A network device stores overload handling criteria for a real-time credit management system of a wireless core network. The network device monitors for overload conditions based on the overload handling criteria and determines, based on the monitoring, that a potential overload condition exists. The network device receives a first credit control request for a user device, determines a standard resource quota that is responsive to the first credit control request, and allocates an increased resource quota, over the standard resource quota, for the first credit control request. The increased resource quota is based on the potential overload condition and the overload handling criteria. The increased resource quota may prevent the system from reaching a complete overload condition, may reduce overall message traffic, and may provide time for manual or autonomous recovery from the circumstance that caused the potential overload condition.

A method and a radio network node, a method and a core network node as well as a method and a charging node for enabling management of a traffic steering policy are disclosed. The radio network node receives, from the core network node, an indication of the traffic steering policy indicating one or more access resources and at least one of a PDN connection, a packet flow and a bearer to use on the one or more access resources. Furthermore, the radio network node determines to steer traffic. radio network node transmits access information to the core network node. The access information indicates a currently used access resource for the PDN connection, the packet flow or the bearer. The core network node transmits the access information. The charging node determines an amount of traffic for the PDN connection, packet flow or bearer on the currently used access resource.

A system and method for the real-time management of a device, and more particularly to the establishment and enforcement of policies or rules associated with the feature or functions that may be performed with the device, such as making and receiving calls, exchanging data, playing games and music, sending and receiving email, accessing web sites, and paying for goods and services. If a child or employee is using the device, there may be a need to regulate how that device can be used and to determine who will pay for what goods or services. In addition to providing all of the features associated with a device, service providers need to be able to establish and enforce rules (policies) regulating how and when that device can be used and who will pay for a good or service requested by the user of the device.

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.

A wireless service provider system and associated methods of using the system for the sale and/or activation of wireless services is disclosed. The system includes a communication interface for a wireless device having a unique identifier. A backend system computer of the wireless service provider system can receive a unique identifier corresponding to the wireless device; authorize the activation of the wireless service corresponding to the unique identifier of the wireless device; and record, in a database, the authorized unique identifier to improve a user's experience and ease of activation/provisioning of services for the wireless device.

The present disclosure relates to methods of metering, and in particular to methods of metering activities of applications in distributed networks. More particular, the disclosure concerns a method for metering the operation of distributed Internet of Things, IoT devices. This disclosure relates to a method for metering activities of an application in a data processing system, wherein said data processing system comprises resource nodes configured to perform activities executed as actors in the respective resource nodes; and wherein the actors are controlled by one or more runtimes in the data processing system. The method comprises tracing, by a runtime, information related to activities executed by actors controlled by the runtime, and metering, by the runtime, the operation of the application based on the part of the traced information, which is related to activities of actors being used by the metered application. Furthermore, the disclosure relates to corresponding apparatuses and computer programs.

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.

A wireless service provider system and associated methods of using the system for the sale and/or activation of wireless services is disclosed. The system includes a communication interface for a wireless device having a unique identifier. A backend system computer of the wireless service provider system can receive a unique identifier corresponding to the wireless device; authorize the activation of the wireless service corresponding to the unique identifier of the wireless device; and record, in a database, the authorized unique identifier to improve a user's experience and ease of activation/provisioning of services for the wireless device.

Disclosed are systems, devices and methods for providing solar lighting and power to a customer by using pay-as-you-go (PAYG) technology. The PAYG technology allows a customer to make incremental payments for a solar energy system that includes a lighting unit. The payments can be made through a smartphone. A cable is used to connect an audio jack of the smartphone and a PV power jack of the lighting unit. Analog AC signals including data about activation, payment, usage and status are transmitted over the cable between the service provider and lighting unit, through a smartphone. The power jack of the lighting unit is also used to connect to a solar panel of a charging unit and a battery of the lighting unit.

A telecommunications service provider agrees to a pre-paid plan including phone, text and data services, which it provides to a user through her mobile device. The provider's computer system then sends a notification to the user's mobile device that refers to benefits and contains a launch prompt. When the launch prompt is selected by the user, an application program is automatically launched in the mobile device, or a browser in the mobile device is automatically navigated to a website, which prompts the user to identify herself using minimum personal information (e.g., first and last name, date of birth and postal code.) In response, the mobile device is then signaled by the computer system of the telecommunications service provider to display to the user an offer of i) a pre-bundled group of, or ii) an individually selectable variety of, products or services (the benefits.) Other embodiments are also described.