Trunk design optimization for public switched telephone network

A computer readable medium for storing a computer program that identifies misrouted traffic in a telecommunications network for use in optimizing design of the network, the telecommunications network comprising at least a first switch and a second switch directly connected by a trunk, the computer readable medium comprising:

• a first determining code segment that determines whether traffic from the first switch to the second switch passed through a third switch during a select time period;
• a second determining code segment that determines whether the direct trunk experienced overflow during the select time period;
• and
• a designating code segment that, when traffic from the first switch to the second switch is determined to have passed through the third switch during the select time period, and when the direct trunk is determined not to have experienced overflow during the select time period, designates traffic that passed through the third switch as misrouted traffic.

A method for enhancing design of a telecommunications network by identifying traffic flow through a community of interest of the telecommunications network, the community of interest comprising at least a first switch and a second switch, the method comprising:

• collecting signaling data from the telecommunications network regarding the traffic flow through the community of interest;
• determining whether an offered load of traffic through the community of interest exceeds a predetermined amount during a predetermined time period, based on the signaling data;
• when the offered load exceeds the predetermined amount, determining whether a direct trunk connects the first switch and the second switch in the community of interest;
• and
• when a direct trunk does not connect the first switch and the second switch, identifying a path between the first switch and the second switch as a new high usage direct trunk opportunity.

A computer readable medium for storing a computer program that identifies traffic flow through a community of interest in a telecommunications network, for use in optimizing design of the network, the community of interest comprising at least a first switch and a second switch, the computer readable medium comprising:

• a data collecting code segment that receives signaling data from the telecommunications network regarding the traffic flow through the community of interest;
• a determining code segment that determines whether an offered load of traffic through the community of interest exceeds a predetermined amount during a predetermined time period, based on the signaling data, and when the offered load exceeds the predetermined amount, determines whether a direct trunk connects the first switch and the second switch in the community of interest;
• and
• an identifying code segment that, when a direct trunk does not connect the first switch and the second switch, identifies a path between the first switch and the second switch as a new high usage direct trunk opportunity.