Charging Enablement Function for Edge Application Server Billing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current charging solutions for edge application server (EAS) deployment in edge computing environments lack defined charging principles, scenarios, and information exchange mechanisms, leading to inefficiencies in managing and billing for EAS instantiation, upgrade, and termination processes.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a converged charging architecture with a Charging Enablement Function (CEF) that interacts with Management Services (MnS) and Charging Function (CHF) to collect and report charging data for EAS deployment activities, including instantiation, upgrade, and termination, using standardized messaging and data structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a converged charging architecture with CEF is implemented, then charging data collection and reporting accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The Charging Enablement Function (CEF) acts as an intermediary component that bridges the Management Service (MnS) producer and the Charging Function (CHF). The CEF consumes MnS notifications about EAS lifecycle events and translates them into standardized charging data requests sent to the CHF, thereby improving charging data accuracy without requiring direct complex interactions between MnS and CHF
Solution Approach 2:
The charging system is segmented into distinct functional components: the CEF responsible for consuming MnS notifications and generating charging data requests, and the CHF responsible for processing these requests and generating CDRs. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in specific tasks, improving overall system precision while managing complexity through clear separation of concerns
2Adaptability or versatility
If standardized messaging and data structures are used for charging data exchange, then interoperability and billing accuracy are improved, but implementation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs universal standardized messaging interfaces and data structures for charging data exchange between CEF and CHF. These standardized interfaces can handle multiple types of EAS lifecycle events (instantiation, upgrade, termination) through a common framework, improving interoperability while the automation of standardization reduces implementation complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses parameter-based standardized data structures where charging data is represented through configurable parameters and attributes. This allows the same messaging framework to adapt to different charging scenarios by changing parameters rather than requiring different message formats, enhancing versatility while maintaining implementation simplicity
3Loss of information
If comprehensive charging data is collected for all EAS deployment activities, then billing completeness is improved, but information processing load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The CEF extracts only the essential charging-relevant information from the comprehensive MnS notifications about EAS lifecycle events. By filtering and extracting only the necessary charging data elements (event type, timestamps, EAS identifiers), the system achieves billing completeness while reducing the information processing load by excluding irrelevant details
4Loss of time
If real-time charging data reporting is implemented, then billing timeliness is improved, but system resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic event-driven charging data reporting where the CEF is triggered to generate and send charging data requests to the CHF only when specific EAS lifecycle events occur (instantiation, upgrade, termination). This event-based periodic action ensures billing timeliness by reporting at appropriate intervals rather than continuously, thereby reducing system resource consumption compared to constant real-time monitoring
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments herein provide techniques related to an edge application server (EAS) lifecycle management (LCM) entity. Specifically, in embodiments, a logic such as a charging enablement function (CEF) may generate charging data related to the EAS LCM entity and transmit, based on the charging data, a charging data request to a charging function (CHF). Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.