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Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) – signaling system 7 (SS7) interworking enables high-bandwidth ATM networks to integrate seamlessly with traditional circuit-switched SS7–based digital telecommunication networks. The interworking allows subscribers in one network to communicate transparently with subscribers in the other network.
Major carriers are rapidly deploying ATM in both public and private networks as a result of its simplicity, flexibility, and ability to support high-bandwidth applications efficiently. Even the third-generation networks, which present a uniform view to both mobile and fixed subscribers, have also been widely using ATM as an underlying technology. The traditional SS7–based telephony networks are widely deployed around the entire globe. Whenever a new network is set up, it must provide connectivity with the existing networks. Thus, wherever the ATM and SS7 networks interface, interworking functions should be defined to interconnect the two and provide services transparently to the subscribers of these networks. Interworking between SS7 and ATM networks primarily involves signaling interworking, bearer service mapping, and traffic interworking, among other functions.
The main functions of an ATM–SS7 gateway can be broadly categorized as the following:
Source: IEC Tutorial
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