MetaSwitch Expands Softswitch Portfolio

MetaSwitch is extending its portfolio of softswitch products with the introduction of a new high-capacity call agent server. In addition, Metaswitch's VP3510 chassis is now available as a standalone media gateway and/or signaling gateway. MetaSwitch now offers both call agent options of an integrated media gateway chassis, or an open server platform.


In a softswitch network architecture, the call agent (also sometimes known as a media gateway controller) performs the call processing functions including service intelligence, call routing logic, lawful interception, control of subtended media/signaling gateways, and billing. The MetaSwitch Call Agent software, running on either the new call agent server (CA9020) or the VP3510, performs all of these functions, delivering over 100 Class 5 subscriber services alongside a broad range of Class 4 STP/tandem capabilities. Supported protocols include SIP, MGCP, H.248 and SIGTRAN (SS7 and ISDN over IP/SCTP). Conformance to softswitch standards, including the Multiservice Switching Forum (MSF) Release 2 Architecture, enables mix-and-match deployment with third party media and signaling gateways, as verified at the recent Global MSF Interoperability event.


The CA9020 Call Agent is capable of up to 1 million busy hour call attempts (BHCA) in a server measuring 2U in height. The CA9020 supports 8 physical Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, allowing for secure network engineering with physically separate IP domains for control, media and management. It runs the same software load as Metaswitch's VP3510 Compact Class 5 Softswitch.


Metaswitch said the new Call Agent will be particularly attractive to larger carriers deploying distributed softswitch networks for consolidation of central offices up to 250,000 subscribers. Broadview Networks, a major competitive service provider with more than 250,000 customer access lines in the northeastern United States, is one of several that have been trialing a beta release of the MetaSwitch platform prior to its general availability.
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