traffic analaysis.pdf

7/23/2019 Traffic Analaysis.PDF

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Introduction

The need for Traffic Analysis.

In todays market conditions it is essential for network operatorsto achieve maximum utilisation from the capital investment intheir network infrastructure and at the same time be ready toextend the network in a timely fashion to meet future demand.

dd to this the need for revenue assurance, coupled with themaintenance of quality of service so that new customers can be

attracted and retained, and it is not difficult to see thatachieving maximum profitability is no easy matter.

The key to meeting these business objectives is being completelyin control of the network: knowing how it is performing now andhow it has performed in the past in order that its future can belanned for growth and maintenance in the most cost-effective

way. If you dont know how your network is performing, then youcant know if your business is performing optimally.The timelygathering and analysis of the wealth of information the switcheson a network make available can have immediate, positiveimpacts on four key areas of a telecom operators business:Engineering, Operations, Planning and Marketing.

This article describes how the derivation of Key PerformanceIndicators (KPIs) from the operational measurements, orstatistics, and the billing files can reduce operating costs,increase network efficiency, reduce capital investment, produceetter marketing campaigns, increase customer satisfaction,

reduce interconnect costs, and a great deal more.

Two types of analyses are derived from the operationalstatistics and billing files. These are called Traffic analysis andCDR (Call Detail Record) analysis respectively in this article.

The switches produce operational statistics at regular intervals,commonly every fifteen minutes. A well-designed traffic analysissystem is capable of gathering the information from all switcheson the network, manipulating it, storing it in a database for trendand historical analysis, and then presenting the data in a human-readable form as reports and graphs using standard, normalisedITU parameters (e.g. %ASR (Answer/Seizure ratio), %ABR(Answer/Bid ratio), Erlangs etc.) so that meaningful comparisons

and informed decisions can be made.

graphical display lets you see traffic patterns and problems

The need for

Traffic Analysis

Im p r o v e P r o f it a b il it yth r o u g h K e yP e r fo r m a n c e

In d ic a to r s

Stanza Consulting Ltd.2a Garden AvenueMitchamSurrey, CR4 2EAU.K.

Tel: +44 (20) 8640 1134Mobile: +44 7764 413 083Fax: +44 (20) 8687 [email protected]

Traffic Analysis


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The operational benefits an operator shouldexpect from such a system include:

The ability to see where networkcongestion is taking place

The ability to see how best to diverttraffic from overflowing trunks

The ability to plan network capacityupgrades in a timely and cost-effective

manner

Maintenance of Quality of Service

Ability to accurately predict theoptimum time to buy more capacity

Trend AnalysisTrend analysis is an extremely important element in network planning andmaintenance. It allows you to predict with confidence when capacity onindividual trunks needs to be increased. In trend analysis the data isaggregated every ndays over the whole period of interest, for the chosenperiod of the day.

A near real-time trunk monitor, automatically updating the display as newdata arrives, allows trunks to be constantly monitored so that dangeroussituations can be noted and corrected before they become catastrophic.Colour coding immediately indicates severity, and the thresholds shouldallow for increasing severity with reductions in value. The performancestatistic to be monitored should be selectable on a trunk-by-trunk basis.

Ability to perform historical analysis

Graphical display of results

Ability to group trunks for comparison of, or totallingindividual group members, or for convenience in reportingand monitoring

Near real-time, auto-updating trunk monitor

Ability to perform trend analysis

Automatically generate and email reports

Ability to export to external programs (e.g. MS-Excel)

Ease of use.

Near real-time Trunk Monitor

Features to look for in Traffic Analysis Benefits of Traffic Analysis

CDR AnalysisTraffic analysis tells you how busy trunks are: CDR analysis takes this to a much finer level of granularity by lettingyou know exactly which calls went down which route. The Operations, Engineering and Marketing departments shouldall benefit from a CDR analysis system which provides comprehensive reporting by particular routes/carriers anddestination combinations, and by trunk direction.

Interconnect Rate Negotiation

By providing detailed and accurate information on currentand predicted future call volumes to specificdestinations, CDR Analysis allows an operator toconfidently negotiate interconnect rates, which oftendepend on an operators ability to guarantee to maintaina minimum level of calls in terms of minutes per month.

Call Routing Validation

Least-Cost-Routing is used to produce optimum callrouting plans. CDR Analysis provides a very quick andeffective means to identify and correct the problems ofoverloaded links resulting in calls regularly overflowingand being routed sub-optimally due to mistakes in therouting tables.

Operations


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International Transit Traffic

CDR Analysis lets an operator analyse the transit trafficfrom each carrier by specific destination (e.g. country,city, or mobile operator) and by country of origin,providing valuable information on which carriers areactively promoting the transit business and allowingsudden changes in transit volumes to be identified andtraced in the highly competitive Least Cost Routingmarket.

Call Failure Analysis

Lower-than-expected ASR rates on a trunk, highlighted byTraffic Analysis, are indicative of problems in routingcalls. However, there may be problems for specificdestinations only, or for specific call types which aremasked by the overall volume of traffic on a trunk. CDRAnalysis provides detailed reports which allow you toidentify such problems and to take remedial action. Byanalysing the failure codes in the call records, CDR

Analysis can report the specific reasons for call failure,allowing you to determine the root cause of the problems,such as congestion in the local, terminating or transitnetworks, or problems with specific carriers.

Call failure analysis can also identify problems such asincorrect routing tables or fraudulent attempts to accessthe network.

EngineeringIt is the task of the Engineering Department to plan the infrastructure requirements to meet the expected trafficgrowth and to ensure that new capacity is brought on-line in a timely fashion. CDR Analysis provides the informationto identify the areas of growth and to adapt the network to changes in traffic patterns.

Traffic Growth PatternsIt is not uncommon for lead times for interconnects to be six months or more; strategic planning and accurateinformation are crucial to smooth, continuous operations. Producing accurate traffic growth forecasts show thetrends which help you to perform just in time purchasing.

Outgoing Traffic PlanningIf you have a large proportion of calls routed to a particular carrier it may be cost-effective to have a direct linkto this carrier. By examining traffic growth trends CDR Analysis can predict when the call termination charges

will exceed the rental cost of a direct link, thereby determining the optimal time to implement the link.Incoming Traffic Planning

Operators with large call volumes from Indirect Access customers may find that their incoming links are in dangerof being swamped as the customer base grows. Call Origin Analysis will allow the leading growth areas to beidentified on a geographical basis. It may be cost-effective to take on an additional Points of Interconnect in theseregions, solving the capacity problem and reducing interconnect costs.

Where links are bi-directional then detailed analysis of incoming and outgoing flows is all the more vital to correctlink sizing.

Marketing

In order to grow both the customer base and customer revenues the Marketing Department must developappropriate sales and marketing campaigns. The information provided by CDR Analysis allows the marketingactivity to be focused upon the areas where it will be most effective.

Customer Profiles

Evaluating your sales and marketing projects is a difficult business.

Call Origin & Destination Analysis allows call patterns to be analysed by customer geographical location, type ofcustomer (e.g. business/residential), and geographical call destination. You can determine if call patterns and

volumes match expectations, which regions of the country consistently produce the highest revenues, and whichdestinations produce the highest call volumes.

Carrier Performance

Calls to specific destinations or call types (e.g. fixed ormobile) can be analysed to see how well eachinterconnect partner is performing. ASR rates may changebetween carriers at different times of the day. Use CDRAnalysis to determine which carriers are best at specifictimes of the day and route calls accordingly to maximiserevenues and limit customer complaints.

Effective sales and marketing campaigns depend on a good knowledge of your customer base and target marketareas. CDR Analysis provides this information, accurately and totally up-to-date.


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Features to look for in CDR Analysis

Keep up with the Competition

Most carriers face stiff competition on services from otheroperators. Business customers are often registered withmore than one carrier and will redirect calls from one dayto the next with a programmable PABX system to thecheapest available carrier, based upon destination. Evensubtle price changes can have a great effect on callpatterns.

Use CDR Analysis to determine call volumes and typesfrom specific regions or from specific customers in orderto detect fluctuations due to competitor price changes orto evaluate the impact of adjustments to your own tariffs.

New Product Launches

Use CDR analysis to analyse patterns on daily basis insteadof waiting for the period billing cycle to find out how wellyour new products are performing on a call volume andrevenue basis. Early evaluation allows you to assess theeffectiveness of your marketing campaigns from theoutset.

Comprehensive, user-maintainable number plan

Ability to classify destinations (fixed, mobile, non-geographic etc.)

Perform call completion code (reason code) analysis

Ability to report at any location level from singlesubscriber to whole world

Reports by carriers or trunks

Reports by origin or destination

Reports by trunk direction Selectable date range

Easy to use

Export to external program (e.g. MS-Excel)

The information required to optimise the network andmaximise profitability through reduced operating costs andimproved revenue assurance is available from the switch. Allthat is required is a system to gather and format the data andpresent it in a form that transforms the data into information.

Key benefits ofTraffic Analysis

Im p r o v e P r o f it a b il it yth r o u g h K e yP e r fo r m a n c e

In d ic a to r s

Stanza Consulting Ltd.2a Garden AvenueMitchamSurrey, CR4 2EAU.K.Tel: +44 (20) 8640 1134Mobile: +44 7764 413 083Fax: +44 (20) 8687 [email protected]

Conclusion

Reduce capital outlay

Increase efficiency

Reduce costs

Maximise Return on

Investment

Identify and resolve network

problems quickly

Improve network planning

Improve network maintenance

Maintain Service Level

Agreements

Reduce churn

Create effective, targeted

marketing campaigns

There are several computer-based systems available whichcan provide all these benefits to some degree or another. TheMatador system from Stanza Consulting is a feature-rich, easy-to-use system which provides all the benefits described,coupled with a very low total cost of ownership.

traffic analaysis.pdf

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