How can we explain the sudden 50% increase in reported outages for Starry Connect customers in urban areas during peak usage hours?

Introduction

The sudden 50% increase in reported outages for Starry Connect customers in urban areas during peak usage hours is a critical issue that demands immediate attention. This analysis will systematically identify, validate, and address the root cause while considering both short-term fixes and long-term strategic implications.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Looking at the timing, I'm thinking this could be related to network capacity. Has there been a recent surge in new customer sign-ups or changes in usage patterns?

Why it matters: Understanding user growth helps identify if the infrastructure is being strained. Expected answer: Yes, there's been a 20% increase in new customers over the last month. Impact on approach: If confirmed, we'd focus on scaling infrastructure and optimizing resource allocation.

• Considering the urban focus, I'm wondering about potential interference issues. Have there been any new construction projects or changes in the urban landscape near our transmission points?

Why it matters: Urban development can impact signal quality and coverage. Expected answer: Several new high-rise buildings have been completed recently. Impact on approach: If true, we'd need to reassess our network topology and potentially adjust transmitter locations.

• Given the specificity of peak hours, I'm curious about recent changes to our traffic management systems. Have we implemented any new QoS policies or traffic shaping algorithms recently?

Why it matters: Changes in traffic management could inadvertently cause service degradation. Expected answer: A new traffic prioritization system was rolled out two weeks ago. Impact on approach: If confirmed, we'd need to review and potentially rollback or adjust the new system.

• Noticing the term "reported" outages, I'm wondering about our monitoring systems. Have there been any changes to how we detect or classify outages?

Why it matters: Changes in monitoring could lead to false positives or increased sensitivity. Expected answer: No recent changes to outage detection systems. Impact on approach: If unchanged, we'd focus on actual service issues rather than reporting anomalies.