A network element configured to support charging for a service in a network accesses policy rules defining a rating group to be used for offline charging. While a protocol data unit (PDU) session for user equipment is being established in the network, the network element sends, to a charging function configured to send charging data records related to service usage to a billing domain, a charging data request that establishes offline charging for the PDU session and indicates the rating group. The network element also receives, from the charging function, a charging data response including one or more triggers and thresholds for the rating group for the offline charging.

Various mechanisms are disclosed for a service domain charging system that can interact with underlying networks. A service domain charging architecture is defined with several logical functions. Service-based charging types may be and applied to existing event, session, online, and offline charging mechanisms. Service domain charging messages may be exchanged over the X, Y, Z reference points. An E reference point may be used for interfacing with a service domain billing system, and a B reference point may be used between a service domain billing system and underlying network's billing system.

A method for supporting envelope reporting in a radio communication network having a control plane, CP, function separated from a user plane, UP, function, is presented. The method is performed in a CP node of the radio communication network and comprises setting (S100) a time quota mechanism, TQM, in a usage reporting rule, URR, to which its corresponding service data flows, SDFs, are applicable for envelope for envelope reporting, setting (S100) at least one reporting trigger in the URR, to instruct the UP function to generate a usage report upon closure of an envelope, setting (S100) a measurement method in the URR, to instruct the UP function to collect usage of volume, time and/or event, sending (S110) the set URR to the UP function, receiving (S120) one or more usage reports from the UP function, in response to the sent URR, wherein the received usage report(s) comprises at least a usage report trigger set to envelope closure, determining (S130) a starting time and/or an ending time for each envelope, based on the received usage report(s), and storing (S140) each envelope, with the determined starting time and/or ending time, for online or offline charging. A CP node, a UP node, a computer program and a computer program product are also presented.

Conventional balance inquiries by a prepaid customer or other communication-service subscriber do not return an available service amount. Rather, they return a monetary amount that does not consider service usage rules or tariff plans that control service ratings. This conventional approach makes it difficult for the user to assess the sufficiency of his or her remaining account balance. Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method, and apparatus for determining available service amounts corresponding to remaining account credit, based on considering the applicable tariff plans.

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 convergent charging method includes determining, by a session management function (SMF), a charging type of a first data flow and a charging type of a second data flow, where the charging type is online charging or offline charging. The method further includes sending, by the SMF, a first message to a charging server using an online-offline convergent charging session based on the charging types of the first data flow and the second data flow, where the first message includes a first online charging request of the first data flow or a first offline charging request of the second data flow, and the online-offline convergent charging session is used to send the first online charging request and the first offline charging request.

A charging processing method includes: when a charging processing device for a user service is unavailable, storing charging data of the user service during the failure period, where the charging data includes charging data that is not sent or charging data that is not processed; and after it is determined that a charging processing device for the user service transitioned from “unavailable” to “available”, sending a charging request message that includes the charging data during the failure period to the available charging processing device, so that the available charging processing device performs charging processing on the charging data before a charging processing device transitioned to “available”. In this method, when the charging processing device or a network is faulty, interruption of the user service can be avoided, and a loss caused for an operator can be avoided.

Computer-implemented method for online charging telecommunication services in real time, comprising: (i) running a money-to-time algorithm, computing a time balance based on charging parameters and a wallet balance; (ii) if greater than zero, creating a charging data record, CDR, and writing a start timestamp therein, setting a terminate session timer based on the time balance, and confirming the communication session; (iii) if not greater than zero, or upon expiration of the terminate session timer, instructing to terminate the communication session, wherein upon expiration of the terminate session timer an end timestamp is written in the CDR. Online charging system, OCS, implementing the method.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for processing information, a forwarding plane device and a control plane device. The method includes: receiving a data packet, and extracting the data packet's characteristic information; searching for context information corresponding to the data packet's characteristic information; buffering or discarding the data packet if the context information is not found; and sending an event reporting message to a gateway control plane device, wherein the event reporting message carries the data packet's characteristic information, so that the gateway control plane device acquires the context information corresponding to the data packet's characteristic information. forwarding of the data packet to the greatest extent.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method of charging session management. The method comprises, at a first node of a communication system, receiving an indication of charging termination associated with a terminal device from a second node of the communication system, where the indication of charging termination at least specifies a time length; detecting traffic for the terminal device in response to receiving the indication of charging termination; and in response to the traffic for the terminal device being lower than a predetermined threshold, starting a timer for terminating a charging session of the terminal device after the time length. Embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a corresponding device.