Hello..
As a wireless networker, you need to know about new protocols, standards and so forth. This tip, excerpted from MobileIN.com, talks about a new one, Softswitch.
Simply put, Softswitch is the concept of separating the network hardware from network software. In traditional circuit switched networks, hardware and software are not independent. Circuit switched networks rely on dedicated facilities for inter-connection and are designed primarily for voice communications. The more efficient packet based networks use the Internet Protocol (IP) to efficiently route voice and data over diverse routes and shared facilities.
As much an initiative as it is a concept, the International Softswitch Consortium (ISC) is leading the charge to evolve traditional networks to more efficient and feature-rich softswitch networks. To date, the industry has met some success to the extent that the basic components of traditional networks have been de-coupled. The transport portion of telecommunications networks is increasing evolving to utilize the IP. In addition to data transport, this IP backbone is also increasingly the medium for Voice over IP (VoIP) services. An example of the de-coupling initiative is exemplified by special gateway and mediation equipment that is deployed to connect IP based networks to circuit based networks for VoIP
