Bell Atlantic Network Services, Inc.

Verizon Services Corporation

Sheila Noonan

Thomas A Nolting

Karen Dion

Richard LaPearl

Raymond X Leung

A monitoring system captures and processes messages from SS7 links, to compile call detail records (CDRs) for all interoffice call attempts. The CDRs are uploaded into a relational database. Automatic Message Accounting (AMA) records also are accumulated and uploaded to a another relational database. A data preparation operation utilizes external information to enhance the records for further processing, for example, to translate information codes in the records to textual names of originating and terminating offices. The enhanced records are loaded into a multi-dimensional database. The multi-dimensional database software facilitates analysis of the records to identify a variety of network traffic patterns. The user can automatically set up and customize studies for particular applications, for example to study traffic patterns for calls through a particular office. The multi-dimensional database also enables the presentation of information from the records in formats illustrating a variety of particular features of the traffic found in a study. For example, a report may show minutes of use for calls through an office during different hours of the day or show the other offices communicating with the office under study and the numbers of calls from each of those other offices.

Traffic track usage measurement system

Specialized telecom network users who burden the network, such as Internet Service Providers (ISPs), are identified by analysis of network traffic data to identify addresses (e.g. telephone numbers) for destinations receiving unique patterns of incoming traffic. For an ISP, in particular, the analysis involves identifying telephone, numbers of destinations receiving a high volume of calls and having connections exhibiting a long average hold time. To further enhance the ISP finder analysis, the call data may be examined to confirm that there is no outgoing call traffic from any station associated with the candidate ISP numbers. When numbers are identified by the call data analysis, a technician can call each number and listen for a modem tone, as a confirmation that each candidate number actually is of a data service, such as an ISP. Similar methodologies can identify destination numbers for other unique service providers, such as credit card verification services. The preferred embodiments utilize automated systems to compile and analyze call records from standard messages of a telephone network, such as interoffice signaling messages or automated accounting messages.

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Falmouth, MA, United States of America

Sheila Noonan