IN Dimensioning: A Key Point for Real Implementation

Nowadays IN services are being implemented in real networks with great attention to the service logic and logic relationships with existing services no matter whether this is POTS or new value added services. But there is about no concern with the dimensioning aspects of the involved machines and networks. For the moment, dimensioning rule for each network element is let to the responsability of the different manufacturers and no general overview of the full-scale process is encompassed. There is no objection to this general approach as long as the total amount of IN traffic loads will stay rather small. This will no longer be the case when the traffic proportion will become higher than say 5% of the basic telephony traffic. Later on Operators will have to be sure that the machines are well sized, that they can handle a fair amount of unpredictable extra traffic, that there is a good and well located number of such machines. In addition they will need to ensure that all the involved network layers are able to handle IN services without disturbing existing services. This is another part of IN dimensioning which deal with network elements as well as PSTN or Signalling Network(s). Another difficulty may come with the Open Network World where one operator will have to protect his own services from the other operator one(s), by the mean of good dimensioning. On the contrary the same Operators will have to provide a good grade of service for both (or even more) Operators. In this case common dimensioning rules and criteria will be needed to insure the inter-Operator activities. Moreover since one of the main goals of IN is to speed up the service introduction, the normal planning processes will be affected and there may be needs to redimension quickly the existing networks by changing the routing patterns or by adding some new ressources. In order to cope with this kind of problems, the proposed presentation will depict the different efforts which are currently undertaken on that subject in the different standardization bodies as well as in a EURESCOM dedicated project.