Megaco/H.248: A new standard for media gateway control

Arango and Huitema [1] were the first to propose a new architecture for voi ce-over-IF networks, physically separating call control from media and bear er control. This separation created the need for a new class of protocol to link the two units. The Media Gateway Control Protocol is now seeing limit ed deployment for that purpose. However, MGCP is optimized for circuit to p acket voice connections and has a North American bias in the types of event s it can handle. A new protocol has been standardized by the IETF Megaco Wo rking Group working together with ITU-T Study Group 16, which has been publ ished as both a standards-track RFC and ITU-T Recommendation H.248. This pr otocol extends media gateway control to include a transport-independent con nection model, support for more advanced services such as multimedia confer encing, and support for operation in countries around the world. The presen t article provides a technical description of the features of Megaco/H.248.