Executive Overview
Off-net circuits are both essential and problematic. While they extend network reach, they also introduce performance uncertainty, limited visibility, and disproportionate SLA exposure.
Traditional monitoring tools stop at the network edge, leaving carriers accountable for performance they cannot fully measure or control.
The Type 1+ innovation and Supplier Management program, powered by OcularIP®’s Synthetic Services, changes this dynamic. Synthetic services provide carrier-grade computation of off-net circuits. Carriers now have visibility beyond the network boundary and introducing supplier-level accountability, carriers can transform off-net environments into measurable, manageable assets.
This paper presents a modeled midwestern carrier, based on aggregated reconciliation findings and typical SLA structures, demonstrating how carriers can unlock significant savings through off-net visibility and supplier performance management.
Why OcularIP?
Off-net performance has historically been one of the most difficult challenges in telecommunications. Most providers have been forced to operate with limited visibility, relying on supplier-reported data and incomplete information to make operational and financial decisions.
LB Networks® developed Type1+ based on decades of experience helping carriers measure, validate, and optimize network performance. Built on the same Availability Intelligence® framework that powers OcularIP, Type1+ extends proven performance analytics beyond the network edge to provide visibility where traditional monitoring approaches cannot.
The result is a more complete and accurate understanding of network performance across both on-net and off-net environments.
The Challenge: Off-Net Circuits as a Financial Blind Spot
In many carrier environments:
- A meaningful percentage of circuits rely on off-net providers
- SLA failures are often attributed broadly, without clear fault isolation
- Credits are issued due to lack of defensible data
- Supplier performance is difficult to quantify or enforce
The result is a structural imbalance where carriers absorb financial penalties for issues originating outside their direct control.
How Type1+ Works Within OcularIP
OcularIP collects and normalizes network performance data, validates results against SLA requirements, and delivers actionable insights that help providers improve operational and financial outcomes.
Type1+ extends those capabilities to off-net environments, enabling carriers to manage third-party infrastructure with the same confidence and precision as their own networks.
The OcularIP Type 1+ Breakthrough
Type 1+ introduces a fundamentally different approach by enabling carriers to:
- Measure what was previously unmeasurable
- Isolate performance across on-net and off-net segments
- Reconstruct end-to-end service visibility using synthetic intelligence
At the core of this innovation is the Synthetic NID Service, which computes the performance of off-net segments based on observable data inputs.
This allows carriers to effectively manage off-net circuits as if they were on-net, eliminating traditional blind spots and enabling precise root cause analysis. More importantly, it enables providers to apply the same performance intelligence, operational discipline, and business decision-making processes across their entire network.
From Visibility to Accountability: Supplier Management
Once visibility is established, OcularIP extends into Supplier Management, transforming raw performance data into operational and financial control.
Key capabilities include:
- Supplier Performance Scorecards – Evaluate providers based on SLA adherence over time
- Historical and Real-Time Reporting – Identify trends, recurring issues, and degradation patterns
- Targeted Supplier Prioritization – Focus on vendors driving the highest SLA impact
- Data-Driven Escalation and Negotiation – Replace subjective disputes with empirical evidence
Rather than treating SLA issues as isolated events, carriers gain a structured framework to manage supplier performance at scale.
Quantified Financial Impact
Applying Type 1+ analytics and Supplier Management to a representative carrier environment revealed a critical insight:
- 38 off-net sites were contributing to SLA degradation
- 5 suppliers accounted for the majority of failures
- A concentrated subset of providers drove disproportionate financial impact
By targeting the top-performing sources of failure:
- ~$22,000 per month in recoverable value was identified through supplier-specific remediation
When combined with broader SLA optimization efforts:
- Total modeled savings reached up to ~$73,200 per month
This reinforces a key conclusion:
Supplier performance is one of the most significant, and most controllable, drivers of SLA cost.
Operational Impact: Precision Fault Isolation
Type 1+ enables a fundamental shift in operations.
Before Type 1+:
- End-to-end failures with no clear ownership
- Time-consuming, multi-party troubleshooting
- Default reliance on SLA credits as resolution
After Type 1+:
- Immediate isolation of on-net vs off-net issues
- Faster mean time to resolution (MTTR)
- Reduced escalation cycles across vendors
- Confident dispute of misattributed SLA failures
This precision eliminates inefficiencies and improves both technical and financial outcomes.
Deployment Flexibility Across Use Cases
Type 1+ supports multiple deployment scenarios:
- Cell Tower Backhaul (Synthetic Last Mile)
Enables visibility into off-net segments where direct measurement is unavailable
- Enterprise Connectivity (Synthetic End-to-End)
Combines on-net and shared off-net data for full service visibility
- Supplier Management at Scale
Leverages shared monitoring points (e.g., NNIs) to efficiently manage large volumes of off-net circuits
This flexibility allows carriers to scale visibility and control without requiring costly infrastructure changes.
From Visibility to Better Business Decisions
Historically, off-net performance data has been used primarily for troubleshooting and dispute resolution.
With Type1+, providers can use that same data to improve supplier accountability, identify operational inefficiencies, strengthen contract negotiations, and support growth initiatives.
The result is more than visibility. It is the ability to make faster, more informed decisions that improve both network performance and business outcomes.
Strategic Advantage: Redefining Off-Net as a Managed Asset
OcularIP Type 1+ transforms off-net infrastructure from:
- A black box dependency
into
- A transparent, measurable, and enforceable extension of the network
This shift enables:
- Stronger supplier accountability
- Improved SLA contract alignment
- Reduced long-term credit exposure
- Scalable governance across multi-vendor ecosystems
By applying the same performance analytics across both on-net and off-net environments, providers gain a consistent view of network quality, supplier performance, and business risk.
From Off-Net Visibility to Competitive Advantage
Type1+ was created to solve a visibility problem. The business impact extends much further.
Once providers can accurately measure and manage off-net performance, they can improve supplier relationships, accelerate issue resolution, support customer transparency, and make better decisions about growth and network expansion.
By transforming off-net performance into actionable intelligence, providers gain a competitive advantage that extends beyond operational efficiency and cost reduction.
Positioning Summary
OcularIP Type1+ and Supplier Management help carriers transform off-net performance from a blind spot into a strategic advantage.
By combining synthetic circuit intelligence with supplier analytics, carriers gain the ability to:
- Eliminate off-net blind spots
- Attribute SLA failures with precision
- Hold suppliers accountable with data
- Convert supplier management into a financial optimization strategy
Type1+ enables providers to extend trusted performance analytics across their entire network.
Result: Carriers can unlock ~$70K+ in monthly savings, with a significant portion directly tied to improved supplier performance control.
Disclosure
This white paper reflects a modeled carrier scenario based on aggregated reconciliation findings and typical SLA structures. Actual results may vary depending on network configuration, supplier mix, and contractual agreements.