A method and an apparatus for information exchange in online charging in order to reduce frequency of information exchange between a Charging Trigger Function (CTF) device and an Online Charging System (OCS), and reduce a pressure of information transmission between the CTF device and the OCS, where the method includes receiving, by a CTF device, a credit control answer (CCA) message that carries a non-real-time Trigger and sent by an OCS, recording, by the CTF device, charging information before and after a corresponding event of the non-real-time Trigger happens each time before sending a credit control request (CCR) message to the OCS next time, and sending, by the CTF device, the CCR message to the OCS.

Computer-implemented method for online charging telecommunication services in real time, comprising: (i) running a money-to-time algorithm, computing a time balance based on charging parameters and a wallet balance; (ii) if greater than zero, creating a charging data record, CDR, and writing a start timestamp therein, setting a terminate session timer based on the time balance, and confirming the communication session; (iii) if not greater than zero, or upon expiration of the terminate session timer, instructing to terminate the communication session, wherein upon expiration of the terminate session timer an end timestamp is written in the CDR. Online charging system, OCS, implementing the method.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for electronically facilitating streaming payments are provided. An exemplary method includes receiving a request to access protected media content hosted by a content provider, determining a minimum currency increment based on a user designated payment type, and establishing a predefined content increment that corresponds to the protected media content. The method further includes determining a minimum session expense ratio based on the minimum currency increment and the predefined content increment, initiating a user session that permits access to the protected media content, and determining a quantification of protected media content that is consumed at a termination of the user session. The method also includes using the minimum session expense ratio and the quantification to determine an on-demand streaming payment amount and utilizing the user designated payment type to determine a manner of routing the on-demand streaming payment amount to a payment processing entity that is configured to facilitate a payment transaction.

There is provided mechanisms for granting network resources for maintaining a communication session for a subscriber in a network. A method is performed by a CTF node. The method includes obtaining, from a gateway in the network, a request for network resources for maintaining the communication session for the subscriber, and requesting, from an OCF node and in response thereto, credit units corresponding to the network resources. The method includes obtaining a grant of the credit units as well as an advance credit indication of additional credit units for the communication session from the OCF node. The method further includes storing the advance credit indication for the communication session and providing, to the gateway, a grant for the network resources for maintaining the communication session in accordance with the obtained grant.

Disclosed here is a method to determine a user intent when a user device initiates an interactive voice response (IVR) call with a wireless telecommunication network. A processor can detect the IVR call initiated with the network and determine whether the user device is a member of the network. Upon determining that the user device is a member of the network, the processor can obtain user history including interaction history between the user and the network. Based on the user history, the processor can predict the user intent when the user initiates the IVR call. The processor can detect whether user device is a 5G capable device. Upon the determining that the device is 5G capable and based on the predicted user intent, the processor can suggest to the user an application configured to execute on the user device and configured to address the predicted user intent.

A method, computing system, and computer program product are provided. A processor of a computer system estimates an amount of bandwidth to be used to complete a transaction based on a usage history. Responsive to determining that the amount of the estimated bandwidth to be used exceeds a predefined threshold of an amount of available bandwidth and to determining that an account has any offers for additional bandwidth at no additional cost, the amount of available bandwidth is automatically recharged using at least some of the any offers until either the any offers are exhausted or the estimated amount of the bandwidth to be used would be less than the predefined threshold. When the estimated amount of the bandwidth to be used continues to exceed the predefined threshold, the bandwidth is automatically recharged using an advanced amount of bandwidth to increase a likelihood that the transaction will complete successfully.

An example communications routing system includes a prediction engine to, for each user account, generate a predicted cost of communications events using a gamma-gamma cost model, generate a predicted revenue of presented advertisements using a gamma-gamma revenue model, generate a margin based on the predicted cost and the predicted revenue, and, when the margin for a given user account is below a margin threshold, restrict a status associated with the given user account.

Computer-implemented method for online charging telecommunication services in real time, comprising: (i) running a money-to-time algorithm, computing a time balance based on charging parameters and a wallet balance; (ii) if greater than zero, creating a charging data record, CDR, and writing a start timestamp therein, setting a terminate session timer based on the time balance, and confirming the communication session; (iii) if not greater than zero, or upon expiration of the terminate session timer, instructing to terminate the communication session, wherein upon expiration of the terminate session timer an end timestamp is written in the CDR. Online charging system, OCS, implementing the method.

An example communications system for providing communication services between communications devices may employ multiple usage rates for metered communication services. A method for adjusting usage amounts to account for multiple usage rates may include determining a usage adjustment factor for a communications event; determining a metered usage amount for the communications event; and determining an adjusted usage amount based on the usage adjustment factor and the metered usage amount for the communications amount. Thus, a billing system in the communications system may determine an invoice amount based on the adjusted usage amount and a predetermined bill rate.

A doorbell prompting control method includes: judging whether a visitor enters a doorbell prompting area; determining a prompting mode of the doorbell when the visitor enters the doorbell prompting area, the prompting mode being preset by a user terminal bound with the doorbell; and controlling the doorbell to make a prompt according to the prompting mode of the doorbell.