WO2024209690A1 - Calculation device, calculation method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

This calculation device for calculating the amount of communication facilities based on a condition of facility sharing among a plurality of telecommunication carriers comprises: a shared facility designing unit that generates shared facility design information, which includes the scope of shared communication facilities to be shared among the plurality of telecommunication carriers and information concerning the connections between said shared communication facilities, on the basis of shared facility design rules and congested facility information regarding communication facilities in which communication bands are either congested or insufficient; and a shared facility amount calculation unit for calculating, on the basis of the shared facility design information, the facility amount of the shared communication facilities necessary to satisfy required QoS regulations.

Description

Calculation device, calculation method, and program

The present invention relates to technology for calculating communication equipment capacity.

Traditionally, QoS (Quality of Service) or QoE (Quality of Experience) can be defined as the quality of communication services required by users for communication services provided via a communication network, regardless of whether the communication is via a fixed line (wired) or wireless communication using a mobile terminal. Communication service providers design, operate, and manage communication networks to achieve this quality of communication services.

To achieve the above objectives, communication networks regularly measure the traffic volume of the communication services they provide, while also analyzing and evaluating the traffic characteristics specific to each communication service, thereby acquiring and accumulating knowledge about the traffic characteristics of each communication service. In order to construct just the right amount of communication resources in a timely manner with the aim of providing communication services economically, there is a demand for technology that utilizes the knowledge gained in this way to forecast future communication traffic volumes and calculate appropriate communication equipment capacity.

In the prior art, there are many techniques for calculating the appropriate amount of communication equipment required to maintain the QoS of communication services in the future, for communication networks that provide a variety of multiplexed communication services, including fixed-line telephone services, video distribution services, and Internet connection services, and for mobile communication networks that provide mobile communication services. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a communication bandwidth calculation technique.

JP 2020-150524 A

As the communications market becomes more mature and saturated, the profits of communications carriers tend to plateau. Therefore, in order to reduce the cost burden of deploying new communications equipment in sparsely populated areas, such as rural areas, it is rational for multiple communications carriers to share the newly required communications equipment in order to achieve both the deployment of communications services and maintenance of QoS while reducing the costs of communications equipment.

However, conventional technologies such as those in Patent Document 1 do not calculate the amount of communication equipment required when equipment is shared among multiple telecommunications carriers.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide a technology for calculating communication equipment volume on the condition that equipment is shared among multiple communication carriers.

According to the disclosed technology, there is provided a calculation device for calculating communication facility capacity under the condition that a plurality of communication carriers share facilities, the calculation device comprising:
a shared facility design unit that generates shared facility design information including a range of the shared communication facility shared among the plurality of telecommunications carriers and information regarding the connection of the shared communication facility based on constrained facility information, which is information on communication facilities with constrained or insufficient communication bandwidth, and shared facility design rules;
and a shared equipment amount calculation unit that calculates an equipment amount of the shared communication equipment necessary to satisfy a required QoS provision based on the shared equipment design information.

The disclosed technology makes it possible to calculate communication equipment volume on the condition that equipment is shared among multiple telecommunications carriers.

1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a communication system; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a communication system (an example including a new shared facility). 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of a communication bandwidth calculation device 10. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of a calculation processing unit 16. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the process of a calculation processing unit 16. 4 is a flowchart showing the process of a calculation processing unit 16. 4 is a flowchart showing the process of a calculation processing unit 16. 4 is a flowchart showing the process of a calculation processing unit 16. 4 is a flowchart showing the process of a calculation processing unit 16. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of a calculation device 10.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention (present embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is merely an example, and the embodiment to which the present invention is applicable is not limited to the embodiment described below.

(Overview of the embodiment)
In this embodiment, the target is communication equipment of a communication network in which communication traffic volume increases (decreases) while fluctuating, and a communication bandwidth calculation device 10 described later predicts and calculates the amount of communication equipment required at a future design target time in order to provide the communication service quality required by users.

In particular, in this embodiment, the communication bandwidth calculation device 10 calculates the communication facility amount on the condition that the facilities are shared among multiple communication carriers in order to maintain the QoS of the communication service at a future time.

In addition, in this embodiment, in addition to calculating the bandwidth/capacity of the shared communication equipment to be added, the cost allocation to be borne by the sharing telecommunications carriers is also calculated. However, calculating the cost allocation is not essential, and the communication bandwidth calculation device 10 calculates the communication equipment volume on the condition that the equipment is shared among multiple telecommunications carriers, but it is also possible not to calculate the cost allocation.

In this embodiment, the following three options are considered for the above cost allocation:

(1) Calculate cost allocation based on a comparison of the amount of communication data flowing through the communication equipment.

(2) Calculate cost allocation based on a comparison of the number of terminals or revenues using the communications equipment.

(3) Calculate the cost allocation based on a comparison of the profits of each of the telecommunications carriers that use the telecommunications equipment.

The above options are all fair from an economic perspective, and it is expected that sharing facilities will reduce expenditures compared to bearing the facility costs on a single basis, making them a rational cost allocation method for telecommunications companies to choose from.

The configuration and operation of the system/device in this embodiment will be described in detail below. Note that this embodiment is directed to a fixed communication network, but the technology according to the present invention can also be applied to a mobile network.

In addition, in this embodiment, as an example, the calculation of communication equipment volume and cost allocation is performed assuming that communication equipment is shared by two communication carriers, but it can be similarly applied to cases involving three or more carriers.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, we will explain how to deal with a capacity shortage in an access node by adding a new access node as a shared facility between two telecommunications carriers, but the present invention can be similarly applied to other types of communication facilities.

In other words, the embodiment described below is merely an example, and the embodiments to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the following embodiment.

Note that two or more telecommunications carriers that share communication facilities do not merge, but only share some of the communication facilities, and the services provided by each carrier, contracted users, and rate plans continue independently. However, the technology related to the present invention is not limited to this assumption.

In addition, in the drawings referenced below, for the sake of brevity, when information is shown on the drawings it is abbreviated as "Information 62."

(Example of overall configuration of communication system)
1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a communication system including a communication bandwidth calculation device 10 according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, a case related to new shared equipment in a fixed-line communication network that provides a data communication service will be described as an example.

Here, to clearly indicate the addition of shared facilities between the two telecommunications carriers, the two telecommunications carriers will be referred to as X and Y. Furthermore, in the drawings and explanations, the symbols for telecommunications carrier Y's communications equipment and information will be marked with Y. The symbols for the added shared equipment will be marked with Z. However, in order to simplify the description, X will not be added to the symbols for telecommunications carrier X's communications equipment and information.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that data communication is performed using the IP protocol in the communication network, but data communication using the IP protocol is only one example, and the technology according to the present invention can be applied regardless of the type of protocol.

As shown in FIG. 1, the core network 20 and access network 23 of telecommunications carrier X are facilities intended to provide data communication services via communication terminals 41, 42, 43, and 44, which are also network termination devices.

　User-use PC terminals 45, 46, 47, 48 are connected to communication terminals 41, 42, 43, 44, respectively. In the data communication service, it is possible to connect to a desired server or PC terminal via the Internet 27 via the access network 23 consisting of band facilities 31-36 and access nodes 24, 25, and further via the upper-level core node 22, band facility 31, core node 21, and gateway router 26.

The core network Y20, access network Y23, and other network devices of telecommunications carrier Y have the same equipment configuration as the core network 20, access network 23, and other network devices of telecommunications carrier X.

Note that the various nodes and bandwidth facilities are all examples of communications facilities. Specifically, core nodes are primarily routers, and access nodes are primarily switches. Bandwidth facilities are fixed transmission paths or communications lines, such as optical lines, or wireless transmission paths or communications lines.

(Information input to the communication bandwidth calculation device 10)
The communication bandwidth calculation device 10 shown in FIG. 1 is configured as an information processing device using a computer, and performs calculation processing using the following information as input.

Network equipment configuration information 61
Facility-based traffic information 62
Equipment cost information 63
Number of terminals information 64
・Profit information 65
QoS Provision 66
・Shared equipment design rules Z67
Each of the above information will be explained below.

The network equipment configuration information 61 includes all information related to communication equipment, such as node information about the "nodes and lines" accommodated in the core network 20 and the access network 23, line bandwidth information, and the connection relationships between nodes and lines. The network equipment configuration information 61 is held and updated within the operation system 51. In addition, the network equipment configuration information 61 is periodically transferred from the operation system 51 to the shared DB 53 and stored there.

Next, the facility-based traffic information 62 will be described. For example, the facility-based traffic information 62 relating to the bandwidth facility 30 includes measurement data obtained by measuring the amount of traffic flowing in and out of the bandwidth facility 30 at regular time intervals in the core nodes 21 and 22. The facility-based traffic information 62 is periodically transferred to and stored in the shared DB 53.

Equipment cost information 63 is information that contains a list of information on the new installation costs of "communication equipment such as core nodes, access nodes, and bandwidth equipment" by telecommunication carrier X, and the connection costs according to the distance, etc., to the destination communication equipment.

Terminal number information 64 is time series data on the number of terminals that have a contract with telecommunications carrier X and communicate using core network 20 and access network 23. When there are multiple rate plans, the time series data on the number of terminals for each rate plan is provided. Terminal number information 64 includes rate information for each rate plan.

Profit information 65 includes information regarding the income, expenditures, and profits of the telecommunications business of telecommunications operator X. Publicly available information such as financial statements may be used as profit information 65. For example, figures such as Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) may be used as profit information 65.

QoS provision 66 is a target value for the service quality of the communication services provided by communication carrier X, and is an index determined independently by communication carrier X.

　Shared facility design rules Z67 include rules on the scope of expansion of the communication facilities shared by telecommunications carriers X and Y, and rules on the destination of connections to existing networks.

Of the multiple pieces of information mentioned above, the equipment cost information 63, the number of terminals information 64, the profit information 65, and the QoS regulations 66 are stored in the equipment cost/revenue information DB 52, and are periodically transferred from the equipment cost/revenue information DB 52 to the shared DB 53 and stored there.

The shared DB 53 periodically or as needed acquires and updates network equipment configuration information 61, equipment-unit traffic information 62, equipment cost information 63, number of terminals information 64, profit information 65, QoS regulations 66, and shared equipment design rules Z67, and passes the information to the communication bandwidth calculation device 10 in a timely manner upon request. Since the information 61 to 66 held in the shared DB 53 is disclosed between the telecommunications carriers that share the equipment, the shared DB 53 is illustrated as being physically independent in order to distinguish between disclosed information and non-disclosed information.

Similarly, for communication carrier Y, which shares communication facilities with communication carrier X, network facility configuration information Y61, facility-unit traffic information Y62, facility cost information Y63, terminal number information Y64, profit information Y65, QoS regulations Y66, and shared facility design rules Z67 are stored in the shared DB53, and the information is passed to the communication bandwidth calculation device 10 in a timely manner upon request.

(Functional Overview of Communication Bandwidth Calculation Device 10)
The communication bandwidth calculation device 10 calculates the communication facility amount on the condition that the facilities are shared among a plurality of communication carriers in order to maintain the QoS of the communication service at a future time point through each process described later. The communication bandwidth calculation device 10 can also calculate the cost allocation to be borne by the communication carriers and generate the cost allocation as the shared facility cost allocation information Z76.

(Example of a configuration with shared communication facilities)
Fig. 2 shows an example of the configuration of a communication system having a shared communication facility. The "band facility Z31 and communication facilities included in the access network Z23 (access node Z24, band facility Z33)" shown in Fig. 2 are examples of communication facilities newly shared between the communication carriers X and Y.

(Example of internal configuration of communication bandwidth calculation device 10)
Next, an example of the internal configuration of the communication bandwidth calculation device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The configuration of the communication bandwidth calculation device 10 shown in FIG. 3 shows an example of a hardware configuration when it is realized by a computer. The computer may be a physical machine or a virtual machine, and when the communication bandwidth calculation device 10 is realized by a virtual machine, the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 3 becomes a virtual hardware configuration.

As shown in FIG. 3, the communication bandwidth calculation device 10 has as its main components a communication interface unit 11 (hereinafter referred to as communication I/F unit 11), an operation input unit 12, a screen display unit 13, an information database unit 14 (hereinafter referred to as information DB unit 14), a memory unit 15, and an arithmetic processing unit 16, which are connected via an internal communication bus and can send and receive information between them.

The communication I/F unit 11 is made up of a dedicated data communication circuit and has the function of communicating with external devices such as the shared DB 53 and the shared DBY 53.

The operation input unit 12 is made up of operation input devices such as a keyboard and mouse, and has the function of detecting input operations from an operator and outputting operation information to the calculation processing unit 16.

The screen display unit 13 is a screen display device such as a display, and has the function of displaying various information such as operation menus and calculation results on the screen in response to instructions from the calculation processing unit 16.

The information DB unit 14 is made up of storage devices such as a hard disk and memory, and has the function of sending, receiving, and storing various data used for each process in the arithmetic processing unit 16. The storage unit 15 is made up of storage devices such as a hard disk and memory, and has the function of storing various programs and data used for each process in the arithmetic processing unit 16. Note that the "information DB unit 14 and storage unit 15" may be configured as a single storage unit (or DB).

The calculation processing unit 16 has a microprocessor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and its peripheral circuits, and by operating the information DB 14 or the operation input unit 12, reads the programs and data from the memory unit 15 and executes the programs, thereby obtaining the "network equipment configuration information 61, Y61, equipment unit traffic information 62, Y62, equipment cost information 63, Y63, number of terminals information 64, Y64, profit information 65, Y65, QoS regulations 66, Y66, shared equipment design rules Z67" required for the calculation processing from the shared DB 53 or Y53 in a timely manner, and stores the shared equipment cost allocation information Z76 in the information DB unit 14 as a result of the calculation processing.

In addition, as a result of the calculation process by the communication bandwidth calculation device 10, shared facility design information Z73 and shared facility required equipment quantity information Z74 are obtained, and these may be output to the outside (or stored in the information DB unit 14).

The program that realizes the processing in the communication bandwidth calculation device 10 is provided by a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a memory card. The program read from the recording medium is stored in the memory unit 15, for example, and is read and executed by the calculation processing unit 16. The program may also be downloaded from a server or the like via a communication network.

(Example of configuration of the arithmetic processing unit 16)
Next, the internal configuration of the arithmetic processing unit 16 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a configuration diagram showing each processing unit of the arithmetic processing unit 16. It is assumed that each processing unit shown in Fig. 4 is a processing unit realized by a program being executed by a CPU. However, this is not limited to such an assumption, and some or all of all the processing units may be realized by a dedicated hardware circuit. Also, Fig. 4 may be considered as a configuration diagram of the communication bandwidth calculation device 10.

As shown in FIG. 4, the calculation processing unit 16 mainly includes an information acquisition unit 16A, a traffic prediction unit 16B, an equipment quantity calculation unit 16C, an expansion determination unit 16D, a shared equipment design unit 16E, a shared equipment quantity calculation unit 16F, a shared equipment cost calculation unit 16G, a shared equipment cost allocation calculation unit 16H, and a result output unit 16I.

(Operation of the arithmetic processing unit 16 (each processing unit))
The operation of each processing unit shown in Fig. 4 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Fig. 5 to Fig. 9. In each flowchart, the processing unit performing the processing of each step is described so as to clarify which processing unit is performing the processing in each step.

<S110>
In S110 of Figure 5, the information acquisition unit 16A acquires the network equipment configuration information 61, Y61, equipment unit traffic information 62, Y62, equipment cost information 63, Y63, number of terminals information 64, Y64, profit information 65, Y65, QoS regulations 66, Y66, and shared equipment design rules Z67 required for calculation processing from the shared DBs 53, Y53 in a timely manner.

<S210>
In S210, the traffic prediction unit 16B acquires the facility-based traffic information 62, Y62 from the information acquisition unit 16A.

<S220>
In S220, the traffic prediction unit 16B calculates the facility-based traffic prediction information 71 and Y71 by regression prediction. Specifically, the traffic prediction information 71 and Y71 are calculated as follows.

A set of all communication facilities of the communication carrier X is represented as EX. If the time parameter is t, the facility-based traffic information 62 for any communication facility i (i∈EX) of the communication carrier X is expressed as a time series from the past to the present time _t0 as follows:

と定義することができる。

It can be defined as:

　The same is true for the telecommunications carrier Y, where the set of all communication equipment is EY, and the equipment-based traffic information Y62 for any communication equipment j (j∈EY) can be defined as follows:

　当該設備単位トラヒック情報６２は、設備毎のトラヒック量の時系列データとなっているため、トラヒック予測部１６Ｂは、回帰予測等によって、トラヒック量の予測を導出することができる。将来時点ｔ（ｔ_０≦ｔ）のトラヒック量の予測データである、設備単位トラヒック予測情報７１を、以下のように定義する。

Since the facility-based traffic information 62 is time-series data on the traffic volume for each facility, the traffic prediction unit 16B can derive a prediction of the traffic volume by regression prediction, etc. Facility-based traffic prediction information 71, which is prediction data on the traffic volume at a future time point t (t ₀ ≦t), is defined as follows.

　同様に、通信事業者Ｙについてもトラヒック予測を行い、以下のように設備単位トラヒック予測情報Ｙ７１を定義する。

Similarly, traffic prediction is performed for the communication carrier Y, and facility-based traffic prediction information Y71 is defined as follows.

　＜Ｓ２３０＞
　トラヒック予測部１６Ｂは、当該設備単位トラヒック予測情報７１、Ｙ７１を設備量算出部１６Ｃに転送する。

<S230>
The traffic prediction unit 16B transfers the facility-based traffic prediction information 71, Y71 to the facility quantity calculation unit 16C.

<S310>
In S310, the facility amount calculation unit 16C acquires the QoS provisions 66, Y66 and the facility-based traffic forecast information 71, Y71 required for the calculation.

<S320>
In S320, the equipment quantity calculation unit 16C calculates required equipment quantity information 72 shown below, which is the equipment quantity required for communication equipment i (i∈EX) of communication carrier X to satisfy QoS regulations 66 for the traffic volume TX _i ^* (t ₁ ) predicted at the next equipment planning time point t ₁ (t ₀ ≦t ₁ ) included in the equipment unit traffic forecast information 71.

　この算出には、理論モデルを利用してもよいし、シミュレーションを利用してもよい。

This calculation may be performed using a theoretical model or a simulation.

<S330>
Similarly, in S330, the equipment quantity calculation unit 16C calculates the required equipment quantity Y72 shown below, which is the equipment quantity required for communication equipment j (j∈EY) of communication carrier Y to satisfy QoS provision Y66 for the traffic volume _TYj ^* ( _t1 ) predicted at the next equipment planning time point _t1 ( _t0 ≦ _t1 ) included in the equipment unit traffic forecast information Y71.

　＜Ｓ３４０＞
　Ｓ３４０において、設備量算出部１６Ｃは、当該必要設備量情報７２、Ｙ７２を増設判定部１６Ｄに転送する。

<S340>
In S340, the equipment quantity calculation unit 16C transfers the necessary equipment quantity information 72, Y72 to the expansion determination unit 16D.

<S410>
In S410 of FIG. 6, the expansion determination unit 16D acquires the network equipment configuration information 61, Y61 and the equipment unit traffic forecast information 72, Y72 required for the calculation.

<S420>
In S420, the expansion determination unit 16D compares, for each communication equipment of the communication carrier X, the current equipment capacity described in the network equipment configuration information 61 with the equipment capacity required to maintain the QoS regulations 66 of the communication service at the next equipment planning time t ₁ (t ₀ ≦ t ₁ ), described in the required equipment capacity information 72, and generates tight equipment information Z72 as information listing communication equipment whose equipment capacity is tight when the latter is less.

<S430>
In S430, the expansion determination unit 16D compares, for each communication facility of the communication carrier Y, the current equipment capacity described in the network equipment configuration information Y61 with the equipment capacity required to maintain the QoS provision Y66 for the communication service at the next equipment planning time _t1 ( _t0 ≦ _t1 ), described in the required equipment capacity information Y72, and if the latter is less, adds the information listed as communication facilities whose equipment capacity is tight to the tight equipment information Z72.

<S440, S450>
When the tight facility information Z72 becomes an empty list, that is, when all of the communication facilities are larger than the required facility amount 72, Y72, there is no need to add facilities, so the processing operation ends (S440). When the tight equipment information Z72 is not an empty list, in S450, the judgment unit 16D transfers the tight equipment information Z72 to the shared equipment design unit 16E.

Below, as shown in Figure 2, a case will be described as an example in which, due to the need to add equipment to access node Y24 of telecommunications carrier Y, new communication equipment including access node Z24 is installed as communication equipment shared by telecommunications carriers X and Y, and the communication equipment is further connected to core node 22 of telecommunications carrier X. In other words, a case will be described in which constrained equipment information Z72 is information specifying access node Y24.

<S510>
In S510 of FIG. 7, the shared equipment design unit 16E acquires the shared equipment design rules Z67 and the tight equipment information Z72 required for the calculation processing.

<S520, S530>
In S520, the shared facility design unit 16E performs a process of designing a series of communication facilities to be newly shared by the communication carriers X and Y based on the shared facility design rules Z67 in order to implement facility expansion for the tight facility information Z72. The extension range is created as information to be included in the shared facility design information Z73. In addition, in S530, the shared facility design unit 16E creates information on the connection destination to the existing network in addition to the extension range described above, as the shared facility design information Z73. This is created as information to be included in information Z73. Details of the "extension range" and "connection destination" are as follows.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the newly shared communication facility is band facility Z31, it is necessary to expand (expansion range) the facility to also include access network Z23 (access node Z24 and band facility Z33) to accommodate communication terminal Z41 connected to the terminal side. In other words, in this case, the expansion range for band facility Z31 is "access node Z24 and band facility Z33."

Furthermore, it is also necessary to connect (connection destination) the band facility Z31 to a core node 22, which is an existing communication network of the communication carrier X. In this case, the connection destination is the core node 22.

The rules for expansion scope are explained in detail below. Generally, each telecommunications company has its own set of standards for the configuration of communication network equipment for the core network and access network.

Specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, a standard configuration can be set as a rule such that core node N _C == line (connection between core node and access node) C _CA == access node N _A == line (connection between access node and terminal) C _AT == communication terminal T. Here, == indicates a direct connection relationship between communication facilities.

Therefore, for the newly shared communication equipment (band equipment Z31 in FIG. 2), the expansion range is the set of standard communication equipment (access node Z24, band equipment Z33) that is placed between the user's communication terminal and the equipment. The communication equipment that corresponds to the expansion range in this case is band equipment Z31, access node Z24, and band equipment Z33.

The shared facility design unit 16E creates the following list as a list SE(t ₁ ) of communication facilities corresponding to the extension range from among the shared facility design information Z73.

　既存ネットワークへの接続先に関する規則については、新たに共有する通信設備（図２の帯域設備Ｚ３１）からの接続先候補となる、コアネットワーク側の通信設備であるコアノードのうち、距離が最も近いものを選択することを規則にすることができる。あるいは、ゲートウェイルータ２６へのホップ数が最短となるコアノードを選択することを規則として設定することもできる。

The rule for the connection destination to the existing network can be set to select the closest core node, which is a communication facility on the core network side and is a connection destination candidate from the newly shared communication facility (band facility Z31 in FIG. 2). Alternatively, the rule can be set to select the core node with the shortest number of hops to the gateway router 26.

In the example of Figure 2, the shared equipment design unit 16E creates {core node 22} as information corresponding to the connection destination from the shared equipment design information Z73.

<S540>
In S540, the shared equipment design unit 16E transfers the shared equipment design information Z73 to the shared equipment quantity calculation unit 16E.

<S610>
In S610, the shared facility quantity calculation unit 16F acquires the QoS provisions 66, Y66, facility-based traffic forecast information 71, Y71, and shared facility design information Z73 required for the calculation process.

<S620>
In S620, the shared facility amount calculation unit 16F compares the QoS regulations 66 and Y66 to accommodate both communication services provided by the communication carriers X and Y, and determines the stricter one as the QoS regulation Z66 of the newly shared communication facility. When sharing facilities among three or more communication carriers, it is acceptable to compare three QoS regulations and determine the strictest QoS regulation as the QoS regulation of the shared facility.

<S630>
In S630, the shared equipment quantity calculation unit 16F calculates the shared equipment quantity information Z74. The shared equipment quantity information Z74 is the quantity of equipment required to satisfy the QoS provision Z66 for the equipment unit traffic forecast information 71, Y71, which is the traffic volume predicted at the time of the next equipment planning, by each communication equipment to be newly added, which is included in the shared equipment design information Z73. A theoretical model or a simulation may be used for this calculation.

<S640>
In S640, the shared equipment quantity calculation unit 16F transfers the shared equipment required equipment quantity information Z74 and the shared equipment design information Z73 to the shared equipment cost calculation unit 16G.

<S710>
In S710 of FIG. 8, the shared equipment cost calculation unit 16G acquires the equipment cost information 63, Y63, shared equipment design information Z73, and shared equipment required quantity information Z74 required for the calculation process.

<S720>
In S720, the shared equipment cost calculation unit 16G calculates shared equipment cost information Z75 by adding up the new installation costs of the newly shared communication equipment included in the shared equipment design information Z73 and the required equipment quantity included in the shared equipment required equipment quantity information Z74, which are included in the equipment cost information 63 and Y63, as well as the connection costs for connecting to the destination of the existing network.

Specifically, the cost of installing and connecting communication equipment e is defined as cost(e). This information is described in the equipment cost information 63, Y63. In the above example, if the cost of the list SE( _t1 ) of communication equipment corresponding to the expansion range in the shared equipment design information Z73 is defined as SC( _t1 ), SC( _t1 ) is calculated as follows.

　＜Ｓ７３０＞
　Ｓ７３０において、共有設備コスト算出部１６Ｇは、共有設備コスト情報Ｚ７５を共有設備コスト配分算出部１６Ｈに転送する。

<S730>
In S730, the shared equipment cost calculation unit 16G transfers the shared equipment cost information Z75 to the shared equipment cost allocation calculation unit 16H.

<S810>
In S810 of FIG. 9, the shared equipment cost allocation calculation unit 16H acquires the shared equipment cost information Z75 and the like required for the calculation process.

In this embodiment, there are three options (1), (2), and (3) as examples of the method of allocating costs for shared equipment. Which of (1) to (3) is to be used is set in advance, for example, by a system administrator. Alternatively, a cost allocation calculation may be performed for each of (1), (2), and (3), and the cost allocation to be actually used may be selected from the three obtained cost allocation results.

(1) Calculate cost allocation based on a comparison of the amount of communication data flowing through the communication equipment.

(2) Calculate cost allocation based on a comparison of the number of terminals or revenues using the communications equipment.

(3) Calculate the cost allocation based on a comparison of the profits of each of the telecommunications carriers that use the telecommunications equipment.

First, (1) the process of calculating cost allocation based on a comparison of the amounts of communication data flowing through the communication equipment will be described.

<S820-1>
In S820-1, the shared facility cost allocation calculation unit 16H acquires facility-based traffic forecast information Z71.

<S830-1>
In S830-1, the shared equipment cost allocation calculation unit 16H calculates the allocation of the shared equipment cost information Z75 based on the ratio of traffic volumes between multiple communication event parties included in the equipment-unit traffic prediction information Z71, and generates the shared equipment cost allocation information Z76.

More specifically, the shared facility cost allocation calculation unit 16H generates the shared facility cost allocation information Z76 by allocating the shared facility cost information Z75 to the two telecommunications carriers based on the ratio of the traffic volumes of the two carriers contained in the facility-based traffic forecast information Z71.

When the traffic volumes predicted at facility planning time _t1 ( _t0 ≦ _t1 ) of telecommunications carriers X and Y are TX( _t1 ) and TY( _t1 ), respectively, the shared facility cost allocation information Z76, _SCv ( _t1 ), is expressed as a vector as follows:

　＜Ｓ８４０－１＞
　Ｓ８４０－１（Ｓ９１０）において、共有設備コスト配分算出部１６Ｈは、共有設備コスト配分情報Ｚ７６を結果出力部１６Ｇに転送する。

<S840-1>
In S840-1 (S910), the shared equipment cost allocation calculation unit 16H transfers the shared equipment cost allocation information Z76 to the result output unit 16G.

Next, we will explain (2) the process for calculating cost allocation based on a comparison of the number of terminals or revenues using the communication equipment.

<S820-2>
In S820-2, the shared facility cost allocation calculation unit 16H acquires the terminal number information 64 and Y64.

<S830-2>
In S830-2, the shared equipment cost allocation calculation unit 16H calculates the allocation of the shared equipment cost information Z75 based on the ratio of the number of terminals between the multiple communication event parties included in the terminal number information 64 and Y64, and generates the shared equipment cost allocation information Z76.

More specifically, the shared equipment cost allocation calculation unit 16H generates the shared equipment cost allocation information Z76 by allocating the shared equipment cost information Z75 to the two carriers based on the ratio of the number of terminals of the two carriers included in the terminal number information 64 and Y64.

When the predicted numbers of terminals at equipment planning time _t1 ( _t0 ≦ _t1 ) of telecommunications carriers X and Y are UX( _t1 ) and UY( _t1 ), respectively, the shared equipment cost allocation information Z76, _SCv ( _t1 ), is expressed as a vector as follows:

　あるいは、共有設備コスト配分算出部１６Ｈは、端末数情報６４、Ｙ６４に含まれる料金情報から、端末数と料金の積により収入を算出し、２社の収入比に基づき、共有設備コスト情報Ｚ７５を２社に配分することにより、共有設備コスト配分情報Ｚ７６を生成することとしてもよい。

Alternatively, the shared equipment cost allocation calculation unit 16H may calculate revenue by multiplying the number of terminals and the fee from the fee information contained in the terminal number information 64 and Y64, and generate shared equipment cost allocation information Z76 by allocating the shared equipment cost information Z75 to the two companies based on the revenue ratio of the two companies.

The revenues predicted at facility planning time _t1 ( _t0 ≦ _t1 ) for communication carriers X and Y are the product of the predicted number of terminals and the monthly fee. If these products are FX( _t1 ) and FY( _t1 ), respectively, the shared facility cost allocation information Z76 and _SCv ( _t1 ) are expressed as vectors as follows:

　＜Ｓ８４０－２＞
　Ｓ８４０－２（Ｓ９１０）において、共有設備コスト配分算出部１６Ｈは、共有設備コスト配分情報Ｚ７６を結果出力部１６Ｇに転送する。

<S840-2>
In S840-2 (S910), the shared equipment cost allocation calculation unit 16H transfers the shared equipment cost allocation information Z76 to the result output unit 16G.

Next, we will explain (3) the case where cost allocation is calculated based on a comparison of the profits of each of the telecommunications carriers that use the telecommunications equipment in question.

<S820-3>
In S820-3, the shared equipment cost allocation calculation unit 16H acquires the profit information 65 and Y65.

<S830-3>
In S830-3, the shared equipment cost allocation calculation unit 16H generates shared equipment cost allocation information Z76 by allocating the shared equipment cost information Z75 to the two companies based on the ratio of profits between the two communication event parties contained in the profit information 65, Y65.

As a method for calculating the profits of a telecommunications carrier, the ordinary profits and the like published as financial statement information can be used. When the ordinary profits of telecommunications carriers X and Y are PX(t ₁ ) and PY(t ₁ ), respectively, the shared facility cost allocation information Z76 and SC _v (t ₁ ) are expressed as vectors as shown below.

　＜Ｓ８４０－３＞
　Ｓ８４０－３（Ｓ９１０）において、共有設備コスト配分算出部１６Ｈは、共有設備コスト配分情報Ｚ７６を結果出力部１６Ｇに転送する。

<S840-3>
In S840-3 (S910), the shared equipment cost allocation calculation unit 16H transfers the shared equipment cost allocation information Z76 to the result output unit 16G.

<S910>
In S910, the result output unit 16G acquires the shared equipment cost allocation information Z76 from the shared equipment cost allocation calculation unit 16H, and sends it to the information DB unit 14 to be stored.

(Other configuration examples)
The communication bandwidth calculation device 10 may be called the "calculation device 10" or the "communication facility amount calculation device 10". The calculation device 10 may be configured as shown in Fig. 10. The communication bandwidth calculation device 10 shown in Fig. 4 is an example of the calculation device 10.

As shown in FIG. 10, the calculation device 10 in this example is a device that calculates communication equipment volume on the condition that equipment is shared among multiple telecommunications carriers, and includes a shared equipment design unit 16E and a shared equipment volume calculation unit 16F.

The shared facility design unit 16E generates shared facility design information including the scope of the shared communication facility shared among the multiple telecommunications carriers and information regarding the connection of the shared communication facility based on the constrained facility information, which is information about communication facilities with constrained or insufficient communication bandwidth, and the shared facility design rules. The shared facility quantity calculation unit 16F calculates the quantity of the shared communication facility required to satisfy the required QoS regulations based on the shared facility design information.

The "information acquisition unit 16A, traffic prediction unit 16B, equipment quantity calculation unit 16C, and expansion determination unit 16D" may be provided outside the calculation device 10 shown in FIG. 10, or the "information acquisition unit 16A, traffic prediction unit 16B, equipment quantity calculation unit 16C, and expansion determination unit 16D" may be functions included in the shared equipment design unit 16E.

(Summary of the embodiment)
As described above, the communication bandwidth calculation device 10 in this embodiment is a device that calculates a bandwidth required for communication equipment that provides a communication service, and includes an information acquisition unit 16A, a traffic prediction unit 16B, an equipment quantity calculation unit 16C, an expansion determination unit 16D, a shared equipment design unit 16E, a shared equipment quantity calculation unit 16F, a shared equipment cost calculation unit 16G, and a shared equipment cost allocation calculation unit 16H.

The information acquisition unit 16A acquires the "communication bandwidth, traffic, and cost information" for each facility of the telecommunications carriers that wish to share their facilities, the "information on the number of terminals, profits, and QoS regulations" for each of the telecommunications carriers that wish to share their facilities, and the shared facility design rules between the telecommunications carriers that wish to share their facilities.

The traffic prediction unit 16B predicts future traffic volumes from facility-based traffic information and outputs facility-based traffic prediction information.

The facility quantity calculation unit 16C calculates the communication bandwidth that satisfies the required QoS from the facility-based traffic forecast information and the QoS regulations, and generates required facility quantity information.

The expansion determination unit 16D determines which communication equipment has a tight or insufficient communication bandwidth based on the required equipment amount information and the communication bandwidth of each equipment unit, and outputs information on the communication equipment in question as tight equipment information.

The shared facility design unit 16E generates shared facility design information including information on the scope and connection of newly shared communication facilities from the congested facility information and the shared facility design rules.

The shared equipment quantity calculation unit 16F calculates the communication bandwidth that satisfies the QoS required for the shared equipment from the shared equipment design information and QoS regulations, and generates shared equipment quantity information.

The shared equipment cost calculation unit 16G generates shared equipment cost information, which is the result of calculating the cost of the shared equipment from the shared equipment design information, the shared equipment required quantity information, and the cost information for each facility.

The shared equipment cost allocation calculation unit 16H generates shared equipment cost allocation information, which is the result of calculating the cost allocation between the shared telecommunications carriers from the shared equipment cost information and, for example, information regarding the number of terminals and profits.

The communication bandwidth calculation method executed by the communication bandwidth calculation device 10 (computer) in this embodiment is a method for calculating the bandwidth required for communication equipment that provides communication services, and includes an information acquisition step, a traffic prediction step, an equipment amount calculation step, an expansion decision step, a shared equipment design step, a shared equipment amount calculation step, a shared equipment cost calculation step, and a shared equipment cost allocation calculation step.

In the information acquisition step, the communication bandwidth calculation device 10 acquires the "communication bandwidth, traffic, and cost information" for each facility of the telecommunications carriers that wish to share the facilities, the "information on the number of terminals, profits, and QoS regulations" for each of the telecommunications carriers that wish to share the facilities, and the shared facility design rules between the telecommunications carriers that will share the facilities.

In the traffic prediction step, the communication bandwidth calculation device 10 predicts future traffic volume from the traffic information per facility and outputs traffic prediction information per facility.

In the facility amount calculation step, the communication bandwidth calculation device 10 calculates the communication bandwidth that satisfies the required QoS from the facility unit traffic forecast information and the QoS regulations, and generates required facility amount information.

In the expansion determination step, the communication bandwidth calculation device 10 determines which communication facilities have a tight or insufficient communication bandwidth based on the required equipment amount information and the communication bandwidth of each facility, and outputs information on the communication facilities as tight facility information.

In the shared facility design step, the communication bandwidth calculation device 10 generates shared facility design information including information on the scope and connection of the newly shared communication facilities from the congested facility information and the shared facility design rules.

In the shared equipment amount calculation step, the communication bandwidth calculation device 10 calculates the communication bandwidth that satisfies the QoS required for the shared equipment from the shared equipment design information and the QoS regulations, and generates shared equipment amount information.

In the shared equipment cost calculation step, the communication bandwidth calculation device 10 generates shared equipment cost information, which is the result of calculating the cost of the shared equipment from the shared equipment design information, the shared equipment required equipment quantity information, and the cost information for each equipment unit.

In the shared equipment cost allocation calculation step, the communication bandwidth calculation device 10 generates shared equipment cost allocation information, which is the result of calculating the cost allocation between the sharing telecommunications carriers from the shared equipment cost information and, for example, information on the number of terminals and profits.

(Effects of the embodiment)
As described above, the communication bandwidth calculation device 10 can calculate the communication facility amount on the condition that the facilities are shared among a plurality of communication carriers in order to maintain the QoS of the communication service at a future time. Furthermore, the communication bandwidth calculation device 10 can also calculate the cost allocation to be borne by the plurality of communication carriers.

The following notes are further provided with respect to the above embodiment.

<Additional Notes>
(Additional Note 1)
A calculation device for calculating communication facility capacity on the condition that facilities are shared among a plurality of communication carriers,
Memory,
at least one processor coupled to the memory;
Including,
The processor,
Based on constrained facility information, which is information on communication facilities with constrained or insufficient communication bandwidth, and on shared facility design rules, generating shared facility design information including a range of shared communication facilities shared among the plurality of communication carriers and information regarding the connection of the shared communication facilities;
A calculation device that calculates an amount of equipment of the shared communication equipment necessary to satisfy a required QoS provision based on the shared equipment design information.
(Additional Note 2)
2. The calculation device according to claim 1, wherein the processor uses a strictest QoS provision among the plurality of carriers as the requested QoS provision.
(Additional Note 3)
The processor,
Calculating a cost for the shared communications equipment;
The calculation device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a calculation unit for calculating a cost allocation among the plurality of communication carriers based on the cost.
(Additional Note 4)
The processor,
Calculating the cost allocation based on a ratio of traffic volumes among the plurality of communication carriers.
Calculating the cost allocation based on a ratio of the number of terminals or a ratio of revenues among the plurality of telecommunications carriers; or
The calculation device according to claim 3, further comprising: a calculation unit for calculating the cost allocation based on a ratio of profits among the plurality of communication carriers.
(Additional Note 5)
A method for calculating a communication facility amount on the condition that a plurality of communication carriers share a communication facility amount, the method comprising the steps of:
a shared facility design step of generating shared facility design information including a range of the shared communication facility shared among the plurality of telecommunications carriers and information regarding the connection of the shared communication facility based on constrained facility information, which is information on communication facilities with constrained or insufficient communication bandwidth, and shared facility design rules;
and a shared equipment amount calculation step of calculating an equipment amount of the shared communication equipment necessary to satisfy a required QoS provision based on the shared equipment design information.
(Additional Note 6)
A non-transitory storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each unit in the calculation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

The present embodiment has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this specific embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention as described in the claims.

10 Communication bandwidth calculation device, calculation device 11 Communication I/F unit 12 Operation input unit 13 Screen display unit 14 Information DB unit 15 Memory unit 16 Calculation processing unit 16A Information acquisition unit 16B Traffic prediction unit 16C Equipment amount calculation unit 16D Expansion judgment unit 16E Shared equipment design unit 16F Shared equipment amount calculation unit 16G Shared equipment cost calculation unit 16H Shared equipment cost allocation calculation unit 16I Result output unit 20 Core network 21, 22 Core node 23 Access network 24, 25 Access node 26 Gateway router 27 Internet 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 Bandwidth equipment 41, 42, 43, 44 Communication terminal 45, 46, 47, 48 PC terminal 51 Operation system 52 Equipment cost/revenue information DB
53 Shared DB
61 Network equipment configuration information 62 Equipment unit traffic information 63 Equipment cost information 64 Terminal number information 65 Profit information 66 QoS regulations 71 Equipment unit traffic forecast information 72 Required equipment amount information Y20 Core network Y23 Access network Y24 Access nodes Y31, Y33, Y34 Bandwidth equipment Y41, Y42 Communication terminals Y45, Y46 PC terminal Y53 Shared DB
Y61 Network equipment configuration information Y62 Equipment unit traffic information Y63 Equipment cost information Y64 Number of terminals information Y65 Profit information Y66 QoS regulations Y71 Equipment unit traffic forecast information Y72 Required equipment amount information Z23 Access network Z24 Access nodes Z31, Z33 Bandwidth equipment Z41 Communication terminal Z45 PC terminal Z67 Shared equipment design rules Z72 Stressed equipment information Z73 Shared equipment design information Z74 Shared equipment required equipment amount information Z75 Shared equipment cost information Z76 Shared equipment cost allocation information

Claims (6)

A calculation device for calculating communication facility capacity on the condition that facilities are shared among a plurality of communication carriers,
a shared facility design unit that generates shared facility design information including a range of the shared communication facility shared among the plurality of telecommunications carriers and information regarding the connection of the shared communication facility based on constrained facility information, which is information on communication facilities with constrained or insufficient communication bandwidth, and shared facility design rules;
and a shared equipment amount calculation unit that calculates an equipment amount of the shared communication equipment necessary to satisfy a required QoS provision based on the shared equipment design information. The calculation device according to claim 1 , wherein the shared facility amount calculation unit uses the strictest QoS regulation among the plurality of communication carriers as the required QoS regulation. a shared facility cost calculation unit for calculating a cost of the shared communication facility;
The calculation device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a shared facility cost allocation calculation unit that calculates cost allocation among the plurality of communication carriers based on the cost. The shared equipment cost allocation calculation unit
Calculating the cost allocation based on a ratio of traffic volumes among the plurality of communication carriers.
Calculating the cost allocation based on a ratio of the number of terminals or a ratio of revenues among the plurality of telecommunications carriers; or
The calculation device according to claim 3 , wherein the cost allocation is calculated based on a ratio of profits among the plurality of communication carriers. A method for calculating a communication facility amount on the condition that a plurality of communication carriers share the facility, comprising:
a shared facility design step of generating shared facility design information including a range of the shared communication facility shared among the plurality of telecommunications carriers and information regarding the connection of the shared communication facility based on constrained facility information, which is information on communication facilities with constrained or insufficient communication bandwidth, and shared facility design rules;
and a shared equipment amount calculation step of calculating an equipment amount of the shared communication equipment necessary to satisfy a required QoS provision based on the shared equipment design information. A program for causing a computer to function as each part of a calculation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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