The aim of this course is to provide students with the opportunity to develop a conceptual framework for modelling and analysing different communication networks (e.g. circuit-switched and packet-switched networks). The course will show, firstly, how to set up such models and, secondly, how to use them in the performance (e.g. QoS) analysis of communication systems.

-Describe and discuss the validity of different performance modelling/assessment techniques.
-Identify different communication system performance issues and formalise them in mathematical terms.
-Describe and discuss the underlying assumptions of the studied modelling/assessment techniques.
-Formaly describe the performance of communication systems using analytical methods (e.g. blocking probabilities and queueing delays)
-Derivate and evaluate performance aspects of queueing systems using different modelling techniques (e.g. Markov chains and fluid flow models).

Introduction to teletraffic analysis. Mathematical basis of traffic theory: Markov processes. Loss-system analysis: route congestion in circuit-switched systems; models for overflow traffic; restricted availability; congestion in circuit switches. Delay-system analysis: introduction to queueing theory;
congestion in message-switched systems and packet-switched systems; queueing network models. Analysis of random-access protocols; Traffic characterisation of Broadband Services; Admission and Access control in Broadband networks. Performance/Reliability (Performability) models.