IMS Charging Priority ID for Data Overload
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) charging systems lack the ability to differentiate and prioritize charging information, leading to potential revenue loss due to system overloads or link failures, where valuable charging data may be discarded or overwritten, and there is a need to connect to higher-value charging systems with enhanced security and redundancy.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a Charging Priority ID in Diameter ACR and CCR messages to differentiate and prioritize charging data, allowing the system to overwrite lower-priority data during storage overloads and route valuable data to more secure charging systems, with the priority values derived from user profiles and message types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If charging data is stored locally during system overload or link failure, then data availability is maintained, but valuable charging data may be discarded or overwritten
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by assigning priority values to charging data records before storage overload occurs. High-priority records (from high-value users or critical services) are marked in advance, enabling the system to selectively retain valuable data during overload conditions while discarding lower-priority data, thus preventing revenue loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality by differentiating charging data records based on their priority values. Instead of treating all charging data uniformly, the system identifies and protects high-priority records (those with higher priority values indicating higher revenue potential) while allowing lower-priority records to be discarded during storage capacity constraints.
2Device complexity
If all charging data is treated equally, then system complexity is reduced, but revenue is lost due to inability to prioritize high-value data
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of charging data records by introducing a priority value field. This parameter transformation enables the system to differentiate between high-value and low-value charging data, allowing selective retention of high-priority records during overload conditions, thereby preventing revenue loss while maintaining manageable system complexity.
3Device complexity
If charging systems lack prioritization capability, then system simplicity is maintained, but valuable data cannot be routed to secure charging systems
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by assigning priority values to charging data records before routing. High-priority records from high-value users or critical services are identified in advance and can be routed to more secure charging systems with enhanced redundancy, while lower-priority data uses standard routing paths.
4Reliability
If storage capacity is increased to prevent data loss, then data availability improves, but system cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial action by not increasing storage capacity for all charging data uniformly, but rather expanding storage only for high-priority records. The system discards lower-priority records during overload conditions, effectively managing storage resources more efficiently without requiring proportional increases in overall storage capacity.
Data Source
AI summary
One aspect provides a method of storing charging data in an IMS network. A message is received at a network entity. A charging priority value of the message relating to charging data associated with the message id identified. The charging priority value is included in a charging request message and the charging request message is forwarded to a charging control system. Other aspects provide IMS network entities configured to implement the method.