Diameter Signaling Controller in next-generation signaling networks

The Diameter protocol is used widely in all-IP networks. Nearly everything that is connected to or is part of a network uses the protocol in some way. The number of signaling messages being sent is rising rapidly, which is putting pressure on all parts of the network – and particularly on gateways, charging systems, policy servers and user-data repositories. Deploying a Diameter Signaling Controller (DSC) – a key network component – can relieve some of this pressure while boosting operational efficiency and increasing the reliability of the internal signaling network.

The purpose of a Diameter Signaling Controller (DSC) is to facilitate the ever-increasing use of Diameter signal­ing in mobile networks, This key network component supports the scaling of Diameter-signaling networks, which will be significantly beneficial when the growth of mobile data and VoLTE traffic requires the deployment of multiple HSS, MME, PCRF, P-CSCF and PGW network elements.

The growth in sig­naling traffic is expected to reflect the growth in mobile data traffic – a tenfold increase between 2011 and 2016. From 2014, growth will be accentuated by the introduc­tion of VoLTE and the amount of signaling traffic will be further increased as the installed base of GSM/WCDMA packet-switching networks starts to transition from SS7 to Diameter.

The emergence of the Diameter protocol as a fundamental part of network signaling in the EPC and IMS has created the need for a signaling-controller network element that facil­itates configuration and increases the robustness of the network. This network element, the Diameter Signaling Controller (DSC), is mission-criti­cal and requires telecom-grade soft­ware and hardware.