Solution Brief All-IP Next Generation Networking Solutions at NSS19

Nortels All-IP Next Generation Networking (NGN) solution at NSS19 has been specifically developed to meet the changing needs of the global market for GSM/UMTS Voice Core solutions. In particular, it is designed to meet the market challenges of voice service commoditization. Therefore, the primary objectives of Nortels All-IP NGN solution at NSS19 are: > Making voice services cheaper to own and simpler to operate by consolidating the network into fewer highercapacity, highly-scalable network elements > Differentiating voice services through higher service quality by providing integrated, patented Voice Quality features for improved call duration, customer acquisition and loyalty > Ensuring service availability is not compromised as the wireless voice core evolves to adopt new technology and grows to meet subscriber demands Nortels NGN solution at NSS19 applies 2nd Generation ATCA (Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture) technology to provide a truly Hard Softswitch for both the MSC Server and HLR. Together with Nortels market-leading Media Gateway (MGW) and versatile Signalling Gateway/IP-STP, these provide all the necessary ingredients for a high-density, carrier-grade VoIP network that can seamlessly scale to massive capacities. architecture and fully supports VoIP in the bearer plane and SIGTRAN in the control plane. BICN technology applies packet switching and transport instead of traditional circuit switching in order to consolidate all services and layers onto a single scalable packet infrastructure. This network simplification allows an operator to support all applications including voice, video, data and management on a common packet core infrastructure. The solution provides a complete NGN VoIP network that is high-density, carrier-grade and can scale seamlessly to meet network capacity growth requirements without adding growth-related complexity back into the network.

The BICN Next Generation Voice Core

Nortels All-IP NGN Voice Core portfolio complies with 3GPPs Bearer Independent Core Network (BICN)

Figure 1. Nortels NSS19 All-IP Voice Core solution

HLR MSC MSC Server USP SS7 HLR IP core network
2G BSC Peer VoIP site 3G RNC

PSTN

MGW VSP 4e

Remotely or co-located MGW

ATM

PSTN

Remotely or co-located MGW

MGW VSP 4e

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Legend:
Signalling Bearer TDM ATCA

2G BSC

3G RNC

Nortels NGN portfolio at NSS19 delivers: > A fully carrier-grade All-IP Voice Core solution > Hard Softswitch technology for MSC Server and HLR > Seamless scalability without proliferating network nodes > Network simplification through the consolidation of network elements > Cost savings from operational efficiency gains > Best-in-class voice quality for reduced subscriber churn and increased wireline substitution > Transmission network savings > Significantly reduced equipment volumes NSS19 is a complete VoIP solution for the wireless voice core that embraces the vision of the All-IP converged network so that Mobile Telephony is implemented as an IP application in the same way as any other. This enables: > IP transport and routing of all media packets > IP transport and routing of signalling using SIGTRAN > Consolidation of voice core transport and routing onto a common IP core
2

High density today for seamless scalability tomorrow

The All-IP solution at NSS19 is Nortels response to customer demands for highdensity next-generation network solutions that can seamlessly scale to massive capacities. NSS19 provides: > Market-leading density that efficiently scales from small to large network deployments with as many as one million subscribers in a single rack for the MSC Server; the MGW can also handle the same capacity in a single rack > Modular, single-platform scalability without compromising reliability > Network-wide scalability to massive capacities with disaster protection Nortels 2nd Generation ATCA MSC Server hosts one million1 subscribers in NSS19, growing to three million and higher in subsequent releases. However, higher density equipment means a bigger potential failure impact. Consequently, Nortel also provides improvements in nodal and networklevel reliability as well as disaster protection. Nortels MSC Server at NSS19 provides significantly improved carrier-

grade reliability features over conventional softswitches for a truly Hard softswitch. Further increases in capacity, scalability and density are provided in future releases with geographic diversity for disaster protection. The scaling of MSC Server capacity to an order of magnitude greater by pooling call processing capacity at distributed sites is also provided in later releases. Nortels 2nd Generation ATCA-based 2G/3G HLR at NSS19 supports up to 9 million active plus eight million preprovisioned GSM subscribers together with a provisioning rate of 100,000 orders per hour. This consolidates HLR equipment through very high equipment density combined with a highcapacity subscriber provisioning rate. This enables high-volume marketing campaigns to be supported without compromising a new customers service experience. The architectural separation of the HLR into redundant data server, HLR processing elements and IP-enabled signalling interfaces also enables disaster protection and the seamless evolution of the HLR to future HSS applications.

1 Nortel Standard Call Model

Figure 2. All-IP applications

Enterprise applications E-mail Voice Web IM IMS

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All-IP applications
HLR/ HSS MGW MGW

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IP
Wireless access Wireline access

Nortels MGW at NSS19 provides further improvements to equipment density with support for one million subscribers in a single rack. However, MGW19 capacity scalability is not limited to one million subscribers. Through its modular design, MGW19 can continue to scale beyond a single rack by simply adding more equipment racks, shelves and Voice Services Processor (VSP) blades up to the capacity of the MSC Server that is controlling it.

been met with a unique set of Nortel features: > Re-use of mature, market-proven, high-stability software for MSC Server and HLR > 2nd Generation ATCA: Hard softswitching for MSC Server and HLR platforms > 4th Generation Media Gateway technology with unique Nortel reliability features > Nortels High-Availability SIGTRANenabled Universal Signalling Point (USP) > Built-In Nodal Disaster Protection and Network Layer Redundancy features Nortel has adopted a 2nd Generation ATCA platform for both MSC Server and HLR. In this respect, Nortel agrees that ATCA standards alone are not a guarantee of carrier-grade performance for commercial off-the-shelf computing technology. However, Nortel has worked with the ATCA vendor community to create a fully third-party Hard softswitch platform while other vendors persist with a single-vendor proprietary technology. This ATCA equipment is

not only fully compliant to PICMG standards, but is fully Commercial-OffThe-Shelf (COTS) equipment and is therefore also available to any other vendor or ATCA application developer. A key strength for Nortel has been the ability to port Nortels stable, mature, feature-rich software onto the Hard softswitch platform. This pragmatic best of both worlds approach to softswitch evolution has enabled Nortel to create a fully-functional, high-density and highly-scalable product with tried and tested software that maintains mission-critical application stability. Nortel is a recognized market leader for high-density Media Gateways with consistent global leadership in both port shipments and revenue. Nortels Media Gateway reputation is built on many years of developing Voice Services Processor technology, now in its fourth generation with VSP4e. Nortels VSP4e doubles the reliability of previous versions through the application of integrated optical TDM transmission interfaces with automatic protection switching and with unique on-board component-sparing features.

Carrier-grade DNA
The Wireless Telephony application remains the primary source of revenue for wireless operators globally and therefore demands continuous service availability. This means that new Voice Core equipment must meet stringent standards of reliability. Nortel is proud of a reputation for reliability built on over 110 years of innovation and telephony experience. The term carrier-grade is ingrained into the companys DNA. So Nortels introduction of a new Next Generation Voice Core for GSM and UMTS brings with it high expectations of carrier-grade availability that have

Voice quality and bandwidth efficiency

The feature-rich VSP4e blades in Nortels market-leading Media Gateway implement an in-skin, one-stop-shop approach to voice processing. All speech processing for a voice call is done on the VSP. This means that there is no need for calls to pass through multiple other voice processing blades which would only add complexity and delay. A good example of Nortels performance and technical leadership is provided by the comprehensive suite of voice quality features in the VSP4e. MGW19 has a rich set of network-based speech processing functionality, enabling operators to provide their customers with better voice quality even under the often demanding conditions of wireless access and with the plethora of low-cost terminals that are available today. Voice Quality is also a function of the voice codecs used and of the need for transcoding between codecs in the network. 3GPP-defined narrowband codecs such as AMR were initially only defined for use between the mobile and the MSC. However, voice compression can be extended end-to-end in BICN solutions using Transcoder Free Operation (TrFO) or Tandem Free Operation (TFO). These enable both bandwidth savings in the voice core and

superior voice quality. These transcoder negotiation features can provide: > Transmission network cost-saving efficiencies using compressed speech > Improved voice quality by avoiding unnecessary transcoding stages

the bearer plane is achieved through the convergence of multiple media gateway applications onto this same Media Gateway technology in subsequent releases. The key features of Nortels All-IP vision are: > Access independence: Delivering combined 2G/3G MSC Server, HLR and 2G/3G MGW in NSS19 > Control plane technology convergence using common 2nd Generation ATCA equipment for MSC Server, HLR, IMS and for wireline applications in NSS19 > Bearer plane convergence using common 4th Generation MGW technology in subsequent releases

Technology convergence
Nortel has evangelized its NGN vision since 1999. For GSM/UMTS voice services, this vision is of a mission-critical All-IP converged application based on a common packet core. Nortel already offers a converged 2G/3G MSC Server but now also provides a seamless migration of this application onto a carrier-grade softswitch in NSS19 using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment. This is achieved using 2nd Generation ATCA technology for both the GSM/UMTS MSC Server and HLR applications. However, Nortel also applies the same ATCA equipment for other applications such as the HSS, MGCF, IMS CSCF and CDMA MSC Server as well as wireline applications. Therefore, Nortels network vision also includes the convergence of multiple applications onto common packet network technology. The MGW19 utilizes Nortels marketleading fourth generation gateway-on-ablade Voice Services Processor technology (VSP4e). Consequently, convergence in

Summary
Nortel believes that the All-IP NGN Voice Core at NSS19 provides the critical mix of high capacity, scalability and reliability that is needed by todays mobile marketplace as well as being convergence-ready for the next step ahead. With this solution, operators can transform their core voice networks to meet the challenge of todays rapidly commoditizing mobile voice market, safe in the knowledge that their hardearned reputations for voice service reliability and quality will not be compromised.

For more information, visit Nortel on the Web at www.nortel.com. For the latest Nortel news, visit www.nortel.com/news. For more information, contact your Nortel representative, or call 1-800-4 NORTEL or 1-800-466-7835 from anywhere in North America. Nortel, the Nortel logo, Nortel Business Made Simple and the Globemark are trademarks of Nortel Networks. All other trademarks are the property of their owners. Copyright 2007 Nortel Networks. All rights reserved. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Nortel assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document. NN115740-112907

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