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| Whitepapers/The VideoBridge concept Chapter 2 of 8 Perceptions of Quality - PoQ QoS – or Quality of Service – is an acronym used in IP networks to denote techniques for achieving predictable packet forwarding in terms of parameters such as percentage of dropped packets, variation in packet arrival time (jitter) and service restoration time. As such, QoS is a technical term and does not take into account how the service is perceived by the end-user in terms of service quality. The network might be behaving perfectly in terms of its QoS parameters but due to some unforeseen event outside the network scope the end-customer could still perceive the service quality as being sub-standard. To cater for this we venture to coin a new concept called PoQ – Perception of Quality. PoQ is a measure of how well the service offering is perceived by the end subscribers. It is a relative measure in that it depends on what the subscriber compares the service offering to. For example, television over fibre and DSL will automatically be compared to equivalent services offered over Satellite or Terrestrial transmissions. Broadband Internet access on the other hand might not have anything other than modem dial-up to compete against, resulting in an initially higher PoQ. PoQ of a service is an aggregate of how satisfied each customer is with the service on offer. Furthermore, PoQ depends on 'fluffy' factors such as press coverage, rumours spread through the grapevine and 'keeping up with the Joneses.” 
Figure 1 - Graph showing how PoQ relates to the actual problem. Notice that there is a time lag between when the problem occurs and when customers start noticing. There is also a corresponding time lag between when the fault is fixed and the customers start regaining their confidence in the service. One can say the PoQ is correlated to the number of customer complaints an operator receives. A high number of complaints results in a low PoQ whereas a low number of complaints usually signifies a high PoQ. A critical factor in preserving a good PoQ is to discover a potential problem as early as possible and ideally before customers start noticing. In this way the problem can be managed. Customers can be made aware in a controlled fashion and fault correcting measures can be applied early on in service windows chosen for least possible service interruption. In this way the PoQ can be maintained and the fault corrected before customers notice and start calling the customer complaint department. The key to maintaining a high PoQ is therefore a proactive approach to fault detection. This can only be accomplished through continuous monitoring at strategic points in the network. Proactive “on-going” monitoring must be designed into the system on a permanent basis.
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