Convexity of Inverse Blocking Curves in Loss Systems

Published Online:https://doi.org/10.1287/opre.2026.2623

We study the inverse of the Erlang loss (Erlang–B) formula, namely, the maximum offered load supportable at a fixed blocking target as a function of the number of servers. We show that this inverse blocking curve is strictly increasing and globally convex, yielding an exact economies-of-scale statement for loss-system dimensioning. The proof is based on a tilted-measure representation and extends to the finite-waiting-room multi-server model.

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