WO2008017368A1

WO2008017368A1 - Communication system

Info

Publication number: WO2008017368A1
Application number: PCT/EP2007/006394
Authority: WO
Inventors: Walter Bernhard; Wilfried Nicoll; Jan Busch
Original assignee: O2(Germany) Gmbh & Co. Ohg
Priority date: 2006-08-10
Filing date: 2007-07-18
Publication date: 2008-02-14
Also published as: DE102006037511B4; DE102006037511A1; EP2050266A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a communication system for providing services to users of terminals which can be operated in the communication system, having one or more service platforms for providing the services, having at least one online charging unit for online charging for services and having at least one offline charging unit for offline charging for services, where the communication system has at least one control unit which is designed such that it takes one or more predetermined parameters as a basis for attributing a service used by a user to the online charging unit and/or to the offline charging unit in real time.

Description

communication system

The present invention relates to a communication system.

Such communication systems are known in numerous different embodiments and configurations, inter alia, as communication systems for mobile communications and as fixed network systems.

The communication systems known from the prior art generally have network elements or service platforms which make certain services available to the users of the terminals which can be operated in the communication system (making telephone calls, loading data, etc.). Previously known telecommunications systems also have online billing units or platforms for the online billing of services and offline billing units for the offline billing of services.

Users of the communication system with so-called pre-paid cards have invested in the purchase of their SIM card or their charge a certain amount that is stored in an account of the user. Do these users (pre-paid customers) accept a service from the operator of the telecommunications system? claim, an online billing is performed, that is, the billing occurs during or promptly to the use of the service, for example, during a phone call.

In addition to these pre-paid customers, previously known communication systems are also used by so-called post-paid customers, that is to say by customers in whom the use of the services is not online but delayed, that is to say offline. For this purpose, known communication systems have an offline accounting unit.

FIG. 1 shows such a conventional accounting system or communication system.

Figure 1a shows the customer A who is a pre-paid customer. This customer calls the participant C with his terminal, wherein the participants A and C can each be a mobile subscriber and / or a fixed network subscriber. The network or the network element ("Network Element") recognizes, for example, based on the data of the SIM card, or based on the IMSI, the calling subscriber A, that it is a pre-paid customer, so that the billing in the online billing unit is shown, which is shown in Figure 1 a and marked "Prepaid Charging". The arrows mark the billing path.

Figure 1 b shows a case in which the subscriber B calls the subscriber C, in which case the subscriber B is a post-paid customer. This is recognized by the network element and communicated through the mediation unit of the billing platform, which is an offline billing unit.

A disadvantage of prior art communication systems is that customers must opt for a pre-paid or post-paid system upon signing the contract, that is, whether or not they have used it Services should be billed online or offline. Do customers intend to change the billing system that has been selected, does it require the replacement of the SIM Kθiiβ od *? ^{1 *} <? In ^p R Rβ provisioning of affected network networks, which is relatively cumbersome.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to develop a communication system of the type mentioned in the introduction in such a way that its flexibility with regard to the billing of the services used by customers is increased.

This object is achieved by a communication system having the features of claim 1. Thereafter, it is provided that the communication system has at least one control unit which is designed such that it in response to one or more predetermined parameters a customer used or claimed by a customer service in real time of the online billing unit and / or offline Allocating unit. The communication system thus has an element that makes a decision as to whether a service should be billed by the online billing unit or by the offline billing unit. The control unit is thus a new component in the charging architecture of the communication system, which is preferably applicable to all services offered to the customers of an operator of a mobile network or landline, preferably regardless of the mode of payment (pre-paid, Postpaid) of the customers.

The said control unit enables technical decoupling of the service platforms that provide the services from the charging systems or billing units and, at the same time, preferably enables the provision of hybrid post-paid / pre-paid / charging products for the end customer while maintaining two billing systems, namely pre-paid systems and post-paid systems. The control unit further allows the risk-minimized migration of the charging systems to a pre-paid / post-paid convergent billing system, which is also available with dpm Rp.πriff PPP, / Prp-PaiH / PnQt-PaiH P

.nn \ / orπonro \ ι ιmc <~ hriθbeP! Becomes

In one embodiment of the invention, the predetermined parameter is a parameter which identifies the terminal or any SIM card of one or both subscribers of a communication connection located therein. It is conceivable, for example, that the control unit, on the basis of the MSISDN or the IMSI of the calling and / or the called subscriber, decides whether a service is to be assigned to the online or the offline billing unit.

When referring here and hereafter to "called" and "calling" subscribers, this is intended to encompass not only voice and data connections but all services, such as those made between two units, for example also between a server and a terminal , include.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the predetermined parameter is a parameter that identifies the affiliation of one or both subscribers of a communication connection to a group or that identifies the affiliation of the calling and / or the called subscriber to a group. For example, the group may be a "hybrid group", that is, a group of post-paid and pre-paid users.

It is conceivable that groups are provided which comprise at least one first group subscriber whose services are usually billed to the offline billing unit and which comprise at least one second group subscriber belonging to the same group whose services are usually used online Billing unit are billed, and that the control unit is designed such that they in a communication between the first and second group participants on the part The control unit may have testing means by means of which it is possible to check whether the calling subscriber belongs to this group and is a pre-paid subscriber and whether the subscriber is the pre-paid subscriber If these requirements are fulfilled, it is provided in this embodiment of the invention that the control unit always allocates the services used by the calling pre-paid subscriber to the offline billing unit A member of a family is a post-paid customer and that all telephone calls of the other family members to this family member of the offline billing unit are assigned, that is billed with the post-paid billing unit Other uses of services of the pre-paid subscriber, ie B. calls to third parties, not belong to the group the participants will continue to be billed online.

It is also possible for groups to be provided which comprise at least one first group subscriber whose services are usually billed to the offiine billing unit and which comprise at least one second group subscriber belonging to the same group whose services are usually used billed to the on-line billing unit, and that the control unit is adapted to allocate the services used by the first group subscriber by providing a discount to the offline billing unit and to request the services used by the second group subscriber Benefit is granted to the online billing unit, whereby the benefit is granted whenever the services used relate to communication between the first and second group members of that group.

Thus, there is the opportunity for the pre-paid customers to make cheaper calls to the called post-paid subscriber or to make use of data services. Conversely, postpaid customers may be discounted with the Called pre-paid participants to call or data services.

It is also conceivable that groups are provided which comprise at least one first group subscriber whose services are usually charged to the offline billing unit and which comprise at least one second group subscriber belonging to the same group whose services are usually used billed to the online billing unit, and that the control unit is designed such that it assigns the services used by the second group subscriber in a communication between group participants of the offline billing unit, with which the services used by the first subscriber are billed , In the context of such a "sponsorship", the services used by the pre-paid subscriber can thus be assigned to the offline billing unit via which the services used by the first subscriber, ie the post-paid subscriber, are billed This may preferably be the case regardless of whether or not the first subscriber is involved in the communication or use of the service by the second user.

It is conceivable, for example, that a family man is a post-paid customer and that the conversations of the family members or group members with each other and also with the father are always billed via the offline billing unit, which usually bills the services used by the father become.

In a further embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the parameter is the type of service used. It is conceivable, for example, that calls are always assigned to the offline billing unit, that is, billed according to the post-paid mode and that, for example, the downloading of files, such as ringtones is assigned to the online billing unit, that is to be cleared via an online account.

In a further embodiment of the invention it is provided that the parameter or parameters can be determined by the users of the communication system and / or for the operator of the communication system. It would thus be conceivable, for example, a configuration in which the user can decide which services online and which services should be billed offline. It is also conceivable that such a determination is at least partially carried out by the operator of the communication system.

It is also conceivable that during or within the use of a service billing on both of the aforementioned billing units, that is, post-paid and pre-paid will be charged. This may for example be the case when the balance of a pre-paid account falls below a certain value during the use of a service, for example during a telephone call or during the download of data. In this case, it can be provided that the further billing takes place via the offline billing unit as of this time.

It is also conceivable that the parameter is the type of terminals involved in the service and / or the type of network with which the service is provided.

The type of services is unlimited. These may, for example, be services which are usually carried out according to their duration (eg voice) or the extent of the service utilization (eg data download) or whose billing takes place according to the frequency of their use (for example email).

Preferably, said control unit forming a link between the service platforms and the charging platforms of a communications system is a real-time operating unit. The system may further comprise an authorization unit assigned to the on-line billing unit, configured to call a user whose services are usually assigned to the offline billing unit as a function of one or more of the predetermined parameters for individual ones Communication system authorized services to be provided. An offline subscriber can thus be authorized for individual services by the online system. It is also conceivable that the system has an authorization unit that is configured such that it assigns a user whose services are used to an online billing unit as a function of one or more of the predetermined parameters for individual services to be provided by the communication system Services are authorized, even if the balance accessed by the online billing unit is used up.

The authorization unit may be part of the control unit or be formed by a separate unit.

Further details and advantages of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawing. Show it:

1 shows a schematic representation of the procedure of the billing at a pre-paid and at a post-paid customer according to the prior art,

FIG. 2: schematic representations of the process of billing in a pre-paid and in a post-paid customer according to the invention,

FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of the procedure for billing in a call between two members of a group, Figure 4 is a schematic representation of the process of charging in a telephone call between two members of a group in another embodiment

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of the procedure of billing depending on the service used;

Figure 6: a schematic representation of a communication system according to the prior art and

Figure 7: a schematic representation of a communication system according to the invention.

FIG. 2a shows the process of charging in a telephone call between the pre-paid customer A and the subscriber C. The subscriber A intends to establish a voice connection with the subscriber C. This is reported via the network element ("network element") of the control unit according to the invention ("charging switch"), which then, in the present case, makes the decision that the call is to be charged as a pre-paid call and the call is thus transferred to the online service. The decision in the control unit whether the call is billed online or offline can be made, for example, via the MSISDN of the calling subscriber A and / or that of the called subscriber C.

Figure 2b shows a case in which the caller (subscriber B) is a post-paid customer and calls the subscriber C. In this case, the control unit decides on the basis of MSISDN, for example, that it is a post-paid bill and accordingly assigns it to the offline billing unit.

The decision made in the control unit, according to which mode is charged, must therefore not on the basis of the SIM card or on this information, but based on other variables, such as the MSISDN done.

From the system shown in Figure 2, there is the advantage that the network element or the service platforms can be made simpler, since the check on which system is to be accounted, not there takes place, but in the control unit according to the invention. Apart from that, the control unit allows the selection of a plurality of criteria and parameters, according to which a decision can be made as to how to settle accounts.

One possibility that is opened up by the control unit is that, for example, post-paid customers can be billed online when required or when certain criteria are met, and conversely, pre-paid customers can be billed via the offline billing unit. A SIM card change is not required. Rather, the decision as to which system is billed, made in the control unit.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment in which the calling subscriber A and the called subscriber C belong to a specific group. For example, this group may be family members, some of whom are typically billed as post-paid and others usually as pre-paid customers. In the embodiment shown here, the customer A is a pre-paid customer. The network element transmits the information that a call is to take place between the subscribers A and C or takes place to the control unit. Based on the parameters MSISDN, IMSI, etc. of the subscriber A and / or the subscriber C, the latter can determine that both subscribers belong to a group in which pre-paid subscribers are billed according to a particularly favorable tariff (group tariff), provided that they communicate with the participant C. Accordingly, the conversation of the subscriber A is charged here as usual, but as a pre-paid call but under a particularly favorable rate. It is further provided that not only a call or a communication from the pre-paid subscriber to the post-paid subscriber, but also a call or a communication from the post-paid subscriber 711 the Pre-PaiH-Teiinehmer cheapened is possible. If the subscriber C is a post-paid subscriber, it can thus be provided that his service calls or calls to the pre-paid subscriber A are assigned to the offline billing unit, but billed there with a particularly favorable tariff become.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment in which the pre-paid customer A calls the post-paid customer C. This is communicated via the network element back to the control unit. This notes that the subscribers A and C belong to a group in which it is stipulated that calls to the subscriber C are sponsored such that the billing does not pass through the pre-paid account of the calling subscriber A, but post-paid by Billing to the participant C to be billed. It is conceivable, for example, that the family man is a postpaid customer and that calls from the children, who are pre-paid customers, are billed to the father on whose behalf via the offline billing unit. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the control unit allocates such calls to the billing unit via the "mediation" unit, which is the offline billing unit.

Also, the invention includes the case that not only calls or service occupations of children at the post-paid father, ie the sponsor, but also with other family members or members of the group on the father's bill, ie on the Offline billing unit. Accordingly, for example, telephone calls between the child and the mother can be billed via the offline billing unit, via which the usual usage of the father's service is billed. The "sponsor chip" can thus be provided by third parties who are not involved in the communication. FIG. 5 shows an exemplary embodiment in which the decision as to whether billing takes place via the online or offline billing unit is made as a function of which service is involved

In this exemplary embodiment, the customer A has an online account that is billed via the online billing unit (pre-paid charging). At the same time, the customer is a post-paid customer, whereby the services used in this connection are billed via the offline billing unit. The customer intends to pay for service X in advance (online) and service Y in retrospect (offline). Accordingly, it is checked in the control unit to what kind of service is and then made according to the specifications of the customer or according to the specifications of the operator of the communication system billing the offline billing unit or via the online billing unit, as shown in FIG 5 is shown.

FIG. 6 again shows, in a schematic overview, the architecture of an existing communication system known from the prior art, in which the decision is made in the service platform (SP) as to whether a specific service is to be billed offline or online.

7 shows the interposition of the inventive control unit "Charging Switch", which assumes this object according to the invention, thus relieving the service platform and providing a flexible means by which customers can pay for pre-paid or post-paid without It requires a change of the SIM card or a re-provisioning of all affected network elements, which is convenient not only for the operator of the communication system, but also for the mobile end customer.

The present invention allows the introduction of said control unit, a migration of offline billing and online billing in one convergent system. This migration is gradually possible through the introduction of the control unit and can thus be carried out minimized risk.

Claims

claims

A communication system for providing services to users of terminals with one or more service platforms for providing the services, with at least one online billing unit for online billing of services, and with at least one offline billing unit for off-line billing of services,

characterized,

in that the communication system has at least one control unit which is designed in such a way that it allocates in real time to the online billing unit and / or the offline billing unit, depending on one or more predetermined parameters, a service used or to be claimed by a user.

2. Communication unit according to claim 1, characterized in that it is the predetermined parameter is a parameter which the Endαerät or p.inp. ptwaiπp hoppin in it. SIM card θ denotes one or both subscribers of a communication connection.

3. Communication system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is the parameter is a parameter that identifies the affiliation of one or both participants of a communication link to a group.

4. Communication system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that groups are provided which comprise at least one first group subscriber whose services are usually charged to the offline billing unit, and which comprise at least one belonging to the same group second group participants, whose services are usually charged to the online billing unit, and that the control unit is designed such that it assigns in a communication between the first and second group participants the services used by the second group subscriber services of the offline billing unit.

5. Communication system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that groups are provided which comprise at least a first group subscriber whose services are usually charged to the offline billing unit, and which comprise at least one belonging to the same group second group participants, its services are usually billed to the online billing unit, and that the control unit is designed to allocate the services used by the first group subscriber by giving a discount to the offline billing unit, and that they the time taken by the second group of subscriber services on the initiative of an advantage of the online billing unit assigns wherein Hi ^p Ver ^g ünstigung is respectively granted if dis undrawn services in a communication between the first and second groups of members of this group relate.

6. Communication system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that groups are provided which comprise at least a first group subscriber whose services are usually charged to the offline billing unit, and which comprise at least one belonging to the same group second group participants, whose services are usually charged to the online billing unit, and that the control unit is configured to allocate the services used by the second group member in a communication between group members to the offline billing unit with those on the part of the first Subscriber's services are billed.

7. Communication system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the parameter is the type of service used.

8. Communication system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the parameter or parameters can be determined by the users of the communication system and / or by the operator of the communication system.

9. Communication system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that users are assigned accounts on the services used by the on-line billing unit assigned accounts. and that the parameter includes the account balance of these accounts.

10. Communication unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the parameter is the type of terminals involved in the service and / or the type of network with which the service is provided.

11. Communication system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the services are services whose billing takes place according to the duration or scope of the use of the service or their billing according to the frequency of their use.

12. Communication system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is the communication system to a communication system for mobile or a landline communication system.

13. Communication system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the system further comprises an on-line billing unit assigned authorization unit, which is configured such that a user whose services are usually assigned to the offline billing unit, depending one or more of the predetermined parameters for individual services to be provided by the communication system.

14. Communication system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the system comprises an authorization unit which is designed such that it assigns a user whose services are used to an online billing unit, depending on one or more of the predetermined parameters separate Authorized by the communication system to be provided services, even if the credit, which accesses the online billing unit has been used up.