Softswitch market outlook optimistic

The overall market for softswitching will increase significantly over last year, according to an analysis by Probe Group. The company, which tracked softswitch sales from last year through the first half of this year, reported that first-quarter 2003 softswitch results represented more than 40% of the entire revenue for last year. A number of major deployments should make the remainder of the year and all of 2004 a pivotal year for the market. From a vendor perspective, Probe is expecting the market to be narrowed to five major players building high-capacity, multifunctional softswitches and a few smaller players serving niche markets.