Cascade accounting of connection-oriented communication sessions in a telecommunication system

A method for cascade accounting of connection-oriented communication sessions each being maintained between a first and a second subscriber station (SS-A;

• SS-D) of a telecommunication system (SYS) operating with connection-oriented services and comprising the sending of forward signalling messages (CR;
• DT1, DT2, RLC, RLSD) in the direction from said first subscriber station to said second subscriber station and backward signalling messages (CC;
• DT1, DT2, RLC, RLSD) in the direction from said second subscriber station to said first subscriber station through said telecommunication system (SYS) which includes:
• a first network (A) serving a plurality of said first subscribers stations (SS-A) and including at least one first exchange (N10) having a plurality of outgoing communication resources (OutCS) for transmitting forward signalling messages (CR;
• DT1, DT2, RLC, RLSD) and for receiving backward signalling messages (CC, DT1, DT2, RLC, RLSD);
• at least one transit network (B;
• C) including at least one transit exchange (N20;
• N30) having a plurality of incoming communication resources (InCS) for receiving forward signalling messages (CR, DT1, DT2, RLC, RLSD) and for transmitting backward signalling messages (CC, DT1, DT2, RLC, RLSD) and a plurality of outgoing communication resources (OutCS) for transmitting forward signalling messages (CR;
• DT1, DT2, RLC, RLSD) and for receiving backward signalling messages (CC;
• DT1, DT2, RLC, RLSD);
• and
• a second network (D) serving a plurality of said second subscribers stations (SS-B) and including at least one second exchange (N40) having a plurality of incoming communication resources (InCS) for receiving forward signalling messages (CR, DT1, DT2, RLC, RLSD) and for transmitting backward signalling messages (CC, DT1, DT2, RLC, RLSD), and
• wherein all signalling messages (CR, CC;
• DT1, DT2, RLC, RLSD) belonging to the same communication session are processed along the same path through the respective exchanges by the same incoming communication resource and the same outgoing communication resource of the respective exchanges involved in the communication session,
• comprising the following steps:
• a) storing (S1) in each outgoing communication resource (OutCS) for a respective communication session
• a1) a verification accounting reference parameter (VerACCref) indicating a verification accounting means (F15, F16;
• F25, F26, F35, F36) for measuring the respective signalling traffic amount (S10;
• S20;
• S30) of the transmitted forward signalling messages (CR, DT1, DT2, RLC, RLSD);
• and
• a2) a remuneration accounting reference parameter (RemACCref) indicating a remuneration accounting means (F50, F51;
• F60, F61;
• F70, F71) for measuring the respective signalling traffic amount (S50;
• S60;
• S70) of received backward signalling messages (CR, DT1, DT2, RLC, RLSD);
• b) storing (S2) in each incoming communication resource (InCS) during said communication session
• b1) a remuneration accounting reference parameter (RemACCref) indicating a remuneration accounting means (F20, F21;
• F30, F31;
• F40, F41) for measuring the respective signalling traffic amount (S10;
• S20, S30) of received forward signalling messages (CC, DT1, DT2, RLC, RLSD);
• and
• b2) a verification accounting reference parameter (VerACCref) indicating a verification accounting means (F45, F46;
• F55, F56;
• F65, F66) for measuring the respective signalling traffic amount (S40;
• S50;
• S60) of the transmitted backward signalling messages (CC, DT1, DT2, RLC, RLSD) of said communication session;
• c1) accounting (S7a, S9a;
• S7b, S9b) of all forward signalling messages (CR, DT1, DT2, RLC, RLSD) belonging to the same communication session by measuring the signalling traffic of said forward signalling messages (CR, DT1, DT2, RLC, RLSD) by the respective verification accounting means as indicated via said verification accounting reference parameter in the respective outgoing communication resource (OutCS) and by the respective remuneration accounting means indicated via said remuneration accounting reference parameter in the respective incoming communication resource (InCS);
• and
• c2) accounting (S6a, S8a;
• S6b, S8b) of all backward signalling messages (CC, DT1, DT2, RLC, RLSD) belonging to the same communication session by measuring the signalling traffic of said backward signalling messages (CC, DT1, DT2, RLC, RLSD) by the respective remuneration accounting means indicated via said remuneration accounting reference parameter in the respective outgoing communication resource (OutCS) and by the respective verification accounting means indicated via said verification accounting reference parameter in the respective incoming communication resource (InCS).