The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technologies. In one example charging method, a gateway manages, by using customer as a granularity, charging information of a plurality of devices of a customer that are currently connected to the gateway, and establishes one customer-level charging session or customer level Charging Data Record (CDR) for each customer.

Charging operations carried out in relation to service consumption by users of a communication network reduce signaling overhead and memory or storage requirements by adopting a bifurcated approach to structuring and accessing the data containers used for controlling and tracking service consumption by individual users commonly governed by the same consumption control information. With bifurcation, a parent data container holds the common consumption control information commonly applicable to each user, while an individual child data container for each user holds consumption-tracking information specific to the user. The approach reduces signaling overhead inasmuch as operations involving only the consumption control information need not retrieve or access the child data containers, and the approach reduces overall storage requirements by eliminating redundant inclusion of the common information in the child data containers.

Systems, methods, and software of managing bandwidth allocated to User Equipment (UE). In one embodiment, a bandwidth management system collects cell load information for a plurality of cells within a Radio Access Network (RAN), and processes the cell load information to determine a cell load status for each of the cells. The system performs bandwidth throttling for the UE by determining a location of the UE, identifying the cell load status for one or more cells in a region of the RAN corresponding with the location of the UE, determining whether the region of the RAN is overloaded based on the cell load status, and controlling a downgrade of bandwidth allocated to the UE in the RAN responsive to a determination that the region is overloaded.

A charging function (CHF) receives, from a policy control function (PCF), a first request for charging policy information for a packet data unit (PDU) session of a wireless device. The charging policy information is determined for the PDU session of the wireless device. The charging policy information indicates a charging method comprising one or more of: online charging; offline charging; and converged charging. A message comprising the charging policy information is sent to the PCF. The CHF receives from a session management function (SMF), a second request to establish a charging session. The second request comprises the charging method. A confirmation for the charging method is sent to the SMF.

Systems and methods for selecting offline charging functions per service data flow during a data session over a packet data network. One embodiment comprises a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) that receives information regarding service data flows initiated during a data session over a packet data network. For each of the service data flows, the PCRF selects an offline charging function for the service data flow based on the information for the service data flow, and provides an identifier for the selected offline charging function to a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF). The PCEF may then generate charging requests for the service data flow in response to chargeable events, and route the charging requests to the selected offline charging function based on the identifier.

A charging processing method includes: A charging trigger device sends a charging request message to a charging processing device, where the charging request message includes redundant transmission information, that is, related information of redundant transmission used for a data connection service in a data connection session; and the charging processing device performs charging processing based on the redundant transmission information, including determining a redundant service charging processing mode, performing charging processing on a usage amount reported by the charging trigger device, sending usage amount processing indication information to the charging trigger device, or the like.

Methods, apparatus, and systems for the process-efficient generation of data records for data communications involving groups or aggregates of user equipment (UE), such as IoT devices, are described. In one illustrative example, for each one of a plurality of UEs associated with a group or aggregation identifier (ID), a request which includes data indicative of a network resource usage event of the UE is received and the data are stored in association with the group or aggregation ID. In response to identifying a predetermined condition, the data indicative of the network resource usage events associated with the group or aggregation ID are aggregated, and a request for generating a data record based on the aggregated data is sent to a data function for generating the data record. The generated data record (e.g. a CDR) may be stored for subsequent retrieval for reporting, analysis, network/communications management, or billing.

The application is at least directed to a charging system for a service domain residing on a network node. The charging system includes a service domain charging management function on the node storing charging policies for the service domain. The charging system also includes a service domain on-line charging system on the node receiving a service request from the service domain charging management function. The charging system also checks the credit for the requested service before granting the service. The charging system also includes a service domain off-line charging system on the node receiving charging events from the service domain charging management function and producing service domain charging data records. The application also is directed to a method for granting service to a requestor.

Systems, methods, and software that distribute accounting requests to a plurality of Charging Data Functions (CDFs). One embodiment comprises a distributor unit that connects to the CDFs, which register their queues with the distributor unit. When receiving an accounting request (e.g., interim or stop) for a session, the distributor unit extracts an identifier from the accounting request indicating a destination queue previously selected for the session. When the destination queue is not accepting new sessions or ongoing sessions, the distributor unit identifies a prioritized list for the session, identifies a position of the destination queue in the prioritized list, searches the prioritized list for an alternate queue having a lower priority than the destination queue, and having a status indicating that the alternate queue is accepting new sessions. The distributor unit then selects the alternate queue as an alternate destination queue for the session.

Apparatus and methods that offload charging from an Online Charging System (OCS). The OCS includes an offload controller that receives a online charging request from a policy enforcement element for a service, determines whether charging for the service is eligible to be offloaded from the OCS to an Offline Charging System (OFCS), and pushes a charging rule to the policy enforcement element to switch a charging mode for the service to offline charging. An online charging function within the OCS receives another online charging request for the service from the OFCS that reports a charging event detected by the policy enforcement element, and debits an account of an end user based on the online charging request from the OFCS.