SaskTel has deployed BroadForward Next Generation Diameter Signaling Controller in its wireless network – replacing their F5 SDC Diameter routers.
SaskTel engineers will have the ability to integrate and operate intelligent Diameter signaling scenarios across networks and vendor-specific implementations after the deployment of the BroadForward DSC.
The BroadForward DSC offers support for signaling scenarios across other protocols such as SS7, SIP, ENUM, RADIUS and HTTP. SaskTel assessed Diameter router vendors and selected the BroadForward DSC to replace their F5 SDC Diameter routers.
SaskTel offers mobile, fixed/Wi-Fi, IPTV, landline, and security services to 1.4 million plus customer connections in the province of Saskatchewan in Canada. SaskTel reports revenue of $1.2 billion.
SaskTel’s telecom engineers are able to configure, multi-protocol routing and interworking software solution to orchestrate converged signaling services across 2G, 3G, 4G, Fixed/Wi-Fi networks and ultimately 5G.
“The DSC provides SaskTel with an integrated set of signaling routing and multi-protocol interworking capabilities. This interworking touches everything from simple data usage, billing, roaming, lost and stolen device checking, and service enablement for our Fusion service,” Daryl Godfrey, chief technology officer of SaskTel, said.
SaskTel has approximately 1.35 million customer connections including 610,000 wireless accesses, 345,000 wireline network accesses, 283,000 Internet accesses and 112,000 maxTV subscribers.
DSC market forecast
The latest IHS Markit report says the global Diameter signaling controller (DSC) market grew 5 percent to $819.3 million in 2017. Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia, Oracle, Mavenir, BroadForward, ZTE and Cisco are some of the major DSC vendors.
Despite growth in licenses, DSC revenue is expected to drop at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 0.1 percent through 2022, due to downward pricing pressure.
“The reason for falling prices in 2017 was increased competition, with larger telecom vendors discounting DSCs as part of larger packages. Incumbent DSC vendors have also been willing to go low to keep customers,” said Diane Myers, senior research director, VoIP, UC, and IMS at IHS Markit.
