The Access network is connected to the Aggregation devices such as DSLAM or MSAN

0 .(( (
& ) 1 2
&#
.(( (
. $
) 1 2

DSLAM

MSAN

6. Public Switched Telephone Network

6.1 Invention of Telephone

Sir Alexender Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876. His Concept is gives below.

+ +

Bell Sketch of Telephone

6.2 Manual Board

Initialy the telephone was commercially used by the Manual Board
 '
( +

The Manual board concept is shown in the figure………………………………. . All telephones

are physically connected to manual board by a pair of copper cables. If A wants to call F, they
are connected by the operator by using a patch code.

Switch board or mannual board was developed where upon lifting the telephone receiver by a
subscriber, the operator was alerted by using a lighting bulb and subscriber tell her who you
wished to speak to. Then operator would take a wire cored (Patch cored) and plug to the
subscriber A socket and the other end to subscriber F socket and send a ringing tone to him.
When they completed the call, either party is hang up receiver and operator can detected it by
lighting off the bulb.

The operator takes down the following information

• Calling number
• Called number
 • Starting time
• Ending time

A telephone bill is prepared for each month based on these information.

The following are the important points to note on above process.

a. Maintain subscriber information

b. Identity when subscriber needs to get a call
c. Connect the two subscribers need to communicate
d. Send the ringing tone to called subscriber
e. Identify when the conversation is over
f. Terminate the connection when the conversation is over
g. Take down the billing information

The above seven Functions can be categorized

• Subscriber & billing information - a, g

• Signaling - b, d, e
• Switching - c, f

Switching and Signaling plays a vital role in PSTN networks.

6.3 Switching
The PSTN Switching can be categorized and follows,

a) Manual Switching
b) Automatic Switching

The Automatic Switching can be categorized as,

a) Electomechanical Switching
b) Electronic Switching

The first automatic switch was developed by strowger and there was an electromechanical
exchange (switch)
An automatic exchange should have the switching, signaling and billing.

*1 '

*( (
+ # +

• Signals
Dial tone –
Ringing Tone
Ring Back Tone
Busy Tone
Dialed Numbers

• Manual Meter - ! + !)+ !!

, !!

6.4 Strowger Exchange

Human operators intelligent & flexible

- But expensive and not always discreet

Strowger invented automated switch in 1888

- Each current pulse advances wiper by 1 position
- User dialing controls connection setup

Decimal telephone numbering system

Hierarchical network structure simplifies routing

- Area code, exchange (CO), station number
Almon B. Strowger was an undertaker in Kansas City, USA. The story goes that there was a
competing undertaker locally whose wife was an operator at the local (manual) telephone
exchange. Whenever a caller asked to be put through to Strowger, calls were deliberately put
through to his competitor. This obviously frustrated Strowger greatly and he set about devising a
system for doing away with the human part of the equation !
Strowger developed a system of automatic switching using an electromechanicalcal switch based
around around electromagnets and pawls. With the help of his nephew (Walter S. Strowger) he
produced a working model in 1888 (US Patent No. 447918 10/6/1891). In this selector, a moving
wiper (with contacts on the end) moved up to and around a bank of many other contacts, making a
connection with any one of them.
Strowger did not invent the idea of automatic switching; it was first invented
in 1879 by Connolly & McTigthe but Strowger was the first to put it to effective
use. Together with Joseph

Strowger Automatic Telephone

Exchange©in October 1891.

In the late 1890 Almon B. Strowger retired and eventually died in 1902. In 1901, Joseph Harris
licenced the Strowger selectors to the Automatic Electric Co. (AE); the two companies merged
in 1908. The company still exists today as AG Communications Systems (www.agcs.com),
having undergone various corporate changes and buyouts along the way.

6.5 Crossbar Exchange

crossbar switch is one of the principal architectures used to construct switches of many types.
Originally the term was used literally, for a matrix switch controlled by a grid of crossing metal
bars, and later was broadened to matrix switches in general. Crossbar switches are sometimes
referred to as "cross-point switches," "crosspoint switches," or "matrix switches." The other
principal switch architectures are that of a memory switch or a crossover switch.

Historically, a Crossbar switch consisted of metal bars allocated with each input and output,
controlling movable contacts at each cross point.
6.6 Electronic Switching

Research on electronic Switching started soon after the Second World War II, but commercial
fully electronic exchanges began to emerge only about 30 years later.
Advances made in Computer technology were incorporated and led to the development of
stored-Program, control (SPC). This enables a digital computer to be used as a centre control and
perform different functions with the same hardware by executing differenct programs.
SPC exchanges were introduced on small scale in the 1960’s and on a large scale in 1970’s and
SPC completely took over the industry in 1980’s.
Electronic Switching can be done in two different methods.
1)By using hardware – this is called Space Switching.
2)By using multiplexing – this is called Time Switching.

6.6.1 Space Switching

.
4
&

3 ! * 0

&

If ‘A’ needs to get a call to ‘P’ the AND gate connecting A and P is activated (enabled) by giving
C ‘1’ from controller. The signal comes from A is going to P. This type of Switching is called
“Space Switching”.
6.6.2 Time Switching

. &

4 4
& 4 . . 4 &
& .

0*

&

6.6.3 Time & Space Switching

0 * 0

TST Switch

0 * * 0

TSST Switch

An electronic exchange has a combination of Time Switches and Space switches as shown in
Fig……. In general this is called “Circuit Switching”.

In digital (electronic) exchanges the analog signals coming from a telephone is converted to a
digital signal by using “PCM”

E1

A C

B D

Exchange P Exchange Q
A and B are subscribers connected to the same exchange. If A needs to call B, the exchange P,
switch A to B.

Normally the primary multiplexing is done in the exchange and the output of the exchange is E1.
The exchange P is connected to exchange Q. Each channel is allocated a one Time Slot. One
Channel is called a trunk.

If A needs to call C one TS is allocated from the E1 connected to exchange P and Q. If A sends
any voice to C it is immediately comes to C via exchanges P and Q. This type of connection is
called a real time connection.

One Time Slot is equivalent to 64kb/s. This is a fixed bit rate or bandwidth. Normally, for a
telephone conversation 40% of the time of the channel (one direction) is utilized. That is, when
A talks, C is silent and vise versa. Sometimes both are silent. Therefore the occupancy of the
channel for one direction is about 40%. However in circuit switching, 100% of the time , a
64kb/s of bandwidth is allocated for one direction. This is some kind of wastage of bandwidth. In
circuit Switching, the trunk bandwidth (Core network bandwidth) is not effectively utilized.

The circuit switching has a real time, dedicated bandwidth connection.

6.7 Signaling

In automatic exchanges, there should be a communication method between subscriber and

exchange to setup a call and terminate a call.

When a subscriber needs to get a call, he off hook the receiver. Then he should know whether he
has a live connection with exchange. If the dial tone gest it is a live connection.

Then he needs to inform the exchange that the telephone number of the subscriber he wants to
call. This information is sent to the exchange by dialing the telephone.

Then the exchange find out a free trunk to other exchange and seize (reserve) it and send the
dialed number to other exchange. The ringing tone is sent to called subscriber and ring back tone
is sent to calling subscriber.

When the called subscriber off hook the receiver and billing should be started.

If is clear that before establishing a call some information is exchanged between subscriber and
exchange or between the two exchanges. They are called “Control Signals” or normally called
“Signals”. The process is called “Signaling”.
The Signaling uses for different purposes.

• Call establishment and call termination.

• Reservation of trunks (resources) – resource management.
• Routing managements.
• Network managements.

The signaling System developed along with exchange evolution and transmission evolution. The
telecommunication signaling systems developed by ITU-T (former CCITT). The development of
signaling system along with exchanges is given below.

*( ( 5 ' ( 05
-. ' !) +2

-/ +

-0 3+

-1
Three Phases of a Connection
3+ !4 5
Computer Connection Control

• A computer controls connection in telephone switch

• Computers exchange signaling messages to:
Coordinate set up of telephone connections
To implement new services such as caller ID, voice mail, etc.
To enable mobility and roaming in cellular networks
• “Intelligence” inside the network
• A separate signaling network is required

6.7.1 Signaling flow to establish a call

The signaling between subscriber and exchange is called subscriber line signaling. Signaling
among exchanges are called interexchange signaling.

Also the signals can be mainly categorize as supervisory signals and Address Signals.

6.8 Supervisory Signaling

Supervisory Signals supervise the process of connection establishment and termination. The
forward Signals (From calling party to called party direction) are also called Control Signals.
The backward Signals are called Pilot signals.
6.9 Address Signals

Address Signals are used to send the telephone number.

An MF Signal uses six frequencies of the speech frequency band and transmits a dialed number
by a combination of two of six frequencies as shown in figure…………..

ST is used as last destination and KP is used as Transit

6.10 Channel Associated Signaling.

Except CCITT No.7 signaling all others send the signals along with speech channel. This is
called Channel Associated signaling.

CCITT No.5 uses the Time Slot 16 of PCM frame to transmit the supervising signals.

In the channel associated signaling address signals are transmitted in the form of DP signal or
MF signal.

6.11 Common Channel Signaling

CCITT No.7 Signaling is a common channel signaling system. This was mainly designed to cater
to ISDN networks.

C7 signaling has a separate network similar to a date network to transmit signals. This is a packet
switching network and it is separated from the speech network (circuit switched network).

It has the following advantages,

• High speed
• Signal Transmission during conversation
• A wide variety of signals and a large signaling capacity.
• Support for Intelligent Network (IN) Services.
• Support for data transmission
•

6.11.1 Signaling Points

Each element in the C7 signaling network is called a signaling point. Each signaling point is
uniquely identified by a numeric point code.
There are three kinds of signaling points.

• Service Switching Point (SSP)

• Signal Transfer Point (STP)
• Service Control Point (SCP)
SSPs are switches that establish, terminate or transit calls. An SSP sends signaling messages to
other SSPs to setup manage and release voice circuits required to complete a call.

STP is a packet switch. Network traffic between two signaling points may be routed via STP. An
STP route each incoming message to an outgoing link based on routing information contained in
the message.

The SCP is a centralized database which has the routing information on special numbers such as
800 series toll free numbers. An SSP may send a query message to SCP to determine how to
route a special call. The SCP sends a response to the originating SSP containing the routing
number (s) associated with the dialed number.

C7 Protocol Stack

The C7 protocol stack can be mapped to the query 7 layers.

,,

( ! ( 6( 6(

!!

(
!,

' ( /
) *

' ( 7
*

' ( .
(+ ! !
Message Transfer Part

Message Transfer Part (MTP) is divided into three levels.

MTP Level 1 is equivalent to the OSI Physical Layer. MTP Level 1 defines the physical,
electrical and functional characteristics of the digital signaling link. Physical interfaces defined
include E-1 (2048 kb/s; 32 64 kb/s channels); DS-1 (1544 kb/s; 24 64 kb/s channels), DS-O (64
kb/s) and DS-OA (56kb/s).

MTP Level 2 ensures accurate end-to-end transmission of a message across a signaling link.
Level 2 implements flow control, message sequence validation and error checking. When and
error occurs on a signaling link, the message (or set of messages) is retransmitted. MTP Level 2
is equivalent to the OSI Data Link Layer.

MTP Level 3 provides message routing between signaling points in the SS7 network. MTP
Level 3 re-routes traffic away from failed links and signaling points and controls traffic when
congestion occurs. MTP Level 3 is equivalent to the OSI Network Layer.

ISDN User Part (ISUP)

The ISDN User Part (ISUP) defines the protocol used to set-up, manage and release trunk
circuits that carry voice and data between terminating line exchanges (e.g., between a calling
party and a called party). ISUP is used for both ISDN and non-ISDN calls. However, calls that
originate and terminate at the same switch do not ISUP signaling.

Telephone User Part (TUP)

Telephone User Part (TUP) is used to support basic call setup and tear-down. TUP handles
analog circuits only.

Signaling Connection Control Part (SCCP)

SCCP provides connectionless and connection-oriented network services and global title
translation (GTT) capabilities above MTP Level 3. A global title is and address (e.g., a dialed
800 number, calling card number or mobile subscriber identification number) that is translated
by SCCP into a destination point code and subsystem number. A subsystem number uniquely
identifies and application at the destination signaling point. SCCP is used as the transport layer
for TCAP-based services.

Transaction Capabilities Applications Part (TCAP)

TCAP supports the exchange of non-circuit related data between applications across the SS7
network using the SCCP connectionless service. Queries and responses sent between SSPs and
SCPs are carried in TCAP messages. For example, and SSP sends a TCAP query to determine
the routing number associated with a dialed 800/888 number and to check the personal
identification number (PIN) of a calling card user. In mobile networks (IS-41 and
GSM), TCAP carries Mobile Application Part (MAP) messages sent between mobile
switches and databases to support user authentication, equipment identification