In
telecommunications network
A telecommunications network is a group of Node (networking), nodes interconnected by telecommunications links that are used to exchange messages between the nodes. The links may use a variety of technologies based on the methodologies of circuit ...
s, traffic intensity is a measure of the average occupancy of a server or resource during a specified period of
time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
, normally a
busy hour. It is measured in
traffic
Traffic is the movement of vehicles and pedestrians along land routes.
Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic laws and informal rules that may have developed over time to facilitate the orderly an ...
units (
erlangs) and defined as the ratio of the time during which a facility is cumulatively occupied to the time this facility is available for occupancy.
In a digital network, the traffic intensity is:
:
where
:''a'' is the average arrival rate of
packets (e.g. in packets per second)
:''L'' is the average packet length (e.g. in bits), and
:''R'' is the transmission rate (e.g. bits per second)
A traffic intensity greater than one erlang means that the rate at which bits arrive exceeds the rate bits can be transmitted and
queuing delay
In telecommunications and computer engineering, the queuing delay is the time a job waits in a queue until it can be executed. It is a key component of network delay. In a switched network, queuing delay is the time between the completion of si ...
will grow without bound (if the traffic intensity stays the same). If the traffic intensity is less than one erlang, then the router can handle more average traffic.
Telecommunication operators are vitally interested in traffic intensity, as it dictates the amount of equipment they must supply.
See also
*
Teletraffic engineering
Teletraffic engineering, or telecommunications traffic engineering is the application of transportation traffic engineering theory to telecommunications. Teletraffic engineers use their knowledge of statistics including queuing theory, the natu ...
*
IEC 80000-13
ISO/IEC 80000, ''Quantities and units'', is an international standard describing the International System of Quantities (ISQ). It was developed and promulgated jointly by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the Intern ...
References
*
Teletraffic
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