RESOLVING NETWORK CONGESTION IN A TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEM

ABSTRACT

Congestion control in Telecommunication Systems faces new challenges as mobile communication systems and Intelligent Networks grow rapidly. New services change traffic patterns, add to signaling network load, and raise demands on shorter service completion times. To handle new demands, the congestion control mechanisms must foresee an overload situation, and respond to it so that the network can maintain high probability for successful service completion. By measuring the time consumption for the initial Message Signaling Units of a service session, it is possible to predict the duration of the service session and to detect an emerging congestion. If the predicted duration of the service session is too long, the service session is annihilated. This is the foundation of a congestion control mechanism that reacts fast and on information supplied by the congested part of the network. The congestion control mechanism increases the ratio of successfully completed services during congestion by several hundred percent.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The world is fast becoming a global village and a necessary tool for this process is communication of which telecommunication is a key player. The quantum development in the telecommunications industry all over the world is very rapid as one innovation replaces another in a matter of weeks. A major breakthrough is the wireless telephone system which comes in either fixed wireless telephone lines or the Global System of Mobile Communications (GSM). Communication without doubt is a major driver of any economy. Emerging trends in socio-economic growth shows a high premium being placed on information and communication technology (ICT) by homes, organizations, and nations.
Nigeria is not left out in this race for rapid development as the nation’s economy has been subjected to years of economic reversal via mismanagement and bad leadership. The Nigerian telecommunications sector was grossly underdeveloped before the sector was deregulated under the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida in 1992 with the establishment of a regulatory body, the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC). So far the NCC has issued various licenses to private telecommunications operator. These include 7 fixed telephony providers that have activated 90,000 lines, 35 Internet service providers with a customer base of about 17,000. Several VSAT service providers are in operation, and have improved financial intermediation by providing on-line banking services to most banks in Nigeria. These licenses allowed private telephone operators (PTOs), to roll out both fixed wireless telephone lines and analogue mobile phones. The return of democracy in 1999 paved the way for the granting of GSM license to 3 service providers: MTN Nigeria, ECONET Wireless Nigeria which is now called ZAIN and NITEL Plc which is now called ZOOM in 2001 and later GLO.

1.01 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
It has been observed that calls across different networks are always difficult to connect, at times diverted and also attract more cost. This creates room for users to be confused as how much is deducted from their call credits or are compelled to having multiple GSM lines. As the network increases, more users makes call across different networks and there is need to record the call time, call network, and line identification and be able to put calls across the networks without much congestions.
Transmission of calls requires at least two points, A and B (point-to-point; point-to-multipoint or multipoint-to-point). Consequently, the interconnectivity problem within Nigeria is simply stated as follows:
1. How can A and B, separated possibly by thousands of kilometers within Nigeria, transmit voice to each other without each having to be subscribers to the same operator?
2. More importantly, how can we ensure multi-user resource allocation such that if A is the originating consumer, it does not matter technologically (even if financially) which of ALL the other operators that B is a subscriber to, nor does it matter what type of transmission he or she is sending?
3. The transmission of calls without much congestion in the network.
This will form the bases for the project work.

1.02 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this research work is to establish a transparent set of Interconnection Rules, which shall encompass at least the following requirements:
* Every operator must allow all other operators full interconnection to its network at technically feasible and convenient points of interconnection, such that traffic

may originate on one network and terminate on another, or otherwise pass across networks, without interference, signal deterioration, delay, congestion, or restriction.
* To design software that will serve as a congestion control system for multi-user telecommunication networks.