Ulticom Sigtran brings to packet network signaling all the proven
and deployed carrier-class qualities from Ulticom's SS7 technology.
Sigtran, a protocol family based upon work done in the Internet Engineering Task
Force (IETF), is the evolution of SS7. The IETF, the group responsible for defining
and guiding the evolution of Internet standards, in partnership with SS7 Industry
experts, have devised adaptors and a core transport capability that blend SS7 and
packet protocols to provide users with the best both technologies have to offer.
The value proposition for packet networks is freedom, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness.
Ulticom's SIGTRAN is designed with these goals in mind.
Freedom
With Ulticom's Sigtran technology, customers are free to choose from several of
the defined Sigtran protocols. Ulticom's Sigtran consists of a
SIGTRAN protocol utilizing SCTP as the IP transport protocol. The SS7 stack
is substituted at one of its well-defined layers with a packet transport replacement.
By moving up to layers higher in the stack, more of the legacy SS7 concepts can
be eliminated and replaced with flexible packet and IP protocol routing capabilities.
Because Sigtran is an industry standard, it allows customers to interoperate in
a multi-vendor environment.
The SIGTRAN.org website provides information
about protocols, implementations, test results, applications, products, and services.
For information on open source implementations of Sigtran protocols, visit the openss7.org website.
Flexibility
Flexibility is provided by the fact that Sigtran uses the packet IP network to define
logical connections between devices. Because the network developers, planners, and
installers are no longer tied to deploying nailed up circuits for signaling, they
have the flexibility to define the network as needs and demands grow and change.
Flexibility is key in adapting bandwidth on demand. With legacy SS7, users were
limited to either 56 or 64 kilobits / sec links. With Sigtran, these artificial
restrictions can be eliminated. Re-dimensioning the network can be done completely
through software. Fear of success should not be a consideration in deploying new
services.
Cost Effectiveness
Cost-effectiveness is one of the advantages of the relentless pursuit of better
technology. Sigtran is based on the IP protocol. It uses industry standard, off
the shelf, network interfaces, cables, switches, and software. Because it is built
on these commercial standards, improvements in technology and reductions in cost
found in the computer industry can be readily applied in signaling applications.
As the all-packet network core becomes a reality, moving signaling applications
to packet becomes a necessity.
Converged voice, video and data services on a common packet
network provide new avenues for additional revenue, cost savings, and value added
enhancements. Sigtran lays the groundwork of the multimedia network experience.
Utilizing multimedia in communication is an enabler for improving human communications.
If it takes one thousand words to describe a picture, imagine the power of one thousand
pictures in conveying thought and content. Signaling, and thus Sigtran, is an important
component in delivering these services.