The embodiments herein relate to a method performed by a Control Plane (CP) function (401) for handling a credit pool comprising granted service units to be used by multiple services. The multiple services are grouped in at least one first Rating Group (RG). The CP function (401) creates an individual Usage Reporting Rule (URR) for each of the at least one first RG. Each individual URR comprises a first credit pool threshold. The CP function provides the individual URRs to a User Plane (UP) function (405). The CP function (401) creates a Usage Reporting Rule for the Credit Pool (URR CRPL). The URR CRPL comprises instructions to the UP function (405) to aggregate service unit usage for all individual URRs for all first RGs. The URR CRPL further comprises the first credit pool threshold. The CP function (401) provides the URR CRPL to the UP function (405).

An information processing apparatus includes a processor configured to calculate allocations of a profit from a service to a plurality of entities involved in provision of the service by referring to involvement information stored in a memory, the involvement information indicating involvement of each of the plurality of entities in the provision of the service, and output the calculated allocations.

An improved handheld electronic device and an associated method provide an improved call log that presents information relating to logged phone calls in a collapsed manner, meaning that for each phone number having a call stored in the memory of the device, only the most recent in time call is listed on the call log. An improved handheld electronic device and an associated method also provide a call history for any phone call from the improved call log that is selected by the user. The call history includes a listing of all of the calls stored by the device that are associated with the selected call log call.

A charging method includes: determining, by a control plane function entity (CP), that a data flow that is transmitted by user equipment (UE) on a first data session needs to be migrated to a second data session; charging, by the CP, the data flow on the first UP through a first charging session between the CP and a charging system; obtaining, by the CP, charging information of the data flow before the migration that is counted by the first UP; and determining, by the CP, a quota that is used for the data flow after the migration is necessary to be delivered to the second UP, and delivering the quota to the second UP, thereby charging a service data flow of a user in a case of migration between user planes.

Systems and methods for automated routing and rating of communication data.

A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided in accordance with example embodiments in order to provide methods, apparatuses, and/or systems that reduce and/or eliminate network inefficiencies caused by the traffic profile associated with narrow band Internet-of-Things (NB-IoT) devices and similar devices, by applying and optimizing protocols governing the allocation of network resources to such devices. In some example implementations, a serving gateway (SGW) and/or a packet data network gateway (PGW) is locally configured with a threshold set that includes limits on the permissible traffic associated with a NB-IoT device and/or a similar device over a given unit of time. To the extent that the traffic remains within such limits, generation of charging data records (CDRs) and signaling to an online charging server may be reduced or eliminated.

A charging method includes: determining, by a control plane function entity (CP), that a data flow that is transmitted by user equipment (UE) on a first data session needs to be migrated to a second data session; charging, by the CP, the data flow on the first UP through a first charging session between the CP and a charging system; obtaining, by the CP, charging information of the data flow before the migration that is counted by the first UP; and determining, by the CP, a quota that is used for the data flow after the migration is necessary to be delivered to the second UP, and delivering the quota to the second UP, thereby charging a service data flow of a user in a case of migration between user planes.

Techniques are described herein for network sliced based billing. In one example, a control center obtains, from a charging system, a charging data record that includes an indication of a network slice associated with a chargeable telecommunications event. Based on the indication of the network slice, the control center identifies a charging rate for the chargeable telecommunications event and applies the charging rate to the chargeable telecommunications event.

Various methods for a 3GPP defined Charging and Collection Function are employed that may use a microservices approach. The microservice approach may decompose the function of the network elements into component level functions that may be deployed as separate functional elements.

Pre-authorized communication services and/or transactions are provided via a plurality of networks in response to a request received from a user to provide at least one of a communication service, a transaction and user account information via a plurality of networks of different types. Prior to processing the request, there is verification of the user's authorization to receive the at least one of the communication service, the transaction, and the user account information, and that an account associated with the user has a sufficient amount currently available for payment of the at least one of the communication service and the transaction. After verification, an authorized account associated with the user is charged in real time as the at least one of the communication service and the transaction is provided.