REGIONAL TELECOM TRAINING CENTRE

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Summer Training Programme

OVERVIEW OF TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORKS - 1

Chapter-1
OVERVIEW OF TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORKS
Introduction
The telephone is a telecommunication device that is used to transmit and receive electronically or digitally encoded speech between two or more people conversing. It is one of the most common household appliances in the world today. Most telephones operate through transmission of electric signals over a complex telephone network which allows almost any phone user to communicate with almost any other user. Telecommunication networks carry information signals among entities, which are geographically far apart. An entity may be a computer or human being, a facsimile machine, a teleprinter, a data terminal and so on. The entities are involved in the process of information transfer that may be in the form of a telephone conversation (telephony) or a file transfer between two computers or message transfer between two terminals etc. With the rapidly growing traffic and untargeted growth of cyberspace, telecommunication becomes a fabric of our life. The future challenges are enormous as we anticipate rapid growth items of new services and number of users. What comes with the challenge is a genuine need for more advanced methodology supporting analysis and design of telecommunication architectures. Telecommunication has evaluated and growth at an explosive rate in recent years and will undoubtedly continue to do so. The communication switching system enables the universal connectivity. The universal connectivity is realized when any entity in one part of the world can communicate with any other entity in another part of the world. In many ways telecommunication will acts as a substitute for the increasingly expensive physical transportation. The telecommunication links and switching were mainly designed for voice communication. With the appropriate attachments/equipments, they can be used to transmit data. A modern society, therefore needs new facilities including very high bandwidth switched data networks, and large communication satellites with small, cheap earth antennas.

Voice Signal Characteristics

Telecommunication is mainly concerned with the transmission of messages between two distant points. The signal that contains the messages is usually converted into electrical waves before transmission. Our voice is an analog signal, which has amplitude and frequency characteristics. Voice frequencies: - The range of frequencies used by a communication device determines the communication channel, communicating devices, and bandwidth or 2

information carrying capacity. The most commonly used parameter that characterizes an electrical signal is its bandwidth of analog signal or bit rate if it is a digital signal. In telephone system, the frequencies it passes are restricted to between 300 to 3400 Hz. In the field of telecommunications, a Telephone exchange or a Telephone switch is a system of electronic components that connects telephone calls. A central office is the physical building used to house inside plant equipment including telephone switches, which make telephone calls "work" in the sense of making connections and relaying the speech information.

Switching system fundamentals

Telecommunications switching systems generally perform three basic functions: they transmit signals over the connection or over separate channels to convey the identity of the called (and sometimes the calling) address (for example, the telephone number), and alert (ring) the called station; they establish connections through a switching network for conversational use during the entire call; and they process the signal information to control and supervise the establishment and disconnection of the switching network connection. In some data or message switching when real-time communication is not needed, the switching network is replaced by a temporary memory for the storage of messages. This type of switching is known as store-and-forward switching.

Signaling and control

The control of circuit switching systems is accomplished remotely by a specific form of data communication known as signaling. Switching systems are connected with one another by telecommunication channels known as trunks. They are connected with the served stations or terminals by lines. In some switching systems the signals for a call directly control the switching devices over the same path for which transmission is established. For most modern switching systems the signals for identifying or addressing the called station are received by a central control that processes calls on a time-shared basis. Central controls receive and interpret signals, select and establish communication paths, and prepare signals for transmission. These signals include addresses for use at succeeding nodes or for alerting (ringing) the called station. Most electronic controls are designed to process calls not only by complex logic but also by logic tables or a program of instructions stored in bulk electronic memory. The tabular technique is known as translator. The electronic memory is now the most accepted technique and is known as stored program control (SPC). Either type of control may be distributed among the switching devices rather than residing centrally. Microprocessors on integrated circuit chips are a popular form of distributed stored program control. 3

Switching fabrics
Space and time division are the two basic techniques used in establishing connections. When an individual conductor path is established through a switch for the duration of a call, the system is known as space division. When the transmitted speech signals are sampled and the samples multiplexed in time so that high-speed electronic devices may be used simultaneously by several calls, the switch is known as time division. In the early stages of development in telecommunication, manual switching methods were deployed. But later on to overcome the limitations of manual switching; automatic exchanges, having Electro-mechanical components, were developed. Strowger exchange, the first automatic exchange having direct control feature, appeared in 1892 in La Porte (Indiana). Though it improved upon the performance of a manual exchange it still had a number of disadvantages, viz., a large number of mechanical parts, limited availability, inflexibility, bulky in size etc. As a result of further research and development, Crossbar exchanges,having an indirect control system, appeared in 1926 in Sweden. The Crossbar exchange improved upon many short- comings of the Strowger system. However, much more improvement was expected and the revolutionary change in field of electronics provided it. A large number of moving parts in Register, marker, Translator, etc., were replaced en-block by a single computer. This made the exchange smaller in size, volume and weight, faster and reliable, highly flexible, noise-free, easily manageable with no preventive maintenance etc.

Network Architecture.
When electronic devices were introduced in the switching systems, a new concept of switching evolved as a consequence of their extremely high operating speed compared to their former counter-parts, i.e., the Electro-mechanical systems, where relays, the logic elements in the electromechanical systems, have to operate and release several times which is roughly equal to the duration of telephone signals to maintain required accuracy. Research on electronic switching started soon after the Second World War, but commercial fully electronic exchange began to emerge only about 30 years later. However, electronic techniques proved economic for common control systems much earlier. In electromechanical exchanges, common control systems mainly used switches and relays, which were originally designed for use in switching networks. In common controls, they are operated frequently and so wear out earlier. In contrast, the life of an electronic device is almost independent of its frequency of operation. This gave a motivation for developing electronic common controls and resulted in electronic replacements for registers, markers, translators etc. having much greater reliability than their electromechanical predecessors. In electromechanical switching, the various functions of the exchange are achieved by the operation and release of relays and switch (rotary or crossbar) contacts, under the direction of a Control Sub-System. These contracts are hard - wired in a predetermined 4

way. The exchange dependent data, such as subscribers class of service, translation and routing, combination signaling characteristics are achieved by hard-ware and logic, by a of relay sets, grouping of same type of lines, strapping on Main or Intermediate Distribution Frame or translation fields, etc. When the data is to be modified, for introduction of a new service, or change in services already available to a subscriber, the hardware change ranging from inconvenient to near impossible, are involved. In an SPC exchange, a processor similar to a general-purpose computer is used to control the functions of the exchange. All the control functions, represented by a series of various instructions, are stored in the memory. Therefore the processor memories hold all exchange dependent data. such as subscriber date, translation tables, routing and charging information and call records. For each call processing step. e.g. for taking a decision according to class of service, the stored data is referred to, Hence, this concept of switching. The memories are modifiable and the control program can always be rewritten if the behavior or the use of system is to be modified. This imparts and enormous flexibility in overall working of the exchange. Digital computers have the capability of handling many tens of thousands of instructions every second, Hence, in addition to controlling the switching functions the same processor can handle other functions also. The immediate effect of holding both the control programme and the exchange data, in easily alterable memories, is that the administration can become much more responsive to subscriber requirements. both in terms of introducing new services and modifying general services, or in responding to the demands of individual subscriber. For example, to restore service on payment of an overdue bill or to permit change from a dial instrument to a multi frequency sender, simply the appropriate entries in the subscriber data-file are to be amended. This can be done by typing- in simple instructions from a teletypewriter or visual display unit. The ability of the administration to respond rapidly and effectively to subscriber requirements is likely to become increasingly important in the future. The modifications and changes in services which were previously impossible be achieved very simply in SPC exchange, by modifying the stored data suitably. In some cases, the subscribers can also be given the facility to modify their own data entries for supplementary services, such as on-demand call transfer, short code (abbreviated) dialing, etc. The use of a central processor also makes possible the connection of local and remote terminals to carry out man-machine dialogue with each exchange. Thus, the maintenance and administrative operations of all the SPC exchanges in a network can be performed from a single centralized place. The processor sends the information on the performance of the network, such as, traffic flow, billing information, faults, to the centre, which carries out remedial measures with the help of commands. Similarly, other modifications in services can also be carried out from the remote centre. This allows a better control on the overall performance of the network. 5

As the processor is capable of performing operations at a very high speed, it has got sufficient time to run routine test programmes to detect faults, automatically. Hence, there is no need to carry out time consuming manual routine tests. In an SPC exchange, all control equipment can be replaced by a single processor. The processor must therefore be quite powerful, typically it must process hundreds of calls per second, in addition to performing other administrative and maintenance tasks. However, totally centralized control has drawbacks. The software for such a central processor will be voluminous, complex, and difficult to develop reliably. Moreover, it is not a good arrangement from the point of view of system security, as the entire system will collapse with the failure of the processor. These difficulties can be overcome by decentralizing the control. Some routine functions such as scanning, signal distributing, marking, which are independent of call processing, can be delegated to auxiliary or peripheral processors. Stored program control (SPC) has become the principal type of control for all types of new switching systems throughout the world, including private branch exchanges, data and Telex systems. Two types of data are stored in the memories of electronic switching systems. One type is the data associated with the progress of the call, such as the dialed address of the called line. Another type, known as the translation data, contains infrequently changing information, such as the type of service subscribed to by the calling line and the information required for routing calls to called numbers. These translation data, like the program, are stored in a memory, which is easily read but protected to avoid accidental erasure. This information may be readily changed, however, to meet service needs. The flexibility of a stored program also aids in the administration and maintenance of the service so that system faults may be located quickly. SPC exchanges can offer a wider range of facilities than earlier systems. In addition, the facilities provided to an individual customer can be readily altered by changing the customers class-of-service data stored in memory. Moreover, since the processors stored data can be altered electronically,some of these facilities can be controlled by customers. Examples include:1. Call barring (outgoing or incoming): The customer can prevent unauthorized calls being made and can prevent incoming calls when wishing to be left in peace. 2. Call waiting: The Call waiting service notifies the already busy subscriber of a third party calling him. 3. Alarm calls: The exchange can be instructed to call the customer at a pre-arranged time (e.g. morning alarm). 4. Call Forwarding: The subscriber having such a feature can enable the incoming calls coming to his telephone to be transferred to another number during his absence. 5. Conference calls: Subscriber can set up connections to more than one subscriber and conduct telephone conferences under the provision of this facility. 6

6. Dynamic Barring Facility: Subscriber having STD/ISD facilities can dynamically lock such features in their telephone to avoid misuse. Registering and dialing a secret code will extend such such a facility. 7. Abbreviated Dialing: Most subscribers very often call only limited group of telephone numbers. By dialing only prefix digit followed by two selection digits, subscribers can call up to 100 predetermined subscribers connected to any automatic exchange. This shortens the process of dialing all the digits. 8. Malicious call Identification: Malicious call identification is done immediately and the information is obtained in the print out form either automatically or by dialing an identification code. 9. Do Not Disturb: This facility enables the subscriber to free himself from attending his incoming calls. Using this facility the calls coming to the subscriber can be routed to an operator position or to an answering machine. The operator position or the machine can inform the calling subscriber that the called subscriber is temporarily inaccessible. Today SPC is a standard feature in all the electronic exchanges.

Implementation of Switching Network.

In an electronic exchange, the switching network is one of the largest sub-system in terms of size of the equipment. Its main functions are Switching (setting up temporary connection between two or more exchange terminations), Transmission of speech and signals between these terminations, with reliable accuracy. There are two types of electronic switching system. viz. Space division and Time Division. Space Division switching System In a space Division Switching system, a continuous physical path is set up between input and output terminations. This path is separate for each connection and is held for the entire duration of the call. Path for different connections is independent of each other. Once a continuous path has been established., Signals are interchanged between the two terminations. Such a switching network can employ either metallic or electronic cross points. Previously, usage of metallic cross-points using reed relays and all were favored. They have the advantage of compatibility with the existing line and trunk signaling conditions in the network.

Time Division Switching System

In Time Division Switching, a number of calls share the same path on time division sharing basis. The path is not separate for each connection, rather, is shared sequentially for a fraction of a time by different calls. This process is repeated periodically at a suitable high rate. The repetition rate is 8 KHz, i.e. once every 125 microseconds for transmitting speech on telephone network, without any appreciable distortion. These samples are time multiplexed with staggered samples of other speech channels, to enable sharing of one path 7

by many calls. The Time Division Switching was initially accomplished by Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM) Switching. However, it still could not overcome the performance limitations of signal distortion noise, cross-talk etc. With the advent of Pulse Code Modulation (PCM), the PAM signals were converted into a digital format overcoming the limitations of analog and PAM signals. PCM signals are suitable for both transmission and switching. The PCM switching is popularly called Digital Switching. Digital Switching Systems A Digital switching system, in general, is one in which signals are switched in digital form. These signals may represent speech or data. The digital signals of several speech samples are time multiplexed on a common media before being switched through the system. To connect any two subscribers, it is necessary to interconnect the time-slots of the two speech samples, which may be on same or different PCM highways. The digitalized speech samples are switched in two modes, viz., Time Switching and Space Switching. This Time Division Multiplex Digital Switching System is popularly known as Digital Switching System. The ESS No.1 system was the first fully electronic switching system but not digital. But later came ESS No.4 system which was digital for trunk portion only. When designed, the cost of A/D conversion (CODEC) on each subscriber line was seen as prohibitive. So the ESS No.4 system was acting as a Trunk/Tandem exchange but not as a local exchange. So the main difficulty for implementing a digital local exchange was the implementation of the subscriber line interface. This was solved by the introduction of Integrated Circuits, which made the digital local exchange economically feasible. This implementation handles the following functions: B-Battery feed O-Over-voltage protection (from lightning and accidental power line contact) R-Ringing S-Supervisory Signaling C-Coding (A/D inter conversion & low pass filtering) H-Hybrid (2W to 4W conversion) T-Testing the connectivity of Subscriber Examples of digital exchanges (switching systems) include CDOT, OCB, AXE, EWSD, 5ESS etc.

The general architecture of a Digital Switching System is depicted in fig2General architecture of Digital Switching System
Nx2 Mbps links 8

Subs interface

Trunks interface Other exchanges

Digital Switch

CONTROL PROCESSOR Other auxiliary inter faces

Such as, (a) Tone generator (b) Frequency receives (c) Conference call facility (d) CCS# 7 Protocol Manager (e) V 5.2 access manager

Operation & Maintenance

Figure-2
The next evolutionary step was to move the PCM codec from the exchange end of the customers line to the customers end. This provides digital transmission over the customers line, which can have a number of advantages. Consider data transmission. If there is an analog customers line, a modem must be added and data can only be transmitted at relatively slow speeds. If the line is digital, data can be transmitted by removing the codec (instead of adding a modem). Moreover, data can be transmitted at 64 kbit/s instead of at, say, 2.4 kbit/s. Indeed, any form of digital signal can be transmitted whose rate does not exceed 64 kbit/s. This can include high-speed fax, in addition to speech and data. This concept had led to the evolution of Integrated services digital network (ISDN), in which the customers terminal equipment and the local digital exchange can be used to provide many different services, all using 64 kbit/s digital streams. In simple terms, we can say ISDN provides end-to-end digital connectivity. Access to an ISDN is provided in two forms: 9

1. Basic-Rate Access (BRA)

The customers line carries two 64 kbit/s B channels plus a 16 kbit/s D channel (a common signaling channel) in each direction.

2. Primary Rate Access (PRA)

The line carries a complete PCM frame at 2 Mbit/s in each direction. This gives the customer 30 circuits at 64 kbit/s plus a common signaling channel, also at 64 kbit/s. Control of switching systems Switching systems have evolved from being manually controlled to being controlled by relays and then electronically. The change from the manual system to the Strowger step-by-step system brought about a change from centralized to distributed control. However, as systems developed and offered more services to customers, it became economic to perform particular functions in specialized equipments that were associated with connections only when required, thus, common control was introduced. Later, the development of digital computer technology enabled different functions to be performed by the same hardware by using different programs; thus switching system entered the era of stored-program control (SPC). There are basically two approaches to organizing stored program control: centralized and distributed. Early electronic switching systems (ESS) developed during the period 1970-75 almost invariably used centralized control. Although many present day exchange designs continue to use centralized SPC, with the advent of low cost powerful microprocessors and very large scale integration (VLSI) chips such as programmable logic arrays (PLA) and programmable logic controllers (PLC), distributed SPC is gaining popularity. The figure below shows the evolution of electronic switching systems from the manual switching systems. The figure also depicts the changing scenario from digital switching to Broadband where the focus will be for high bit rate data transmissions.

Development of exchanges

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Figure 3

Local and trunk Network

Trunk Lines
The term Trunk Line in telecommunications refers to the high-speed connection between telephone central offices in the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Trunk lines are always digital. The wiring between central offices was originally just pairs of twisted copper wire (the twists in the wiring prevented things known as crosstalk and noise). Because it is expensive to string up (or lay trenches for buried cables), the phone company researched ways in which to carry more data over the existing copper lines. This was achieved by using time-division multiplexing. Later, when fiber-optic technology became available, phone companies upgraded their trunk lines to fiber optics and used statistical time-division multiplexing, synchronous digital heirarchy, coarse or dense wave division multiplexing and optical switching to further improve transmission speeds.

The signaling information exchanged between different exchanges via inter exchange trunks for the routing of calls is termed as Inter exchange Signaling. Earlier in band /out of band frequencies were used for transmitting signaling information. Later on, 11

with the emergence of PCM systems, it was possible to segregate the signaling from the speech channel. A trunk line is a circuit connecting telephone switchboards (or other switching equipment), as distinguished from local loop circuit which extends from telephone exchange switching equipment to individual telephones or information origination/termination equipment. When dealing with a private branch exchange (PBX), trunk lines are the phone lines coming into the PBX from the telephone provider. This differentiates these incoming lines from extension lines that connect the PBX to (usually) individual phone sets. Trunking saves cost, because there are usually fewer trunk lines than extension lines, since it is unusual in most offices to have all extension lines in use for external calls at once. Trunk lines transmit voice and data in formats such as analog, T1, E1, ISDN or PRI. The dial tone lines for outgoing calls are called DDCO (Direct Dial Central Office) trunks. A signal travelling over a trunk line is not actually flowing any faster. The electrical signal on a voice line takes the same amount of time to traverse the wire as a similar length trunk line. What makes trunk lines faster is that the signal has been altered to carry more data in less time using more advanced multiplexing and modulation techniques. If you compared a voice line and a trunk line and put them side by side and observed them, the first pieces of information arrive simultaneously on both the voice and trunk line. However, the last piece of information would arrive sooner on the trunk line. No matter what, you can't break the laws of physics. Electricity over copper or laser light over fiber s TR L optics, you cannot L break the speed of light--though that has rarely stopped uneducated IT S or IS managers from demanding that cabling perform faster instead of upgrading equipment. Trunk lines can contain thousands of simultaneous calls that have been combined using time-division multiplexing. These thousands of calls are carried from one central 09 office to another where they can be connected to a de-multiplexing device L switched S and TR TR through digital access cross connecting switches to reach the proper exchange and local phone number.

TR S

CI D

CI A

Local and trunk Network

12

CT I

S L TR CID CIA CTI

: Remote line unit : Local subscriber exchange : Transit exchange : Outgoing international exchange : Incoming international exchange : International transit exchange

What is Trunking?
In telecommunications systems, trunking is the aggregation of multiple user circuits into a single channel. The aggregation is achieved using some form of multiplexing. Trunking 13

theory was developed by Agner Krarup Erlang, Erlang based his studies of the statistical nature of the arrival and the length of calls. The Erlang B formula allows for the calculation of the number of circuits required in a trunk based on the Grade of Service and the amount of traffic in Erlangs the trunk needs cater for.

Definition
In order to provide connectivity between all users on the network one solution is to build a full mesh network between all endpoints. A full mesh solution is however impractical, a far better approach is to provide a pool of resources that end points can make use of in order to connect to foreign exchanges. The diagram below illustrates the where in a telecommunication network trunks are used.

A Modern Telephone Network Indicating where trunks are used. SLC - Subscriber line concentrator

14

LE

Local Exchange

TDM TAX II Level II Tax TDM TAX I Level I Tax

Level I Taxs are connected to the Gateway.

Call routing
Routing in the PSTN is the process used to route telephone calls across the public switched telephone network. This process is the same whether the call is made between two phones in the same locality, or across two different continents.

15

Relationship between exchanges and operators

Telephone calls must be routed across a network of multiple exchanges, potentially owned by different telephone operators. The exchanges are all are inter-connected together using trunks. Each exchange has many "neighbours", some of which are also owned by the same telephone operator, and some of which are owned by different operators. When neighbouring exchanges are owned by different operators, they are known as interconnect points. This means that there is really only one virtual network in the world that enables any phone to call any other phone. This virtual network comprises many interconnected operators, each with their own exchange network. Every operator can then route calls directly to their own customers, or pass them on to another operator if the call is not for one of their customers. The PSTN is not a fully meshed network with every operator connected to every other that would be both impractical and inefficient. Therefore calls may be routed through intermediate operator networks before they reach their final destination. One of the major problems in PSTN routing is determining how to route this call in the most cost effective and timely manner. Call routing Each time a call is placed for routing, the destination number (also known as the called party) is entered by the calling party into their terminal. The destination number generally has two parts, a prefix which generally identifies the geographical location of the destination telephone, and a number unique within that prefix that determines the specific destination terminal. Sometimes if the call is between two terminals in the same local area (that is, both terminals are on the same telephone exchange), then the prefix may be omitted. When a call is received by an exchange, there are two treatments that may be applied:

Either the destination terminal is directly connected to that exchange, in which case the call is placed down that connection and the destination terminal rings. Or the call must be placed to one of the neighbouring exchanges through a connecting trunk for onward routing.

Each exchange in the chain uses pre-computed routing tables to determine which connected exchange the onward call should be routed to. There may be several alternative routes to any given destination, and the exchange can select dynamically between these in the event of link failure or congestion. The routing tables are generated centrally based on the known topology of the network, the numbering plan, and analysis of traffic data. These are then downloaded to each exchange in the telephone operators network. Because of the hierarchical nature of the numbering 16

plan, and its geographical basis, most calls can be routed based only on their prefix using these routing tables. Some calls however cannot be routed on the basis of prefix alone, for example nongeographical numbers, such as toll-free or freephone calling. In these cases the Intelligent Network is used to route the call instead of using the pre-computed routing tables. In determining routing plans, special attention is paid for example to ensure that two routes do not mutually overflow to each other, otherwise congestion will cause a destination to be completely blocked. According to Braess' paradox, the addition of a new, shorter, and lower cost route can lead to an increase overall congestion[. The network planner must take this into account when designing routing paths. One approach to routing involves the use of Dynamic Alternative Routing (DAR). DAR makes use of the distributed nature of a telecommunications network and its inherent randomness to dynamically determine optimal routing paths. This method generates a distributed, random, parallel computing platform that minimises congestion across the network, and is able to adapt to take changing traffic patterns and demands into account. Routing can be loosely described as the process of getting from here to there. Routing may be discussed in the context of telephone networks or computer networks. In telephone networks, routing is facilitated by switches in the network, whereby in computer networks routing is performed by routers in the network. Definition: Routing in telephone networks Routing in the context of telephone networks is the selection of a specific circiut group, for a given call or traffic stream, at an exchange in the network . "The objective of routing is to establish a successful connection between any two exchangesin the network" . By selecting routes that meet the constraints set by the user traffic and the network, routing determines which network resources (circuit group) should be used to transport which user traffic. Different networks employ different routing techniques, but all communication networks share a basic routing functionality based on three core routing functions Assembling and distributing information on the state of the network and user traffic that is used to generate and select routes. Generating and selecting feasible and optimal routes based on network and user traffic state information. Forwarding user traffic along the selected routes. The public switched telephone network (PSTN) architecture is made up of a hierarchy of exchanges (e.g local and regoinal exchanges) with each level of the hierarchy performing different functions . Two adjacent exchanges in the network may be connected by several direct routes consisting of one or more circuits . 17

In circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN, switching and transmission resources are dedicated to a call along the path from source to destination for the complete duration of the call. Routing decisions are imperative in facilitating this process as they determine the most efficient links to use to connect users for a call . Routing in the PSTN is done using a hop-by-hop approach . When a user wants to make a call, they dial the destination number to which the call should be routed. This destination number is made up of a prefix (area code or national destination network), which identifies the geographical location of the called party, and a unique number (the subscriber number) linked to the prefix that identifies the exact destination to which the call should be routed The end exchange to which the calling party is connected (the originating exchange) uses the area code to identify the outgoing circuit group connecting to the first choice adjacent exchange enroute This circuit group is called the first choice route and is obtained using a routing table at the originating switch . The function of the switch at the originating end exchange is to connect the switch input port to which the calling user is connected to a free outgoing circuit group in the first choice group . If all the circuits along the first choice route are fully occupied, the switch then attempts to use an alternative route circuit group to route the call to the destination exchange . The originating exchange then forwards the address to the adjacent exchange (first choice or alternate route), and the procedure is repeated at the adjacent exchange in order to reach the destination end exchange to which the called party is connected . When the address reaches the destination exchange, it only needs to process the last part of the address to identify the switch input port that the called party is connected . Routing directs forwarding . Forwarding of traffic can be done using connection-oriented or connectionless approaches . In connection-oriented forwrding, forwarding instructions are installed in all the switches along a designated route before the route can be used to transport traffic . Traffic forwarded using the connectionless approach carries its own forwarding information either as precise routing commands for each switch along a route or as hints that may be autonomously interpreted by any switch in the network . In PSTN, forwarding of traffic is based on the connection-oriented approach. Call routing is achieved using pre-computed routing tables, containing all the possible pre-defined routes for a connection, at each switch .The pre-defined routes specified in the routing table include information of a direct route (or routes) to be used under normal traffic and network conditions (e.g no link failure or network congestion) as well as alternative routes that should be used in the event that all circuits along the direct route are fully occupied . An alternative route may be an indirect route consisting of several circuit groups connecting two exchanges via other exchanges . The following example illustrates the use of an alternative route to connect two exchanges in the event of the direct route being congetsed.

A Typical Telephone Exchange -OCB-283

FUNCTIONAL ARCHITURE The Alcatel E10 system is located at the heart of the telecommunication networks concerned. It is made up of three independent functional units: - The Subscriber Access Subsystem which carries out connection of analogue and digital subscriber lines, 18

Connection and Control which carries out connections and processing of calls, Operation and Maintenance which is responsible for all functions needed by the network operating authority.

Each functional unit is equipped with softwares which are appropriate for handling the functions for which it is responsible. Synchronization and Time Base Station STS Time base (BT) The BT ensures times distribution for LR and PCM to provide the synchronization, and also for working out the exchange clock.Time distribution is tripled. Time generation can be either autonomous or slaved to an external rhythm with a view to synchronise the system with the network Auxiliary Equipment Control Station SMACCITT N07 Auxiliary equipment manager (ETA)
SIGNALLING NETWORK

The tone generators (GT). The frequency receiving and generation (RGF) devices, Conference circuits (CCF), The exchange clock
SUBCRIBER TELEPHONE NETWORK

The ETA Supports:

CCS7 protocol handler (PUPE) and CCS7 controller (PC): CCITT No. 7 protocol processing
DATA CONNECTION For connection of 64 kbit/s signaling channels, semi- permanent connections are ACCESS to the PUPE which processes the CCITT No. 7 NETWORK established via the connection matrix, AND protocol. SUBSYSTEM CONTROL More precisely, the PUPE function carries out the following: OCB 283 - signaling channel Level 2 processing,

NT

VALUE ADDED NETWORK

the message routing function the network management function (part of Level 3), PUPE defence, Various observation tasks which are not directly linked to CCITT No. 7. OPERATION AND
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE MAINTENANCE NETWORK

(Part of Level 3). The PC carries out:

19
PABX

ALCATEL 1000 E10 OCB 283

Host switching matrix (SMX) The SMX is a square connection matrix with a single time stage, T, duplicated in full, which enables up to 2048 matrix links (LR) to be connected. 20

A matrix link LR is an internal PCM, with 16 bits per channel (32 channels). The MCX can execute the following: 1) an unidirectional connection between any incoming channel and any out going channel. There can be as many simultaneous connections as there are outgoing channels. It should be remembered that a connection consists of allocating the information contained within an incoming channel to an outgoing channel, connection between any incoming channel and any M outgoing channels, connection of N incoming channels belonging to one frame structure of any multiplex onto N outgoing channels which belong to the same frame structure, abiding to the integrity and sequencing of the frame received. This function is referred to as connection with N x 64 kbit/s. set up and breakdown of the connections by access to the matrix command memory. This access is used to write at the output T.S. address the incoming T.S. address defense of the connections. Security of the connections in order to assure a good data switching.

2) 3)

The MCX is controlled by the COM function (matrix switch controller) to ensure the: -

Truck Control Station SMT PCM controller (URM) The URM provides the interface between external PCMs and the OCB283. These PCM come from either: - a remote subscriber digital access unit (CSN) or from a remote electronic concentrator CSE, another switching centre, on channel-associated signalling or CCITT No.7, the digital recorded announcement equipment HDB3 conversion to binary (PCM matrix link), binary conversion to HDB3 (matrix link PCM), extraction and pre-processing of the channel-associated signalling of T.S.16 (PCM command), transmission of channel-associated signalling in T.S.16 (command PCM). satellite

In particular, the URM carries out the following functions:

Main Control Station SMC Call handler (MR) The MR is responsible for the establishment and breaking off of communications. The call handler takes the decisions necessary for processing of communications in terms of the signaling received, after consultation of the subscriber and analysis database manager (TR) if necessary. The call handler processes new calls and handling-up operations, releases equipment, commands switching on and switching off etc. 21

In addition, the call handler is responsible for different management tasks (control of tests of circuits, sundry observations). Operation and maintenance function (OM) SMM The functions of the operation and maintenance subsystem are carried out by the operation and maintenance software OM). The operating authority accesses all hardware and software equipment of the Alcatel 1000 E10 system via computer terminals belonging to the operation and maintenance subsystem: consoles, magnetic media, intelligent terminal. These functions can be grouped into 2 categories: operation of the telephone application, operation and maintenance of the system.

In addition, the operation and maintenance subsystem carries out: loading of softwares and of data for connection and command and for the subscriber digital access units, temporary backup of detailed billing information, centralisation of alarm data coming from connection and control stations, via alarm rings, central defence of the system.

Finally, the operation and maintenance subsystem permits two-way communication with operation and maintenance networks, at regional or national level (TMN). CSN - digital satellite center The digital satellite center [CSN center satellite numerique) is a subscriber connection unit on which both analogue and digital subscribers can be connected. Its design and composition enable the CSN to fit into an existing network and can be connected to time-based systems using the CCITT N 7 type of semaphore signalling. The CSN is a connection unit designed to adapt to a variety of geographical situation: it can be either local [CSNL] or distant [CSND] with respect to the connecting switch.

A Typical Telephone Exchange -OCB-283

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Circuits and announcemen t machine

CS NN NN L CS NN CS D ED

L R

STS 1x3 SMX

SMT ( 1 TO 28) X 2

SMA ( 2 TO 37)

L R L R

1 TO 4 MAS

SMC 2 TO 14

1 MIS
SMM 1x2

CSN : SMC : SMA : SMT : SMX : SMM : STS :

Digital satellite center

T M Main Control Station N Auxiliary Equipment Control Station

Truck Control Station Matrix Control Station Maintenance Station Synchronization and Time Base Station

A L

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