BroadForward Protocol interworking empowers operators with advanced multi-protocol routing and interworking. It designed to enable signaling scenarios between and across 3GPP based networks (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, IMS) and non-3GPP networks (Wi-Fi, Cable, DSL, FTTH, Fixed). The productized solution offers users a flexible and integrated set of routing and service creation capabilities that work out-of-the-box and need no scripting or vendor involvement.
Interworking across technologies
Over the last decades a growing number of signaling protocols and interfaces have been introduced to mobile networks to provide distinct connectivity, functions and features across many products of as many vendors. While the industry at large is still relying on SS7 and Diameter based connectivity, 5G relies on HTTP/2. Protocol interworking is not only required to ensure integration and a smooth transition between protocols of existing Mobile Fixed/Wi-Fi, IT domains but also to enable connectivity to the 5G (HTTP/2 based) Next Generation Core. For most vendors, operators and integrators, adding these interfaces to individual network products usually results in costly, time- and resource-consuming development projects.
Disadvantages of the traditional upgrade approach
Establishing interoperability by upgrading systems or integrating new protocol stacks often requires significant product changes as well as expertise and resources which are only limitedly available in most organizations. And, more importantly, these interface adaptations distract them from their core tasks. And this is not where it stops. Once the new interface is developed, the flexibility to support different applications, releases and (vendor-specific) variants is generally very limited, which leads to additional development and customization work.
BroadForward Protocol interworking
BroadForward offers advanced protocol interworking for multi-vendor environments across 3GPP based networks (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, IMS) and non-3GPP networks (Wi-Fi, Cable, DSL, FTTH, Fixed). The productized software solution offers a flexible and integrated set of routing and service creation capabilities that work out-of-the-box and have no need for scripting or development. The on-board interworking function enables connections to and from virtually any Network or IT interface. The BroadForward Protocol interworking solution features a rich set of translation, conversion and service logic functions for a wide range of protocols, such as Diameter, RADIUS, HTTP, SOAP, REST, XML, JSON, LDAP, SS7 (MAP/CAP/INAP), ENUM, SIP, TCP/IP, UDP and SCTP. Due to the modular architecture, BroadForward offers unrivalled multi-protocol interworking flexibility to add or adapt interfaces in a short time frame.
Example use cases
Some examples of interworking cases BroadForward can handle:
- 4G-5G Signaling interworking
- SS7 – Diameter – HTTP: 3G – 4G interworking for transitional purposes or authentication in roaming scenarios;
- RADIUS – Diameter: integration Wi-Fi / Fixed into Mobile core for Policy and Charging (connecting AAA/WAG/BRAS to OCS and PCRF);
- RADIUS – SS7: Wi-Fi to Cellular authentication (connecting AAA/WAG/BRAS to HLR/HSS);
- Network – IT integration: for database interaction, subscriber lookup, roaming steering, legacy billing integration, etc. (LDAP, SOAP, XML/HTTP, REST …);
- INAP – ENUM: for Number Portability lookups, routing, mediation, caching.
Benefits
Using BroadForward Interworking has many advantages over traditional upgrade and development approaches:
- Shorter time-to-market for new, innovative use cases. Enabling advanced use cases across vendor and technology boundaries;
- No or minimal software development and expertise required: connectivity operational in a matter of hours or days, rather than weeks or months;
- Lower costs by avoiding expensive interface related CR’s on existing products;
- Extended economic lifetime of systems, BroadForward Interworking adds required connectivity functionality;
- Independent solution, reduces dependency on any particular product vendor and their R&D availability (“vendor lock-in”);
- Built-in flexibility to quickly adjust and customize interfaces to specific customer environments, and to add service logic, mediation and other interfaces and features.
- Runs on any off-the-shelf hardware or in a virtualized environment. It is a 100% software based solution, hardware-agnostic and support virtualization and cloud deployment as well as containerized application deployment.