Abstract: An arrangement for coupling a SCP (Signaling Control Point) and Signaling Transfer Point (STP) nodes of a SS7 network is disclosed. The arrangement includes an aggregated signaling gateway arrangement (ASGA), which includes at least a first signaling gateway and a second signaling gateway. The first signaling gateway is coupled between the SCP and a first STP node of the SS7 network. The second signaling gateway is coupled between the SCP and a second STP node of the SS7 network, the first signaling gateway and the second gateway being associated with a single SS7 point code.

Abstract: An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium having computer readable code embodied therein is disclosed. The computer readable code is configured to enable selective discarding of messages received at a receiving device coupled to a telecommunication network. There is included code for ascertaining whether a type associated with a received message at the receiving device is one of protected message types. There is further included code for passing, if the type associated with the received message is the one of the protected message types, the received message to an application irrespective of an age of the received message, the age being representative of a time duration that the message has been present in the receiving device.