Differentiated Charging via Service Area Indicators
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for indoor deployments in wireless communication networks face challenges in providing differentiated charging, especially in scenarios with partial indoor dominance, leading to increased costs and revenue loss for operators due to the need for extensive indoor cell coverage and complex network configurations.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that notify a Core Network Node of changes in service areas for User Equipment (UE), allowing for dynamic adjustment of service charges based on location changes between different service areas, enabling differentiated charging without requiring full indoor dominance or extensive reconfiguration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If full indoor dominance is implemented to enable differentiated charging, then charging differentiation is achieved, but deployment costs increase and network complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The service area is segmented into indoor and outdoor zones using service area indicators (SAI) that are independently configurable. This allows the network to apply different charging policies to different segments without requiring full indoor dominance, reducing deployment complexity while maintaining charging differentiation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Different service area indicators are assigned to different geographical locations (indoor vs outdoor). This local differentiation enables targeted charging policies for specific areas without affecting the entire network, allowing charging differentiation with minimal network reconfiguration.
2Adaptability or versatility
If extensive indoor cell coverage is deployed to support differentiated charging, then charging differentiation is enabled, but deployment costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring full indoor dominance through extensive indoor cell deployment, the invention uses partial action by implementing service area indicators only where needed for differentiated charging. This selective approach enables charging differentiation without the need for comprehensive indoor coverage infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the parameter space by introducing service area indicators as a new dimension for identifying charging zones. This allows differentiated charging to be implemented through parameter configuration rather than through physical infrastructure expansion, reducing the quantity of indoor cells required.
3Adaptability or versatility
If service area indicators are configured independently of cell identities, then charging flexibility improves, but information management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Service area indicators act as an intermediary layer between cell identities and charging policies. This mediator decouples the relationship, allowing charging policies to be configured independently of physical cell infrastructure, thereby improving charging flexibility while simplifying information management through a standardized indicator system.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates a method performed in a first Radio network node, serving a first service area, of notifying a Core Network node, CN, of a change of service area for a User Equipment, UE. The method comprises detecting that the UE has changed location between the first service area and a second service area served by at least a second Radio network node, wherein the first and second service areas are being associated with a respective service charge, and providing a notification to the Core Network Node informing about the change of service area for the UE, the indication enabling a CN function to change the service charge for the UE.