Patent ID: 8792361

Claim:
A method of operating an access network including a plurality of data connections between end user devices and an aggregation transceiver device where the connections are aggregated for onward connection through the access network, the method comprising: each time a data connection is established or re-established, generating line data about the data connection at the aggregation device; and storing the line data at the aggregation device; after a predetermined period of time, determining if the data connection has operated successfully since the establishment of the connection without having suffered loss of connection during the predetermined period; and transmitting the line data to another device only in the event that the above determination is positive, but otherwise not transmitting the line data; wherein if a loss of connection is suffered during the predetermined period of time, then the line data is replaced by new line data generated during a subsequent re-establishment of the connection and a new period of waiting is commenced prior to attempting to transmit the new line data to the another device.