US 7,873,346 B2 · Arrangement and method for determining charging in a telecommunications system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and arrangements for determining charging related to a data bit transfer session from a traffic source (209) to a client (213), said bit transfer session involving bit transfer over a wireless communications link (214f) under the control of a radio resource managing unit (204). According to the method of the present invention the radio resource managing unit (204) sends information regarding the bandwidth on the wireless link that the bit transfer session currently is allowed to use to a charging logic (212). This bandwidth information from the radio resource managing unit (204) is used by the charging logic (212) to determine the charging related to the bit transfer session. Thereby a fair charging of the session may be achieved, which is adapted to the quality of service actually obtained by the end-user for the session.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A method for determining a charging rate related to a data bit transfer session for a mobile client communicating with a radio resource managing unit comprising the steps of:

dynamically determining a bandwidth on the wireless communication link available to and allowed to be used by the bit transfer session for said mobile client;
a charging logic receiving information from the radio resource managing unit about the bandwidth on the wireless communication link that the bit transfer session is available to use;
and said charging logic applying a particular charging rate for said mobile client based on said received bandwidth information for said data bit transfer session wherein the charging logic adapting the charging rate related to the bit transfer session such that the session is charged according to a first charging rate associated with a first charging class when the bandwidth on the wireless link available to the bit transfer session is within a first predetermined interval and according to a second charging rate associated with a second charging class when the bandwidth on the wireless link available to the bit transfer session is within a second predetermined interval.

A telecommunications charging system associated with a mobile client communicating with a radio resource managing unit over a wireless communication link within a telecommunication network system, comprising:

means for dynamically determining a bandwidth available for and allowed to be used by a particular data bit transfer session established between said mobile client and said radio resource managing unit over said wireless communication link;
reception means for receiving information from the radio resource managing unit about the bandwidth on the wireless link available for the bit transfer session;
and charging server for applying a particular charging rate for said mobile client based on said received bandwidth information for the bit transfer session wherein the charging server is arranged to adapt the charging rate related to the bit transfer session such that the session is charged according to a first charging rate associated with a first charging class when the bandwidth on the wireless link available to the bit transfer session is within a first predetermined interval and according to a second charging rate associated with a second charging class when the bandwidth on the wireless link available to the bit transfer session is within a second predetermined interval.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Arrangement and method for determining charging in a telecommunications system

Life of this patent

Arrangement and method for determining charging in a telecommunications system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims21