Method and apparatus for determining bandwidth for services over an Internet Protocol network

A method and apparatus for determining a bandwidth needed for services to be provided over an Internet Protocol (IP) network such as a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network and a Service over Internet Protocol (SoIP) network are disclosed. For example, the service provider utilizes a tool (e.g., an algorithm or a software application) that calculates the effective compression ratio and effective data rate of traffic on an IP network based on customer specified traffic information and standards for coding, protocol overhead, sampling, etc. In one embodiment, the network service provider presents a menu to a customer to allow the customer to enter the pertinent traffic information. Once the traffic information is received, the tool will determine the Effective Data Rate (EDR) and Effective Compression Ratio (ECR).