A comparison of IP vs 3G network performance indicators
Date
2012-02-01
Authors
Venter, Jan
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Abstract
Telecommunication networks of mobile operators are evolving to use an underlying packet-
based IP (Internet Protocol) network using Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) as their
core technology. The key performance indicators (KPIs) for monitoring the performance of the
3G mobile network’s voice and data services are well established, as are the key performance
indicators for interfaces and nodes on an IP network.
For this research report an investigation was done on the correlation between the IP KPIs
and 3G KPIs through analysis of packet level traces to obtain the IP KPIs as well as reports
on KPIs collected on the nodes of the 3G data network. The study was done on MTN South
Africa’s operational network at two sites for 2 observation periods of 30 days, with specific focus
on the busy hour performance. In addition to the well-known IP KPIs, two extra measurements
that were found during a literature survey (SRTO - Spurious Retransmission Timeout and ISR
- Invalid Sample Ratio) were calculated based on the packet level traces of IP traffic. The 3G
KPIs were chosen from industry standard network quality benchmark reports.
The correlation study found no strong linear relationships between the sets of IP and 3G
KPIs. This was due to certain limitations in the experimental setup and the observed behaviour
of the network (few instances of degradation of behaviour). Further study with modifications to
the experimental setup and packet-trace analysis and possibly artificial introduction of negative
network conditions will be necessary to verify if correlations exist between the IP and 3G KPIs.