Metrica says it holds the sole championship title in its corner of the global telecom industry, network performance management. The United States is especially promising right now for its business, as personal communications services licensees start up their networks.
The company is just one of a kind, say Kay Mackay and David Freedman, public relations counterparts for the United States and Europe. Metrica’s U.S. headquarters are in Winchester, Mass.
The Metrica/NPR performance management software is Unix-based and monitors the health of the network. Statistical data is collected from the switches, base station controllers and other network elements, then compiled in reports for a specific timeframe-daily, weekly or monthly, depending on a carrier’s specific question or problem. In fact, monitoring data can be broken down into 15-minute increments, said Freedman, which might be useful for a carrier looking at rush-hour activity at a particularly busy cell site. Activities monitored include traffic, dropped and blocked calls, handoff attempts and failures, grade of service and other areas. Carriers can customize what the parameters are in these areas.
Much of the data is formatted in graphs that show actual levels of activity and the parameter or boundary for problematic activity, so carriers know instantly where they need to expand capacity or repair malfunctioning equipment. Data compiled during longer periods of time can help carriers in network planning, and might be used strategically for marketing. Freedman said the software’s intelligence actually forecasts upgrades or other future needs for the network.
In the United States, the company already has bagged contracts with PCS providers Sprint Spectrum L.P., Aerial Communications, Bell South Mobility DCS, Pacific Bell Mobile Services and PrimeCo Personal Communications L.P.
Metrica supplies its technology directly to carriers and indirectly as one layer in a complete package bid out by equipment vendors. Mackay said the company works with all major telecom equipment suppliers worldwide.
Last month, Grant Wakelin was appointed managing director of Metrica, after 10 years working for IBM Corp. Most recently, he was general manager of DPI, an IBM subsidiary that marketed customer service and billing software to telecom companies.
Metrica formed in the wake of deregulation in the United Kingdom, explained Freedman. Once one wireless operator signed contracts with Metrica, competitors followed. This trend has continued throughout Europe. Today, the company provides its Metrica/NPR software for both analog and digital wireless networks and also wireline networks. Freedman said the company’s orders and revenues double each year.
In 1996, Metrica was purchased by ADC Telecommunications Inc., of Minnesota.
