n others. They are discussed in the following sections. Softswitch Softswitch technology is designed to support next generation networks that rely on packet-based voice, data, and video communications tech- nologies and that can interface with a variety of transport technologies including copper, wireless, and fiber. One goal of the softswitch concept is to functionally separate network hardware from network software. In traditional circuit-switched networks, hardware and software are depen- dent on one another, resulting in what many believe to be an unneces- sarily inextricable relationship. Circuit-switched networks rely on dedicated facilities and are designed primarily for delay-sensitive voice Downloaded from Digital Engineering Library @ McGraw-Hill (www.digitalengineeringlibrary.com) Copyright © 2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved. Any use is subject to the Terms of Use as given at the website. Telecom Market Segments Chapter 8 communications. The goal of softswitch is to bring about dissolution of this interdependent relationship where appropriate. In concert with the evolution of the overall network, the softswitch concept has evolved to address a variety of network payload types. More and more, telecommunications networks are utilizing IP as a fundamen- tal protocol, particularly in the network backbone. This backbone is also making VoIP services viable as an alternative to circuit-switched voice. There is more to softswitch, however, than simply separating the func- tional components of the network. Another key goal is to create an open service-creation development environment so that application develop- ers can create universal products that can be implemented across an entire network. Part of the evolution will include the development of call control models that will seamlessly support data, voice, and multimedia services. We will discuss more specific examples of this functional evolu- tion in the last section of this report. The result of widespread softswitch deployment will be t