High Packet loss / timeouts in broadband backbone network

[infinidim]

Folks,

I have been monitoring the EE / BT backbone network for some time now and have noticed either in my monitoring tools or in the performance of streaming service that the backbone broadband network has some very high packet loss / timeouts. The timeout I have set in my monitoring tool is 2.5 seconds which I would think would be enough. 2.5 seconds relates to twice around the world on fibre propagation delay, at least......

The effect of this in the backbone network is to have performance issues with streaming services.

The speed of the broadband is what I was contracted to have but the issue of packet loss / timeouts is effecting the quality of service.

I have tried to raise this with customer services but they seem to only look after the front end of the service speed of the broadband and failures of the EE router / modem.

Because I have both my own tools as well as an Oftcom Samknows box on site I can see exactly what is happening in the BT / EE backbone networkPacket loss in backboneTimeouts in backbone

Most of the issue appear to be around the Slough BT core node area.

I have attached a couple of screenshots / captures of what is going on.

Folks I have done all the normal diagnostics and testing but nothing fixes this issue as it is in the backbone network.

Your thoughts folks would be appreciated.

Regards

John Haynes

[XRaySpeX]

BT's routing nodes have better things to do than responding to pings, i.e. their jobs.

[Mustrum]

@infinidim  Alas your testing does not really prove anything.

Samknows very little about broadband testing and use some very flawed methods to try and justify the funding they get from Ofcom.

Core routers are designed to route traffic as their first priority, and drop ping requests in the same way a server does when they have other stuff to do.

What issues are you actually having?

[infinidim]

I know that given that up until a few years ago I was responsible for the quality of BT's data and fibre optics outside the UK. 

[XRaySpeX]

I never imagined BT had fibre outside UK.

[Mustrum]

I seem to remember BT Global Services had fibre products available in a number of countries as well as transcontinental undersea cables.  How much is left these days that has not been sold off is another thing..

[infinidim]

The issues I see is at certain times streaming is struggling. This correlates with the higher drop rate at the core router that we are routed through 90% of the time. Given these core routers are either Juniper or Cisco I would not expected this issue.  

What I have not mentioned is that this dropping / delay does not happen all the time. It also doesn't happen if I manage to be routed via smother core router. 

If you look at the screen shot of the path then you will see at the time I took it that more of the drops were where the ethernet overlay from Openreach connects to the core network run by BT Wholesale. 

If you see this sort of issue there appears via the current EE / BT processes no way to get it investigated. 

EE and BT Retail are only really marketing / sales organisations. 

Regards 

John Haynes 

[Mustrum]

@infinidim  are you a legacy EE customer or a more recent New EE customer?

Online technical support has been limited, but has improved recently, although still could be better. Hopefully one of the new technical team will spot your thread and respond. Otherwise you may need to persist and get through to the second line tech team, rather than the script readers on the front line.

As for BT Divisions, YES I am very well aware!

[infinidim]

Up until a few years ago BT was 2nd largest fiber networks in Spain, Germany, Italy etc. It also had part ownership of many subsea cables as well.

John

[infinidim]

I was involved with most of them. 

John