Allowing users to simulate SIP signaling with encapsulated ITU/ANSI/ETSI (News - Alert) ISUP messages, GL Communications Inc. has announced the release of its latest product MAPS SIP-I.

The new offering is an advanced protocol simulator/tester for SIP-ISUP simulation over IP. MAPS SIP-I can simulate SIP-ISUP signaling specification as defined by the ITU / IETF standards ITU-T Q.1912.5.

The company stated that the important features of MAPS SIP-I include support for both UDP (News - Alert) and TCP; handling Retransmissions and remote Retransmissions; support for complete customization of call flow and messages; simulation for Signaling Gateway (News - Alert), Softswitch as UAC, UAS, in the network; fully integrated, complete test environment for SIP-I; generation and processing of SIP-I valid and invalid messages and son, the company stated in a press release.

Karthik Ramalingam, Project Manager at GL, said, “VoIP networks predominantly use SIP to setup and tear down voice calls and increasingly for video and multimedia calls. PSTN networks predominantly use SS7 to do the same. PSTN SS7 signaling is quite different from SIP signaling and in many cases PSTN SS7 signaling may be richer than SIP. There may be no one-to-one correspondence between SIP signaling messages and SS7 signaling messages.”

It is advantageous to transport voice using SIP with SS7 routing capabilities intact as the mobile network uses SS7 signaling throughout and is evolving to an all IP network, and hence, there is a need for SIP to SS7 interworking. The basic SS7 messaging is shown in the first picture. The ISUP messages are carried (encapsulated) along with SIP signaling messages, when a SIP-I is used to bridge the SS7 endpoints.

Recently, the company announced that it was looking to help better manage any traffic over T1 E1 lines including voice, fax and VoIP. With its latest release, the T1 E1 Analyzer Software Version 6.07, things like voice peering and signaling will become a lot easier. GL Communication’s Windows Client Server (WCS ver. 3.30) application has been upgraded with new DSP operators for wideband codec transmission and reception.

Want to learn more about Session Initiation Protocol (News - Alert)? Be sure to attend the SIP Tutorial Conference collocated with TMC’s ITEXPO West 2011, taking place Sept. 13-15, 2011, in Austin, Texas. The SIP Tutorial, co-sponsored by TMC Partner Crossfire Media, is a full day training program that will focus on SIP technology from SIP messaging, though Server types, Security, Firewall and NAT operation, SIP Trunking, Troubleshooting and SIP in Unified Communications (News - Alert). To register, click here.