A method for managing a charging operation in a communication network is disclosed. The method comprises receiving a content specification identifying content, vendors and a condition relating to charging the vendors for provision of the content to a UE. The method further comprises creating a charging policy for provision of the content, which specifies division of charging for provision of the content to a UE between the vendors in accordance with the condition, receiving, from a UE, a request for provision of content over the network and retrieving a charging policy corresponding to the requested content. The method further comprises creating a charging entry for provision of the requested content, the charging entry dividing charging for provision of the requested content between vendors identified in the retrieved charging policy and a subscriber account associated with the UE in accordance with the retrieved policy.

A method for associating partial durations of a voice service session provided via a packet-switched network to parties of the voice service session, wherein the parties comprise a first party and a second party, and wherein dedicated network resources are assigned and/or released intermittently during the voice service session is disclosed. The method comprises invoking, when the voice service session is ongoing, a hold or temporary disconnect of the voice service session by either of the first and second party, storing a Session Description Protocol, (SDP) Offer as negotiated between the first and second party in a storage for a first time duration, and associating, to the party who invoked the hold or temporary disconnect of the voice service session, an intermediate partial duration of the voice service session that starts when the hold or temporary disconnect of the voice service session was invoked.

The disclosed system provides a facility for split billing for a single user on multiple billing systems. The disclosed system activates the user on each respective billing system using a unique pairing, such as an international mobile subscriber identity that identifies the user, and a mobile station international subscriber directory number that identifies a particular user device. As device data is routed through a telecommunication network via each access point name (APN), the network generates call detail records (CDRs), which include an indication of the APN used. The CDRs are routed to a mediation platform that uses the received APN information to route each CDR to the appropriate target billing system and to the appropriate service types.

In one example, a charging filtering function may obtain a request for one or more rules that control whether or when one or more charging data records associated with a user equipment are to be provided to one or more billing systems. The request includes an identification of the user equipment. Based on the identification of the user equipment, the charging filtering function may identify the one or more rules. The charging filtering function may provide the one or more rules to control whether or when the one or more charging data records associated with the user equipment are to be provided to the one or more billing systems.

A method includes receiving, at a first network element of a network, a message to initiate a session of a communication service at a user device. The user device is associated with a plurality of billing accounts. The message includes a particular identifier of multiple identifiers associated with the user device. Each billing account of the plurality of billing accounts is associated with a respective identifier of the multiple identifiers. The method includes initiating the session via the first network element. The method also includes sending, from the first network element to a usage data processing system, a charge data record. The charge data record includes the particular identifier. The usage data processing system aggregates charge data records for the session from multiple network elements used during the session to enable the session to be billed to a particular billing account of the billing accounts corresponding to the particular identifier.

This application provides a data transmission method and apparatus, and relates to the field of communications technologies, to split data of different applications to different access network apparatuses. The method includes: A session management network element receives radio access technology RAT preference parameter information sent by a policy management network element, and sends the RAT preference parameter information to at least one of an access network apparatus, a terminal apparatus, and a user plane function UPF network element. The RAT preference parameter information is used to indicate a target radio access technology used to transmit data of a target application. The method is used in a process in which a terminal apparatus performs data transmission.

A cellular traffic monitoring system includes: a Traffic Detection Function (TDF) module to monitor cellular traffic associated with a cellular subscriber device, and to generate application detection output indicative of an application used by the cellular subscriber device; an application-based charging module to generate, based on the application detection output of said TDF module, application-based charging data related to said cellular subscriber device; a Policy Charging and Enforcement Function (PCEF) module to enforce one or more charging rules that are Service Data Flow (SDF) based and are related to said cellular subscriber device; an SDF-based charging module to generate SDF-based charging data related to said cellular subscriber device; and a charging correlator module to identify a potential over-charging due to an overlap between the application-based charging data and the SDF-based charging data.

A system, smart device and method for apportioning costs of smart device operations between purposes. Operation information concerning operations performed by the smart device is recorded. The operations are apportioned between purposes based on categorization information and the operation information. The cost of the apportioned operations performed by the device is determined for the purposes based on the operation information and tariff information.

A system and method that matches owner-operated wireless radios to a carrier network for voice and data services, using a marketplace model that geographically identifies and values the need for such radios and allows owners to claim rights to operate such radios. The purpose of the settlement system is to encourage individuals and businesses to operate a wireless radio to enhance a carrier network, establishing greater coverage and additional access points for wireless carriers, whilst the owner is compensated for the operations of one or more wireless radios based on radio usage. In the next generation of wireless networks, the number of wireless radios is expected to significantly increase, causing resource constraints for carriers to secure land and permits to install wireless radios. By utilizing the system, carriers may build networks faster by leveraging owners who assist with the installation and operation of radios, as an owner-operated network.

Methods, a system for managing traffic transmitted by a User Equipment (UE), a UE for enabling differentiation of the traffic, a Packet Gate-Way User plane (PGW-U) for managing the traffic as well as a Mobility Management Entity (MME) for enabling differentiation of the traffic are disclosed. The PGW-U (120) receives (9) a marking type and a marking value, which originate from the SCS/AS (170) and which are associated with an application identifier for identifying application traffic to be handled according to the marking type and the marking value. The UE (110) receives (14), from the MME (130), the marking type and the marking value. The UE (110) transmits (17), towards the PGW-U (120), application traffic marked according to the marking type and marking value. The PGW-U (120) inspects (18) the traffic according to the marking type to obtain the marking value. The PGW-U (120) handles (18) the traffic based on the marking value. Corresponding computer programs and computer program carriers are also disclosed.