Example methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture are disclosed to determine a telecommunications account status. An example apparatus includes a data collector associated with a measurement entity, the data collector including a processor and a memory storing instructions to be executed by the processor to: send a credit transfer request to a crediting system associated with a mobile communications service provider, the request associated with a device identifier corresponding to a mobile communication device; receive a response associated with the credit transfer request, the response including an error message; and determine an account status of the device identifier based on the error message.

Systems and methods are described herein for recharging prepaid accounts within a telecommunications provider, such as a network carrier, using information provided by postpaid account subscribers. For example, the systems and methods facilitate the receipt of instructions from mobile devices associated with postpaid accounts. Upon receipt of the messages, the systems and methods (such as systems within a charging system of the network carrier or provider) identify intended or recipient mobile devices associated with prepaid accounts. Once identified, the systems and methods recharge the prepaid accounts, based on the instructions received from the postpaid account mobile devices.

Customer devices (e.g., mobile cellular phones) are configured to interact with a communications service provider (and optionally an administration and monitoring system). A customer device is configured as a capped pay-as-you-go device in which the customer associated with the device is charged no more than a pre-arranged amount in any given (dynamic or static) billing period. For example, if $50 is the capped amount for a billing period, a user might pay $10 for using 1 gigabyte of data in a billing period, or it might pay $50 whether it used 5 gigabytes of data or 10 gigabytes of data in a single billing period.

The present disclosure relates to a method related to an online charging system for a cellular radio communication system. The method includes obtaining a notification that a refill action of a user account for the communication system is pending. The notification includes an identifier (vid) of a refill resource for the refill action. The method also includes inspecting a refill database updated by an account management function of the online charging system to determine whether the refill resource identifier is included therein, indicating whether or not the user account has been refilled based on the refill resource.

A system and method for providing top-up of mobile data, by processing one or more transactions between a data sponsor and a data beneficiary who is possibly being served by multiple data providers. The top-up can be based on i) an application program interface (API) call being made into the mobile network operator of a data user or ii) an API call being made into a sponsored data (SD) platform/system (SDS) to allocate a quota to the data user, among other possible product options. In the first option, provisioning of the data quota and consumption against the quota is managed directly by the mobile network operator itself. In the second option, allocation of the quota and consumption against the quota is managed by the SDS and an SD control app. The system can select a particular option because that option best meets one or more business goals or rules.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for validating a redirect address in a Diameter message are disclosed. One method occurs at a Diameter node, e.g., a Diameter routing agent (DRA) node, a packet data network (PDN) gateway, a policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF) node, or a Diameter edge agent (DEA) node. The method includes receiving a message containing a redirect address that appears to be associated with a top-up server for facilitating a subscriber to recharge or top-up an account balance. The method also includes determining whether the redirect address is valid by querying, using a subscriber related identifier, a data structure containing one or more addresses. The method further includes performing at least one action based on the determining.

A method for access and mobility policy control in a communications network, the method comprising receiving at a first policy control entity for handling UE policies from a network node a notification including access and mobility policy data for a user equipment, the notification further including an application identifier or a packet flow descriptor to which the access and mobility policy data applies; obtaining at the first policy control entity PDU session information for the user equipment relative to the application identifier or the packet flow descriptor, particularly wherein the PDU session information is at least one of an application start/stop event, an out of credit event, a reallocation of credit event or a usage report; and modifying at least one access and mobility policy at the first policy control entity based on the obtained PDU session information. The network node may be a user data repository.

A method and system of detecting a delinquent mobile user device. An international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) of a subscriber identity module (SIM) card of the user device is determined by the user device. The IMSI is sent to a Remote Recovery Server (RRS). A message is received from the RRS as to whether the IMSI is authorized for the user device. Upon determining that the IMSI is not authorized for the user device, a notification is displayed on a display of the user device.

A system for providing multimedia content. The system includes means for transmitting targeted multimedia content to customers via a telecommunications network; and automatically receiving and outputting the content on a mobile platform. In the illustrative embodiment, the system includes means for encoding, compressing and storing content on a server. An applet is transmitted from the server to each mobile platform. When executed at the mobile platform, the applet deciphers the content and retrieves a schedule with a playback time. The content is then played out without interrupting the user. The applet may include credit code which adds time to a SIM card on the mobile platform giving a user credit time to use the device for one or more functions (communication, games, etc.) at no additional charge. The applet may also include a bar code which when displayed to a third party vendor, allows the user to receive a discount on purchases of goods or services related to the ad. In the best mode, the mobile platform includes a cellular transceiver adapted for a GSM or CDMA network. The mobile platform stores data relating to the output of the content and sends this data on command back to the server. The server includes code for forwarding this feedback data to advertisers.

A method for crediting a customer account maintained by a vendor of services in response to payment received from a customer is disclosed herein. The method includes issuing, to the customer, a membership account number associated with at least the customer account. A membership account number and a payment corresponding to a requested amount of a service offered by the vendor are received from the customer at a point-of-sale. The method further includes generating, at the point-of-sale, an authorization message including at least the membership account number and embedded transaction information identifying the service offered by the vendor and the requested amount. The embedded transaction information is then communicated from the point-of-sale to a database server. The customer account is credited, in response to the embedded transaction information, based upon an amount of the payment. The method also includes electronically transferring funds based upon the amount of the payment from a first account associated with the point-of-sale to a second account associated with the vendor.