Charging mechanism of wireless internet services

By engineer, on September 28th, 2009

It is different with fixed line internet access e.g. via Internet Service Provider (ISP) which has dedicated bandwidth allocation, wireless or mobile broadband internet service has various charging mechanisms. This is to anticipate unstable connection which used to happen to wireless internet service. It is fairer that when subscriber is getting slow speed during accessing to internet, Telecommunication Company should charge them cheaper. As you know that many factors influence the speed of wireless or mobile broadband internet service but the most contribution is RF capacity issue.
Usually telecommunication company is giving two basic charging mechanisms, those are;

1. Duration base

Subscriber will be charged based on how long they access the internet

2. Volume base

Subscriber will be charged based how long much traffic has been consumed by subscriber

By practice, Telecommunication Company can make various charging mechanisms on their mobile broadband internet service and they are more complicated but basically they are referring to two charging mechanisms above. To run charging mechanism, Telecommunication Company requires charging gateway which could be integrated to the Intelligent Network (IN) or dedicated charging gateway with more powerful. Intelligent Network (IN) usually to handle day to day charging call and SMS services. Meanwhile dedicated charging gateway is to handling data and Value Added Service (VAS).

Generally charging mechanism on the wireless or mobile broadband internet service is described as below;

1. Accounting request is coming to charging gateway

Public Data Service Node (PDSN) will send accounting request to charging gateway before subscriber is allowed to access to internet on mobile broadband internet service

2. Charging gateway will look into its database to identify the subscriber status

Subscribers which granted to access to internet are registered on its database. While subscriber is not register than charging gateway will send a notification and about the status of subscriber

3. Charging gateway will reserve and deduct a mount of balance to Intelligent Network (IN)

When charging gateway confirms that subscriber is a granted subscriber than they will reserve and deduct subscriber’s balance as long as subscriber has sufficient balance. Charging gateway also will send a notification to subscriber once they have insufficient balance

4. Then subscriber will be allowed to access to internet

Each time reservation and deduction complete, charging gateway will permit the subscriber to access to internet

Balance will be refunded to subscriber in case subscriber stop to access to internet and reservation balance still there