A telecommunications system for selectively connecting originator nodes to recipient nodes includes an account database with one or more accounts each associated with corresponding ones of the originator nodes and the recipient nodes. There is a contacts database with recipient contact lists each associated with a specific one of the accounts of the recipient nodes. A transaction processor is receptive to an incoming telecommunications initiation request, which includes a recipient node identifier and a nano-transaction payment submission defined at least by a payment amount. The transaction processor responsively directs the establishment of the telecommunications link between the one of the originator nodes and the one of the recipient nodes upon receipt of the telecommunications initiation request. The nano-transaction payment submission is settled based at least in part upon an active duration of the telecommunications link.

A communication network (10) tracking usage information for each of two or more components of traffic associated with the same application identifier provides a basis for differentiating charging with respect to the two or more components. For example, traffic carried by a communication network (10) for a social media application running on a User Equipment (UE) (12) may be identified by a corresponding application identifier. However, the so-identified traffic may include multiple components, such as traffic providing the social-media service(s) and traffic constituting advertising or other ancillary or supplementary content. Tracking and reporting the network usage associated with respective components, i.e., at a granularity finer than that provided by the overall application or traffic flow identifier, provides an advantageous basis for differentiated charging as between the respective components.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a collect call method and system thereof, more particularly, in order to charge the called party with a uniform toll for collect call, which is determined by only the type and location of called party terminal. In one embodiment, the collect call method, system and a counsel service providing method use a free VoIP network for part of the voice call link and a charge PSTN network for the rest of the voice call link. In one embodiment, if the first link corresponding to the collect call request is established, the collect call switch calls the called party terminal to establish the second link, and billing on the second link is initiated.

Device assisted CDR creation, aggregation, mediation and billing is provided. In some embodiments, device assisted CDR creation, aggregation, mediation and billing for a wireless network includes collecting device generated service usage information for one or more devices in wireless communication on the wireless network; and providing the device generated service usage information in a syntax (e.g., a device assisted charging data record (CDR)) and a communication protocol (e.g., 3GPP, 3GPP2, or other communication protocols) that can be used by other network devices to augment or replace network generated service usage information for the one or more devices in wireless communication on the wireless network.

Device assisted CDR creation, aggregation, mediation and billing is provided. In some embodiments, device assisted CDR creation, aggregation, mediation and billing for a wireless network includes collecting device generated service usage information for one or more devices in wireless communication on the wireless network; and providing the device generated service usage information in a syntax (e.g., a device assisted charging data record (CDR)) and a communication protocol (e.g., 3GPP, 3GPP2, or other communication protocols) that can be used by other network devices to augment or replace network generated service usage information for the one or more devices in wireless communication on the wireless network.

There is provided an end point device including one or more processors configured to establish a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection with an intermediate networking device, communicate, to the intermediate networking device, an end point device credential that uniquely identifies the end point device, access a WWAN using a single user account associated with the end point device credential and the intermediate networking device, transmit network traffic to a forwarding layer of the intermediate networking device for forwarding the network traffic to the WWAN according to an access network forwarding policy, and communicate signals to indicate a current geographic location of the end point device.

There is provided an end point device including one or more processors configured to establish a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection with an intermediate networking device, communicate, to the intermediate networking device, an end point device credential that uniquely identifies the end point device, access a WWAN using a single user account associated with the end point device credential and the intermediate networking device, transmit network traffic to a forwarding layer of the intermediate networking device for forwarding the network traffic to the WWAN according to an access network forwarding policy, and communicate signals to indicate a current geographic location of the end point device.

Device assisted CDR creation, aggregation, mediation and billing is provided. In some embodiments, device assisted CDR creation, aggregation, mediation and billing for a wireless network includes collecting device generated service usage information for one or more devices in wireless communication on the wireless network; and providing the device generated service usage information in a syntax (e.g., a device assisted charging data record (CDR)) and a communication protocol (e.g., 3GPP, 3GPP2, or other communication protocols) that can be used by other network devices to augment or replace network generated service usage information for the one or more devices in wireless communication on the wireless network.

There is provided a system including a processor of a network device in communication with a wireless network. The processor is configured to collect device generated service usage information for one or more devices in wireless communication on the wireless network, and provide the device generated service usage information in a syntax and a communication protocol that can be used by other network devices to augment or replace network generated service usage information for the one or more devices in wireless communication on the wireless network.

A Charging Function (CHF) (16) of a communication network (10) signals a payload size limit to a Charging Trigger Function (CTF) (14) in the network (10), and the CTF (14) applies the payload size limit to restrict the maximum payload of one or more charging messages sent by the CTF (14) towards the CHF (16). Payload limits determined by the CHF (16) depend, for example, on any one or more of the type(s) of communication services involved, the involved subscribers, or load at the CHF (16). Load refers to processing load or communication load, meaning that the CHF (16) in an example implementation may choose smaller payload limits to reduce its processing load or choose larger payload limits, e.g., up to some maximum size, to reduce its communication load.