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Megaco H.248
Megaco H.248, also known as H.248 or Megaco Text, is a protocol that manages multimedia communication sessions between media gateways and media gateway controllers within next-generation networks, often used in Voice over IP (VoIP) architectures. It enables signaling and control functions essential for voice, video, and data transfer across various communication networks..
Megaco, standardized as H.248 by ITU-T, is a protocol primarily designed to control media gateways on Internet Protocol (IP) networks and the public switched telephone network (PSTN). It separates the call control functions handled by media gateway controllers from the media conversion tasks performed by media gateways. The protocol enables flexible service deployment, interoperability between vendors, and scalability of large VoIP networks.
Megaco supports a text-based message encoding (port 2944) and a binary ASN.1 encoding (typically on port 2945). The text version is human-readable, facilitating troubleshooting and debugging, albeit with some additional bandwidth overhead. Through commands, responses, and notifications, Megaco defines operations such as setting up and tearing down calls, managing media streams, and controlling media resources like tones and announcements.
This protocol is typically deployed in softswitch architectures, carrier-grade VoIP, and broadband telephony services. It communicates user actions, network events, and media status, enabling seamless call control integration across multi-vendor network components, which is crucial in modern converged voice-data infrastructures.