Ericsson Deploying Energy Saving Mobile Softswitch in Australia

Ericsson says that it is assisting Australia's Telstra to simplify its mobile network by deploying the world's first Mobile Softswitch Solution based on blade technology. It will also reduce the energy use of the softswitch by up to 60 percent per subscriber.

Telstra started this transformation in 2007 when it became the first operator in the world to implement a common GSM-WCDMA Mobile Switching Center-Server (MSC-S) pool network, which is now in full commercial service. Commercial implementation of the next-generation Mobile Softswitch Solution using the new MSC-S Blade Cluster has just started.

This platform provides ultra-high capacity, supporting up to eight million subscribers with only two cabinets. The footprint can be as little as 10 percent of that for existing servers, reducing energy consumption.

Mike Wright, Telstra's Executive Director of Wireless, says the completion of the world's first MSC-S pool architecture for a common GSM-WCDMA mobile core network means a more flexible and robust mobile network for Telstra's mobile customers.

Telstra will be the first operator to implement the MSC-S Blade Cluster commercially after selecting Ericsson to upgrade its mobile core network with the next generation of Mobile Softswitch Solution. "With MSC-Server Blade Cluster technology, we will be able to provide an improved service level to our customers and dramatically reduce our costs at the same time," Wright says.

With the MSC Server Blade Cluster deployed in a pooled network, Telstra will be able to reduce the number of MSC nodes in its network by 75 percent while cutting the time needed to deploy additional capacity and functionality flexibly when traffic increases.

Posted to the site on 2nd April 2008