Signaling System Number Seven (SS7) Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, Segmented, By Deployment Type (On-premises, Cloud, Hosted), By Protocol Support (SS7 ISUP, SS7 TCAP, SS7 SCCP, SS7 MTP), By End-User Industry (Telecommunications, Banking & Finance, Transportation, Healthcare, Government), By Application (Network Interconnection, Signaling & Routing, Voice over IP (VoIP), Fraud Management, Roaming Services), By Region, By Competition, 2021-2031F

Forecast Period	2027-2031
Market Size (2025)	USD 1.81 Billion
CAGR (2026-2031)	12.71%
Fastest Growing Segment	On-premises
Largest Market	North America
Market Size (2031)	USD 3.71 Billion

Market Overview

The Global Signaling System Number Seven (SS7) Market will grow from USD 1.81 Billion in 2025 to USD 3.71 Billion by 2031 at a 12.71% CAGR. Signaling System Number Seven (SS7) is a set of telephony signaling protocols used to set up and tear down calls, route short message service (SMS) texts, and manage roaming across Public Switched Telephone Networks and cellular networks. The market is primarily sustained by the critical reliance on legacy infrastructure for voice roaming and the fundamental role of SS7 in facilitating high-volume Application-to-Person (A2P) SMS for two-factor authentication. Additionally, the necessity for robust signaling firewalls to protect subscriber privacy and the requirement for protocol conversion to ensure interoperability between legacy 2G/3G systems and modern 4G/5G architectures drive continued investment in this sector.

However, the global market faces a significant impediment due to the accelerated decommissioning of older network generations, which directly shrinks the addressable base for SS7-dependent equipment. This sunsetting of legacy technologies is quantitatively reducing the protocol's footprint; according to the GSMA, in 2024, the combined market share of 2G and 3G networks was forecast to stand at 18% of global mobile connections by the middle of the year. This ongoing decline in legacy connections compels telecommunications operators to divert capital expenditures toward newer signaling standards like Diameter and HTTP/2, thereby constraining SS7 market expansion.

Key Market Drivers

The escalating demand for SS7 firewalls and network security solutions is a primary market driver, necessitated by the protocol's inherent vulnerabilities to interception and fraud. As bad actors exploit these architectural gaps for location tracking and message interception, operators are compelled to fortify their signaling defenses to protect subscriber data and ensure network integrity. This urgency is reflected in the strategic planning of telecommunications providers who are increasingly prioritizing capital investment for advanced signaling firewalls that can filter malicious Global Title traffic. According to the ITW Global Leaders' Forum, October 2025, in the 'GLF Fraud Report 2025', 69% of carriers now classify fraudulent traffic as a top strategic priority, the highest level ever recorded by the organization.

Simultaneously, the market is buoyed by the sustained reliance on 2G and 3G infrastructure in emerging economies, where the transition to next-generation networks faces economic and geographical hurdles. While developed nations accelerate the decommissioning of legacy systems, other regions maintain these networks to support essential voice roaming and widespread IoT ecosystems that depend on SS7 connectivity. According to the Global mobile Suppliers Association, July 2025, in the '2G-3G Switch-Off July 2025' report, Europe accounted for 46% of all global switch-off activity, indicating a significantly slower pace of decommissioning in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Furthermore, according to Ericsson, November 2025, 5G subscriptions reached only one-third of all mobile subscriptions globally, ensuring that the majority of the global user base continues to interact with infrastructure requiring robust SS7 signaling.

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Key Market Challenges

The accelerated decommissioning of legacy network generations constitutes a severe structural impediment to the growth of the Global Signaling System Number Seven (SS7) Market. Because SS7 functions as the foundational signaling protocol for 2G and 3G architectures, the systematic retirement of these networks eliminates the primary operational environment for SS7-dependent infrastructure. As telecommunications service providers prioritize spectrum efficiency and migrate toward 4G and 5G standards, capital expenditure is aggressively diverted away from SS7 maintenance and toward newer signaling protocols such as Diameter and HTTP/2. This transition creates a permanent contraction in the addressable market, effectively rendering legacy signaling equipment obsolete in an increasing number of regions.

This shrinking footprint is substantiated by recent industrial data indicating a rapid increase in network closures globally. According to the 'Global mobile Suppliers Association', in '2024', operators worldwide had identified 254 completed, planned, or in-progress 2G and 3G switch-offs across 77 countries. This substantial volume of network terminations confirms that the installed base for SS7 is dissolving at a pace that directly restricts market expansion opportunities, forcing vendors to contend with a rapidly vanishing client base for their core legacy offerings.

Key Market Trends

The deployment of hybrid interworking functions is emerging as a critical trend as operators navigate the prolonged coexistence of legacy signaling protocols with nascent 5G architectures. Since the migration to 5G Standalone (SA) cores is proceeding slower than anticipated, telecommunications providers are heavily relying on 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) deployments, which utilize the 4G LTE core and its associated SS7 and Diameter signaling for voice fallback and mobility management. This operational reality necessitates advanced Interworking Functions (IWF) that can seamlessly translate between the HTTP/2 protocols of 5G and legacy SS7 standards to maintain service continuity across hybrid environments. According to the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), August 2025, in the '5G Standalone August 2025' report, only 173 operators in 70 countries were investing in public 5G Standalone networks, underscoring the widespread industry reliance on hybrid architectures that require sustained SS7 interoperability.

Simultaneously, the market is witnessing a decisive transition from proprietary hardware-based Signaling Transfer Points (STPs) toward cloud-native and virtualized signaling infrastructure. Operators are increasingly decoupling signaling software from underlying hardware to gain the scalability and agility required for fluctuating network traffic and to integrate signaling controllers within broader Telco Cloud initiatives. This shift allows for the dynamic instantiation of signaling instances in containerized environments, reducing the physical footprint and operational costs associated with maintaining legacy switching equipment. The momentum of this virtualization is evident in the financial performance of key technology vendors; according to TelecomTV, June 2025, in the 'Mavenir grabs a financial lifeline, doubles down on mobile core' article, Mavenir reported that bookings for its cloud-native network portfolio reached USD 650 million for the year ending January 2025, reflecting a 45% increase driven by the sector's migration to software-based signaling and core solutions.

Segmental Insights

The On-premises segment represents the fastest-growing category in the Global Signaling System Number Seven (SS7) Market. This trajectory is fueled by the critical requirement for heightened security and absolute control over sensitive signaling infrastructure. Telecommunication operators are increasingly opting for on-premises deployments to mitigate risks associated with external vulnerabilities and to comply with strict national data sovereignty regulations. By maintaining physical command of the signaling nodes, organizations ensure carrier-grade reliability and low-latency performance, which are essential for managing the integrity of global communication networks while adhering to rigorous industry compliance standards.

Regional Insights

North America leads the global Signaling System Number Seven market due to its extensive telecommunications infrastructure and the widespread adoption of mobile services. This dominance is largely attributed to an increased focus on network security and the mitigation of protocol vulnerabilities. For instance, the Department of Homeland Security has actively emphasized the necessity of securing legacy signaling networks against unauthorized tracking and interception. This regulatory attention compels telecommunication operators to invest in signaling firewalls and analytics solutions. Consequently, the combination of regulatory oversight and established network density solidifies North America as the primary revenue generator in this sector.

Recent Developments

• In October 2025, Arelion announced a partnership with Cellusys to deliver a comprehensive suite of hosted roaming services to its global customer base. This collaboration leveraged the technical capabilities of Cellusys to enhance Arelion's IPX network offerings, which facilitate international mobile roaming and signaling interconnectivity. The new services were designed to support operators in managing complex roaming environments, ensuring the secure and efficient routing of signaling traffic, including legacy Signaling System 7 (SS7) and Diameter protocols. The alliance aimed to provide mobile carriers with improved visibility, security, and control over their international roaming operations while protecting subscriber data.
• In July 2025, Enea released breakthrough research detailing a novel method used by surveillance vendors to bypass Signaling System 7 (SS7) security protections. The cybersecurity firm identified that attackers were manipulating the Transaction Capabilities Application Part (TCAP) of SS7 messages to evade standard firewalls and intrusion detection systems. This sophisticated technique, which had been active since late 2024, allowed unauthorized actors to track mobile subscriber locations by formatting signaling commands in ways that existing security filters failed to decode. The findings highlighted the persistent vulnerabilities in legacy signaling infrastructure and the necessity for advanced decoding logic to counter evolving surveillance tactics.
• In October 2024, Ericsson entered into a strategic partnership with POST Luxembourg to integrate the latter's Telecom Intrusion Detection System (TIDS) into its broader network security portfolio. This collaboration focused on equipping mobile network operators with advanced capabilities to accurately detect and mitigate threats across various critical signaling protocols, including Signaling System 7 (SS7). The partnership enabled the company to offer a reinforced security layer capable of identifying malicious signaling traffic and complex cross-protocol attacks. This move complemented its existing signaling firewall solutions, ensuring robust resilience for mission-critical networks against the industry's evolving landscape of cyber risks.
• In May 2024, Smart Axiata announced a strategic collaboration with SecurityGen to launch a Next Generation Signaling Firewall (NGSF) and Intrusion Detection System (IDS). This initiative was undertaken to significantly strengthen the mobile operator's network infrastructure in Cambodia against an array of cyber threats targeting core signaling protocols. The deployment provided comprehensive cross-protocol protection, specifically safeguarding critical standards such as Signaling System 7 (SS7), Diameter, and GTP. The solution was designed to deeply inspect signaling controls for voice and data, effectively preventing attacks like subscriber tracking and denial of service, thereby enhancing the security of the operator's interconnectivity.

Key Market Players

• Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
• Ericsson AB
• Nokia Corporation
• Cisco Systems, Inc.
• ZTE Corporation
• Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
• Juniper Networks, Inc.
• Dialogic Corporation
• Ribbon Communications
• Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

By Deployment Type	By Protocol Support	By End-User Industry	By Application	By Region
On-premises Cloud Hosted	SS7 ISUP SS7 TCAP SS7 SCCP SS7 MTP	Telecommunications Banking & Finance Transportation Healthcare Government	Network Interconnection Signaling & Routing Voice over IP (VoIP) Fraud Management Roaming Services	North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa

Report Scope:

In this report, the Global Signaling System Number Seven (SS7) Market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

• Signaling System Number Seven (SS7) Market, By Deployment Type:

• On-premises
• Cloud
• Hosted

• Signaling System Number Seven (SS7) Market, By Protocol Support:

• SS7 ISUP
• SS7 TCAP
• SS7 SCCP
• SS7 MTP

• Signaling System Number Seven (SS7) Market, By End-User Industry:

• Telecommunications
• Banking & Finance
• Transportation
• Healthcare
• Government

• Signaling System Number Seven (SS7) Market, By Application:

• Network Interconnection
• Signaling & Routing
• Voice over IP (VoIP)
• Fraud Management
• Roaming Services

• Signaling System Number Seven (SS7) Market, By Region:

• North America
• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Europe
• France
• United Kingdom
• Italy
• Germany
• Spain
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• Australia
• South Korea
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Middle East & Africa
• South Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE