Abstract: A system and method for operating a cellular network is disclosed. The system includes a cellular network, a transport plane software defined switch (SDS), and a controller. The transport plane SDS is inserted in the transport plane and forwards user data packets between nodes of the cellular network based on forwarding attributes of the data packets. The controller includes a control plane database that stores a correspondence between the forwarding attributes and the cellular attributes of the plurality of nodes. The controller is configured to receive user input specifying a forwarding change in the transport plane SDS in terms of one of the cellular attributes. The controller uses the control plane database to determine a forwarding attribute corresponding to the one of the cellular attributes and downloads a forwarding rule to the transport plane SDS.

Abstract: A system and method for operating a cellular network is disclosed. The system includes a cellular network, a transport plane software defined switch (SDS), and a controller. The transport plane SDS is inserted in the transport plane and forwards user data packets between nodes of the cellular network based on forwarding attributes of the data packets. The controller includes a control plane database that stores a correspondence between the forwarding attributes and the cellular attributes of the plurality of nodes. The controller is configured to receive user input specifying a forwarding change in the transport plane SDS in terms of one of the cellular attributes. The controller uses the control plane database to determine a forwarding attribute corresponding to the one of the cellular attributes and downloads a forwarding rule to the transport plane SDS.

Abstract: Apparatus for determining a protocol of messages traversing a signalling link in a telecommunications network includes a memory for storing one or more predetermined characteristic of a message in the protocol that can be used to distinguish that protocol from other protocols. A protocol auto-discovery module is coupled to the memory and to a module that extracts channels from signalling link timeslots. The protocol auto-discovery module determines whether the predetermined characteristic is present in the sampled message and identifies the signalling link as carrying messages in the particular protocol if the predetermined characteristic is present in the sampled message. The identification may be based on a confidence measure stored in a channel configuration table which is incremented when a message on the signalling link is identified as being in that particular protocol and decremented when a message is identified as being in another protocol.

Abstract: Identifications of signalling and bearer circuits carrying signalling information and communications traffic (e.g. voice calls) for the same communication are correlated by recognising a predetermined pattern in the communications traffic signals, and identifying signalling messages by reference to information contained in the messages relating to time of occurrence of the related communications traffic.

Abstract: Apparatus for determining a protocol of messages traversing a signalling link in a telecommunications network includes a memory for storing one or more predetermined characteristic of a message in the protocol that can be used to distinguish that protocol from other protocols. A protocol auto-discovery module is coupled to the memory and to a module that extracts channels from signalling link timeslots. The protocol auto-discovery module determines whether the predetermined characteristic is present in the sampled message and identifies the signalling link as carrying messages in the particular protocol if the predetermined characteristic is present in the sampled message. The identification may be based on a confidence measure stored in a channel configuration table which is incremented when a message on the signalling link is identified as being in that particular protocol and decremented when a message is identified as being in another protocol.