Orange Personal Communications Services Limited

Orange Personal Telecommunications Services Limited

Christopher Shaw

Dominic Desmond Phelim O'Neill

Michael David Eales

Michael Andrew Williams

The invention relates to a system for controlling communication between user terminals using a telecommunications network. One embodiment includes an interface between a real-time charging control system for controlling usage of network resources during such usage and a group communications control node which is capable of controlling group communications sessions. Improved real-time charging control mechanisms can be implemented to account for usage of group communications services, for example where charging for an entire group communications session may be applied to a selected single party. Charging for a group communications session may be conducted with the flexibility of being able to charge according to the number of participants without having to transmit separate charging control signals from each participant's leg of the session to the real-time charging control system, thus reducing the signaling load in the network.

Charging control system for group communication sessions

A mobile telephone network has a function () which interacts with the platform () or platforms processing a call, event or session to: a) determine the services and/or call handling operations to be applied to the call, event or session; and b) determine if the platform(s) () are capable of carrying out the services and/or call handling operations required by the call, event or session. The function may then arrange for the platform () to be provided with appropriate data or for the call, event or session to be transferred to another platform. Moreover, a call may have part of its data converted into a standard protocol, and the data in that standard protocol then be used to guarantee a trigger for processing the call at a transfer device.

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Bristol, United Kingdom

Christopher Shaw