Busy hour: In a communications system

Communications system

In telecommunication, a communications system is a collection of individual communications networks, transmission systems, relay stations, tributary stations, and data terminal equipment usually capable of interconnection and interoperation to form an integrated whole...

, the sliding 60-minute period during which occurs the maximum total traffic load

Traffic volume

In telecommunication networks, traffic volume is a measure of the total work done by a resource or facility, normally over 24 hours, and is measured in units of erlang-hours...

 in a given 24-hour period.

The busy hour is determined by fitting a horizontal line segment

Line (mathematics)

The notion of line or straight line was introduced by the ancient mathematicians to represent straight objects with negligible width and depth. Lines are an idealization of such objects...

 equivalent to one hour under the traffic load curve

Load curve

]A load curve is a chart showing the amount of electrical energy customers use over the course of time. Power producers use this information to plan how much electricity they will need to make available at any given time...

 about the peak load point.

If the service time

Time

Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....

 interval is less than 60 minutes, the busy hour is the 60-minute interval that contains the service timer interval.

In cases where more than one busy hour occurs in a 24-hour period, i.e., when saturation

Saturation (telecommunications)

In telecommunications, the term saturation has the following meanings:*In a communications system, the condition at which a component of the system has reached its maximum traffic-handling capacity...

occurs, the busy hour or hours most applicable to the particular situation are used. Synonym peak busy hour.