Charging method and system for MTC, and message processing entity

A charging system for Machine-Type Communication (MTC), comprising:

• a message processing entity and an online charging subsystem or offline charging subsystem, wherein
• the message processing entity is configured for:
• after receiving an MTC service request message or an MTC service requesting Short Message (SM), generating a charging request including MTC service type information, and sending the charging request to the online charging subsystem or offline charging subsystem;
• and
• the online charging subsystem or offline charging subsystem is configured for:
• after receiving the charging request, performing a charging operation according to an MTC service type, and returning a charging response to the message processing entity,
• wherein the MTC service type information comprises an MTC InterWorking Function (MTC-IWF) identifier,
• wherein the online charging subsystem or offline charging subsystem is further configured for:
• inferring the MTC service type corresponding to the MTC-IWF identifier included in the charging request.

A message processing entity, comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a memory for storing instructions executable by the processor,
• wherein the processor is configured for:
• receiving a Machine-Type Communication (MTC) service request message or an MTC service requesting Short Message (SM), generating a charging request including MTC service type information, and sending the charging request to an online charging subsystem or offline charging subsystem;
• and
• receiving a charging response returned by the online charging subsystem or offline charging subsystem,
• wherein the MTC service type information comprises an MTC InterWorking Function (MTC-IWF) identifier,
• such that the online charging subsystem or offline charging subsystem
• infers an MTC service type corresponding to the MTC-IWF identifier included in the charging request.