By Sung-eun Kim, Cox Communications, Inc.; Carol Ansley, Cox Communications, Inc.; Ted Boone, Cox Communications, Inc.
This paper provides results from an in-depth analysis of premises gateway speed test performance testing aimed at facilitating robust capacity management strategies within broadband networks. The study focuses on downstream and upstream speed distributions vs advertised maximum speeds, latency characteristics, and their variations across different parameters such as service tiers, time of day, access technologies (Hybrid Fiber-Coaxial (HFC) vs. Passive Optical Network (PON)), customer-initiated vs.
random events, site locations, and customer premises equipment (CPE).
The analysis revealed insights into the speed distribution patterns, exhibiting variations across service tiers and hourly fluctuations. Latency distributions scrutinized with respect to access technologies, discerning disparities between HFC and PON deployments, as well as differentiating between customerinitiated and random samples. Moreover, latency distributions across various sites and CPE configurations are analyzed to understand localized performance dynamics.
Furthermore, the paper discusses potential applications for effective network capacity management.
Insights gleaned from speed distributions aid in optimizing bandwidth allocation, especially during peak hours, ensuring equitable service delivery across different service tiers. Analysis of speed performance and latency enables the identification of bottlenecks and metrics for the optimization of resource allocation to enhance network responsiveness and reliability. Additionally, the data can inform proactive maintenance strategies by identifying areas prone to performance issues or CPE-related performance constraints.
Overall, this study underscores the significance of comprehensive network performance analysis in informing capacity management strategies. Leveraging insights derived from speed distributions, latency characteristics, and associated parameters enables operators to proactively optimize network resources, enhance service quality, and ensure optimal customer experience in broadband networks.