What is Softswitch and How Does it Work?

Switchboard operators, who initially routed telephone calls manually, replace automatic switchboards towards the end of the 1800s with the development of technology. Over the years, technology has progressed as follows; Strowger Switch and Crossbar Switch which use electromagnetic energy to open and close switches, single processor SPCs (Stored Program Control) to manage 10-100 calls per second, Digital Switches that transfer calls with WAN (Wide Area Network) and the latest VoIP Softswitch we use nowadays.

Softswitch (Software Switch) is a software-based telephone switchboard in a telecommunications network that is not based on the special switching hardware of a traditional telephone exchange but runs on a general-purpose computer platform. Shortly, it directs IP packets (VoIP) to reach their destination. This software has the potential to make incoming and outgoing calls over which infrastructure, line, or media gateway, to perform various operations on the phone numbers dialed, to direct emergency lines, and to support various platforms.

The most commonly used switches to route calls over different networks are Class 4 and Class 5 Softswitches.

Class 4 Softswitch ensures safe sound traffic over long distances. When a call is made, this switch chooses the most efficient route, delivering it to the recipient designated by the other party.

Class 5 Softswitch is there to reach the end-user in the system. Featuring call forwarding, conference calls, and voicemail, this switch also enables cost-effective scaling of voice services. The PBX system you choose to route voice traffic is also a Class 5 switch.

VoIP software switches provide coordination with other VoIP or PSTN software switches. A software key is needed to make a search, the software key starts by searching the recipient's IP address database. In the address database, it transmits to other software switches until the IP address of the recipient is found. The call is then transferred to the PSTN. Thanks to this transmission, we can hear the voices of our loved ones instantly.