• The advantages of the Softswitch vs. the traditional circuit switch are:
• New services and revenue stream for service providers
• Flexibility in deployment and operation
• Unified messaging
• Easy integration of dissimilar networks and components
• Lower cost of solution deployment and total ownership

Softswitch technology enables connectivity between the Internet, wireless networks, cable networks and traditional wireline telephony network, which results a converged network.

Distributed Softswitches allow the softswitch control or call agent to be located remotely from the media switching elements, and from the media and signaling gateways to other voice network types. As a result, no traffic passes through the softswitch, only the control and signaling information. This gives a lot of flexibility and scaleability in implementing a VOIP infrastructure.

Integrated Softswitches physically locate all the necessary VOIP functional components within a single switching device, which is usually configured to present totally, or mainly, legacy TDM interfaces. The result is a switch that looks like a standard TDM switch on the outside, but uses VOIP technology internally. Some integrated softswitches support broadband interfaces over which they can control remote gateways, and therefore act as a type of pseudo-distributed switch. Integrated softswitches are to some extent special-purpose products: They can be attractive for small rural locations, for certain regulatory jurisdictions that emphasize facilities-based voice services, and for capping the installation of new legacy TDM switches.

Class 5 softswitches can handle CLASS and other telephony services, as opposed to just call connections, and therefore provide a replacement for conventional PSTN Class 5 switches.

Class 4 softswitches can handle high-volume toll/trunk switching, and therefore provide a replacement for conventional PSTN Class 4 switches.