A UE 200 operates as any one of a plurality of categories according to capability. The UE 200 includes: an attach processing unit 220 that performs attaching to a core network; an operation control unit 230 that causes the UE 200 to operate as a restricted category whose capability is restricted as compared to a normal category; and a category notification unit 240 that notifies the core network of a category in which the UE 200 is operating at the time of the attaching or after the attaching.

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.

Systems, methods, and software for performing online charging in next generation networks. In one embodiment, a Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) server is implemented at a Radio Access Network (RAN) of a next generation network. The MEC server hosts a plurality of edge applications provisioned to provide MEC services for a session. The MEC server communicates with a Session Management Function (SMF) of the next generation network to acquire a quota of service units for the session. The MEC server then manages the quota by allocating slices of the quota to the edge applications, and transmitting messages to the edge applications indicating the slices allocated to the edge applications.

The present disclosure relates to a QoS guarantee method. In one example method, a control plane gateway obtains a QoS parameter. The QoS parameter comprises an allocation/retention priority (ARP) and a QoS class identifier (QCI). The control plane gateway maps the QoS parameter to QoS guarantee information. The QoS guarantee information comprises a differentiated services code point (DSCP) parameter. The control plane gateway sends the QoS guarantee information to a user plane gateway. The QoS guarantee information is to be used by the user plane gateway for QoS marking.

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.

Embodiments of this application disclose a charging method and related devices. An example charging method includes: sending a charging start request for a packet data unit (PDU) session to a charging function apparatus, where the charging start request carries an indication receiving address; receiving an indication message that is sent by the charging function apparatus based on the indication receiving address, where the indication message carries an indication type; and performing charging processing based on the indication type.

The disclosed embodiments include a method for offline charging performed by an anchoring node of a telecommunications network. The anchoring node can send a request to an online charging system (OCS), where the request is for online metering of a call by a subscriber of the telecommunications network. The anchoring node may obtain an indication of an exception to the online metering of the call. In response, the anchoring node can perform a default call handling (DCH) procedure to allow the call on the telecommunications network despite an inability to perform the online metering. The anchoring node also generates a modified charging detail record (CDR) that includes an indication of the exception. The anchoring node can then send a message, which includes at least an indication of the modified CDR, to enable a mediation server to perform offline charging for the call.

A method for monitoring and controlling session traffic usage, includes: receiving traffic usage increment information of a first session and a second session reported by a first PCF and a second PCF; accumulating a total traffic usage of the first session and the second session according to the received traffic usage increment information; determining whether a current total traffic usage reaches a threshold value of a total issued traffic usage; and sending the total traffic usage information of the first session and the second session to the first PCF and the second PCF in response to that the current total traffic usage reaches the threshold value of the total issued traffic usage, and in response to that the current total traffic usage does not reach the threshold value of the total issued traffic usage, repeating above steps.

The present disclosure relates to a QoS guarantee method. In one example method, a control plane gateway obtains a QoS parameter. The QoS parameter comprises an allocation/retention priority (ARP) and a QoS class identifier (QCI). The control plane gateway maps the QoS parameter to QoS guarantee information. The QoS guarantee information comprises a differentiated services code point (DSCP) parameter. The control plane gateway sends the QoS guarantee information to a user plane gateway. The QoS guarantee information is to be used by the user plane gateway for QoS marking.

The proposed solution relates to a method and an apparatus in a communication system. The solution comprises creating (400) a bearer for user terminal communication; transmitting (402) a credit control request message to Online Charging System, storing (404) the message to a transmission buffer, receiving (406) a credit control answer message as a reply to the request message and, if the credit control answer message comprises an error code: opening (412) a charging data record and timestamping the opening with the time the bearer was created, copying (414) the message from the transmission buffer to the charging data record, adding (416) information regarding rating groups affected by the error to the charging data record as containers and closing the containers and updating (418) result code-field of the charging data record according to the error code.