In telecommunications , common-channel signaling ( CCS ), or common-channel interoffice signaling ( CCIS ), is the transmission of control information ( signaling ) via a separate channel than that used for the messages, The signaling channel usually controls multiple message channels.
29-479: In the public switched telephone network (PSTN) one channel of a communications link is typically used for the sole purpose of carrying signaling for establishment and tear down of telephone calls . The remaining channels are used entirely for the transmission of voice messages. In most cases, a single 64 kbit/s channel is sufficient to handle the call setup and call clear-down traffic for numerous bearer (voice and data) channels. The technical alternative to CCS
58-525: A central office . SS7 is primarily used within the PSTN. The two signaling methods are very similar since they share a common heritage and in some cases, the same signaling messages are transmitted in both ISDN and SS7. A CCS network provides signaling message transfer for participating Common Channel Signaling Switching Offices (CCSSOs), databases, and operator systems. It is a packet-switched communication network that allows call control and transaction messages from
87-406: A timeslot because DS0s are aggregated in time-division multiplexing (TDM) equipment to form higher capacity communication links. A Digital Signal 1 (DS1) circuit carries 24 DS0s on a North American or Japanese T-carrier (T1) line, or 32 DS0s (30 for calls plus two for framing and signaling) on an E-carrier (E1) line used in most other countries. In modern networks, the multiplexing function
116-638: A benchmark for the development of the Telecommunications Industry Association 's TIA-TSB-116 standard on voice-quality recommendations for IP telephony, to determine acceptable levels of audio latency and echo. In most countries, the government has a regulatory agency dedicated to provisioning of PSTN services. The agency regulate technical standards, legal requirements, and set service tasks may be for example to ensure that end customers are not over-charged for services where monopolies may exist. These regulatory agencies may also regulate
145-506: A network of fixed-line analog telephone systems, the PSTN is almost entirely digital in its core network and includes mobile and wireless networks, all of which are currently transitioning to use the Internet Protocol to carry their PSTN traffic. The technical operation of the PSTN adheres to the standards internationally promulgated by the ITU-T . These standards have their origins in
174-473: Is channel-associated signaling (CAS), in which each bearer channel has a dedicated signaling channel. CCS offers the following advantages over CAS, in the context of the PSTN: The most common CCS signaling methods in use are Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and Signalling System No. 7 (SS7). ISDN signaling is used primarily on trunks connecting end-user private branch exchange (PBX) systems to
203-488: Is moved as close to the end user as possible, usually into cabinets at the roadside in residential areas, or into large business premises. These aggregated circuits are conveyed from the initial multiplexer to the exchange over a set of equipment collectively known as the access network . The access network and inter-exchange transport use synchronous optical transmission, for example, SONET and Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) technologies, although some parts still use
232-399: Is switched using a call set up protocol (usually ISUP ) between the telephone exchanges under an overall routing strategy . The call is carried over the PSTN using a 64 kbit/s channel, originally designed by Bell Labs . The name given to this channel is Digital Signal 0 (DS0). The DS0 circuit is the basic granularity of circuit switching in a telephone exchange. A DS0 is also known as
261-552: Is the aggregate of the world's telephone networks that are operated by national, regional, or local telephony operators. It provides infrastructure and services for public telephony . The PSTN consists of telephone lines , fiber-optic cables , microwave transmission links, cellular networks , communications satellites , and undersea telephone cables interconnected by switching centers , such as central offices , network tandems , and international gateways, which allow telephone users to communicate with each other. Originally
290-600: The Broadband Integrated Services Digital Network (B-ISDN). The B-ISDN vision was overtaken by the disruptive technology of the Internet . At the turn of the 21st century, the oldest parts of the telephone network still used analog baseband technology to deliver audio-frequency connectivity over the last mile to the end-user. However, digital technologies such as DSL , ISDN , FTTx , and cable modems were progressively deployed in this portion of
319-421: The last mile from the exchange to the telephone in the home (also called the local loop ). To carry a typical phone call from a calling party to a called party , the analog audio signal is digitized at an 8 kHz sample rate with 8-bit resolution using a special type of nonlinear pulse-code modulation known as G.711 . The call is then transmitted from one end to another via telephone exchanges. The call
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#1732858346550348-485: The 1970s, the telecommunications industry began implementing packet-switched network data services using the X.25 protocol transported over much of the end-to-end equipment as was already in use in the PSTN. These became known as public data networks , or public switched data networks. In the 1980s, the industry began planning for digital services assuming they would follow much the same pattern as voice services and conceived end-to-end circuit-switched services, known as
377-556: The PSTN evolved over time to support an increasing number of subscribers, call volume, destinations, features, and technologies. The principles developed in North America and in Europe were adopted by other nations, with adaptations for local markets. A key concept was that the telephone exchanges are arranged into hierarchies, so that if a call cannot be handled in a local cluster, it is passed to one higher up for onward routing. This reduced
406-470: The PSTN, usually for military purposes. There are also private networks run by large companies that are linked to the PSTN only through limited gateways , such as a large private branch exchange (PBX). The task of building the networks and selling services to customers fell to the network operators . The first company to be incorporated to provide PSTN services was the Bell Telephone Company in
435-692: The United States. In some countries, however, the job of providing telephone networks fell to government as the investment required was very large and the provision of telephone service was increasingly becoming an essential public utility . For example, the General Post Office in the United Kingdom brought together a number of private companies to form a single nationalized company . In more recent decades, these state monopolies were broken up or sold off through privatization . The architecture of
464-407: The delivery of emergency calls between legacy origination networks and IP-enabled PSAPs, as well as emergency calls routed via Emergency Services IP Networks (ESInets) and legacy PSAPs that are served by Selective Routers. It provides explicit references to ANSI and ATIS Standards and ITU-T Recommendations. Public switched telephone network The public switched telephone network ( PSTN )
493-466: The development of local telephone networks, primarily in the Bell System in the United States and in the networks of European ITU members. The E.164 standard provides a single global address space in the form of telephone numbers . The combination of the interconnected networks and a global telephone numbering plan allows telephones around the world to connect with each other. Commercialization of
522-399: The end of the 20th century. The growth of the PSTN was enabled by teletraffic engineering techniques to deliver quality of service (QoS) in the network. The work of A. K. Erlang established the mathematical foundations of methods required to determine the capacity requirements and configuration of equipment and the number of personnel required to deliver a specific level of service. In
551-412: The exchange principle already employed in telegraph networks. Each telephone was wired to a telephone exchange established for a town or area. For communication outside this exchange area, trunks were installed between exchanges. Networks were designed in a hierarchical manner until they spanned cities, states, and international distances. Automation introduced pulse dialing between the telephone and
580-513: The exchange so that each subscriber could directly dial another subscriber connected to the same exchange, but long-distance calling across multiple exchanges required manual switching by operators. Later, more sophisticated address signaling, including multi-frequency signaling methods, enabled direct-dialed long-distance calls by subscribers, culminating in the Signalling System 7 (SS7) network that controlled calls between most exchanges by
609-552: The interface to end-users remaining the same. Several other European countries, including Estonia, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal, have also retired, or are planning to retire, their PSTN networks. Countries in other continents are also performing similar transitions. Core network Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include
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#1732858346550638-505: The network, primarily to provide high-speed Internet access. As of 2023 , operators worldwide are in the process of retiring support for both last-mile analog telephony and ISDN, and transitioning voice service to Voice over IP via Internet access delivered either via DSL , cable modems or fiber-to-the-premises , eliminating the expense and complexity of running two separate technology infrastructures for PSTN and Internet access. Several large private telephone networks are not linked to
667-415: The number of connecting trunks required between operators over long distances, and also kept local traffic separate. Modern technologies have brought simplifications Most automated telephone exchanges use digital switching rather than mechanical or analog switching. The trunks connecting the exchanges are also digital, called circuits or channels. However analog two-wire circuits are still used to connect
696-499: The older PDH technology. The access network defines a number of reference points. Most of these are of interest mainly to ISDN but one, the V reference point , is of more general interest. This is the reference point between a primary multiplexer and an exchange. The protocols at this reference point were standardized in ETSI areas as the V5 interface . Voice quality in PSTN networks was used as
725-437: The prices charged between the operators to carry each other's traffic . In the United Kingdom, the copper POTS and ISDN-based PSTN is being retired in favour of SIP telephony , with an original completion date of December 2025, although this has now been put back to January 2027. See United Kingdom PSTN switch-off . Voice telephony will continue to follow the E.163 and E.164 standards, as with current mobile telephony, with
754-565: The processes and interfaces that need to be supported to ensure that call originations routed via other interconnecting networks receive at least the same quality of service as intranetwork calls. Telcordia GR-905, Common Channel Signaling Network Interface Specification (CCSNIS) Supporting Network Interconnection, Message Transfer Part (MTP), and Integrated Services Digital Network User Part (ISDNU), contains this important information and includes information for providers of Legacy Network Gateway and Legacy Selective Router Gateway systems to support
783-602: The services to be provided by the network. Regardless of the type of architecture selected, the CCS network will consist of a combination of the following components: As CCS networks have continued to evolve, and network interconnection architectures and the services they support have grown more complex, it has become necessary to identify the type of behavior all network providers are expected to exhibit when specific requirements do not exist. Providers of Interconnecting CCS networks and other interconnecting networks need information about
812-502: The telephone began shortly after its invention, with instruments operated in pairs for private use between two locations. Users who wanted to communicate with persons at multiple locations had as many telephones as necessary for the purpose. Alerting another user of the desire to establish a telephone call was accomplished by whistling loudly into the transmitter until the other party heard the alert. Bells were soon added to stations for signaling . Later telephone systems took advantage of
841-409: The voice and data networks to be transferred on communications paths that are separate from the voice and data connections. CCS messages provide for transaction-based services and for call control signaling between network nodes. The architecture for a CCS network is generally based on the geographical location of signaling points, the number and sizes of signaling points, the expected traffic load, and
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