An Analytical Tool to Assess Readiness of Existing Networks for Deploying IP Telephony

Deploying IP telephony or voice over IP (VoIP) is a major and challenging task. This paper describes an analytical approach and tool to assess the readiness of existing IP networks for the deployment of VoIP. The analytical approach utilizes queueing network analysis and investigates two key performance bounds for VoIP: delay and bandwidth. The analytical tool is GUI-based and has an engine that automates the analytical approach. The engine determines the number of VoIP calls that can be sustained by a given generic network while satisfying VoIP QoS requirements and leaving adequate capacity for future growth. As a case study, the paper illustrates how the analytical tool can assess the readiness to deploy VoIP for a typical network of a small enterprise.