How to communicate with Telecom infrastructure using .NET

Question

I am currently writing some pretty gnarly C#/C++/Cli code to interface with Telecommunication equipement and GSM Mobile Networks for a couple of the major telecom here and abroad. GSM networks primarily use SS7 Signaling using a protocol called TCAP to send messages back and forth to Signaling Points within the network. The laws of Tcp/ip do not apply here :)

I am very interested in hearing from others in this space specifically individuals using the .NET framework most likely using C# / C++. I have not come across any .NET libraries or tools to assist in this sort of development.

Most of the software in this industry is "C" / Java based, as a result I have written tons of infrastructure .NET code using C# where possible and C++ / CLI to interface with hardware.

Is anyone aware of any .NET language tools for this niche industry?

Answer 1

I visited an event organized by Microsoft Netherlands about a company called Artilium. They developed a .NET 3.5 platform on top of the telecommunication stack.

http://www.artilium.com/arta/microsoft/

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Just a quick note to add that many network are now migrating to SIGTRAN which essentially allows TCAP and similar protocols be carried over IP.

This makes little difference at the application level, but I mention it in case physical connectivity costs are important in your project as IP cards and SIGTRAN stacks are generally cheaper than dedicated SS7 cards.