A softswitch is the central device in a telecommunications network – it connects telephone calls from one phone line to another, entirely by means of software running on a computer system. A softswitch is typically used to control connections at the junction point between circuit and packet networks. A single device containing both the switching logic and the switching fabric can be used for this purpose; however, modern technology has led to a preference for decomposing this device into a Call Agent and a Media Gateway.
