SS7 SIGNALLING TRANSPORT OVER ATM

摘要

A method of and apparatus for transmitting SS7 signals between a single node (such as, for example, Service Control Points (SCPs), Service Switching Points (SSPs) and Signalling Transfer Points (STPs)) and a plurality of other nodes is disclosed. The method involves connecting a node to an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network through a High Speed Link (HSL). A virtual channel for each of the other nodes connected to the ATM network is provisioned on the HSL. Each channel is identified by a Virtual Path Identifier (VPI) and Virtual Channel Identifier (VCI) pair. SS7 signalling data from the single node will be encapsulated with the VCI+VPI pair in an ATM cell and transmitted on the HSL to the ATM network where the ATM cell is transmitted to another node over a Permanent Virtual Circuit (PVC) or Switch Virtual Channe l (SVC). The other node may also be connected to the ATM network through a similar HSL with multiple virtual channels.