Characterizing voice transmission performance for evolving business networks

Today's large businesses typically have complex voice networks that combine carrier-provided network services and private facilities (customer-owned or leased facilities dedicated to a single customer). Ensuring high-quality voice transmission in these networks is a complicated task, well suited to computer modeling techniques. We describe a new approach to computer modeling of network performance, one in which the expected transmission performance of all voice calls throughout a given network can be displayed easily and analyzed collectively. We use probability of occurrence information for call origination and routing to assess network performance realistically. Our approach augments existing tools and techniques to give network designers and network managers a better understanding of the voice transmission performance experienced in today's business networks. It also gives planners of new network architectures or elements a better understanding of the performance of future business networks. We illustrate our technique with examples, explain how we represent and select connections, and describe the elements that determine voice transmission performance.