Methodology for applying service level agreements (SLA)

DOI: 10.31673/2412-9070.2025.028391

Abstract

The principles of building next-generation networks are considered. The main technological features that distinguish information and communication services from the services of traditional communication networks are analyzed. It is determined that the next generation network should ensure the transmission of all types of media traffic and the distributed provision of an unlimited range of information and communication services with the possibility of scaling. For some information and communication services, the order of packet arrival, packet delay and delay variation (jitter) are critical. It is necessary to guarantee the delivery of information such as speech, video and multimedia in real time with the lowest possible delay. For this purpose, mechanisms must be implemented in the network to guarantee the required quality of service (QoS). To ensure the guaranteed quality of service at the upper levels of the hierarchy, according to the Open Systems Interoperability (OSI) model, a Service Level Agreement (SLA) is proposed.
The use of SLAs in the modern electronic communications market is due to the fact that when it comes time to choose a service provider, the subscriber (consumer) is mainly interested in the following issues: cost (availability), performance of the equipment providing the service and the level of quality of service provision (maintenance). At the same time, the subscriber expects the operator or provider to ensure not only uninterrupted provision of services, but also the rapid introduction of new ones.
An SLA is an agreement between an operator or provider and a subscriber (consumer) for the provision/receipt of certain telecommunications services of a certain level of quality, which will allow to guarantee a certain level of quality of the provided telecommunications services.
SLA is a universal method that allows you to negotiate with the consumer about the level of quality of the provided information and communication services, that is, a method that would represent the level of quality of telecommunication services from the point of view of the consumer.

Keywords: network, management, delay, probability, information and communication service, agreement, QoS, SLA.