Traffic Analysis for GSM Networks

When GSM was introduced in the early 90's, it was considered an over specified system. Nowadays, it is obvious that the whole range of services is widely in use. In addition, performance is degrading due to the rapidly increasing number of mobile subscribers, numbering over 2.9 billion subscribers around the world. The performance of cellular networks is the most important issue concerning their operators. The main goal is to keep subscribers satisfied with the delivered quality of service (QoS). In order to achieve the best performance, service providers have to monitor and optimize their network continuously. A Network Management System (NMS) with an online database is responsible for the collection of data on live networks. For greater effectiveness, operators install systems that do a lot more than collect and store raw data. These systems are easier to use and take advantage of all the data provided by the NMS. In this paper, we summarize measurements that were carried out on an operative GSM-1900 network to evaluate the performance of the GSM's Air-Interface (Um), during eight months. In this paper we have established statistically the following facts: (i) The peak hour in North America is between 4:00 and 5:00 PM. (ii) During week days the duration of calls increases from Monday through Friday. (iii) Weekend traffic is different from week-days traffic. Using a regression analysis we forecast traffic over time. The presented KPIs along with the derived statistical facts are crucial for operators who are concerned with maintaining a reliable and stable network, while maintaining an acceptable QoS.