System and method for managing a service level agreement

• US 20080049639A1
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC A Delaware Limited Liability Company
• Original Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC A Delaware Limited Liability Company
• Inventors: Bugenhagen, Michael K., Wiley, William L.
• Application Number:
  US11/809,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20080049639A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/18 Delegation of network management function, e.g. customer network management [CNM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5029 Service quality level-based billing, e.g. dependent on measured service level customer is charged more or less
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/087 Jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic

Abstract

A system and method for managing communications services of users of a packet network Parameters associated with service agreements of users of a packet network may be stored. Network performance information associated with the users may also be stored. The network performance information may be accessed to read a quality of service parameter of communications over the packet network for a user over a given time period. The parameters associated with a service agreement may also be accessed. A quality of service parameter for the user to receive during the time period as contracted by the user may be read. A determination as to whether the user has received a quality of service for communicating over the packet network below the contracted quality of service may be made and the user, in response to determining that the quality of service is below the contracted quality of service, may be compensated.

Claims

1. A system for managing communications services of users of a packet network, said system comprising:

a first database configured to store parameters associated with service agreements of users of a packet network;

a second database configured to store network performance information associated with the users;

a processing unit in communication with said first and second databases and configured to;

access said second database to read a quality of service parameter of communications over the packet network for a user over a given time period;

access said first database to read quality of service for the user to receive during the time period as contracted by the user;

determine whether the user has received a quality of service for communicating over the packet network below the contracted quality of service; and

compensate the user in response to determining that the quality of service is below the contracted quality of service.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the determination of whether the user quality of service is below the contracted quality of service is performed over each individual call communicated over the packet network by the user.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the determination is computed based on Erlangs of call time by the user over the packet network.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the compensation includes not billing the user for time of communication during which the quality of service was below the contracted quality of service.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the user is a subscriber of a communications carrier.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the user is an operator of a second packet network.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein said processing unit is further configured to receive billing information derived from network performance information of data packets communicated over the second packet network and offset billing charges with the operator of the second packet network.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the contracted quality of service distinguishes quality of service for communications of data packets including real-time content and data packets including non-real-time content and wherein the determination of whether the user has received a quality of service for communicating over the packet network includes determining whether the user has received a quality of service over the contracted quality of service separately for communicating data packets including real-time content and communicating data packets including non-real-time content.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein compensation for the user is different for communications of data packets including real-time content and data packets including non-real-time content that have quality of service below the contracted quality of service for the respective communications of data packets including real-time and non-real-time content.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the service agreement is an agreement between two communications carriers.

11. A method for managing communications services of users of a packet network, said method comprising:

storing parameters associated with service agreements of users of a packet network;

storing network performance information associated with the users;

accessing the network performance information to read a quality of service parameter of communications over the packet network for a user over a given time period;

accessing the parameters associated with a service agreement;

reading a quality of service parameter for the user to receive during the time period as contracted by the user;

determining whether the user has received a quality of service for communicating over the packet network below the contracted quality of service; and

compensating the user in response to determining that the quality of service is below the contracted quality of service.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein determining whether the user quality of service is below the contracted quality of service includes determining whether the user quality of services is below the contracted quality of service over each individual call communicated over the packet network by the user.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein determining is computed based on Erlangs of call time by the user over the packet network.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein compensating includes not billing the user for time of communication during which the quality of service was below the contracted quality of service.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the user is a subscriber of a communications carrier.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the user is an operator of a second packet network.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

receiving billing information derived from network performance information of data packets communicated over the second packet network; and

offsetting billing charges with the operator of the second packet network.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein the contracted quality of service distinguishes quality of service for communications of data packets including real-time content and data packets including non-real-time content and wherein determining whether the user has received a quality of service for communicating over the packet network includes determining whether the user has received a quality of service over the contracted quality of service separately for communicating data packets including real-time content and communicating data packets including non-real-time content.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein compensating the user is different for communications of data packets including real-time content and data packets including non-real-time content that have quality of service below the contracted quality of service for the respective communications of data packets including real-time and non-real-time content.

20. The method according to claim 11, wherein accessing the parameters associated with a service agreement includes accessing parameters associated with a service agreement between two communications carriers.