Quality Induced Termination Detection in VoIP Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for monitoring VoIP services in packet-switched networks fail to accurately identify quality-induced terminations of media streams, as they either rely on complex and invasive active monitoring or rely solely on control plane data, which lacks granularity and cannot distinguish between quality-related and non-quality-related call hangups.
Innovation Solution
A passive monitoring system generates quality data records for media streams, evaluating a threshold number of records to determine if a termination is quality-induced, using metrics like Mean Opinion Score (MOS) or R-factor values, and calculates a Quality Induced Termination (QUIT) ratio to alert for impaired streams before call termination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If control plane monitoring is used to detect call terminations, then monitoring complexity is reduced, but the ability to accurately identify quality-induced terminations is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism by correlating control plane termination events with user plane quality data. A quality assessment component evaluates media quality metrics (MOS, packet loss, jitter) and correlates them with termination events detected on the control plane. This intermediary correlation process enables accurate identification of quality-induced terminations while maintaining the simplicity of control plane monitoring.
2Ease of operation
If average call duration is used as a quality indicator, then monitoring simplicity is maintained, but false alarms increase due to other influencing factors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the quality assessment function from the simple average call duration metric by introducing dedicated quality evaluation components. These components separately measure media quality parameters (MOS values, packet loss rates, jitter) and correlate them with termination events. This extraction allows the system to maintain monitoring simplicity while eliminating false alarms caused by non-quality factors affecting call duration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where quality metrics are continuously monitored and correlated with termination events. The system provides feedback by comparing quality thresholds with actual termination causes, enabling operators to distinguish between quality-induced and non-quality-induced terminations. This feedback loop significantly reduces false alarms while maintaining operational simplicity.
3Measurement precision
If media payload analysis is performed to assess user plane quality, then measurement accuracy is improved, but computational cost and confidentiality breach risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses copying by analyzing quality metrics from RTCP reports and other signaling messages that contain summarized quality information. Instead of performing computationally expensive deep analysis of actual media payloads, the system copies and evaluates quality indicators already present in protocol messages. This approach maintains measurement accuracy while significantly reducing computational costs and eliminating confidentiality concerns.
4Ease of manufacture
If MOS values from endpoints are used for quality monitoring, then implementation simplicity is improved, but reliability decreases due to potential forging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements cross-validation feedback mechanisms where endpoint-reported MOS values are correlated with independently measured quality metrics from the network. The system compares endpoint reports with actual network conditions (packet loss, jitter measurements) and uses this feedback to verify or correct quality assessments. This feedback approach maintains implementation simplicity while significantly improving reliability by detecting and correcting forged reports.
Data Source
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AI summary
This invention relates to methods and an apparatus for detecting quality induced terminations of media streams of real-time communication sessions within a packet-switched network. To enable the determination of the quality of live media streams passing by the tapping points in a network, and to use this information to determine media transmissions being aborted due to bad quality the invention evaluates quality data records of a terminated media stream to detect, whether the media stream was terminated due to bad quality or another reason. Advantageously, a threshold number of quality data records that were generated for the media stream just before termination thereof are considered in the evaluation. In case each of this threshold number of quality data records yields a bad quality of the media stream, the termination of the media stream may be judged or assumed to be induced due to bad quality.