SS7 network planning tool

1. A system for planning a Signaling System 7 (SS7) network for a sequence of study periods, the SS7 network comprising a plurality of signal transfer points (STPs) interconnected by links to form a core network, each STP having at least one element from a set comprising signal switching points (SSPs), points-of-presence (POPs), and network databases (DBs), the system comprising:

at least one planning database comprising information on network traffic, network component locations, and network component connectivity;

a load module in communication with each of the at least one planning database, the load module operable to determine peak loads for each STP in the core network based on network traffic, component locations, and component connectivity and operative to store the determined peak loads in one of the at least one planning database;

a forecast module in communication with the at least one planning database, the forecast module operative to determine equipment capacity exhaustion for each STP, network DB, and core network link during each study period and to determine network costs based on determined peak loads and an alternative network design provided by a user; and

a graphical user interface in communication with the forecast module and at least one of the at least one planning database, the graphical user interface operable to guide the user through a sequence of design steps, each step having to be correctly completed before the next step in the sequence can be started, thereby producing the alternative network design.

2. A method for planning a Signaling System 7 (SS7) network for a sequence of study periods, the SS7 network comprising a plurality of signal transfer points (STPs) interconnected by links to form a core network, each STP having at least one element from a set comprising signal switching points (SSPs), points-of-presence (POPs), and databases (DBs), the method comprising:

obtaining network traffic information from the SS7 network;

determining current peak loads for each STP based on the network traffic information;

specifying an alternative network through a sequence of design steps, each step having to be correctly completed before the next step in the sequence can be started;

forecasting peak loads for each STP during each study period based on the current peak loads for each STP;

determining equipment capacity exhaustion for each STP, network DB, and core network link during each study period for the alternative network based on the forecasted peak loads; and

determining costs for the alternative network for each study period.

3. A system for planning a network, the system comprising:

a network, wherein the network comprises a plurality of signal transfer points (STPs) interconnected by links to form a core network, and wherein at least one of the STPs comprises a network database;

at least one planning database comprising data about traffic on the network;

a load module in communication with the network database, wherein the load module is operable to determine peak loads for each STP in the core network based on network traffic; and

a forecast module in communication with the at least one planning database, the forecast module operative to determine an equipment capacity exhaustion for each STP, and to determine network costs based on determined peak loads and an alternative network design provided by a user.

4. The system of claim 3 , the system further comprising:

a graphical user interface in communication with the forecast module and at least one of the at least one planning database.

5. A method for planning a network, the network comprising a plurality of signal transfer points (STPs) interconnected by links to form a core network, each STP having at least one element selected from a group consisting of: a signal switching point (SSP), a point-of-presence (POP), and a database (DBs), the method comprising:

obtaining network traffic information from the network;

determining current peak loads for each STP based on the network traffic information;

specifying an alternative network through a group of design processes;

forecasting a peak load for each STP based on a current peak load for each STP; and

determining an equipment capacity exhaustion for each STP, for the alternative network based on the forecasted peak loads.

6. A planning system comprising:

a network, wherein the network comprises a plurality of signal transfer points (STPs) interconnected by links to form a core network, each STP having at least one element selected from a group consisting of: a signal switching point (SSP), a point-of-presence (POP), and a database (DBs),

at least one planning database comprising data about traffic on the network;

a load module in communication with the network database, wherein the load module is operable to determine peak loads for each STP in the core network based on network traffic;

a forecast module in communication with the at least one planning database, the forecast module operative to determine an equipment capacity exhaustion for each STP, and to determine network costs based on determined peak loads and an alternative network design provided by a user; and

a graphical user interface, wherein the graphical user interface is operable to guide a user through definition of an alternative network using information generated from the forecast module and a sequence of steps, and wherein the sequence of steps comprises:

permit changes to the core network;

permit changes to the number of POPs and DBs;

rehome elements left unconnected to STPs;

assign SSPs to POPs;

assign SSPs to DBs; and

permit voluntary rehomes.