Digital Switching Architecture

In digital switching system design, architectural considerations involve much more than simply replacing an analog switching network with a digital switching network. Several fundamental questions must be answered, and each must then be followed by a large number of decisions, most of which involve trade-offs. Some of the most prominent questions that require major decisions up front are: 1. What is the intended application and maximum size of the switching system? 2. What type of voice encoding should be adopted? 3. How should lines and trunks be interfaced and conditioned for the switching network? 4. What network architecture should be selected? 5. How should signaling and service circuits be handled? 6. What control concept should be used? 7. How should maintenance diagnostics, traffic management, and switching-system administration be accommodated? 8. What recent technological advances should be considered for implementation in the system? 9. What future potential innovations should the design be planned to accommodate?