Specialized telecom network users who burden the network, such as
high-volume users of Internet services, are identified by analysis of
network traffic data to identify addresses (e.g. telephone numbers) for
callers to destinations associated with the particular call-in service.
Destination telephone numbers may be identified from a list of known
service providers or from a network traffic study, which identifies
destination numbers receiving unique patterns of incoming traffic.
Analysis of the records of calls to the destination numbers then
identifies numbers for callers who made more than some minimum number of
calls during the study or who accumulate more than some threshold amount
of total connect time on such calls. The preferred embodiments utilize
automated systems to compile and analyze call records from standard
messages of a telephone network, such as interoffice signaling messages
or automated accounting messages. Data from the records can be translated
to identify the calling subscribers, e.g. by name and address or by point
of connection to the network.