Billing statement generation method, apparatus, program product, and storage medium

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present application are a billing statement generation method, an apparatus, a program product, and a storage medium. The method comprises: receiving a target signaling message sent by a first network element, wherein the target signaling message is used for instructing a target network element to provide a first user equipment with a transmission service for transmitting information between the first user equipment and a second user equipment; acquiring a target network access type carried in the target signaling message, wherein the target network access type is used for indicating the network access type of the first user equipment; and, on the basis of the target network access type, determining a target billing file, wherein the target billing file is used for indicating charges incurred by the first user equipment for information transmission with the second user equipment. The present application solves the problem in the prior art that it is impossible to charge for messages on the basis of user access types, and achieves the effect of improving the accuracy of charging for messages.

Description

Billing statement generation method and device, program product, storage medium

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510474901.2, filed on April 15, 2025, entitled “Method and apparatus for generating bills, program product and storage medium”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for generating billing statements, a program product, and a storage medium. Background Technology

[0004] With the rapid development of mobile communication technology, 5th Generation Mobile Networks (5G) has become the next generation of communication standards. In 5G networks, short message services are mainly divided into two categories: Non-Access Stratum (NAS) short messages based on the 5G core network, and IMS short messages based on the Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). These two types of short message services are implemented differently, but both rely on the Short Message Service Center (SMSC) for message routing and distribution. However, currently, when the SMSC interacts with the Short Message Service Function (SMSF) and the Internet Protocol-Short-Message-Gateway (IP-SM-GW) through the Mobile Application Part (MAP) protocol, it cannot obtain the user's access type information, resulting in a problem where message billing cannot be based on the user's access type. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a billing statement generation method and apparatus, program product, and storage medium to address the problem in at least related technologies that message billing cannot be performed based on user access type.

[0006] According to one embodiment of this application, a method for generating a billing statement is provided, comprising: receiving a target signaling message sent by a first network element, wherein the target signaling message is used to instruct a target network element to provide a transmission service for a first user equipment to transmit information between a first user equipment and a second user equipment; obtaining a target network access type carried in the target signaling message, wherein the target network access type is used to indicate the network access type of the first user equipment; and determining a target billing file based on the target network access type, wherein the target billing file is used to indicate the cost incurred by the first user equipment for transmitting information with the second user equipment.

[0007] In one exemplary embodiment, obtaining the target network access type carried in the target signaling message includes: obtaining a target information element in the target signaling message, wherein the target information element is used to indicate the target network access type; parsing the target information element to determine the target network access type.

[0008] In one exemplary embodiment, obtaining the target information element in the target signaling message includes: obtaining the target field in the target information element, wherein the target field is used to identify the network access type of the first user equipment; parsing the target field to determine the target network access type.

[0009] In an exemplary embodiment, after determining the target billing file based on the target network access type, the method includes: sending the target billing file to a billing network element, wherein the billing network element is configured to calculate the cost required for the first user equipment to transmit information with the second user equipment based on the target billing file.

[0010] According to one embodiment of this application, a method for generating a billing statement is provided, comprising: receiving a first signaling message sent by a second network element, wherein the first signaling message is used to instruct the first network element to provide a transmission service for a first user equipment to transmit information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment; obtaining a target network access type carried in the first signaling message, wherein the target network access type is used to indicate the network access type of the first user equipment; generating a target signaling message based on the target network access type; and sending the target signaling message to a target network element, wherein the target signaling message is used to instruct the target network element to provide a transmission service for the first user equipment to transmit information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

[0011] In one exemplary embodiment, obtaining the target network access type carried in the first signaling message includes: obtaining the first network access type from the first signaling message based on a first transmission protocol, wherein the first transmission protocol is the transmission protocol used when receiving the first signaling message; and performing a mapping operation on the first network access type based on a second transmission protocol to obtain the target network access type, wherein the second transmission protocol is the transmission protocol used when sending the target signaling message.

[0012] In one exemplary embodiment, generating a target signaling message based on the target network access type includes: generating a target information element based on the target network access type; and adding the target information element to an initial target signaling message to obtain the target signaling message.

[0013] In an exemplary embodiment, generating a target signaling message based on the target network access type includes: generating an access type extension information element based on the target network access type, wherein the access type extension information element is used to indicate the target network access type; and extending the access type extension information element into the initial information element of the initial signaling message to obtain a target signaling message including the target information element.

[0014] According to one embodiment of this application, a billing statement generation apparatus is provided, comprising: a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in and executable on the memory. When the processor executes the computer program, it performs the following operations: receiving a target signaling message sent by a first network element, wherein the target signaling message instructs the target network element to provide transmission services for information transmission between a first user equipment and a second user equipment; obtaining a target network access type carried in the target signaling message, wherein the target network access type indicates the network access type of the first user equipment; and determining a target billing file based on the target network access type, wherein the target billing file indicates the cost incurred by the first user equipment for transmitting information with the second user equipment.

[0015] According to one embodiment of this application, a billing statement generation apparatus is provided, comprising: a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in and executable on the memory. When the processor executes the computer program, it performs the following operations: receiving a first signaling message sent by a second network element, wherein the first signaling message instructs the first network element to provide a transmission service for transmitting information between a first user equipment and the second user equipment; obtaining a target network access type carried in the first signaling message, wherein the target network access type instructs the network access type of the first user equipment; generating a target signaling message based on the target network access type; and sending the target signaling message to a target network element, wherein the target signaling message instructs the target network element to provide a transmission service for transmitting information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

[0016] According to another embodiment of this application, a computer program product is also provided, including a computer program configured to have a processor perform the steps in any of the above method embodiments.

[0017] According to yet another embodiment of this application, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, wherein a computer program is stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program is configured to execute the steps in any of the above method embodiments by a processor.

[0018] According to yet another embodiment of this application, an electronic device is also provided, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer program to perform the steps in any of the above method embodiments.

[0019] Through the above steps, when transmitting information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment, the network access type of the first user equipment is determined based on the target network access type carried in the target signaling message. Therefore, the cost incurred by the first user equipment for transmitting information with the second user equipment is determined based on the target network access type. Because this application adds the target network access type to the target signaling message instructing the target network element to provide transmission services between the first user equipment and the second user equipment, the network access type of the first user equipment can be extracted from the target signaling message when determining the target billing file. Therefore, it solves the problem in related technologies where message billing cannot be performed based on user access type, thus improving the accuracy of message billing. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 is a hardware structure block diagram of a mobile terminal for a billing statement generation method according to an embodiment of this application.

[0021] Figure 2 is a flowchart of a billing statement generation method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 3 is a flowchart of a billing statement generation method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the target signaling message according to an embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the target signaling message according to an embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 6 is an architecture diagram of a short message system in related technologies;

[0026] Figure 7 is a flowchart of a method for generating a billing statement according to a specific embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 8 is a flowchart of a billing statement generation method according to a specific embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 9 is a structural block diagram of a billing statement generation device according to a specific embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 10 is a structural block diagram of a billing statement generation device according to a specific embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples.

[0031] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0032] The methods and embodiments provided in this application can be executed in a mobile terminal, computer terminal, or similar computing device. Taking a mobile terminal as an example, FIG1 is a hardware structure block diagram of a billing statement generation method according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in FIG1, the mobile terminal may include one or more (only one is shown in FIG1) processors 102 (processor 102 may include, but is not limited to, microprocessors MCU or programmable logic devices FPGA, etc.) and a memory 104 configured to store data. The mobile terminal may also include a transmission device 106 configured for communication and an input / output device 108. Those skilled in the art will understand that the structure shown in FIG1 is only illustrative and does not limit the structure of the mobile terminal. For example, the mobile terminal may include more or fewer components than shown in FIG1, or have a different configuration than shown in FIG1.

[0033] The memory 104 may be configured to store computer programs, such as application software programs and modules, like the computer program corresponding to a billing statement generation method in this embodiment. The processor 102 executes various functional applications and data processing by running the computer programs stored in the memory 104, thereby implementing the aforementioned method. The memory 104 may include high-speed random access memory and may also include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic storage devices, flash memory, or other non-volatile solid-state memory. In some instances, the memory 104 may further include memory remotely located relative to the processor 102, and these remote memories can be connected to the mobile terminal via a network. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to, the Internet, corporate intranets, local area networks, mobile communication networks, and combinations thereof.

[0034] The transmission device 106 is configured to receive or send data via a network. Specific examples of the network described above may include a wireless network provided by the mobile terminal's communication provider. In one example, the transmission device 106 includes a Network Interface Controller (NIC), which can connect to other network devices via a base station to communicate with the Internet. In another example, the transmission device 106 may be a Radio Frequency (RF) module configured to communicate with the Internet wirelessly.

[0035] This embodiment provides a method for generating a billing statement. Figure 2 is a flowchart of a billing statement generation method according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 2, the process includes the following steps:

[0036] Step S202: Receive a target signaling message sent by the first network element, wherein the target signaling message is used to instruct the target network element to provide transmission services for the first user equipment to transmit information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment;

[0037] In one exemplary embodiment, the first network element is configured to handle the sending, receiving, and routing of short messages. The first network element may be an SMSF or IP-SM-GW, or a processing network element integrated with an SMSF or IP-SM-GW.

[0038] In one exemplary embodiment, the target network element is configured to handle the storage, forwarding, and billing of short messages. The target network element may be an SMSC, a processing network element integrated with a short message service center, a network element associated with a short message service center, or other devices or systems with similar processing capabilities.

[0039] In one exemplary embodiment, when the first user equipment is the sending UE, the target signaling message may be MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-REQ (i.e., Mobile Initiation Short Message Forwarding Request Message). When the first user equipment is the receiving UE, the target signaling message may be MAP-MT-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-RSP (i.e., Mobile Termination Short Message Forwarding Response Message).

[0040] In one exemplary embodiment, the information types transmitted between the first user equipment and the second user equipment include, but are not limited to, NAS short messages and IMS short messages. When the information type is a NAS short message, the first network element can be an SMSF (Short Message Service), or a processing network element integrated with an SMSF. When the information type is an IMS short message, the first network element can be an IP-SM-GW (IP Short Message Gateway), or a processing network element integrated with an IP-SM-GW.

[0041] Step S204: Obtain the target network access type carried in the target signaling message, wherein the target network access type is used to indicate the network access type of the first user equipment;

[0042] In one exemplary embodiment, the target network access type includes, but is not limited to, terrestrial access and satellite access. Terrestrial access includes, but is not limited to, GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (geran), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (utran), Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (e-utran), New Radio (nr), and 6th Generation Mobile Networks (6G). Satellite access technologies include, but are not limited to, New Radio Low Earth Orbit (nr_leo), New Radio Medium Earth Orbit (nr_meo), and New Radio Geostationary Orbit (nr_geo).

[0043] Step S206: Determine the target billing file based on the target network access type, wherein the target billing file is used to indicate the cost required for the first user equipment to transmit information with the second user equipment.

[0044] In an exemplary embodiment, when the first user equipment is the sending UE, the target billing file can be a Mobile-Originated Short Message Service Record (MO-SMS record). The MO-SMS record documents short message activities initiated by the sending UE. These records include, but are not limited to, information such as sending UE information, receiving UE (corresponding to the second user equipment mentioned above) information, sending time information, and short message content length, and are used for billing, billing generation, and network management. In this embodiment, the network access type of the sending UE is added to the MO-SMS record.

[0045] In an exemplary embodiment, when the first user equipment is the receiving UE, the target billing file may be a Mobile-Terminated Short Message Service record (MT-SMS record). The MT-SMS record documents the short message activity received by the receiving UE. These records include, but are not limited to, information such as the receiving UE information, the sending UE (corresponding to the second user equipment mentioned above) information, the reception time information, and the short message content length, and are used for billing, billing generation, and network service quality analysis. In this embodiment, the network access type of the receiving UE is added to the MT-SMS record.

[0046] In an exemplary embodiment, when the first user equipment is the sending UE, after determining the target charging file based on the target network access type, the method further includes: generating and sending a second signaling message, wherein the second signaling message is used to indicate the status of the first user equipment sending target information, and the second signaling message includes first status information, which indicates that the first user equipment has sent the target information.

[0047] In an exemplary embodiment, the third signaling message may be MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-CNF (i.e., Mobile Initiation Short Message Forwarding Confirmation Message). The first status information may be a Submit Report (i.e., Short Message Transmission Status Report). The first status information is a confirmation mechanism. When the short message (corresponding to the target message mentioned above) sent by the sending UE is successfully received by the SMSC, the SMSC feeds back a short message transmission status report to notify the sending UE whether the short message it sent has been successfully transmitted.

[0048] In an exemplary embodiment, when the first user equipment is a receiving UE, before receiving the target signaling message sent by the first network element, the method further includes: generating and sending a third signaling message, wherein the third signaling message is used to instruct the first network element to forward the target information to the second user equipment, and the third signaling message includes the target information.

[0049] In one exemplary embodiment, the third signaling message may be MAP-MT-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-IND (i.e., Mobile Termination Short Message Forwarding Indication Message).

[0050] In an exemplary embodiment, the entity performing the above steps may be a Short Message Service Center (SMSC), a processing network element or system integrated with a Short Message Service Center, a network element or system associated with a Short Message Service Center, or other devices or systems with similar processing capabilities.

[0051] Through the above steps, when transmitting information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment, the network access type of the first user equipment is determined based on the target network access type carried in the target signaling message. This, in turn, determines the cost incurred by the first user equipment for transmitting information with the second user equipment based on the target network access type. Because this embodiment adds the target network access type to the target signaling message instructing the target network element to provide transmission services between the first and second user equipment, the network access type of the first user equipment can be extracted from the target signaling message when determining the target billing file. Therefore, this solves the problem in related technologies where message billing cannot be performed based on user access type, thus improving the accuracy of message billing.

[0052] In one exemplary embodiment, obtaining the target network access type carried in the target signaling message includes: obtaining a target information element in the target signaling message, wherein the target information element is used to indicate the target network access type; parsing the target information element to determine the target network access type.

[0053] In one exemplary embodiment, the location of the target information element in the target signaling message includes, but is not limited to, being a mandatory information element directly located in the target signaling message, or being located in the extensionContainer (i.e., extension container) information element in the target signaling message.

[0054] This embodiment achieves accurate identification of whether a short message is sent or received via a terrestrial network or a satellite network by parsing the target information element in the target signaling message, and can even further distinguish between different terrestrial network access technologies and satellite network access technologies.

[0055] In one exemplary embodiment, obtaining the target information element in the target signaling message includes: obtaining the target field in the target information element, wherein the target field is used to identify the network access type of the first user equipment; parsing the target field to determine the target network access type.

[0056] In one exemplary embodiment, the target field can be an existing data type, such as Used-RAT-Type (i.e., the used radio access type), or a new data type, such as SMS-RAT-Type (i.e., the short message radio access type).

[0057] In an exemplary embodiment, after determining the target billing file based on the target network access type, the method includes: sending the target billing file to a billing network element, wherein the billing network element is configured to calculate the cost required for the first user equipment to transmit information with the second user equipment based on the target billing file.

[0058] In an exemplary embodiment, the billing network element can be a billing center or a network element or system with billing center functionality. For example, the SMSC sends SMS call detail records (MT-SMS and / or MO-SMS) to the billing center via File Transfer Protocol (FTP). The billing center sorts and bills based on the ratType in the SMS call detail record, where ratType indicates the network access type of the sending UE or receiving UE (corresponding to the first user equipment mentioned above). This embodiment, by adding the user access type to the billing record, enables the billing center to perform more accurate billing based on the user's access network type.

[0059] This embodiment provides a method for generating a billing statement. Figure 3 is a flowchart of a billing statement generation method according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 3, the process includes the following steps:

[0060] Step S302: Receive a first signaling message sent by the second network element, wherein the first signaling message is used to instruct the first network element to provide transmission services for the first user equipment to transmit information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment;

[0061] In one exemplary embodiment, the first network element is configured to handle the sending, receiving, and routing of short messages. The first network element may be an SMSF or IP-SM-GW, or a processing network element integrated with an SMSF or IP-SM-GW.

[0062] In one exemplary embodiment, the second network element is configured to enable the first user equipment (UE) to send or receive short messages via the network. The types of information transmitted between the first UE and the second UE include, but are not limited to, NAS short messages and IMS short messages. When the information type is a NAS short message, the second network element can be an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) or a processing network element integrated with the AMF. When the information type is an IMS short message, the second network element can be a Proxy / Interrogating / Serving Call Session Control Function (P / I / S-CSCF) or a processing network element integrated with the P / I / S-CSCF.

[0063] In one exemplary embodiment, when the information type of the message is a NAS short message, the first signaling message may be Nsmsf_SMService_Activate (i.e., Mobile Initiation Short Message Service Activation Message). When the information type of the message is an IMS short message, the first signaling message may be a Session Initiation Protocol message (SIP message).

[0064] Step S304: Obtain the target network access type carried in the first signaling message, wherein the target network access type is used to indicate the network access type of the first user equipment.

[0065] In one exemplary embodiment, the target network access type includes, but is not limited to, terrestrial access and satellite access. Terrestrial access includes, but is not limited to, GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (geran), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (utran), Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (e-utran), New Radio (nr), and 6th Generation Mobile Networks (6G). Satellite access technologies include, but are not limited to, New Radio Low Earth Orbit (nr_leo), New Radio Medium Earth Orbit (nr_meo), and New Radio Geostationary Orbit (nr_geo).

[0066] Step S306: Generate a target signaling message based on the target network access type;

[0067] In one exemplary embodiment, when the first user equipment is the sending UE, the target signaling message may be MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-REQ. When the first user equipment is the receiving UE, the target signaling message may be MAP-MT-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-RSP.

[0068] Step S308: The target signaling message is sent to the target network element, wherein the target signaling message is used to instruct the target network element to provide the first user equipment with transmission services for transmitting information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

[0069] In an exemplary embodiment, the target network element may be an SMSC, a processing network element integrated with a short message service center, a network element associated with a short message service center, or other devices or systems with similar processing capabilities.

[0070] In this embodiment, the entity executing each of the above steps may be an SMSF or IP-SM-GW, or a processing network element or system integrated with an SMSF or IP-SM-GW, or a network element or system associated with an SMSF or IP-SM-GW, or other devices or systems with similar processing capabilities.

[0071] Through the above steps, when transmitting information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment, the network access type of the first user equipment is determined based on the target network access type carried in the first signaling message, thereby generating a target signaling message based on the target network access type. Because this embodiment adds the target network access type to the first signaling message instructing the first network element to provide transmission services for information transmission between the first user equipment and the second user equipment, the network access type of the first user equipment can be extracted from the first signaling message when generating the target signaling message. Therefore, it solves the problem in related technologies where message billing cannot be performed based on user access type, achieving the effect of improving the accuracy of message billing.

[0072] In one exemplary embodiment, obtaining the target network access type carried in the first signaling message includes: obtaining the first network access type from the first signaling message based on a first transmission protocol, wherein the first transmission protocol is the transmission protocol used when receiving the first signaling message; and performing a mapping operation on the first network access type based on a second transmission protocol to obtain the target network access type, wherein the second transmission protocol is the transmission protocol used when sending the target signaling message.

[0073] In one exemplary embodiment, the first transport protocol may be Hypertext Transfer Protocol version 2 (HTTP / 2) or Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). The second transport protocol may be the Mobile Application Part (MAP) protocol.

[0074] In an exemplary embodiment, when the information type is a NAS short message, the AMF (corresponding to the second network element mentioned above) interacts with the SMSF (corresponding to the first network element mentioned above) via HTTP / 2. The SMSF interacts with the SMSC (corresponding to the target network element mentioned above) based on the MAP protocol. Since the user access type values ​​in the two protocols are inconsistent, when the SMSF sends a MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-REQ message (corresponding to the target signaling message mentioned above) with ratType-NR (corresponding to the target network access type mentioned above) added to the SMSC, it needs to perform mapping processing from the network access type value based on HTTP / 2 to the network access type value based on the MAP protocol. In order to achieve a one-to-one mapping between the satellite access value in the network access type value of the MAP protocol and the satellite access value in the network access type value of the HTTP / 2 protocol, the network access type value nr-sat in the MAP protocol is specifically refined into nr_leo, nr_meo, and nr_geo, as shown in Table 1.

[0075] Table 1:

[0076] This embodiment also supports the use of SIP-based network access type values ​​for newly defined network access types in the MAP protocol, and implements the mapping process from HTTP / 2-based network access type values ​​to SIP-based network access type values.

[0077] In an exemplary embodiment, when the information type is an IMS short message, the P / I / S-CSCF (corresponding to the second network element mentioned above) interacts with the IP-SM-GW (corresponding to the first network element mentioned above) via SIP. The IP-SM-GWF interacts with the SMSC (corresponding to the target network element mentioned above) based on the MAP protocol. Since the user access type values ​​in the two protocols are inconsistent, when the IP-SM-GW sends a MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-REQ message (corresponding to the target signaling message mentioned above) with ratType-GERAN (corresponding to the target network access type mentioned above) added to the SMSC, it needs to perform a mapping process from the network access type value based on SIP to the network access type value based on MAP. In order to achieve a one-to-one mapping between satellite access in the network access type value of MAP and satellite access in the network access type value of SIP, the SIP network access type value 3GPP-NR-SAT is specifically refined into 3GPP-NR-LEO, 3GPP-NR-MEO, and 3GPP-NR-GEO, as shown in Table 2.

[0078] Table 2:

[0079] This embodiment also supports the use of values ​​for newly defined network access types based on HTTP / 2 for MAP, and implements the mapping process from SIP-based network access type values ​​to HTTP / 2-based network access type values.

[0080] This embodiment uses a mapping operation to convert the network access type under one transmission protocol to the type under another transmission protocol, thereby achieving the goal of solving the network access type compatibility problem of user UEs under the same protocol.

[0081] In one exemplary embodiment, generating a target signaling message based on the target network access type includes: generating a target information element based on the target network access type; and adding the target information element to an initial target signaling message to obtain the target signaling message.

[0082] In one exemplary embodiment, when the first user equipment is the sending UE, the initial target signaling message is MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-REQ, which does not include the target network access type. When the first user equipment is the receiving UE, the initial target signaling message is MAP-MT-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-RSP, which does not include the target network access type.

[0083] In an exemplary embodiment, the data type of the target network access type in the target cell can be an existing data type, such as Used-RAT-Type, or a newly added data type, such as SMS-RAT-Type. Specifically, for Used-RAT-Type, since this data type currently does not support 5G network access types, such as 5G NR access type and 5G satellite access type, optional enumeration values ​​can be added to indicate 5G NR access type and 5G satellite access type. For example, 5G NR access type can be defined as nr, and 5G satellite access type can be defined as nr-sat. Specifically, it can be defined as:

[0084] This embodiment defines a data type named Used-RAT-Type, which is an enumeration type. An enumeration type is a data type that consists of a set of named constants, each with an integer value. The Used-RAT-Type enumeration type is used to identify different network access types, and each type has a corresponding integer value.

[0085] Specifically, SMS-RAT-Type can be defined as follows:

[0086] This embodiment defines a data type named SMS-RAT-Type, which is an enumeration type. The SMS-RAT-Type enumeration type is used to identify different network access types, and each type has a corresponding integer value.

[0087] In an exemplary embodiment, the target information element is directly added as a mandatory information element to the initial target signaling message to obtain the target signaling message. For example, the target information element is ratType, as shown in Figure 4. In MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-REQ (corresponding to the target signaling message above), ratType

[0030] Used-RAT-Type / SMS-RAT-Type is included to represent the network access type of the UE sending the message. ratType can use Used-RAT-Type or a custom SMS-RAT-Type data type to carry network access types such as terrestrial networks (GERAN, UTRAN, E-UTRAN, NR) and satellite networks (NR_LEO, NR_MEO, NR_GEO). The ratType sequence number is 30, which means that it is encoded at a specific position during the message serialization process to facilitate parsing and identification. Among them, MAP-MT-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-RSP (corresponding to the target signaling message mentioned above) includes ratType

[0030] Used-RAT-Type / SMS-RAT-Type, which is used to indicate the network access type of the receiving UE. ratType can use Used-RAT-Type or a custom SMS-RAT-Type data type to carry network access types such as terrestrial networks (GERAN, UTRAN, E-UTRAN, NR) and satellite networks (NR_LEO, NR_MEO, NR_GEO). The ratType sequence number is 30, which means that it is encoded at a specific position during the message serialization process to facilitate parsing and identification.

[0088] This embodiment directly includes the network access type as a mandatory information element in the signaling message, avoiding the need for additional steps or messages to obtain the UE's network access type, thereby reducing communication latency and improving short message processing efficiency.

[0089] In an exemplary embodiment, generating a target signaling message based on the target network access type includes: generating an access type extension information element based on the target network access type, wherein the access type extension information element is used to indicate the target network access type; and extending the access type extension information element into the initial information element of the initial target signaling message to obtain a target signaling message including the target information element.

[0090] In one exemplary embodiment, the initial information cell may be an extensionContainer information cell that does not include the target network access type.

[0091] In one exemplary embodiment, when the first user equipment is the sending UE, the initial target signaling message is MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-REQ, which does not include the target network access type. When the first user equipment is the receiving UE, the initial target signaling message is MAP-MT-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-RSP, which does not include the target network access type.

[0092] In an exemplary embodiment, the access type extension information element is added as a mandatory information element to the extensionContainer information element carried in the initial target signaling message to obtain the target signaling message. For example, taking ratType as an example of the access type extension information element, as shown in Figure 5, the PCS-Extensions (i.e., public service control extension) of the extensionContainer information element in MAP-MT-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-RSP (corresponding to the target signaling message above) includes ratType Used-RAT-Type / SMS-RAT-Type, which is used to represent the network access type of the receiving UE. ratType can use Used-RAT-Type or a custom SMS-RAT-Type data type to carry the network access type such as terrestrial network (GERAN, UTRAN, E-UTRAN, NR) and satellite network (NR_LEO, NR_MEO, NR_GEO).

[0093] This embodiment directly includes the network access type as a mandatory information element in the signaling message, avoiding the need for additional steps or messages to obtain the UE's network access type. This achieves the goal of reducing communication latency and improving SMS processing efficiency. Simultaneously, by adding the UE's network access type to the signaling message, it enables accurate billing and settlement of SMS charges based on terrestrial and satellite networks.

[0094] The above embodiments have all described this application from one perspective. For ease of understanding, the application will be described below with reference to specific embodiments:

[0095] 5G mobile communication networks support two types of short messages: NAS short messages based on the 5G core network and IMS short messages based on IMS. As shown in Figure 6, NAS short messages are implemented by the 5G core network element SMSF interacting with the SMSC via the MAP protocol, while IMS short messages are implemented by the IMS network element IP-SM-GW interacting with the SMSC via the MAP protocol. Short message billing is mainly implemented collaboratively by the SMSC and the billing center. However, currently, the SMSC cannot obtain the UE's network access type from the SMSF and IP-SM-GW via the MAP protocol. Therefore, NAS short messages and IMS short messages cannot be billed separately according to the UE's network access type, and cannot support short message billing that distinguishes between terrestrial networks and satellite networks.

[0096] This embodiment uses NAS short messages as an example for illustration. Figure 7 is a flowchart of a billing statement generation method according to a specific embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 7, it includes the following steps:

[0097] S702, when the first user equipment transmits information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment, and the first user equipment needs to transmit services, the AMF sends Nsmsf_SMService_Activate to the SMSF. The ratType carried in Nsmsf_SMService_Activate records the network access type of the first user equipment.

[0098] In S704, when the first user equipment is the sending UE and the second user equipment is the receiving UE, the first user equipment triggers the Mobile Originated Short Message (MO) procedure. After receiving the Nsmsf_SMService_Activate sent by the AMF, the SMSF extracts the network access type ratType-NR of the sending UE from Nsmsf_SMService_Activate, maps ratType-NR to ratType-nr, and records ratType-nr in the user context in the SMSF. When the SMSF needs to route the target information to the SMSC, it obtains the ratType-nr of the sending UE from the user context recorded by the SMSF, adds ratType-nr to MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-REQ, and finally routes the MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-REQ (which includes the target information) with ratType-nr added to it to the SMSC.

[0099] S706, the SMSC receives MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-REQ with ratType-nr added, extracts ratType-nr from MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-REQ, and adds the ratType-nr field to the MO-SMS call detail record when generating MO-SMS call detail records.

[0100] S708. After the SMSC generates the MO-SMS call detail record, it adds a Submit Report to MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-CNF. The SMSC then sends the MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-CNF with the Submit Report to the SMSF. The SMSF then sends the Submit Report from MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-CNF to the AMF. The AMF then sends the Submit Report to the sending UE, informing the sending UE that the target information has been successfully sent.

[0101] In S710, when the first user equipment is the receiving UE and the second user equipment is the sending UE, the first user equipment triggers the Mobile Terminated Short Message (MT) reception process. After the SMSF receives the Nsmsf_SMService_Activate sent by the AMF, it extracts the network access type (ratType-GERAN) of the receiving UE from Nsmsf_SMService_Activate, maps the receiving UE's ratType-GERAN to ratType-geran, and records it in the user context of the SMSF. After the SMSC receives the target information to be sent to the receiving UE, it obtains the SMSF address of the receiving UE from the Unified Data Management (UDM) function, and routes the target information to the SMSF through MAP-MT-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-IND (which includes the target information).

[0102] In step S712, the SMSF routes the target information to the AMF where the receiving UE resides. The AMF forwards the target information to the receiving UE. Upon receiving the target information, the receiving UE sends a Delivery Report (i.e., a delivery status report) to the SMSF, informing the SMSF that the target information was successfully received. The SMSF retrieves the ratType-geran from the user context in Nsmsf_SMService_Activate and adds it to MAP-MT-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-RSP. Finally, it sends the MAP-MT-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-RSP with the added ratType-geran and the Delivery Report to the SMSC. The Delivery Report is used to notify the sending UE whether the short message it sent has been successfully received by the receiving UE.

[0103] S714, the SMSC receives MAP-MT-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-RSP with ratType-geran added, extracts ratType-geran from MAP-MT-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-RSP, and adds the ratType-geran field to the MT-SMS call detail record when generating the MT-SMS call detail record.

[0104] S716, SMSC sends MT-SMS call detail records and MO-SMS call detail records to the billing center via FTP;

[0105] S718, the billing center sorts and bills the short message charges generated by the first user equipment according to the ratType in the MT-SMS and MO-SMS call detail records.

[0106] This embodiment uses IMS SMS as an example for illustration. Figure 8 is a flowchart of a billing statement generation method according to a specific embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 8, it includes the following steps:

[0107] S802, when the first user equipment transmits information between the second user equipment and the first user equipment needs to transmit services, the P / I / S-CSCF sends a SIP message to the IP-SM-GW. The SIP message carries the P-Access-Network-Info (PANI) header field, and the network access type of the first user equipment is recorded through access-type.

[0108] In S804, when the first user equipment is the sending UE and the second user equipment is the receiving UE, the first user equipment triggers the MO procedure. After receiving the SIP message sent by the P / I / S-CSCF, the IP-SM-GW extracts the network access type (ratType-GERAN) of the sending UE from the SIP message, maps ratType-GERAN to ratType-geran, and records the ratType-geran of the sending UE. When the IP-SM-GW needs to route the target information to the SMSC, it obtains the ratType-geran of the sending UE from the IP-SM-GW, adds the ratType-geran to MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-REQ, and finally routes the MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-REQ (which includes the target information) with the added ratType-geran to the SMSC.

[0109] S806, the SMSC receives MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-REQ with ratType-geran added, extracts ratType-geran from MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-REQ, and adds the ratType-geran field to the MO-SMS call detail record when generating MO-SMS call detail records.

[0110] After generating the MO-SMS call detail record (CDR) in S808, the SMSC adds a Submit Report to the MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-CNF. The SMSC then sends the MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-CNF with the Submit Report to the IP-SM-GW. The IP-SM-GW then sends the Submit Report from the MAP-MO-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-CNF to the P / I / S-CSCF, which in turn sends the Submit Report to the sending UE, informing the UE that the target information has been successfully sent.

[0111] In S810, when the first user equipment is the receiving UE and the second user equipment is the sending UE, the first user equipment triggers the MT procedure. After receiving the SIP message sent by the P / I / S-CSC, the IP-SM-GW extracts the network access type (ratType-NR_GEO) of the receiving UE from the SIP message, maps ratType-NR_GEO to ratType-nr_geo, and records the ratType-nr_geo of the receiving UE. The SMSC receives the target information to be sent to the receiving UE, obtains the IP-SM-GW address of the receiving UE from the UDM, and routes the target information to the IP-SM-GW via MAP-MT-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-IND.

[0112] S812, the IP-SM-GW routes the target information to the P / I / S-CSCF where the receiving UE is located. The P / I / S-CSCF forwards the target information to the receiving UE. After receiving the target information, the receiving UE sends a Delivery Report to the IP-SM-GW, informing the IP-SM-GW that the target information has been successfully received. The IP-SM-GW obtains ratType-geo from the access-type field in the PANI header field and adds ratType-nr_geo to MAP-MT-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-RSP. Finally, the MAP-MT-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-RSP with ratType-nr_geo added, along with the Delivery Report, is sent to the SMSC.

[0113] S814, the SMSC receives MAP-MT-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-RSP with ratType-nr_geo added, extracts ratType-nr_geo from MAP-MT-FORWARD-SHORT-MESSAGE-RSP, and adds the ratType-nr_geo field to the MT-SMS call detail record when generating the MT-SMS call detail record.

[0114] S816, SMSC sends MT-SMS call detail records and MO-SMS call detail records to the billing center via FTP.

[0115] S818, the billing center sorts and bills the short message charges generated by the first user equipment according to the ratType in the MT-SMS and MO-SMS call detail records.

[0116] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods according to the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) and includes several instructions to cause a terminal device (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods of the various embodiments of this application.

[0117] This embodiment also provides a billing statement generation device, which is configured to implement the above embodiments and preferred embodiments, and will not be repeated hereafter.

[0118] Figure 9 is a structural block diagram of a billing statement generation device according to a specific embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 9, the device 902 includes: a first memory 904, a first processor 906, and a computer program stored in the first memory and executable on the first memory. When the first processor executes the computer program, it performs the following operations: receiving a target signaling message sent by a first network element, wherein the target signaling message is used to instruct the target network element to provide transmission services for the first user equipment to transmit information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment; obtaining the target network access type carried in the target signaling message, wherein the target network access type is used to indicate the network access type of the first user equipment; and determining a target billing file based on the target network access type, wherein the target billing file is used to indicate the cost required for the first user equipment to transmit information with the second user equipment.

[0119] When the processor executes the computer program, it can obtain the target network access type carried in the target signaling message in the following ways: obtaining the target information element in the target signaling message, wherein the target information element is used to indicate the target network access type; parsing the target information element to determine the target network access type.

[0120] When the processor executes the computer program, it can obtain the target information element in the target signaling message in the following ways: obtaining the target field in the target information element, wherein the target field is used to identify the network access type of the first user equipment; parsing the target field to determine the target network access type.

[0121] When the processor executes the computer program, it can determine the target billing file based on the target network access type in the following way: the method includes sending the target billing file to the billing network element, wherein the billing network element is configured to calculate the cost required for the first user equipment to transmit information with the second user equipment based on the target billing file.

[0122] This embodiment also provides a billing statement generation device, which is configured to implement the above embodiments and preferred embodiments, and will not be repeated hereafter.

[0123] Figure 10 is a structural block diagram of a billing statement generation device according to a specific embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 10, the device 1002 includes: a second memory 1004, a second processor 1006, and a computer program stored in the second memory and executable on the second memory. When the processor executes the computer program, it performs the following operations: receiving a first signaling message sent by a second network element, wherein the first signaling message is used to instruct the first network element to provide a transmission service for transmitting information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment; obtaining the target network access type carried in the first signaling message, wherein the target network access type is used to indicate the network access type of the first user equipment; generating a target signaling message based on the target network access type; and sending the target signaling message to a target network element, wherein the target signaling message is used to instruct the target network element to provide a transmission service for transmitting information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

[0124] When the processor executes the computer program, it can obtain the target network access type carried in the first signaling message in the following ways: obtaining the first network access type from the first signaling message based on a first transmission protocol, wherein the first transmission protocol is the transmission protocol used when receiving the first signaling message; and performing a mapping operation on the first network access type based on a second transmission protocol to obtain the target network access type, wherein the second transmission protocol is the transmission protocol used when sending the target signaling message.

[0125] When the processor executes the computer program, it can generate a target signaling message based on the target network access type in the following ways: generating a target information element based on the target network access type; adding the target information element to the initial target signaling message to obtain the target signaling message.

[0126] When the processor executes the computer program, it can generate a target signaling message based on the target network access type in the following ways: generating an access type extension information element based on the target network access type, wherein the access type extension information element is used to indicate the target network access type; extending the access type extension information element into the initial information element of the initial target signaling message to obtain a target signaling message including the target information element.

[0127] Embodiments of this application provide a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps in any of the above method embodiments.

[0128] Embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program is configured to execute the steps in any of the above method embodiments when run.

[0129] In one exemplary embodiment, the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium may include, but is not limited to, various media capable of storing computer programs, such as a USB flash drive, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), portable hard disk, magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0130] Embodiments of this application also provide an electronic device, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program and the processor is configured to run the computer program to perform the steps in any of the above method embodiments.

[0131] In one exemplary embodiment, the electronic device may further include a transmission device and an input / output device, wherein the transmission device is connected to the processor and the input / output device is connected to the processor.

[0132] Specific examples in this embodiment can be found in the examples described in the above embodiments and exemplary implementations, and will not be repeated here.

[0133] Obviously, those skilled in the art should understand that the modules or steps of this application described above can be implemented using general-purpose computing devices. They can be centralized on a single computing device or distributed across a network of multiple computing devices. They can be implemented using computer-executable program code, and thus can be stored in a storage device for execution by a computing device. In some cases, the steps shown or described can be performed in a different order than those presented here, or they can be fabricated as separate integrated circuit modules, or multiple modules or steps can be fabricated as a single integrated circuit module. Thus, this application is not limited to any particular combination of hardware and software.

[0134] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A method for generating a charging file, comprising: receiving a target signaling message sent by a first network element, wherein the target signaling message is used to instruct a target network element to provide a first user equipment with a transmission service of transmitting information between the first user equipment and a second user equipment; obtaining a target network access type carried in the target signaling message, wherein the target network access type is used to indicate a network access type of the first user equipment; determining a target charging file based on the target network access type, wherein the target charging file is used to indicate a cost required by the first user equipment for transmitting information with the second user equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method comprises: obtaining a target information element in the target signaling message, wherein the target information element is used to indicate the target network access type; parsing the target information element to determine the target network access type.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The method comprises: obtaining a target field in the target information element, wherein the target field is used to identify the network access type of the first user equipment; parsing the target field to determine the target network access type.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, After determining the target charging file based on the target network access type, the method comprises: sending the target charging file to a charging network element, wherein the charging network element is configured to calculate the cost required by the first user equipment for transmitting information with the second user equipment based on the target charging file. 5.A method for generating a charging file, comprising: receiving a first signaling message sent by a second network element, wherein the first signaling message is used to instruct a first network element to provide a first user equipment with a transmission service of transmitting information between the first user equipment and a second user equipment; obtaining a target network access type carried in the first signaling message, wherein the target network access type is used to indicate a network access type of the first user equipment; generating a target signaling message based on the target network access type; sending the target signaling message to a target network element, wherein the target signaling message is used to instruct the target network element to provide the first user equipment with the transmission service of transmitting information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The method comprises: obtaining a first network access type from the first signaling message based on a first transmission protocol, wherein the first transmission protocol is a transmission protocol used when receiving the first signaling message; performing a mapping operation on the first network access type based on a second transmission protocol to obtain the target network access type, wherein the second transmission protocol is a transmission protocol used when sending the target signaling message.

7. The method of any one of claims 5 to 6, wherein, The method comprises: generating a target information element based on the target network access type; adding the target information element to an initial target signaling message to obtain the target signaling message.

8. The method of any one of claims 5 to 6, wherein, The method comprises: Based on the target network access type, an access type extended information element is generated, wherein the access type extended information element is used to indicate the target network access type; The access type extension information element is extended into the initial information element of the initial target signaling message to obtain a target signaling message including the target information element.

9. An apparatus for generating a billing sheet, comprising: A first memory, a first processor, and a computer program stored in and executable on the first memory, wherein the first processor, when executing the computer program, performs the following operations: Receive a target signaling message sent by a first network element, wherein the target signaling message is used to instruct the target network element to provide a transmission service for the first user equipment to transmit information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment; Obtain the target network access type carried in the target signaling message, wherein the target network access type is used to indicate the network access type of the first user equipment; A target billing file is determined based on the target network access type, wherein the target billing file is used to indicate the cost incurred by the first user equipment for transmitting information with the second user equipment.

10. An apparatus for generating a billing sheet, comprising: A second memory, a second processor, and a computer program stored in and executable on the second memory, wherein the second processor, when executing the computer program, performs the following operations: The first signaling message sent by the second network element is received, wherein the first signaling message is used to instruct the first network element to provide the first user equipment with transmission services for transmitting information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment; Obtain the target network access type carried in the first signaling message, wherein the target network access type is used to indicate the network access type of the first user equipment; Based on the target network access type, generate a target signaling message; The target signaling message is sent to the target network element, wherein the target signaling message is used to instruct the target network element to provide the first user equipment with transmission services for transmitting information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

11. A computer program product comprising a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, or implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 5 to 8.

12. A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a computer program, wherein, When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 4, or the steps of the method described in any one of claims 5 to 8.

13. An electronic device comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor, when executed, implements the steps of the method of any one of claims 1 to 4, or implements the steps of the method of any one of claims 5 to 8.

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