Peak-load traffic administration of a rural multiplexer with concentration

A procedure is proposed for estimating the main-station capacity of an SLM∗ (Subscriber Loop Multiplexer) system by observing the traffic load when the system is partially filled. The procedure is intended to be usable in unattended offices, and requires only one measurement per week and very few calculations. In contrast to the usual practice of measuring load in a time-consistent busy-hour, we work with weekly peak loads, and so our method is based upon the statistical theory of extreme values. The validity and precision of the procedure have been investigated by applying it to data from a study of rural traffic and by a Monte Carlo study of its behavior. Use of this administrative procedure should give the average SLM system a capacity of about 120 rural residential customers, in contrast to the limit of 80 that would be necessary in the absence of traffic measurements. The technique described in this paper was developed for the SLM system and could be used, with suitable changes of numerical values, to handle any subscriber system with concentration. We also hope that, with some modification, the method will be applicable to the administration of other traffic-carrying systems.