Quality of Service (QoS) is defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as a “set of quality requirements on the collective behavior of one or more objects”.
In telecommunications networks, QoS is implemented with priority levels assigned to different types of data packets going through a network. For example, if a packet requires little jitter and low latency (like voice over Internet Protocol packets), it is given a high priority level and goes through a route that has little or no queuing. With QoS, networks can control the way packets are sent through and which packets are prioritized in the queue.
While QoS is easy to confuse with the actual service quality a company provides end users, the term mostly refers to the control mechanisms used to reserve network resources. The term may not stand for the actual service quality rendered to customers but QoS does affect customer experience and so, it follows that companies should have good QoS. That said, how can companies improve or maintain good quality of service?
QoS systems already in place can be further improved through close monitoring and early troubleshooting. There are quite a number of QoS monitoring systems out there, offering different network data and general network business intelligence. Quantifying network performance requires a number of set KPIs (key performance indicators) and other measurements and stats like NSS (network switching subsystem), Load, Traffic, and BSS (base station subsystem), among other things.
Monitoring of the set KPIs will help telcos in spotting problems in their respective networks and detect weaknesses in their systems. If one aspect of the network is operating subpar, it can affect the entire system, so it is important for companies to detect these kinds of problems as quickly as possible.
Data collected in a set time period presents a good basis for network optimization as telcos are able to see and study the trends in the system.
Also, monitoring systems and network business intelligence have come as far as providing data in real time, and for businesses that rely on customer satisfaction, real time data can mean faster and more effective troubleshooting.
Early warning systems could only do so much; companies that can’t deal with the problem quickly can lose customers in the process. Since telecom companies these days really can’t afford to lose their hold on their customer base, troubleshooting problems at the earliest possible time is imperative.
Troubleshooting in itself is a tedious activity, especially if the root of the problem isn’t evident. Certain problems would be easier dealt with if the source of the problem is easily ascertained. With network monitoring systems in place, companies are given all the data they need to deploy solutions quickly and efficiently.
Downtimes and outages can hurt a telecoms company, and preventing them should be a priority. With the proper tools and data, telcos can prevent or at least minimize the occurrence of service interruptions. And with the data provided by monitoring tools, it won’t be as hard to diagnose and analyze a network’s weaknesses.
