A scalable mobile network with distributed micro-switches in the base stations

This paper proposes a scalable distributed micro-switching network, possibly integrating mobile and fixed services. The traditional centralized switches are replaced with an access network consisting of small on-chip micro-switches distributed throughout the network. The micro-switches are located in the base-stations for the mobile part of the network. A cell-based common channel signaling system is introduced in order to decrease the hardware volume of each switching system. The signaling system proves suitable for a network with a large number of nodes, as it decreases the transmission delays. Finally we show how the call set-up and handover procedure for mobile users can be solved with this kind of signaling system.