Method, apparatus and computer program for enforcing policy across associated sessions taking into account a total usage quota for associated user

A method of allocating user usage quotas within a packet-based communication network, the method comprising:

• performing at least one of a maintaining and a determining, for each of a plurality of users, of an available total usage quota and a set of registered, linked connection identifiers that are associated with a user;
• receiving, from a policy enforcement point, a request for allocation of a quota with respect to a packet session associated with a specified connection identifier;
• responding to receipt of a quota request by determining a quota for said packet session taking into account the available total usage quota for the associated user and consumed but previously unreported usage quota in respect of any currently ongoing sessions associated with other connection identifiers belonging to the same set as said specified connection identifier, the previously unreported usage quota comprising usage quota unreported before receipt of the request;
• and
• sending the determined quota to said policy enforcement point;
• wherein said usage quota comprises at least one of a data volume limit and a bandwidth limit.

A computer program stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium, said computer program configured to cause a computer to:

• perform at least one of a maintaining and a determining, for each of a plurality of users, of an available total usage quota and a set of registered, linked connection identifiers that are associated with a user;
• receiving from a policy enforcement point, a request for allocation of a quota with respect to a packet session associated with a specified connection identifier;
• responding to receipt of a quota request by determining a quota for said packet session taking into account the available total usage quota for the associated user and consumed but unreported usage quota in respect of any currently ongoing sessions associated with other connection identifiers belonging to the same set as said specified connection identifier;
• and
• sending the determined quota to said policy enforcement point;
• wherein said usage quota comprises at least one of a data volume limit and a bandwidth limit.