Softswitches are carrier-class servers that control voice phone calls across circuit- and packet-switched networks, which promise to support intriguing new services by dint of their open application programming interfaces for service software.
The attraction softswitches hold is that they cost about a tenth of regular local phone switches, take up much less space, and have open APIs that enable third-party vendors to write complex services the switches control. They also enable completion of calls between circuit-switched and packet networks, enabling carriers to use a single packet backbone for voice and data traffic.
So-called Internet offload is currently the most practical use of softswitches. Rather than spend millions to buy traditional circuit switches to handle Internet data calls, carriers use less expensive softswitches.
