Syniverse Technologies, LLC

Richard Lance Hodges

An apparatus for facilitating toll free data access includes a processor and memory storing executable computer code causing the apparatus to at least perform operations including sending a request to a device requesting identification of one or more content providers that provide data to users in which the content providers pay for data, accessed from the content providers, on behalf of users. The accessed data is not considered data usage accrued by the users during a billing cycle or against a prepaid data plan. The computer program code may further cause the apparatus to receive an indication from the device of a content provider(s) that pays for the provision of the data on behalf of users. The computer program code may further cause the apparatus to determine whether a selected content provider pays for the provision of the data to users. Corresponding methods and computer program products are also provided.

Methods, apparatuses and computer program products for facilitating toll free data access

A Payment Gateway interfaces, in one embodiment, with a merchant's website or a payment aggregator used by the merchant's website, for facilitating purchases made at the website by a wireless user. In one embodiment, purchases at the website are paid for by charging the wireless user's prepaid account maintained in the mobile operator. The Payment Gateway accepts messages in an HTTP based message from the website or payment aggregator and provides a gateway function to the wireless user's service provider, which is accessible only using SS7 based MAP protocols. The mobile gateway ascertains the proper message syntax to use in a MAP based USSD message based on the wireless carrier. The mobile gateway also receives messages from the mobile operator, typically using a GSM MAP based protocol and initiates HTTP based messages back to the merchant's website.

Payment gateway for processing payment requests associated with a wireless users account

A wireless data-oriented service provides toll free data access to wireless users, such as GSM or CDMA-based users, when accessing specified content. The content provider pays for ('sponsors') access to specific content for wireless users, often in conjunction with advertisement campaigns. In one embodiment a separate access point name is used when making the request to distinguish between sponsored data and conventional data access requests. In another embodiment, a portal proxy is used and sponsored data is distinguished from conventional data by the address of the destination web site. Wireless users accessing the sponsored content are not billed for usage, but rather the content provider is billed for usage. A data session management platform generates appropriate call data records indicating the session usage and transmits the records to reconcile accounts between the mobile network operator and the content provider.

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Tampa, FL, United States of America

Richard Lance Hodges