Skip to main content

OmniMSC Operations Guide

OmniMSC is a 3GPP-compliant Mobile Switching Center server developed by Omnitouch. It provides circuit-switched voice, SMS, supplementary services, and mobility management for GSM and UMTS radio access networks, with interworking toward SIP, ISUP, and LTE via CS Fallback.

OmniMSC implements the MSC server role defined in 3GPP TS 23.002, with protocol support spanning TS 24.008 (CC/MM/SS), TS 29.002 (MAP), TS 29.078 (CAP), TS 23.272 (SGs/CSFB), RFC 3261 (SIP), and ITU-T Q.767 (ISUP).


Architecture Overview

MSC-A is the central connection manager. Each subscriber attachment creates an MSC-A process that owns the SCCP connection and coordinates the VLR, CC FSM, SMS, USSD, and supplementary service subsystems for that subscriber. External interfaces fan out from these subsystems to the network elements shown on the right.


Features

CategoryCapabilities
VoiceMO and MT calls, call hold, multi-party conference (MPTY), explicit call transfer (ECT), emergency calls with PSAP routing
SMSMO-SMS and MT-SMS via MAP to SMSc, SMS over SGs for CSFB-attached subscribers
USSDNetwork-initiated and mobile-initiated USSD, relay to external USSD gateway or local handling
Supplementary ServicesCall forwarding (CFU/CFB/CFNR/CFNRC), call barring (BAOC/BOIC/BAIC), call waiting, CLIP/CLIR
CAMELCAMEL Phase 2 service control via CAP interface to gsmSCF, IDP triggering, BCSM event monitoring
CS FallbackSGs interface to MME, combined attach, paging via SGs, SMS over SGs
MSC PoolNRI-based TMSI allocation, pool-area load distribution, non-broadcast LAI
Emergency CallsConfigurable emergency number table, SIM-less call support, location-based PSAP routing
MediaMGCP call agent for media gateway control, codec negotiation, conference bridge resources
TrunkingSIP peers (UDP/TCP/TLS) and ISUP trunk groups with full circuit management
MonitoringPrometheus metrics, web control panel (LiveView), CDR generation

Documentation

Core

DocumentDescription
Configuration ReferenceComplete parameter documentation for all subsystems
RoutingNumber analysis, route table configuration, trunk selection logic

Voice & Media

DocumentDescription
Call FlowsSequence diagrams for MO/MT voice calls, hold, conference, DTMF
SIP TrunkingSIP peer configuration, re-INVITE handling, session timers, DTMF relay
ISUP TrunkingISUP/SS7 trunk groups and circuit management procedures
Media & CodecsMGCP gateway control, codec negotiation, conference bridge

Messaging & Services

DocumentDescription
SMSMO/MT SMS routing, delivery attempts, and MAP procedures
USSDUSSD relay to external gateways and local handling
Supplementary ServicesCall forwarding, call barring, call waiting, CLIP/CLIR, MPTY conference

Interworking

DocumentDescription
MAP OperationsHLR and SMSc MAP procedures (location update, authentication, SMS routing)
CAMEL & CAPCAMEL service control, Initial DP, BCSM event handling
SgS & CSFBCS Fallback via SGs interface to MME, combined attach, paging

Security & Identity

DocumentDescription
Authentication & SecurityAKA vectors, cipher mode negotiation, TMSI reallocation
MSC PoolMSC-in-Pool operation, NRI-based TMSI, pool-area configuration

Operations & Management

DocumentDescription
Control PanelWeb-based management UI on port 4000
REST APIREST API on port 8444 for external integration
CDR & BillingCall detail record format, generation triggers, file output
Metrics & MonitoringPrometheus telemetry endpoints and PromQL query examples
TroubleshootingCommon issues, diagnostic procedures, and resolution steps

Documentation by Role

Operators

Day-to-day monitoring and incident response. Start here:

  1. Control Panel — real-time subscriber, call, and alarm visibility
  2. Troubleshooting — symptom-based lookup for common problems
  3. Metrics & Monitoring — Prometheus dashboards and alerting rules

Integrators

Connecting OmniMSC to the surrounding network. Start here:

  1. Configuration Reference — all parameters for every interface
  2. SIP Trunking — SIP peer setup, codec profiles, failover
  3. ISUP Trunking — SS7 trunk group provisioning
  4. MAP Operations — HLR and SMSc connectivity
  5. SgS & CSFB — MME integration for CS Fallback

Network Planners

Capacity planning and network design. Start here:

  1. Routing — number analysis and route table design
  2. MSC Pool — pool dimensioning, NRI allocation, rolling upgrades