Device Assisted Services (DAS) for protecting network capacity is provided. In some embodiments, DAS for protecting network capacity includes monitoring a network service usage activity of the communications device in network communication; classifying the network service usage activity for differential network access control for protecting network capacity; and associating the network service usage activity with a network service usage control policy based on a classification of the network service usage activity to facilitate differential network access control for protecting network capacity.

A tariff data determining method and apparatus are disclosed. The method includes: obtaining a call detail record set, wherein each call detail record includes a charging condition, a charging unit and a fee deduction that are under the charging condition; grouping a plurality of call detail records to obtain a call detail record group, wherein a same value corresponding to a charging unit in the call detail record group has a correspondence with a unique fee value corresponding to a fee deduction; analyzing the call detail record group to obtain a data feature; selecting a target tariff model corresponding to the data feature; determining a parameter value corresponding to each tariff parameter in the target tariff model; and determining tariff data based on the parameter value, the target tariff model, and the charging condition.

Systems, methods, and apparatuses may include a Billing System (BS) node, Charging System (CS) node, and a mediation node for managing Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Numbers (MSISDN)s for a telecommunication network. The system may make an MSISDN available for reassignment immediately or shortly after (e.g., seconds, minutes, days, or weeks after) receiving a cancellation request associated with the MSISDN. For instance, upon receiving the cancellation request, the system may store a line identifier with an association to the MSISDN and/or an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) in a line identifier database, and the system may delete the MSISDN/IMSI from a user account database. The system may receive a Telephone Account Procedure (TAP) Call Detail Record (CDR) associated with the MSISDN/IMSI after receiving the cancellation request. Accordingly, the system may use the line identifier stored in the line identifier database to generate a billing report corresponding to the TAP CDR.

An example communications system for providing communication services between communications devices may employ multiple usage rates for metered communication services. A method for adjusting usage amounts to account for multiple usage rates may include determining a usage adjustment factor for a communications event; determining a metered usage amount for the communications event; and determining an adjusted usage amount based on the usage adjustment factor and the metered usage amount for the communications amount. Thus, a billing system in the communications system may determine an invoice amount based on the adjusted usage amount and a predetermined bill rate.

A method of serving a network resource usage record file is disclosed. The method can comprise: storing network resource usage records in a distributed database, the network resource usage records relating to network resource usage in a telecommunications network; sending a file list identifying a network resource usage record file over a file retrieval interface without having constructed the network resource usage record file; receiving, over the file retrieval interface, a request for the network resource usage record file; constructing, in response to the receiving of the request, the network resource usage record file, the network resource usage record file comprising one or more network resource usage records obtained from the distributed database; and serving, over the file retrieval interface, the network resource usage record file.

A data service control method and a related device are disclosed. The method includes: determining, by a PGW, a status of a data service switch of UE; if the status of the data service switch is that the data service switch is turned off, after the PGW receives a first data packet that comes from or goes to the UE, determining, by the PGW, whether the first data packet belongs to a specified type; and forwarding, by the PGW, the first data packet if the first data packet belongs to the specified type; or discarding, by the PGW, the first data packet if the first data packet does not belong to the specified type. During implementation of embodiments of the present disclosure, when the data service switch of the UE is turned off, data traffic of the UE can be saved.

A mechanism to insert a correct call identifier as a session identifier in an accounting request (AR) record and a mechanism for a charging control function (CCF) device to check the value and generate an error as required. A method can comprise receiving a session initiation protocol packet representing a first attribute value pair; based on the session initiation protocol packet, checking for an existence of an identity between a first field associated with the session initiation protocol packet and a second field associated with a second attribute value pair; and in response to a result of the checking being that the existence of the identity is not determined to be presents between the first field and the second field, updating a third attribute value pair.

A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided in accordance with example embodiments in order to provide methods, apparatuses, and/or systems that reduce and/or eliminate network inefficiencies caused by the traffic profile associated with narrow band Internet-of-Things (NB-IoT) devices and similar devices, by applying and optimizing protocols governing the allocation of network resources to such devices. In some example implementations, a serving gateway (SGW) and/or a packet data network gateway (PGW) is locally configured with a threshold set that includes limits on the permissible traffic associated with a NB-IoT device and/or a similar device over a given unit of time. To the extent that the traffic remains within such limits, generation of charging data records (CDRs) and signaling to an online charging server may be reduced or eliminated.

A computer-implemented method and system for detecting instances of missing data records in Usage Data Records (UDRs) generated for wireless services is disclosed. The system and method comprises recording a sequence of events related to transmission of data through at least one service element, transmitting the sequence of events as usage data records to a server for accounting and using an anomaly detection algorithm to detect instances of missing usage data records in the transmitted usage data records.

A method of media state synchronization is described. An applicative entity sends a request to a rules control entity asking the rules control entity to dispatch a message to the applicative entity describing the state of the media controlled by this applicative entity and currently being used. On expiry of a default deadline or one contained in the request, the rules control entity sends the applicative entity a message in which the rules control entity describes the state of the media. Subsequent to the receipt of the message, the applicative entity does not undertake any action if the media list provided by the rules control entity is identical to that known to the applicative entity, or corrects its state of the media if a subset of the media of the list is different from the list of media known to the applicative entity, or requests the freeing of the session if the set of the media of the list is different from the list of media known to the applicative entity or if the session itself is unknown to the applicative entity.