IP-Centrex Systems : Ericsson

Ericsson became interested in Centrex over 10 years ago, when the service was first introduced to Europe, but has not become a significant player in wireline Centrex. However, Ericsson makes three major contributions to the overall IP-Centrex market, as follows:

- A product known as G-Nexus, or GSM Mobile Centrex, delivers PBX-like functionality over a public mobile phone network, using GSM technology, which is the most widely deployed wireless standard in the world. Ericsson-made equipment supports over one-half of the world's GSM users, and its G-Nexus has IP access facilities, with a managed IP network between the enterprise and the Centrex node at the network operator's site. This mobile or fixed access to G-Nexus uses an H.323 media gateway to link to the AXE-based Centrex node, providing business group communications. The latest version of Ericsson's central office, the AXE Local 7.2, is a UNIX-based system that is really a transition product, partway between a legacy circuit switch and a softswitch. Ericsson's softswitch product, known as the IPT 2.1, has an all-IP architecture, supports H.323 protocol, and is intended as a signaling processor for multimedia service delivery. This is illustrated in Figure 2.


Figure 2: Ericsson's IPT 2.1 domains.

- Ericsson was an early starter in the VoIP (transmission) market during 1997 and is now one of the largest suppliers of VoIP gateways.

- Ericsson has become the most successful supplier of in-building wireless phone sets, which can work with PBXs and Centrex services from other suppliers, such as Siemens and Nortel.