Offline Charging Anchoring Node for Prepaid Service Continuity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prepaid service plans in telecommunications face challenges with inaccurate service usage capture due to network disruptions, leading to revenue losses and poor user experience when online metering fails, causing service providers to forego charging subscribers.
Innovation Solution
An offline charging system that includes an anchoring node, a charging control node, a service data point, and a billing gateway, allowing voice calls to continue despite online metering failures by generating partial call detail records (CDRs) for periodic offline charging, using default call handling procedures and georedundant rating engines to manage account balances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If online metering is used for prepaid accounts, then real-time charging capability is improved, but service continuity deteriorates when network disruptions occur
Solution Approach 1:
The charging system is segmented into online metering and offline charging components. When online metering fails due to network disruptions, the system transitions to offline charging mode where usage is recorded locally and settled later, ensuring service continuity while maintaining eventual charging accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by establishing default call handling procedures and georedundant rating engines before disruptions occur. These pre-configured mechanisms ensure that charging can continue using cached account balances and default policies when online connectivity is lost.
2Measurement precision
If service calls are terminated during online metering failures, then charging accuracy is improved, but user experience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
An intermediary offline charging mechanism is introduced between the service delivery system and the billing system. This intermediary captures usage data locally during disruptions and reconciles it with the billing system later, allowing service to continue uninterrupted while maintaining charging accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies beforehand cushioning by maintaining georedundant rating engines and cached account balances that can serve as backup charging mechanisms when the primary online metering system fails, preventing service termination and protecting user experience.
3Reliability
If prepaid services are allowed to continue during online metering failures, then service continuity is improved, but revenue loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where usage data is continuously monitored and recorded even in offline mode. The offline charging system provides feedback about usage patterns to the billing system for reconciliation, ensuring that revenue is captured accurately after disruptions end while service continues during the disruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-configuring default call handling procedures and georedundant rating engines that can immediately take over charging functions when online metering fails, preventing revenue loss while maintaining service continuity.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed embodiments include a method for offline charging performed by an anchoring node of a telecommunications network. The anchoring node can send a request to an online charging system (OCS), where the request is for online metering of a call by a subscriber of the telecommunications network. The anchoring node may obtain an indication of an exception to the online metering of the call. In response, the anchoring node can perform a default call handling (DCH) procedure to allow the call on the telecommunications network despite an inability to perform the online metering. The anchoring node also generates a modified charging detail record (CDR) that includes an indication of the exception. The anchoring node can then send a message, which includes at least an indication of the modified CDR, to enable a mediation server to perform offline charging for the call.