US Patent 7573824 Fault management system for a communications network

A fault management system for an access network of a communications network performs a series of tests on each of the lines which extend from a local switch through a series of nodes to user terminal equipment. The results of the tests are analyzed with respect to a set of parameters to identify characteristics indicating that a fault is likely to occur on the associated circuit within a predetermined period, e.g., 1 year. Further analysis is then carried out to establish the location of the faults in the network by measuring the degree of clustering of faults around network nodes.