Network Architectures: Conversion Strategies and Evolution Towards the Next-Generation Network

摘要

Today, a transformation is taking place in the traditional telecommunications marketplace. Whenever the question of the next-generation network (NGN) comes up, the answer that comes up is invariably: voice over IP (VoIP). But VoIP cannot be an end in itself. The goals of any operator remain the same: introduce new services to increase revenues and on the other hand reduce costs. In other words operators must maximise their return on assets (RoA). This paper looks at the transformation from TDM to NGN; specifically, we look at the changes in the telecommunication market which drive the introduction of an NGN, the transformation from a TDM network structure towards an NGN structure, and the changes in network architecture, operations, etc. which result from such transformation. We show how a large-scale TDM network can be transformed to an NGN. Furthermore, we evaluate the feasibility of such transformation with a real network configuration and give a qualitative reasoning for such transformation.