A method and computer readable media are disclosed to supply values for either/both of volume/time for usage-monitoring from/to PCRF for a particular usage monitoring key. In one embodiment, the method includes identifying a monitoring key AVP used by a PCRF to provide at least one of a volume usage threshold level for a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) and a time of usage threshold level for a PCEF; wherein the monitoring key includes at least one of a volume threshold total for the monitoring key; a volume quota uplink threshold for the monitoring key; a volume quota downlink threshold for the monitoring key; and a time threshold for the monitoring key; and supplying values for at least one of volume for usage-monitoring for a PCRF for a particular usage monitoring key; and time for usage-monitoring for a PCRF for a particular usage monitoring key.

A first charging data record (CDR) generating node can receive charging server information and available CDR storage information from a second CDR generating node. The first CDR generating node can detect that the charging server is unavailable to receive CDRs from the first CDR generating node. The first CDR generating node can also determine that a CDR storage area corresponding to the first CDR generating node should not be used to store additional CDRs. The first CDR generating node can also select the second CDR generating node for storing the additional CDRs that are generated by the first CDR generating node. The second CDR generating node can be selected based at least in part on the charging server information and the available CDR storage information. The first CDR generating node can cause at least one CDR to be sent to the second CDR generating node.

Techniques and architectures enable a wireless communications network to allow for dynamic changes or on-the-fly selections of Fair Usage thresholds or other thresholds and to allow for the Fair Usage thresholds to be associated with individual subscribers of the wireless communications network. Subscriber groups of relatively small granularity or individual subscribers may be assigned a profile that sets forth actions to be applied to subscribers in response to the subscribers reaching particular thresholds of data usage.

Charging operations carried out in relation to service consumption by users of a communication network reduce signaling overhead and memory or storage requirements by adopting a bifurcated approach to structuring and accessing the data containers used for controlling and tracking service consumption by individual users commonly governed by the same consumption control information. With bifurcation, a parent data container holds the common consumption control information commonly applicable to each user, while an individual child data container for each user holds consumption-tracking information specific to the user. The approach reduces signaling overhead inasmuch as operations involving only the consumption control information need not retrieve or access the child data containers, and the approach reduces overall storage requirements by eliminating redundant inclusion of the common information in the child data containers.

Systems and methods described herein include receiving, at a network device, a message including an identifier associated with a subscriber and an identifier associated with a rating group associated with one or more data flows and determining a data quota and one or more usage monitoring thresholds associated with the subscriber. The data quota indicates a first amount of data associated with the rating group that the subscriber is authorized to use during a time period and the one or more usage monitoring thresholds indicate one or more second amounts of data associated with the rating group and one or more service flows that the subscriber is authorized to use during the time period. The network device transmits the data quota and the one or more usage monitoring thresholds, receives data usage information, and processes the data usage information.

According to techniques disclosed herein, a Visited Communication Network (VCN) (10) selectively reports usage information back to a Home Communication Network (HCN) (50) for user traffic that is offloaded at the VCN (10) to a Data Network (DN) (14) rather than routed back to the HCN (50). Among the various advantages, the reporting supports charging operations in the HCN (50) regarding the offloaded traffic. Further advantages include the application of policy control and service-authorization control jointly between the VCN (10) and the HCN (50).

Systems and methods may provide for establishing a data usage budget based on one or more of user input and historical usage data, wherein the data usage budget distinguishes between usage types and distinguishes between connection types. Additionally, a data usage of one or more client devices may be monitored in accordance with the data usage budget. In one example, the usage types are designated as one or more of a high bandwidth usage and a low bandwidth usage and the connection types are designated as one or more of a capped connection and a non-capped connection.

A method includes establishing a cost for consumption of a given resource by a given resource consumer for a designated period of time, the cost comprising a fixed cost for consumption of the given resource up to a threshold consumption level for the designated time period and an additional cost associated with consumption of the given resource exceeding the threshold consumption level for the designated period of time, monitoring consumption of the given resource by the given resource consumer, determining whether resource consumption by the given resource consumer is projected to exceed the threshold consumption level over the designated time period, generating an alert responsive to determining that resource consumption by the given resource consumer is projected to exceed the threshold consumption level over the designated time period, and providing the alert for presentation via a user interface of a user device associated with the given resource consumer.

A network access control method includes obtaining network information of an electronic device, determining, using the network information, whether the electronic device needs to use a first access point name (APN) network channel, and generating a network channel switching instruction in response to determining that the electronic device needs to use the first APN network channel. The network channel switching instruction instructs to switch the electronic device from a second APN network channel to the first APN network channel. The second APN network channel has access to more network resource addresses than the first APN network channel.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for managing data deliver for data constrained user devices. In one aspect, a method includes the actions of receiving, from a user device, requests for resources. For each of the requests, determining whether the user device is currently subject to a data constraint for receiving data responsive to the request. For each request for which the user device is determined to be subject to the data constraint, provide data that causes the user device to display a prompt to choose whether a resource responsive to the request is to be provided in the unrestricted data form or a restricted data form. A resource can be provided in an unrestricted data form has a first data size and provided in a restricted data form has a second data size that is less than the first data size.