Embodiments of this application disclose a charging management method, a user plane function entity, and a control plane function entity. The method includes: receiving, by a UP, a first usage reporting rule (URR) and a second URR sent by a CP, where the first URR is correlated with the second URR; when usage information on the UP reaches a threshold of the first URR, obtaining, by the UP, usage information corresponding to the first URR and usage information corresponding to a third URR correlated with the first URR; and sending, by the UP to the CP, the usage information corresponding to the first URR and the usage information corresponding to the third URR, so that the CP generates a charging data record based on the usage information corresponding to the first URR and the usage information corresponding to the third URR.

A cloud-management system intercepts API calls from a client application. Based on the expected amount of cloud resources required to service the API call, and given the terms of the client's billing plan, the system estimates the cost to service the call. The system embeds this cost into its response to the API call and the client application, or an IDE hosting the application, keeps a running total of API-related costs incurred by the application. The system can also run in an emulation mode, estimating the application's API resource-consumption costs without actually consuming cloud resources. In this mode, the system replaces each GET and PUT call in the intercepted API call with an equivalent HEAD call that does not consume resources. The system still, however, predicts the actual cost of the original API call by returning the cost of each original GET and PUT.

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 method for monitoring and controlling session traffic usage, includes: receiving traffic usage increment information of a first session and a second session reported by a first PCF and a second PCF; accumulating a total traffic usage of the first session and the second session according to the received traffic usage increment information; determining whether a current total traffic usage reaches a threshold value of a total issued traffic usage; and sending the total traffic usage information of the first session and the second session to the first PCF and the second PCF in response to that the current total traffic usage reaches the threshold value of the total issued traffic usage and in response to that the current total traffic usage does not reach the threshold value of the total issued traffic usage, repeating above steps.

Embodiments of this application disclose a charging management method, a user plane function entity, and a control plane function entity. The method includes: receiving, by a UP, a first usage reporting rule (URR) and a second URR sent by a CP, where the first URR is correlated with the second URR; when usage information on the UP reaches a threshold of the first URR, obtaining, by the UP, usage information corresponding to the first URR and usage information corresponding to a third URR correlated with the first URR; and sending, by the UP to the CP, the usage information corresponding to the first URR and the usage information corresponding to the third URR, so that the CP generates a charging data record based on the usage information corresponding to the first URR and the usage information corresponding to the third URR.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a charging system for charging an airtime use account file associated with a user for the provision of mobile telecommunications services to the user. The charging system comprises: one or more data stores configured to store: the airtime use account file, the airtime use account file having an airtime account balance which is debited in correspondence with use of airtime services by the user and has an associated predefined balance threshold; and a dedicated account file associated with the user and configured to store loan funds provided to the user, the dedicated account file having a dedicated account balance which is debited in correspondence with use of payment services or airtime services by the user. The charging system further comprises a rules engine processor programmed with instructions which when executed cause the rules engine processor to increase the dedicated account balance in the dedicated account file by an amount corresponding to a requested loan amount, and decrease the airtime account balance of the airtime use account file by at least the requested loan amount. The rules engine processor is configured to debit the dedicated account balance with use of airtime services when the airtime account balance is at or below the threshold amount.

The disclosure provides a system and method for metering on a prepaid wireless access point the amount of data transferred between a wireless device and the Internet and inhibiting further data transmission when the amount of prepaid data available reaches or drops below a pre-determined threshold. Specifically, the wireless access point includes a metering client to track one of data usage or an amount of prepaid data available. When the metering client indicates that the amount of data available has dropped below a pre-determined threshold, the wireless access point inhibits further data transmission.

A token-based billing model for delivering server-side rendered applications to remote users. A token represents a right to access a server-side rendered application. Each remote user is associated with one or more tokens. When a given token expires, the set of tokens associated with a user is decremented. The rate at which tokens expire are modulated based on aggregate load across the resources of the server-side rendered application provider, as well as the individual loads attributable to each of the users.

Methods, systems, a computer program and a computer program product for providing service authorization to a Charging Client function which comprises associating one or more charging modifier actions with a user account, each charging modifier actions having an action start time and defining a charging modifier parameter and receiving a service authorization request indicating a request for service reservation from a charging client. A validity time period for the service reservation is determined; one or more of the associated charging modifier actions having the action start time within the determined validity time period is identified; the identified one or more associated charging modifier actions are executed to activate the charging modifiers for the user account and a service authorization response indicating a service reservation to the charging client is sent, the service reservation based on at least one of the activated charging modifiers.

The present disclosure provides a method (200) in a network entity for control of a Value Added Service (VAS) to be provided for a user. The method (200) comprises: receiving (S210) from another network entity an indication of an account status of a VAS related account associated with the user; determining (S220) a VAS control policy for the VAS based on the account status; and transmitting (S230) the VAS control policy to a network controller that controls provision of the VAS.