Definition: SS7 supports the exchange of special-purpose messages on public telephone networks. For example, using SS7, telephone companies can implement modern consumer telephone services such as call forwarding.
SS7 messages pass over a separate channel than that used for voice communication. This technique is commonly referred to as "out of band" signaling.
Out-of-band communication techniques like those in SS7 are commonly utilized in computer networking. The File Transfer Protocol (FTP), for example, communicates out-of-band by utilizing two different channels and TCP port numbers, one for data traffic and one for "control" information.
Also Known As: Signaling System 7
