A technique involves modular storage of network service plan components and provisioning of same. A subset of the capabilities of a service design system can be granted to a sandbox system to enable customization of service plan offerings or other controls.

Various embodiments are disclosed for a services policy communication system and method. In some embodiments, a communications device stores a set of device credentials for activating the communications device for a service on a network; and sends an access request to the network, the access request including the set of device credentials.

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.

A system for customizing time limits for inmate communications in a correctional facility is disclosed. The system includes a profile subsystem that stores an inmate profile of the inmate and a communication processing subsystem comprising one or more processors configured to receive data of an inmate communication of an inmate, identify a type of communication device of the inmate and a call recipient of the inmate communication based on the data of the inmate communication, retrieve the inmate profile of the inmate form the profile subsystem, identify a plurality of behaviors of the inmate based on the inmate profile, determine a time limit based on at least one of the type of communication device, the call recipient of the inmate communication, and the plurality of behaviors of the inmate, and assign the time limit to the inmate communication of the inmate.

Dynamic adjustment of consumption limits governing the consumption of credit units from a “provider account” (24) offers numerous advantages in the context of Online Charging (OC), both to the involved communication network operator(s) and to the users or applications associated with the UEs (12) that use communication services subject to credit availability in the provider account (24). Specifically, two or more “consumer” accounts (26), each associated with one or more UEs (12), consume credit units from the provider account (24), for authorizing communication-usage by the associated UE(s) (12), subject to a respective consumption limit, which may be regarded as defining an allocated share of the credit units in the provider account (24), for use by the consumer account (26). Adjusting the consumption limits one or more times during the validity period of the credit units offers the opportunity to rebalance the credit allocations, such as in view of aggregate rates or amounts of consumption or consumption imbalances.

Security techniques for device assisted services are provided. In some embodiments, secure service measurement and/or control execution partition is provided. In some embodiments, implementing a service profile executed at least in part in a secure execution environment of a processor of a communications device for assisting control of the communications device use of a service on a wireless network, in which the service profile includes a plurality of service policy settings, and wherein the service profile is associated with a service plan that provides for access to the service on the wireless network; monitoring use of the service based on the service profile; and verifying the use of the service based on the monitored use of the service.

A rule to be implemented in a computing system is formulated as a set of at least three conditions in a hierarchical structure including a parent condition, two or more child conditions, and an outcome. One or more monitoring devices of at least some of the child conditions are instructed to report the status of the corresponding child condition. The status of the parent condition is then determined using the received status of the child conditions.

Systems and methods described herein include receiving, at a network device and from a session management device, a first message that includes a first identifier associated with a subscriber and a second identifier associated with a first service that is charged using an online charging system. The network device transmits a second message that indicates a first time period in which to report data usage associated with the first service and a second time period in which to report data usage associated with one or more second services that are charged using an offline charging system. The network device receives first data usage information associated with the first service after the first time period and second data usage information associated with the one or more second services after the second time period. The network device processes the data usage information.

Asynchronous and/or synchronous telephony protocol systems and methods may include an asynchronous signaling node (ASN) and/or a call duration time quota from a charging onset to place and complete a call based on a first device call request as received from a first user mobile device on a packet switched network. The asynchronous systems include instructions to automatically modify the telephony address with a prefix and destination address when the first device has insufficient or independent balance or upon a network exception; route the modified call signal to the ASN; and deliver and automatically disconnect the call when the call is completed. The synchronous systems are balance-independent and include instructions to automatically set the call duration time quota upon such exception, and deliver and automatically disconnect the call from the second user telephony device when the call is completed or when the call duration time quota is exceeded.

A system for handling calls in a network includes a memory storing instructions and a processor configured to execute the instructions to perform operations. The operations include receiving information about the calls for a time interval, determining, for the time interval, a total cost associated with handling the calls, including a network cost associated with transmitting data over the network, a processing cost for processing the information related to the calls, and a cost of dynamically reassigning master and slave roles to a plurality of nodes in the network. The operations further include determining an assignment of the master and slave roles for a plurality of accounts being handled by the plurality of nodes that results in the total cost having a minimum value, and implementing the optimal assignment among the plurality of the accounts based on the determination.