Interim Timestamps for Long Duration Session Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
IMS networks face challenges in charging for long duration sessions due to the lack of interim timestamps, leading to incomplete Charging Data Records (CDRs) when start or stop timestamps are missing, resulting in inability to calculate total session duration and charge accordingly.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating interim timestamps in accounting request messages, which are stored and used to calculate the total duration of long duration sessions, enabling partial charging even if start or stop timestamps are missing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If only start and stop timestamps are used for charging, then the charging system is simple, but the reliability of charging for long duration sessions deteriorates when start or stop timestamps are missing
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by recording interim timestamps during the session before the session ends. These interim timestamps are stored in advance and can be used to calculate session duration if the start or stop timestamp is missing, thereby ensuring charging reliability without requiring complex redundant timestamp mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
Interim timestamps act as intermediary elements between the start and stop timestamps. When start or stop timestamps are missing, these intermediary timestamps provide alternative reference points for calculating session duration, resolving the contradiction between simple charging mechanisms and reliable charging for long duration sessions.
2Reliability
If interim timestamps are recorded for every accounting request, then the reliability of session duration calculation improves, but the device complexity and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial action by recording interim timestamps only for accounting request messages during long duration sessions, rather than for all messages. This selective approach provides sufficient reliability for session duration calculation while avoiding excessive storage requirements and system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of timestamp recording by introducing interim timestamps at specific intervals (accounting request messages) rather than continuously or at fixed time intervals. This parameter change optimizes the balance between calculation reliability and storage complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Communication networks and associated methods are disclosed that provide charging for long duration sessions. A charging data system of the communication network receives interim accounting request messages from a network element that is serving a session. The charging data system identifies interim timestamps for the interim accounting request messages, and stores the interim timestamps. After a time period during the long duration session, the charging data system generates a partial CDR. The charging data system then inserts duration information for the long duration session in the partial CDR based on the stored interim timestamps, and transmits the partial CDR to a correlation system. The correlation system may then calculate a total duration for the session based on the duration information in the partial CDR. Even if a start/stop timestamp is not available, the correlation system may estimate the total duration of the session based on the interim timestamps.