS has added the BICC (Bearer Independent Call Control) stack capability as an extension to ISUP. This capability allows network operators to offer the complete set of PSTN/ISDN services, including all supplementary services, over a variety of packet networks.
Support for BICC also allows network operators to gradually migrate their PSTN/ISDN networks to high-capacity packet networks. This is a vital step in the evolution toward integrated multi-service platforms, which can offer both voice and data services that are IP-enabled. BICC can be transported over SS7 MTP3 or SIGTRAN (M3UA/SCTP).
The NMS BICC implementation supports Capability Sets 1 and 2 (CS1 and CS2) features such as Basic call setup, Forward or backward bearer setup, and supplementary services as stated in the Q.1901 and Q.1902.x specifications.
For more information, see the data sheet for NMS’s SS7 Software on our web site.
GA Support
As mentioned, SS7 Software release 5.0 contains beta support for both SIGTRAN and BICC. These protocols are scheduled to be generally available in the SS7 5.1 release this fall. Watch this newsletter for more details.
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Mobile Video Q&A with Maggie Smith of NMS
By Stefania Viscusi, Assignment Desk Editor, TMCnet.com
Mobile video has fast become a preferred medium for communications as well as entertainment. The demand for mobile video services like mobile TV and mobile SMS are changing the scope of application possibilities entirely. To find out some more about mobile video, the market, and its future, I asked Maggie Smith, NMS Director of Product Marketing a few questions on the topic.
There has certainly been a spiked interest in Mobile Video and other Mobile Value-Added Services recently. Why do you think this is so?
End user demand is fueled by smarter and more sophisticated mobile phone handsets (such as the Apple iPhone) that can send and receive mobile video with ease. It doesn’t take long to convince smart handset owners that it is more fun to play a graphically intensive video game or watch a recent music video clip while riding on a train or bus than just to make a call or check email. In a recent report, analyst firm Frost and Sullivan reported that revenue from mobile video services in the United States is expected to reach $1.6B by 2011 and IDC has reported that revenues from mobile video and mobile TV applications in Western Europe are expected to reach nearly $2 Billion by 2009.
Where is Mobile Video most beneficial and where is it being used most?
In regions such as Europe and Asia, where people have long been accustomed to the ubiquitous presence of mobile phones and where 3G networks prevail, the evolution of the mobile phone into an entertainment device is a natural step.
The types of video applications delivered are boundless. Interactive video applications for entertainment exist that empower the user to search and browse available content with simple and easy-to-use handset based commands. This same user interface can drive interactive video games, such as driving a motorcycle through the streets of Paris or flying a plane.
An emerging application involving mobile video is video avatar messaging—an outgrowth of text SMS. Video avatar messaging allows a mobile phone user to either create their own video message or use a chosen avatar and then send the talking video message over 2.5G or 3G networks. They can then respond using their own voice and the avatar of their choice or create their own video based response, if the handset is 3G video capable. Compared to basic text messaging, video avatar messaging has the convenience of allowing users to record messages without having to key them in, plus the added touch of personalization that comes with the user’s voice and video.
Is there a potential for Mobile Video that you feel hasn’t been explored yet?
The market for mobile video services promises to expand rapidly over the next several years. Some imaginative services might include:
- Video enabled contact centers for streaming video responses to commonly asked questions such as cinema previews, instructional aids, and promotional advertising
- Viral video sharing of user generate video, (ala YouTube) with the rest of the world
- Conversational video and video ringback tones to see callers and let the callers see who is calling
- VLOGS—publish a video-based diary that can be seen from a mobile phone
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Product News
Natural Access 2008 to be GA
Support for the New CG 6565e
Natural Access 2008 (NA 8.0), NMS’s modular runtime and development environment, will be generally available in early July 2008. This release includes roll-up patches and bug fixes, as well as the beta software for the CG 6565e, our new PCI Express media processing board. The CG 6565e series is the industry’s highest density, highest power PCI Express media processing board, supporting up to eight T1/E1 universal ports and up to 6,384 MIPS of digital signal processing.
Visit our web site for more information on the CG 6565e PCI Express media processing board.
Operating System Support
NA 8.0 also begins the migration toward support of only 64-bit operating systems by discontinuing support of some 32-bit operating systems, namely:
- Windows 2000, Professional and Server Edition, 32-bit mode
- SPARC Solaris 9, 32-bit, 64-bit, and mixed mode
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) V3.0 ES, 32-bit mode
The existing Natural Access releases that support these OSs will continue to be supported by existing technical support agreements until July 2009. After that time, special support agreements will need to be put in place.
NA 2008 continues support for the following operating systems:
- Windows Server 2003 R2, Standard and Enterprise Server, 32-bit mode
- x86 Solaris 10, 32-bit mode
- SPARC Solaris 10, 64-bit and mixed mode
- RHEL V4.0 ES, 32-bit mode
Visit our web site for more information on Natural Access 2008.
On the Horizon
With the release on NA 2008 SP1 (NA 8.1) in the fall, NMS will add GA software support for the CG 6565e, as well as support for Video Access, NMS’s mobile and IP video application toolkit. We will also begin adding support for some new 64-bit operating systems, namely:
- Windows Server 2003, Standard and Enterprise, R2, 64-bit mode
- RHEL V5 ES, 64-bit mode; >2 processors
If you have any questions or concerns about these new releases, please contact your NMS sales representative.
Vision Media Gateway Release 2.0
NMS Communications is pleased to announce the introduction of Vision Media Gateway Release 2.0. This latest release provides new capabilities to the Vision Media Gateway which include the following features:
- Supports new audio codecs including G.729A, which is supported on many SIP-based telephones.
- Enhanced call transfer capabilities. PSTN calls can be handed-off to another PSTN-based device after they are connected through the Media Gateway, freeing valuable gateway ports.
NMS’s Vision Media Gateway and complementary Signaling Server form a complete, scalable, highly available turnkey solution for VoIP application developers who need to connect their IP-based service to legacy PSTN networks. On the VoIP side, the Vision solution supports SIP signaling and a wide range of VoIP media. On the PSTN side, the Vision solution can be configured for SS7, ISDN, or CAS signaling. The Media Gateway provides call control and call routing functions, with routing configured using simple tables or under JavaScript control.
The Vision Media Gateway Release 2.0 will be generally available 31 July 2008.
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Support Tip
Connecting CG and TX Boards to 75 Ohm E1 Trunks
When connecting NMS CG and TX boards to 75-ohm E1 trunks, attention must be paid to the configuration of the board based on the physical connection method used.
NMS provides two ways to connect to 75-ohm E1 trunks—Signal Entry Panels (SEPs) and splitter cables. The SEPs include a balun to convert impedances to 75 ohms, but the splitter cables do not. This will affect the configuration of the NMS board.
In addition, some NMS boards are not programmable for 75-ohm E1, while others are. Specifically:
All TX boards and those CG boards with RJ-21 or Mini RJ-21 connectors can only be configured for T1 or E1/120. These boards require a balun to connect to a 75-ohm E1 trunk (either provided by the customer or included in the SEP).
CG boards with RJ-45/RJ-48C connectors can be configured for T1, E1/120, or E1/75. These boards do not require a balun for connecting to a 75-ohm E1 trunk, although care must be taken regarding board set-up depending on the connection method used.
The Tech Note “Connecting NMS CG and TX Boards to 75-Ohm E1 Trunks” provides more details. This document serves as a companion to the NMS Signal Entry Panel User’s Manual.
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Customer Application
“SMS with Attachments” Service from ChannelSoft
First you get the text message. And then the phone rings, playing back a multimedia joke message sent by one of your friends. It’s funny enough that you want to share it with others. It’s called SMS (text) messaging with attachments, and it is the latest revenue-generating service built by ChannelSoft using NMS’s Open Access media processing boards. The SMS with attachments service is available to nearly 96 million China Unicom and China Mobile subscribers, and has already been adopted by more than 18 million subscribers to date.
SMS with attachments allows users to send external multimedia content to friends and family. Callers can subscribe to the service and select attachments such as music, ringback tones, jokes, other audio files and other forms of entertainment that they want to share with friends. The operator will then send the SMS message with the attachment to the recipient, who could then forward the message to other friends. ChannelSoft expects the service to continue to grow, increasing average revenue per user (ARPU), with estimates topping $44 million for 2008.
“Messaging continues to drive revenues in the mobile industry, and SMS with attachments is a new frontier for subscribers to share content,” said Wang Wenyuan, assistant chief engineer of ChannelSoft. “The NMS Open Access media processing boards provide the flexibility, reliability, scalability and performance in an affordable board to enable us to deliver these types of breakthrough services.”
ChannelSoft chose Open Access products because they are open, high-density, affordable carrier-grade building blocks that give developers the processing power and capacity needed to quickly develop a fast-growing set of current and next-generation services. The boards’ scalability will enable ChannelSoft and its customers to accommodate rapid adoption of SMS with attachments.
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Articles and Publications
SIP, in Time
By Brough Turner, CTO
Work on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) began in 1996 and the first standards track specification (RFC 2543) was out in 1999. Many had high hopes that SIP, as a peer-to-peer protocol, would redefine the very nature of telecommunications. In the intervening years, there have been some deployments, some changes and a new standards track document, RFC 3261. But so far, SIP has only a relative toehold in the world of communications.
This article, written by Brough Turner, discusses some of the factors that have slowed SIP’s widespread adoption and how it is currently being used. It will also shed light on the evolution of SIP deployments and future prospects for peer-to-peer SIP usage on a broader scale as well as its role in IMS infrastructures.
Read the full article on The SIP Center website
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Spotlight Events
NMS China Roadshow
Hosted by NMS with support from technology partners in the Greater China region, this year’s China roadshow served as a platform for telecom VAS players in the ecosystem to explore best practices and trends for one of the biggest mobile markets in the world. The show began in Beijing on June 25, moved on to Shanghai and concluded in Guangzhou last week and covered topics such as avatar-related technology and applications and other voice and video related 2G and 3G applications. Other industry partners who presented during the roadshow included Hong Kong City University, Adlink, Pentair and iFlytek.
June Webinar Archives Available: Making the Migration to PCI Express, 64-Bit Operating Systems and more
New architectures, such as PCI Express and multiprocessor computers, are giving telecom application developers more options for lower cost, higher performance platforms. But if you’re in the process of migrating to PCI Express, just like the engineers at NMS, then you are facing the possibility of purchasing a whole new set of systems for your development lab to accommodate this new architecture. At the same time, you’re also likely moving toward 64-bit operating systems, and you’re wondering if your development environment will support these latest OSs.
NMS Communications presented the web seminar “Making the Migration to PCI Express, 64-Bit Operating Systems and more.” The webinar provides information on ways to save money while making the migration to PCI Express. It also provides information on recent and upcoming product releases from NMS, such as the new PCI Express board—the CG 6565e—and the migration toward exclusive support of 64-bit operating systems in our Natural Access development environment.
Click here to download the webinar now!
Top Trends in Mobile Value-Added Services Webinar
The mobile industry continues to grow at an explosive rate with total subscribers expected to break the 3 billion mark this year. After years of building out sophisticated networks and focusing on increased data rates as the key to driving new services, the focus has now shifted to providing new and innovative services regardless of network type and technology. But what are the top applications and what are the trends driving these applications?
Brough Turner, SVP and CTO, NMS, presented the web seminar “Top Trends in Mobile Value-Added Services” along with moderator Erik Linask of TMC. This webinar discusses top mobile trends and applications and provides real-world examples of mobile application innovation from around the globe.
Click here to download the webinar now!
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