Study on application of softswitch in wireless networks

Today's wireless communication network is in the revolution from the 2nd generation (2G) such as GSM to the 3rd generation networks such as UMTS. The NGN is considered as the ultimate goal of this revolution. This paper introduces a study on how softswitch, the core element of NGN, is applied in the evolving wireless communication network. After a brief overview of NGN and softswitch, this paper provides the new softswitch-involved reference architectures for various wireless networks. It then describes how softswitch can collaborate with other network elements to accomplish call handling for mobile users in wireless networks.