Alcatel Lucent

Nokia Technologies Oy

Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy

Alcatel-lucent USA Inc.

Maryse Gardella

Ranjan Sharma

Gerald Goermer

Yigang Cai

Thomas Levy

There are provided measures for coordinated session charging in roaming scenarios. Such measures (of a first session management entity of a first mobile network in a roaming charging related scenario between said first mobile network and a second mobile network) exemplarily comprise transmitting a session creation request message to a second session management entity of said second mobile network, said session creation request message including information indicative of a first configuration utilized for mobile network related charging, and receiving a session creation response message from said second session management entity of said second mobile network, said session creation response message including information indicative of a second configuration utilized for mobile network related charging.

Coordinated session charging in roaming scenarios

A control plane entity selects a subset of a plurality of user plane entities to support a charging session associated with a user based on charging policies for the plurality of user plane entities. The control plane entity allocates portions of a quota for the charging session to the control plane entity and the subset of the plurality of user plane entities based on the charging policies. In some cases, the control plane entity modifies the quotas that are allocated to the control plane entity or the subset of the plurality of user plane entities. Modifying the quotas can include redistributing unused portions of the quotas among the control plane entity and the subset of the plurality of user plane entities, e.g., in response to handover of the user equipment between user plane entities.

Charging policies in network entities that have separate control plane and user plane

A policy control and resource function (PCRF) is subscribed (at a network entity) to receive notifications of events for a first set of presence reporting areas (PRAs) associated with a packet data network (PDN) connection involving a user equipment. An online charging system (OCS) is subscribed (at the network entity) to receive notifications of events for a second set of PRAs associated with the PDN connection involving the user equipment. The network entity notifies an off-line charging system (OFCS) in response to a first event occurring at one or more first PRAs that are in the first set of PRAs.

Notifying off-line charging systems of user equipment events in presence reporting areas

Systems and methods that generate a partial Charging Data Record (CDR) when charging transfers from a primary charging function to a secondary charging function due to a failure. In one embodiment, the system receives an interim accounting request for a session from a secondary charging function after charging was transferred from the primary charging function. The system then opens a new partial CDR for the session based on the interim accounting request. The system receives a prior partial CDR for the session from the primary charging function, parses the prior partial CDR to identify a CDR timestamp, and records a start time in the new partial CDR based on the CDR timestamp. The system parses the interim accounting request to identify an accounting timestamp for the session, records an end time in the new partial CDR based on the accounting timestamp, and closes the new partial CDR.

Identification of timestamps for a partial CDR when failover occurs in an offline charging system

System and method for implementing a predictive disconnect in an Offline Charging System of a telecommunications network are provided. In one aspect, an apparatus for implementing a charging function in the OFCS is configured to determine that a resource allocated to the OFCS for processing messages received from one or more Charging Trigger Functions (CTFs) connected to the OFCS is experiencing or about to experience a bottleneck condition. The apparatus is configured to heuristically determine an expected duration of time for the resource to return to a normal condition, and is further configured to initiate a disconnection between the OFCS and one or more of the CTFs connected to the OFCS for at least the determined expected period of time.

Predictive disconnect in an offline charging system

In order to manage a change in conditions of using a service associated with a communication in progress established by a user terminal (TU) within its communications network (RT), a server determines that the user's account does not permit the delivery of the service with a change in the conditions of using a service, after the receipt of a first request derived from a network element, said request comprising an identifier of the service regarding the communication and a parameter defining the change in conditions of using the service, and the server transmits to the network element a response containing a code indicating that the delivery of the service is authorized only with other conditions of using the service, in order for the network element to transmit to the server a second request containing another parameter defining another change in conditions of using the service.

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Velizy, France

Maryse Gardella