IXC Softswitch. How to choose the module you need?

• QoS Monitor;
  
• Gatekeeper.
  

• Protocol Transcoding - program module for protocol conversion;
  
• Media Transcoding - program module for Codec conversion;
  
• Financial Tools - utilities for accounting of financial aspects of enterprise activity;
  
• VoIP Prepaid - program module for retail prepaid service like net2phone or go2call.
  

The monitor of connection quality can be useful for all customers without exception.
When the essential characteristics of calls go down (average call duration, average successfully ratio, traffic volume), the system sends alarms to operator’s e-mail. Apart from information about deteriorating characteristics, the system provides indicating QoS value.
QoS Value is calculated on the base of indexes of time of packets delivery, jitter and quantity of loses at the moment of voice transmission.
Thus you receive information about problems earlier than calls from dissatisfied users.
Apart from sending periodical messages, the system lists active alarms, which can be seen by the means of web-interface.

Note:

1) QoS valuation for each call takes place at the moment of passing voice packets via softswitch. If incomplete proxying is used, system will treat only deviation of characteristics of calls (average call duration, average successfully ratio, traffic volume).
2) Quality monitor allows also to give out alarm when traffic from customers is absent.

The module provides support of gatekeeper functions for receiving calls and work with outer gatekeepers for sending calls. It can be useful for work with different VoIP services providers, which provide their services via gatekeeper only.

Note
You should advise on this issue with your engineers. They probably know how often you work with gatekeepers.

• Protocol Transcoding;
  
• Media Transcoding;
  
• Financial Tools;
  
• VoIP Prepaid
  

Protocol Transcoding Module enables VoIP traffic transcoding from SIP protocol to H.323 and vice versa, from H.323 to SIP. Moreover, with the help of Protocol Transcoding the Softswitch can handle MGCP sygnalling by acting as Call Agent.
Enhancement of the softswitch functionality can be interesting for end users service providers that require call transcoding from client's SIP equipment into H.323 protocol, - which is typical for traffic exchange between providers.
In a general case, transcoding can be used when arranging a VoIP network using equipment of various manufacturers.

Madia Transcoding Module enables either transcoding of voice streams from one media-codec to another, or buffering changing. The module supports G.729a, G.7231 and G.711 codecs and implements conversion from one codec into another. Apart from this, the module can fulfil voice packets buffering changing without conversion.
With this module you will be able to satisfy requirements of any service provider that require strict codec fixation.
The module revealed high efficiency when connecting IP-PBX to VoIP network. As a rule, IP-PBX's work with G.711 only. So you get possibility to convert the calls received in G.711 into G.729 or G.723.

Financial tools allow to control payments and account invoices.
These tools contain minimum accounting module, which allows to keep accounting and control of enterprises without use of external accounting programs.

• Information about traffic of each of the company;
  
• Information about issued invoices;
  
• Information about made payments;
  
• Information about payments, made by customers.
  

On the base of this data, the system calculates balance of each company, remaining balance and make a revenue forecast.

• Funds movement between customer services and accounts (Cash Flow);
  
• Report on Invoices with Pro Forma Profit and Losses (Profit and Losses);
  
• Customer Payables and Receivables Report (Client Report);
  
• Summary Report (Profit Report);
  
• Shareholders Report;
  
• Full Financial Report;
  
  • Group Report;
    
  • Call Summary Report;
    
  • Report of Card Accounts (Account and Bill Report).
  
  
  
  Complete information on Financial Tools is available in Financial Tools section.
  
  Note:
  

  You shouldn't think that financial module relieves you from the need to keep accounting. Work with the module, as with any other accounting, is quite laborious process, which demands a lot of attention.

  
  
  
  

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  VoIP Prepaid
  
  

  The module allows to authorize customers by prefix, a unique first part of a number dialled. The module is used for development of such services as IXCPHONE or work with clients, whose IP address can change in the process of work.
  When a call comes to the softswitch, the module automatically tries to identify aclient according ro encoded first part of the number.
  In the two most recent versions, the module was extended to be compatible with RAS authentification and support of GK-clients for the purposes of inceasing security during login and password transmission.

  
  Note:
  
  VoIP Prepaid Module is required for IXCPHONE SOlution.
  
  
  

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  Additional Information
  
  
  

  List of softswitch's functions is available at Functional characteristics of Softswitch.
  Learn more about Softswitch modules during on-line testing.