A telecommunication system can include a network flow controller (e.g., SMF) and a network-charging node (e.g., CHF). The flow controller can generate a first charging-event record associated with a network session. The flow controller can detect an outage at least partly by determining that no network-charging node is available to receive the first charging-event record and, in response, mark the first charging-event record to provide a first marked charging-event record. The flow controller can store the first marked charging-event record in a buffer. After the marking, the flow controller can determine that a network-charging node is available to receive the first marked charging-event record, and, in response, send the first marked charging-event record to the network-charging node. The network-charging node can determine a charging-data record indicating occurrence of an event during the outage.

A network gateway can prevent a new communication session for a user equipment (UE) from failing by establishing Diameter Gx session binding with a backup Policy Control Function (PCF) when a Gx session cannot be established between the gateway and a primary PCF. The gateway and the primary PCF may be associated with the same network generation (such as LTE or 5G), and the backup PCF can be associated with a different network generation. An IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) can determine that Gx binding information about the UE is not available at the primary PCF. However, to prevent failure of the new communication session for the UE, the IMS can cause the backup PCF to use its Gx binding information to identify the Gx session established with the network gateway for the UE and provide the network gateway with rules for the new communication session.

A network element of an Internet Protocol multimedia subsystem buffers network resource usage information in the cloud. After generating network resource usage information based on an observation of network resource usage, the network element transmits the network resource usage information to a cloud-based storage service for buffering. Once a network resource usage collection function is available, the network element retrieves the network resource usage information from the cloud-based storage service and transmits it to a charging collection function for generation of call detail records.

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.

A communications method and apparatus, the method including receiving, by a policy control network element, from a first session management network element, a policy request message, sending, by the policy control network element, to the first session management network element, according to the policy request message, policy information, where the policy information comprises a data network access identifier (DNAI), and establishing, by the first session management network element, according to the DNAI, a first user plane network element for a first protocol data unit (PDU) session for a terminal device.

In a 5.sup.th-Generation (5G) cellular communication network, charging customers for data usage is performed by a network function referred to as a charging function (CHF). A session management function (SMF) of the network repeatedly sends update requests to reserve additional data for a data session. If the CHF is not available and the SMF does not receive a response to an update message, the SMF continues to assign data for the data session, even though it has not received authorization to do so from the CHF. When the CHF becomes available, the SMF sends a request to start a second data session to continue the data connection that was previously supported by the original data session. This request specifies the amount of data that was used in the original data session without being confirmed by the CHF, allowing the CHF to account for this data usage.

An intelligent gateway device provided at a premise (home or business) for providing and managing application services associated with use and support of a plurality of digital endpoint devices associated with the premises. The device includes a communications and processing infrastructure integrated with a peer and presence messaging based communications protocol for enabling communications between the device and an external support network and between the device and connected digital endpoint devices. A services framework at the gateway device implements the communications and processing infrastructure for enabling service management, service configuration, and authentication of user of services at the intelligent gateway. The framework provides a storage and execution environment for supporting and executing received service logic modules relating to use, management, and support of the digital endpoint devices. Thus, the gateway device provides a network-based services point of presence for a plurality of digital endpoint devices at the premises.

A network gateway can prevent a new communication session for a user equipment (UE) from failing by establishing Diameter Gx session binding with a backup Policy Control Function (PCF) when a Gx session cannot be established between the gateway and a primary PCF. The gateway and the primary PCF may be associated with the same network generation (such as LTE or 5G), and the backup PCF can be associated with a different network generation. An IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) can determine that Gx binding information about the UE is not available at the primary PCF. However, to prevent failure of the new communication session for the UE, the IMS can cause the backup PCF to use its Gx binding information to identify the Gx session established with the network gateway for the UE and provide the network gateway with rules for the new communication session.

In a 5.sup.th-Generation (5G) cellular communication network, charging customers for data usage is performed by a network function referred to as a charging function (CHF). A session management function (SMF) of the network repeatedly sends update requests to reserve additional data for a data session. If the CHF is not available and the SMF does not receive a response to an update message, the SMF continues to assign data for the data session, even though it has not received authorization to do so from the CHF. When the CHF becomes available, the SMF sends a request to start a second data session to continue the data connection that was previously supported by the original data session. This request specifies the amount of data that was used in the original data session without being confirmed by the CHF, allowing the CHF to account for this data usage.

Managing transaction data during times of low network connectivity by organizing billing information for prioritized processing during periods of higher network connectivity. During low connectivity events, billing information is organized based, at least in part, on a combination of age and revenue to communicate important billing information upon reconnection.