SAS Heartbeat Billing for Flexible Shared Spectrum Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current SAS and CBSD implementations do not support flexible charging architectures that accurately reflect the time CBSDs are actively served, leading to inefficient pricing models that do not account for downtime or short-term usage, limiting the flexibility for enterprises to manage private enterprise networks effectively.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a flexible charging mechanism that determines the time duration CBSDs are registered with the SAS, allowing charging policies with varying granularities (per minute, hour, day, or month) based on service level agreements, and using heartbeat messages to track active connections, ensuring accurate billing for active service time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a fixed monthly charging model is used for CBSDs, then revenue stability is improved, but flexibility to accommodate varying usage patterns and downtime is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The charging model transitions from a static monthly fixed fee to a dynamic model that adjusts charges based on actual service duration. The SAS tracks active service time using heartbeat messages and calculates charges based on the actual time CBSDs are registered and operational, allowing the system to adapt to varying usage patterns while maintaining revenue stability through consistent per-minute pricing.
Solution Approach 2:
The charging parameters are changed from a fixed monthly amount to a variable calculation based on service time duration. The system now uses parameters such as registration time, deregistration time, and heartbeat message intervals to dynamically determine the chargeable service time, enabling flexible pricing that reflects actual resource utilization.
2Ease of manufacture
If charging is based on registered time rather than active service time, then billing simplicity is improved, but accuracy in reflecting actual resource usage is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback through heartbeat messages exchanged between CBSDs and the SAS. These periodic messages provide real-time information about active service status, enabling the SAS to accurately track when CBSDs are truly operational versus when they are merely registered but inactive. This feedback mechanism ensures precise measurement of actual resource usage without significantly complicating the billing process.
3Measurement precision
If the SAS tracks every CBSD connection continuously, then usage accuracy is improved, but system complexity and processing overhead are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous monitoring, the system uses periodic heartbeat messages at defined intervals to track CBSD status. This periodic approach maintains adequate usage tracking accuracy while significantly reducing processing overhead and system complexity compared to continuous monitoring. The heartbeat interval is configured to balance between accuracy requirements and system resource consumption.
Data Source
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AI summary
A spectrum access system (SAS) grants one or more channels of a shared spectrum to a base station, e.g., in response to receiving a registration request from the base station. The SAS increments a usage of a connection between the base station and the SAS in response to the SAS receiving information indicating that the base station has an active connection with the apparatus during a service time interval. The processor does not increment the usage if the base station does not have an active connection with the apparatus during the service time interval. In some cases, the active connection is indicated by heartbeat messages exchanged between the base station and the SAS. A customer associated with the base station is charged a cost based on the usage determined by the SAS.