Charging interval authorizations according to the techniques disclosed herein provide for credit reservation and charging of whole charging intervals across two or more credit containers(36) in or linked to a subscriber account (34), without the need for redefining the charging interval size, even where the types of credit units differ between or among the credit containers (36) used to authorize the charging interval. Among the various advantages, the disclosed techniques preserve the original charging interval size, which may be defined for reasons of signaling efficiency, while simultaneously allowing the reservation or consumption of credit units from credit containers (36) having insufficient remaining credit for authorization of the full charging interval.

This disclosure proposes a network function node in a core network, comprising: means for receiving, from User Equipment, UE, a non access stratum, NAS, message including identity information for the UE, and a plurality of user identity information, each of which includes a user identifier for a user that uses the UE; and means for sending, to a policy control and charging function node in the core network, the plurality of the user identity information for creating a Policy and Charging Control, PCC, rule based on the plurality of the user identity information.

A system and method for monitoring account usage on a platform that includes creating an account on a platform; assigning a usage model of the account; running an application of the account on the platform; monitoring usage of the application of the account; identifying a usage event of the usage model in the monitored usage; and generating an event response based on the usage event.

The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technologies. In one example charging method, a gateway manages, by using customer as a granularity, charging information of a plurality of devices of a customer that are currently connected to the gateway, and establishes one customer-level charging session or customer level Charging Data Record (CDR) for each customer.

Techniques for allowing access based online charging in cases of multiple user agents (multi-UAs) scenarios where the instances are registered to different telephony application servers (TASs) are discussed herein. For example, a user device may support a native number and multiple virtual numbers linked via a user account. When servicing a call, the user device may determine a served number to service the call from. If the served number is not the native number but a virtual number, the native-line server may handle the call session, but the online charging session will be handled by the virtual-line server. The native-line server may use session initiation protocol (SIP) information to send updated information for charging parameters to the virtual-line server, including network access transfer for accuracy in online charging logic.

Various communication systems may benefit from appropriate prioritization of users and/or devices. For example, wireless communication systems may benefit from multi-subscription network prioritization, such as systems for prioritizing subscribers with multiple subscriptions that are using fewer devices than they have subscriptions. A method can include determining that a device is associated with a plurality of subscriptions. The method can also include determining at least one related device is not in use, wherein the at least one related device is associated with same plurality of subscriptions. The method can further include assigning a higher priority to the device based on the determinations that the device has the plurality of associated subscriptions and has at least one related device not in use.

Methods, apparatus, and systems for the process-efficient generation of data records for data communications involving groups or aggregates of user equipment (UE), such as IoT devices, are described. In one illustrative example, for each one of a plurality of UEs associated with a group or aggregation identifier (ID), a request which includes data indicative of a network resource usage event of the UE is received and the data are stored in association with the group or aggregation ID. In response to identifying a predetermined condition, the data indicative of the network resource usage events associated with the group or aggregation ID are aggregated, and a request for generating a data record based on the aggregated data is sent to a data function for generating the data record. The generated data record (e.g. a CDR) may be stored for subsequent retrieval for reporting, analysis, network/communications management, or billing.

Methods and systems for sharing data usage by a plurality of SIM cards at a plurality of network devices are disclosed. Each of the plurality of network devices is capable of housing at least one SIM card from the plurality of SIM cards. The method comprises the steps of determining the total data usage allowance. A remaining total data usage allowance is determined by either retrieving it from a carrier server or by subtracting aggregated data usage information from the total data usage allowance. The method further comprises restricting use of one or more of the plurality of SIM cards when the remaining total data usage allowance is below a first threshold until the remaining total data usage allowance is above the first threshold. The total data usage allowance is changed to a first value periodically or according to an administrator's instruction.

A method at a user equipment to facilitate activation and splitting of data billing between at least two parties, the method including starting, at the user equipment, a virtual subscriber identity module platform (‘VSP’) service on the user equipment; verifying VSP configuration information with a network server; upon verification, starting a data networking access point name (‘APN’) based on the configuration information on the user equipment; and setting a status indicator on the user equipment to indicate the VSP service is enabled.

An apparatus for measuring and displaying Internet traffic of a mobile device, which includes a traffic measurement module and a traffic display module. The apparatus also includes a SIM card account creation module configured to create a SIM card account for each of a plurality of SIM cards. The traffic measurement module measures the Internet traffic of each of the SIM card accounts. The traffic display module displays the Internet traffic of each of the SIM card accounts. The Internet traffic of each SIM card on the mobile device may be measured and displayed.