In the Network

Not too long ago, if your phone rang, the call was provided by circuit switches on the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

Not any more.

Today, your phone can ring from the PSTN, a VoIP network or some combination of the two. Since many cable and telco service providers offer telephone service over different types of networks in different markets, it is critical that service platforms integrate seamlessly into any legacy, hybrid or next generation environment.

The i5 Converged Services Platform (i5 CSP) makes this happen.

VoIP, circuit-switched or hybrid, the i5 CSP supports all telephony environments to ensure that the i5 applications a service provider offers today remain consistent even if the underlying network changes. This is critical in today's network deployments that are typically hybrid but evolving toward IP-based next generation networks.

• VoIP networks
  The i5 CSP has a bi-directional connection to a softswitch using SIP/MGCP/NCS and to IP-based voicemail systems. Another option is to use port replication on the softswitch Ethernet ports, and sniffing the traffic for SIP/MGCP/NCS messages, but this can only be used for Caller ID and Call Progress related services.
  

• Circuit-switched networks
  The i5 CSP has a bi-directional connection to a Signal Transfer Point (STP) on the TDM network and it connects to the voicemail system on the SS7 network.
  

• Hybrid networks
  Maintaining simultaneous connections to both networks, the i5 CSP platform has a bi-directional connection to the softswitch using SIP/MGCP/NCS and the IP-based voicemail system for VoIP. For calls from the TDM network, the same i5 CSP has a bi-directional connection to an STP and SS7-based voicemail systems.