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.

A control plane entity selects a subset of a plurality of user plane entities to support a charging session associated with a user based on charging policies for the plurality of user plane entities. The control plane entity allocates portions of a quota for the charging session to the control plane entity and the subset of the plurality of user plane entities based on the charging policies. In some cases, the control plane entity modifies the quotas that are allocated to the control plane entity or the subset of the plurality of user plane entities. Modifying the quotas can include redistributing unused portions of the quotas among the control plane entity and the subset of the plurality of user plane entities, e.g., in response to handover of the user equipment between user plane entities.

Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for mobile network handling of simultaneous data usage session records. A system can include a network session server that has a processor and a memory storing instructions that configure a processor to perform operations. The operations can include obtaining, from a session probe within a core network device, a raw mobile data set associated with a user equipment. The operations can include determining that the user equipment engages in a simultaneous usage session based on the raw mobile data set. The operations can include identifying targeted domains that are present within the raw mobile data set, and creating a raw session record for each of the targeted domains associated with the simultaneous usage session.

Systems and methods discussed herein are directed to combining multiple network flows with respect to usage of applications into sessions. A record of a plurality of network flows may be obtained where the record relates to usage of the application by a user device in a wireless communication network. The plurality of network flows may be combined into a session, where an earliest start time of a network flow represents a session start time for the session and a latest end time of a network flow represents a session end time for the session. Based at least in part on the session start time and the session end time, a usage of the application during the session by the user device may be determined. Based at least in part on a plurality of sessions, usage of the application in the wireless communication network may be estimated.

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.

An AMF of a communications system responds to receipt of a network attach request message of a UE requesting attachment to a network of the communication system, by sending a charging data request message toward a CHF containing a notification for the CHF to keep a charging data resource to track charging for network resources used for communications associated with UE while attached to the network. The AMF receives a response message of the CHF containing a reference for the charging data resource associated with the UE while attached to the network. The AMF responds to receiving a PDU session establishment request message of the UE, by sending a PDU session establishment request message containing the reference for the charging data resource toward a SMF. Related SMF and CHF of the communications system are disclosed.

A charging method includes: determining, by a control plane function entity (CP), that a data flow that is transmitted by user equipment (UE) on a first data session needs to be migrated to a second data session; charging, by the CP, the data flow on the first UP through a first charging session between the CP and a charging system; obtaining, by the CP, charging information of the data flow before the migration that is counted by the first UP; and determining, by the CP, a quota that is used for the data flow after the migration is necessary to be delivered to the second UP, and delivering the quota to the second UP, thereby charging a service data flow of a user in a case of migration between user planes.

The present disclosure relates to a method performed in an operator network providing data network connectivity to Machine-to-Machine (M2M) devices, for charging of a service session involving a plurality of the M2M devices. The method comprises, from each of the plurality of M2M devices involved in the service session, receiving a service message comprising a service identifier (SID) corresponding to the service session. The method also comprises, by means of the received SID from each of the plurality of M2M devices, determining the number of M2M devices involved in the service session. The method also comprises, based on the determined number of M2M devices, calculating a charging rate for the service session. The method also comprises using the calculated rate, charging the service session.

Systems and methods discussed herein are directed to combining multiple network flows with respect to usage of applications into sessions. A record of a plurality of network flows may be obtained where the record relates to usage of the application by a user device in a wireless communication network. The plurality of network flows may be combined into a session, where an earliest start time of a network flow represents a session start time for the session and a latest end time of a network flow represents a session end time for the session. Based at least in part on the session start time and the session end time, a usage of the application during the session by the user device may be determined. Based at least in part on a plurality of sessions, usage of the application in the wireless communication network may be estimated.

A method for performing charging processing on a network slice customer includes: receiving a first charging request message including session information from a session management device, where the session information includes an attribute of a PDU session of a user equipment on a network slice instance; determining that charging processing is to be performed on a target network slice customer for the PDU session; and sending a second charging request message including an identifier of the target network slice customer and the session information to a network slice customer charging device, so that the network slice customer charging device performs charging processing on the target network slice customer for the PDU session. When the second charging request message further includes service unit information, the charging processing includes storing service unit usage information or granting a service unit quota.