KR101639241B1 - System and Method for Charging of Outbound Roaming Area - Google Patents

Abstract

The foreign roaming billing system according to the present invention analyzes a Create PDP Context Request message of PDP (Packet Data Protocol) transmitted from a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) of an overseas provider to extract an IP address An address extracting unit, a business entity code search unit for searching through a database for a business entity code corresponding to the SGSN IP address, and an accounting calculation unit for using the business entity code for calculating an accounting charge, thereby obtaining a business entity code reliably. The calculation of overseas roaming charges can also be performed reliably.

Overseas, roaming, billing, business code, SGSN, GGSN, billing server, IP

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an overseas roaming charging system and method,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an overseas roaming billing system and method, and more particularly, to an overseas roaming billing system and method capable of reliably performing a data charging calculation of an overseas roaming user.

In order for a domestic mobile communication user to go abroad and receive mobile communication service, a foreign mobile communication carrier must establish a roaming agreement with a domestic mobile communication carrier in advance.

In such a case, the billing system such as the billing rate required when the domestic mobile communication user wants to receive the wireless Internet service in the overseas mobile communication service provider network (visiting network), may be provided between the domestic mobile communication service provider and the overseas mobile communication service provider It is concluded / set. In general, an overseas mobile communication service provider charges a packet for use of a wireless Internet service of a domestic mobile communication user (roaming user) who desires to receive a wireless Internet service from a visiting network, and then transmits a packet charge of a roaming user to a domestic mobile communication service provider So that a fee is paid by the domestic mobile communication service provider in accordance with the billing rate for the usage amount of the wireless Internet service.

The domestic mobile communication service provider pays the fee to the overseas mobile communication service provider in accordance with the billing rate for the roaming user packet usage amount, and charges the roaming user for the packet usage amount. The charges for the roaming user should include various benefits provided by the domestic mobile communication carrier, benefits provided by the overseas mobile communication carrier, and the billing rate agreed between the mobile communication carriers. Therefore, when a roaming user requests a wireless Internet service, that is, a packet service, the domestic mobile communication service provider needs to know the foreign mobile communication provider corresponding to the visited network provider for reliable charging.

The present invention provides an overseas roaming charging system and method that can reliably charge a roaming user for using a packet service used in a visited network.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are not intended to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Other objects, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, It will be possible.

In order to achieve the above object, an overseas roaming charging system according to the present invention analyzes a Create PDP Context Request (PDP) message transmitted from an SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node) of an overseas provider, An IP address extracting unit for extracting an IP address of the SGSN IP address, a provider code search unit for searching for a provider code corresponding to the SGSN IP address through a database, and an accounting calculation unit for using the provider code for calculating the fee.

At this time, the IP address extracting unit and the provider code searching unit may be provided in a gateway GPRS supporting node (GGSN), and the charging calculation unit may be provided in the charging server.

The IP address extracting unit may be provided in a gateway GPRS supporting node (GGSN), and the business code searching unit and the billing calculation unit may be provided in the billing server.

In addition, a provider code determination unit for determining whether a provider code exists by analyzing a PDP (Create Packet Data Protocol) context request message transmitted from an SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node) of an overseas provider, Wherein the IP address extracting unit extracts the IP address of the SGSN by analyzing the PDP context creation request message when the business entity code does not exist, The calculation unit may use the extracted business code or one of the searched business codes to calculate the billing amount. Here, the provider code determining unit, the provider code extracting unit, the IP address extracting unit, and the provider code searching unit may be provided in a gateway GPRS supporting node (GGSN), and the charging calculation unit may be provided in the charging server. In addition, the provider code determining unit, the provider code extracting unit, and the IP address extracting unit may be provided in a gateway GPRS supporting node (GGSN), and the provider code searching unit and the charging calculating unit may be provided in the charging server.

The PDP context creation request message transmitted from the SGSN of the foreign company may be based on an activate PDP context request message transmitted from the roaming terminal.

The database may be stored in the form of a mapping table in which the business entity code of the foreign business entity corresponds to the IP address of the SGSN of the foreign business entity.

The charging server may be a home network charging server.

Meanwhile, the foreign roaming charging information transmission server according to the present invention is a roaming mobile communication system in which a roaming terminal counts a packet volume of a packet service used through an SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node) of an overseas provider and generates basic charging information An IP address extracting unit for extracting an IP address of the SGSN by analyzing a Create PDP Context Request (PDP) message transmitted from the Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) A billing information generating unit for generating billing information by including related information in the basic billing information, and an accounting information transmitting unit for transmitting the billing information to the billing server.

The SGSN IP address related information may be one of the SGSN IP address or the searched business entity code. The SGSN IP address related information may be one of the SGSN IP address or the searched business entity code.

Meanwhile, in the overseas roaming charging method according to the present invention, a gateway GPRS supporting node (GGSN) of the home network counts a packet volume of a packet service used by a roaming terminal via an SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node) Extracting an IP address of the SGSN by analyzing a Create PDP Context Request message transmitted from the SGSN in association with use of the packet service of the roaming terminal by the GGSN; Including the SGSN IP address related information in the basic charging information, and transmitting the charging information including the SGSN IP address related information to the charging server.

In this case, after the SGSN IP address extracting step, the GGSN searches for a provider code corresponding to the SGSN IP address through a database, and setting the retrieved provider code as SGSN IP address related information have.

Further, the method may further include, after the step of extracting the SGSN IP address, the GGSN setting the SGSN IP address as SGSN IP address related information, wherein after the charging server transmits the charging information to the charging server, Extracting the SGSN IP address included in the billing information, searching for a corresponding business entity code through a database, and using the business entity code to calculate an accounting.

After the step of generating basic charging information, the GGSN analyzes a Create PDP Context Request transmitted from the SGSN with respect to use of the packet service of the roaming terminal to determine whether a provider code exists And extracting the business entity code if the business entity code exists, wherein the SGSN IP address extraction step is performed when the business entity code does not exist, and after the SGSN IP address extraction step, Searching for a provider code corresponding to the SGSN IP address through the SGSN IP address, and setting one of the extracted provider code and the searched provider code as SGSN IP address related information.

After the basic charging information generation step, the GGSN analyzes a Create PDP Context Request transmitted from the SGSN with respect to use of the packet service of the roaming terminal, and determines whether there is a provider code And extracting the business entity code if the business entity code exists, wherein the SGSN IP address extraction step is performed when the business entity code does not exist, and after the SGSN IP address extraction step, the GGSN Further comprising the step of setting one of the extracted business entity code or the SGSN IP address as SGSN IP address related information, wherein after the step of transmitting the accounting information to the accounting server, the accounting server analyzes the accounting information, If the code does not exist, the SGSN IP address included in the billing information is extracted and transmitted to the database A step, the step of using one of the code carrier or the searched company code included in the accounting information on the accounting calculation to search for than a corresponding operator code may further include.

The business entity code may be at least one of a Mobile Country Code (MCC) and a Mobile Network Code (MNC).

In the step of generating the basic charging information, the roaming terminal transmits an Activate PDP Context Request message to a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) of an overseas provider via an RNC (Radio Network Controller) of an overseas provider , The SGSN transmits a Create PDP Context Request message to a Gateway GPRS Supporting Node (GGSN) of the home network, and the GGSN transmits a Create PDP Context Response message, which is a response message to the SGSN, The SGSN transmits an Activate PDP Context Accept message to the mobile terminal to complete a wireless Internet call process, and the SGSN counts a packet volume used by the roaming user Generating a visiting network charging information, and transmitting the visiting network charging information to a visited network charging server; And counting the amount of the key to generate basic charging information.

The packet service may be a wireless Internet service.

The database may be stored in the form of a mapping table in which the business entity code of the foreign business entity corresponds to the IP address of the SGSN of the foreign business entity.

The charging server may be a home network charging server.

As described above, the foreign roaming billing system and method according to the present invention can easily obtain the foreign company code necessary for the reliable billing calculation.

Specifically, when it is not possible to include the overseas provider code in the billing information generated in the overseas carrier network, the foreign SGSN IP address may be extracted and the corresponding carrier code may be acquired through the database and used for billing, This is possible.

An overseas operator described in this specification refers to an overseas mobile communication carrier. The visited network refers to the overseas mobile communication service provider network, and the home network refers to the domestic mobile communication service provider network. The roaming terminal is a terminal to which a roaming service is applied. Hereinafter, the roaming terminal refers to a terminal located in a visited network beyond a home network, and a roaming user refers to a user who uses the roaming terminal.

Hereinafter, a foreign roaming charging system and method related to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overseas roaming charging related system related to the present invention.

1, the overseas roaming charging related system includes a roaming terminal 10, an overseas SGSN 20, a visiting network charging server 30, a home network GGSN 50, an internet service providing server 60, a home network charging server 70). In general, it shows that the roaming terminal located in the visiting network receives the Internet service through the home network GGSN.

The roaming terminal 10 is a terminal to which a roaming service is applied, and refers to a terminal located in a visited network as described above. Roaming service, or roaming, refers to a service that enables communication within the service area of different carriers. For example, there are a plurality of mobile communication companies in Korea, each of which is building its own service network. Therefore, there may be areas where service is good and does not work well, depending on the operator. In this case, it would be very convenient for each business to cooperate with each other and join a service provider so that mutual service networks can be connected to each other to receive quality service anywhere. In this way, a service that broadens the quality and scope of service by cooperating with mobile communication providers is called a roaming service. If a domestic operator is to roam with a foreign operator such as the United States or Japan, the person who subscribes to the domestic operator may be allowed to carry the terminal to the United States or Japan, .

In order to use a packet service such as a wireless Internet service in such a roaming terminal, a RNC (Radio Network Controller) (not shown) of a visited network, a Serving GPRS Supporting Node (SGSN), a GPRS supporting node, 20) will be used.

The foreign SGSN 20, which is the SGSN of the visited network, performs packet data processing in an asynchronous network and plays a role corresponding to an exchange in the field of voice service. The SGSN 20 requests the gateway GPRS supporting node (GGSN) 50 to generate a PDP (Packet Data Protocol) context according to the packet service request of the roaming terminal.

The home network GGSN 50 sets the path of the Internet service providing server 60 to provide the packet service requested by the roaming terminal according to the request of the foreign SGSN and transmits a PDP context creation response to the foreign SGSN. The foreign SGSN transmits a message indicating that the connection is accepted to the roaming terminal according to the response of the home network GGSN and completes the wireless Internet call processing. The roaming terminal that has completed the wireless Internet call processing uses the wireless Internet service and the overseas SGSN counts the usage amount, that is, the packet amount (Packet Volum), and transmits it as the billing information to the visiting network charging server 30 .

The billing server is a billing calculation server that performs billing processing using various data related to billing and a billing processing routine, and the visiting network charging server is located in a visited network. 1, the home network charging server 70 also improves the reliability related to overseas roaming charges such as surveillance of charges made in the visiting network charging server , And a reliable billing process should be performed for policy purposes such as using the charging result of the home network charging server for charging. However, in billing for overseas roaming, it is necessary to know who is the visiting network provider, that is, the overseas operator, so that accurate billing is possible.

Of the standards of the WCDMA network, release 4 does not have an MCC (Mobile Country Code) or an MNC (Mobile Network Code) which is an overseas provider code (RAI, which is included in Routing Area Information) It is necessary to perform the billing using only the charging result of In Release 5, an overseas operator code is provided but is optional, making it difficult for home server charging server to obtain the operator code easily and reliably.

2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of an overseas roaming charging system related to the present invention.

2, the foreign roaming charging system according to the present embodiment analyzes a Create PDP Context Request (PDP) message transmitted from an SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node) of an overseas provider, An IP address extracting unit 110 for extracting an IP address of the SGSN IP address, a business entity code search unit 130 for searching a business entity code corresponding to the SGSN IP address through a database, and a billing calculation unit 150 ) And the like.

The IP address extracting unit 110 extracts, from the message, the IP address of the SGSN of the foreign carrier transmitting the PDP context creation request message according to the packet service request of the roaming terminal, that is, the foreign SGSN.

 The extracted SGSN IP address is transmitted to the business entity code search unit 130, and the business entity code search unit 130 searches for a business entity code corresponding to the SGSN IP address. The provider code search performed by the provider code search unit is performed through a database (not shown). The database stores a provider code of an overseas provider corresponding to the SGSN IP address. For example, the database may be stored in the form of a mapping table in which the business entity code of the foreign business entity corresponds to the IP address of the SGSN of the foreign business entity. The business entity code is an identifier indicating who the foreign business entity is, and may be composed of at least one of a mobile country code (MCC) and a mobile network code (MNC).

The MCC is a mobile country code and is a code assigned to each country. For example, Finland's MCC is defined as 244. If a domestic operator has only one overseas operator that has entered into a roaming agreement with Finland, the MCC will be able to know who the foreign operator is. The MNC is a mobile network code, which is usually divided into business units that provide communication services. However, in some cases, a business operator may have multiple mobile network codes (MNC). In general, identification of overseas carriers is made through MNC.

The billing calculation unit 150 receives the business code retrieved from the business code retrieving unit and uses it to calculate the billing amount. Since the business code can identify who the foreign business is, it is possible to calculate a reliable overseas roaming charge Do.

The billing calculation unit may be a home network billing server as described above, and the IP address extracting unit may be included in the home network GGSN. The provider code search unit may be included in the home network GGSN or the charging server, which will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

3 and 4 are block diagrams according to another embodiment of an overseas roaming charging system related to the present invention.

The foreign roaming charging system according to FIG. 3 includes a GGSN unit 210, a charging server 230, and the like.

The GGSN (Gateway GPRS Supporting Node) 210 analyzes a Create PDP Context Request (PDP) message transmitted from a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) of an overseas provider and transmits a Create PDP Context Request An SGSN IP address extracting unit 211 for extracting an SGSN IP address, a provider code searching unit 213 for searching for a provider code corresponding to the SGSN IP address through a database, and an accounting information generating unit for generating accounting information including the ISP code 215), and the like. As described above, the database should store the business code corresponding to the IP address of the SGSN.

In this embodiment, all of the IP address extracting unit and the provider code searching unit described above are included in the GGSN. According to this, the billing information output from the GGSN includes the business code of the foreign business.

The billing server 230 receives the billing information including the company code, performs billing calculation using the billing information, and includes a billing calculation unit (not shown) for the billing calculation.

The overseas roaming charging system according to FIG. 4 also includes the GGSN unit 310 and the charging server 330, but the location of the provider code searching unit 333 is different from the embodiment of FIG.

In FIG. 4, the provider code search unit is located in the charging server. This makes it possible to reduce the load on the GGSN part. The IP address extracting unit should be located in the GGSN unit receiving the PDP context creation request message from the foreign SGSN and generates billing information including the SGSN IP address extracted from the message and transmits the billing information to the billing server where the billing server is located. The billing server also includes a billing calculation unit (not shown) for billing calculation.

In summary, the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 analyzes a Create PDP Context Request (PDP) message transmitted from an SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node) of an overseas provider to extract an IP address of the SGSN A gateway GPRS Supporting Node (GGSN) unit having an IP address extracting unit and an accounting information generating unit for generating accounting information including the SGSN IP address and a business code corresponding to the SGSN IP address included in the accounting information, And a billing server for performing billing calculation using the billing information and the business entity code.

The above embodiment extracts an SGSN IP and searches for a provider code regardless of whether a provider code such as an MCC or an MNC is included in a Create PDP Context Request transmitted from an overseas SGSN. In this case, it is possible to acquire the information of the overseas provider necessary for the reliable billing calculation. However, when the PDP context creation request message includes the business code, unnecessary resources may be used.

5 to 7 illustrate an overseas roaming charging system considering a case where a PDP context creation request message includes a business entity code.

5 includes a business code determination unit 470, an IP address extraction unit 410, a business code search unit 430, a billing calculation unit 450, a business code extraction unit 490, And the like.

The provider code determination unit 470 analyzes a Create PDP Context Request (PDP) message transmitted from an SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node) of an overseas provider to determine whether a provider code exists. If it is determined that there is a business entity code, the business entity code extraction section 490 extracts the business entity code. If the provider code does not exist, the IP address extracting unit 410 analyzes the PDP context creation request message and extracts the IP address of the SGSN. The provider code search unit searches the database through the provider code corresponding to the extracted SGSN IP address.

When the PDP context creation request message includes the business entity code, the billing calculation section calculates the bill using the business entity code extracted through the business entity code extraction section. If the provider code does not exist in the PDP context creation request message, the charge calculation unit uses the provider code retrieved through the provider code search unit to calculate the charge.

In this way, when the PDP context creation request message includes the business entity code, there is no need to extract the SGSN IP address unnecessarily, and resource consumption can be reduced.

On the other hand, also in the embodiment of Fig. 5, the position of the business entity code search section can be considered as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. Fig.

The foreign roaming charging system according to the embodiment of FIG. 6 analyzes a Create PDP Context Request message of PDP (Packet Data Protocol) transmitted from an SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node) of an overseas provider, A provider code extracting unit 519 for extracting the business entity code when the business entity code exists, and a business entity code analyzing unit 519 for analyzing the PDP context creation request message if the business entity code does not exist, An IP address extracting unit 511 for extracting an IP address of the SGSN, a business entity code search unit 513 for searching a business entity code corresponding to the SGSN IP address through a database, and an extracted business entity code, A gateway GPRS supporting node (GGSN) unit 510 having a charging information generating unit 515 for generating charging information including the charging information, And it includes a charging server 530 to perform billing calculation.

In the billing information transmitted from the GGSN unit to the billing server, the business entity code extracted by the business entity code extracting unit or the business entity retrieved from the business entity code searching unit may be included in the billing information transmitted from the GGSN unit to the billing server, One of the codes is included.

Therefore, the billing server can extract the business entity code included in the billing information transmitted from the GGSN, and obtain the foreign business entity information required for billing calculation. Of course, the billing server includes a billing calculation unit (not shown) for billing calculation.

The foreign roaming charging system according to the embodiment of FIG. 7 analyzes a PDP (Create Packet Data Protocol) context request message transmitted from an SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node) of an overseas provider, A business entity code extracting unit 619 for extracting the business entity code when the business entity code exists, and a business entity code extracting unit 619 for analyzing the PDP context creation request message if the business entity code does not exist, A gateway GPRS Supporting Node (GGSN) 614 having an IP address extracting unit 611 for extracting an IP address of the SGSN and an accounting information generating unit 615 for generating accounting information including one of the extracted business entity code and the IP address, ) Unit 610 and analyzing the billing information, and when there is no business entity code, a business entity code corresponding to the SGSN IP address included in the billing information, Having a carrier code search section 633 to search through the database, and includes a charging server (630) to the company code included in the accounting information, using one of the searched company code performs a charging calculation. It goes without saying that the billing server includes a billing calculation unit for billing calculation.

As can be seen, the provider code search unit is located in the charging server. Accordingly, the billing information transmitted from the GGSN unit to the billing server includes one of the business entity code extracted by the business entity code extraction unit and the SGSN IP address extracted from the IP address extraction unit. Specifically, when the PDP context creation request message includes the business entity code, the business entity code extracted by the business entity code extraction section is included in the billing information. If the business entity code is not included in the PDP context creation request message, The SGSN IP address extracted by the address extracting unit is included in the billing information.

Therefore, the billing server needs to analyze the billing information transmitted from the GGSN to check whether the business entity code exists. If there is a provider code in the billing information, the provider code can be extracted and used in the billing calculation. However, if there is no provider code in the billing information, the vendor code is transmitted through the SGSN IP address included in the billing information Should be obtained. To this end, the billing server includes a business code search unit, and a business code corresponding to the SGSN IP address is searched through a database. Of course, in this case, it would be preferable that the SGSN IP and the database in which the provider code corresponding to the SGSN IP are stored in advance in the charging server. In summary, in the above-mentioned database, the operator code of the foreign company is associated with the IP address of the SGSN of the foreign operator and is stored in the form of a mapping table, and the location is stored in the GGSN unit or the billing Server, but it may be separately provided through a wire / wireless network. Also, the charging server may be a home network charging server, and the GGSN unit transmitting charging information to the charging server may also be a GGSN of the home network.

Meanwhile, the PDP context creation request message transmitted from the SGSN of the foreign company may be based on an activate PDP context request message transmitted from the roaming terminal. Such a situation is generally generated at the time of a packet service request such as a wireless Internet service request in a roaming terminal, as described above.

In the overseas roaming billing system as described above, if the billing server is excluded, it looks like an overseas roaming charging information transmission server that generates billing information for overseas roaming and transmits the billing information to the billing server.

11, a basic charging information generation unit 940 for counting packet amounts of packet services used by the roaming terminal via an SGSN of an overseas provider and generating basic charging information, a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) An IP address extracting unit 910 for extracting an IP address of the SGSN by analyzing a Create PDP Context Request (PDP) message transmitted from the SGSN, An accounting information generating unit 915 for generating accounting information including the accounting information, and an accounting information transmitting unit 980 for transmitting the accounting information to the accounting server.

Of course, the SGSN IP address related information is one of the SGSN IP address or a business entity code, and the business entity code is searched in a business entity code search section (not shown).

The provider code search unit is an element for searching through a database for a provider code corresponding to the SGSN IP address, and is the same as described above.

The foreign roaming charging method described below can be expressed as a process performed in the GGSN and a process performed in the charging server. The GGSN process includes generating basic charging information, extracting an SGSN IP address by analyzing a PDP context creation request message, including related information of the SGSN IP address in the basic charging information, And transmitting the billing information including the related information to the billing server. The SGSN IP address related information may be the SGSN IP address itself or a business code corresponding to the SGSN IP address, and each case will be described with reference to the drawings.

8 to 10 illustrate a method of overseas roaming charging related to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, the home gateway GGSN (GGSN) counts a packet volume of a packet service used by a roaming terminal via an SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node) of an overseas provider to generate basic charging information S 710).

The GGSN analyzes the Create PDP Context Request message transmitted from the SGSN regarding the use of the packet service of the roaming terminal and extracts the IP address of the SGSN in operation S720.

The GGSN retrieves a provider code corresponding to the SGSN IP address through a database, and includes the provider code in the basic charging information (S 730). Of course, in this process, the searched provider code is set as the SGSN IP address related information, and the SGSN IP address related information included in the basic charging information will be the searched provider code.

The GGSN transmits billing information including the billing code to the billing server (S740).

The GGSN extracts the SGSN IP address and retrieves the business code corresponding to the SGSN IP address. For reference, the basic charging information refers to charging information that does not include the SGSN IP address or the carrier code.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of FIG. 8. Referring to FIG. 8, the GGSN of the home network counts a packet volume of a packet service used by a roaming terminal via an SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node) And generates billing information (S810).

The GGSN analyzes the Create PDP Context Request message transmitted from the SGSN regarding the use of the packet service of the roaming terminal and extracts the IP address of the SGSN in operation S820.

The GGSN includes the SGSN IP address in the basic charging information and transmits it to the charging server (S830). That is, the SGSN IP address is set as the SGSN IP address related information and included in the basic charging information.

The charging server extracts the SGSN IP address included in the basic charging information, searches for a corresponding provider code through a database, and uses the provider code for charging (S 840).

In the embodiment of FIG. 9, the operator code is obtained by using the SGSN IP address, and the billing is calculated by using the operator code. However, there is a difference in obtaining the operator code. In the embodiment of FIG. 9, the accounting server receives the SGSN IP address instead of the business code from the GGSN, and searches for a business code corresponding to the SGSN IP address. That is, it is possible to reduce the load on the GGSN by performing the search for the provider code on the charge server, not on the GGSN.

8 and 9, the operator code is extracted from the database using the SGSN IP address unconditionally regardless of whether the operator code exists in the PDP context creation request message transmitted from the SGSN.

FIG. 10 illustrates an embodiment in which a PDP context creation request message includes a business entity code, and a specific process of generating a basic charge is also shown.

In consideration of the fact that the provider code is included in the Routing Area Information (RAI), it is determined that the presence or absence of the carrier code exists in the present embodiment.

First, the gateway GPRS Supporting Node (GGSN) of the home network counts the packet volume of the packet service used by the roaming terminal via the SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node) of the overseas provider to generate basic charging information Packet count).

The GGSN analyzes a Create PDP Context Request transmitted from the SGSN with respect to use of the packet service of the roaming terminal to determine whether there is a provider code (existence of RAI), and if a provider code exists , MCC, MNC, and the like.

If the provider code does not exist, the PDP context creation request message is analyzed to extract the IP address of the SGSN, and the provider code corresponding to the SGSN IP address is retrieved through the database. After this process, one of the business codes extracted from the database or the business entity code extracted from the PDP context creation request message is obtained. Therefore, one of the searched provider code or the extracted provider code is set as SGSN IP address related information, and is included in the basic charging information.

The extracted business entity code and the searched business entity code into the basic charging information as SGSN IP address related information to generate charging information, and then transmits the charging information to the charging server.

The above method includes the detailed classification case 1) in the case where the RAI does not exist in the PDP context creation request message of FIG. 10, and the MCC and MNC information extraction, that is, the provider code search, is performed in the GGSN. Alternatively, MCC and NNC information extraction may be performed in the home network charging server as in the detailed classification case 2), and specifically, the following method is used.

The gateway GPRS Supporting Node (GGSN) of the home network counts the packet volume of the packet service such as the wireless Internet service used by the roaming terminal via the Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) of the overseas provider to generate the basic charging information, The GGSN analyzes the Create PDP Context Request message transmitted from the SGSN in association with the use of the packet service of the roaming terminal to determine whether the provider code exists.

If the business entity code exists, the business entity code is extracted. If the business entity code does not exist, the PDP context creation request message is analyzed to extract the IP address of the SGSN. According to this, the SGSN IP address related information may be set to one of the SGSN IP address itself or a business entity code extracted from the PDP context creation request message.

The GGSN generates billing information by including one of the extracted business entity code and the SGSN IP address in the basic billing information, and then transmits the billing information to the billing server.

The charging server analyzes the basic charging information to extract a SGSN IP address included in the basic charging information if the provider code does not exist, searches for a corresponding provider code through a database, The provider code, and the searched provider code are used for calculating the charge.

Meanwhile, in the overseas roaming charging method as described above, the provider code recalls that it is at least one of MCC (Mobile Country Code) and MNC (Mobile Network Code).

Meanwhile, in the process of generating basic charging information, the roaming terminal transmits an Activate PDP Context Request message to a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) of an overseas provider via an RNC (Radio Network Controller) of an overseas provider The SGSN transmits a Create PDP Context Request message to a Gateway GPRS Supporting Node (GGSN) of the home network, and the GGSN transmits a Create PDP Context Response, which is a response message to the SGSN, Transmitting an Activate PDP Context Accept message to the SGSN to complete a wireless Internet call process, and the SGSN counts a packet volume used by the roaming user, Generating a visiting network charging information, and transmitting the generated visiting network charging information to a visited network charging server; Counts kitryang may include the step of generating a default billing information.

Also, the database may be stored in the form of a mapping table in correspondence with the foreign company's business code and the foreign business's SGSN IP address, and the charging server may be a home network charging server.

On the other hand, the above-mentioned overseas roaming charging method can be recorded as a program on a computer-readable medium.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. It is therefore to be understood that the embodiments described above are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents are to be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention do.

The present invention can be applied to a case where the charging of the terminal using the roaming service in the visited network is performed in the home network.

In addition, the present invention can be applied to a system and a server for performing an accounting calculation using an SGSN IP address of a visited network in which a user using a roaming service is located.

Further, the present invention can be applied to a charging server for extracting a provider code of the visited network provider using the SGSN IP address of the visited network.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a system related to foreign roaming charges related to the present invention;

2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of an overseas roaming charging system related to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment in which a provider code search unit is included in a GGSN in an overseas roaming billing system related to the present invention. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment in which a provider code search unit is included in a billing server in an overseas roaming billing system according to the present invention; FIG.

5 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment in which a provider code is included in a PDP context creation request message in an overseas roaming charging system according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment in which a provider code is included in a PDP context creation request message in a foreign roaming charging system related to the present invention, and a provider code search unit is included in a GGSN.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment in which a provider code is included in a PDP context creation request message in a foreign roaming charging system according to the present invention, and a provider code search unit is included in a charging server.

8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an overseas roaming charging method according to the present invention.

9 is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of a foreign roaming charging method related to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing another embodiment of a foreign roaming charging method according to the present invention. FIG.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an overseas roaming charging information transmission server according to the present invention; FIG.

Description of the Related Art

10 ... roaming terminal 20 ... overseas SGSN

30 ... visited network billing server 50 ... home network GGSN

60 ... internet service providing server 70 ... home network charging server

110 ... IP address extracting unit 130 ... Business code search unit

150 ... Billing calculation unit 210, 310, 510, 610 ... GGSN unit

450 ... billing calculation unit 980 ... billing information transmission unit

230, 330, 530, 630 ... charging server 940 ... basic charging information generating section

211, 311, 410, 511, 611, 910 ... IP address extracting unit

213, 333, 430, 513, 633 ... operator code search section

215, 315, 515, 615, 915 ... charging information generating section

470, 517, 617, ...,

490, 519, 619 ... provider code extracting unit

Claims (17)

An IP address for extracting an IP address of an SGSN that has transmitted the message by analyzing a PDP (Create PDP Context Request) message transmitted from one of Serving GPRS Support Nodes (SGSN) of a plurality of foreign businesses, An extraction unit; A provider code search unit for searching for a provider code corresponding to the SGSN IP address through a database; And A billing accounting unit for calculating a fee to be charged to a roaming user based on a fee system associated with an overseas business operator corresponding to the business code; Including overseas roaming billing system. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the IP address extracting unit and the provider code searching unit are provided in a gateway GPRS supporting node (GGSN), and the charging calculation unit is provided in the charging server. The method according to claim 1, The IP address extracting unit is provided in a gateway GPRS supporting node (GGSN), and the business code searching unit and the billing calculation unit are provided in an accounting roaming server. The method according to claim 1, A vendor code determination unit for analyzing a PDP (Create Packet Data Protocol) context request message transmitted from one of the SGPNs of the foreign companies to determine whether a vendor code exists; And a business entity code extracting section for extracting the business entity code when the business entity code exists, Wherein the IP address extractor extracts an IP address of the SGSN by analyzing the PDP context creation request message when the provider code does not exist, Wherein the billing calculation unit calculates the charge to be charged to the roaming user based on the extracted business code or the billing system of the foreign business corresponding to one of the searched business codes. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, Wherein the PDP context creation request message transmitted from one of the SGSNs of the plurality of overseas providers is based on a PDP context request message transmitted from the roaming terminal. A basic charging information generation unit for generating basic charging information by counting a packet volume of a packet service used through one of a plurality of foreign service providers' Serving GPRS Support Nodes (SGSN) at a roaming terminal; An IP address extracting unit for extracting an IP address of the SGSN by analyzing a Create PDP Context Request (PDP) message transmitted from one of the SGSNs of the foreign businesses; A charging information generating unit for generating charging information for calculating a charge to be imposed on the roaming user based on the charging system associated with the foreign company corresponding to the related information by including the SGSN IP address related information in the basic charging information; And A billing information transmission unit for transmitting the billing information to the billing server; Including the overseas roaming charge information transmission server. The method according to claim 6, And a business entity code search unit for searching, through a database, a business entity code corresponding to the SGSN IP address, And the SGSN IP address related information is one of the SGSN IP address or the searched provider code. A step in which a gateway GPRS Supporting Node (GGSN) of a home network counts a packet volume of a packet service used by one of a plurality of foreign service providers via a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) in a roaming terminal to generate basic charging information; The GGSN analyzes a Create PDP Context Request message transmitted from one of the SGSNs of the plurality of foreign carriers with respect to use of the packet service of the roaming terminal and extracts an IP address of the SGSN that transmitted the message ; Including related information of the SGSN IP address in the basic charging information in order to calculate a charge to be imposed on a roaming user based on a fee system associated with an overseas provider corresponding to the related information; Transmitting accounting information including information related to the SGSN IP address to a billing server; Including overseas roaming. 9. The method of claim 8, After the step of extracting the SGSN IP address, The GGSN retrieving a provider code corresponding to the SGSN IP address through a database; And setting the searched provider code as SGSN IP address related information. 9. The method of claim 8, After the step of extracting the SGSN IP address, Wherein the GGSN sets the SGSN IP address to SGSN IP address related information, After the step of transmitting the billing information to the billing server, The charging server extracting the SGSN IP address included in the charging information and searching for a corresponding provider code through a database; And using the carrier code to calculate the charge. 9. The method of claim 8, After the basic billing information generation step, Analyzing a Create PDP Context Request sent from the SGSN with respect to use of the packet service by the GGSN to determine whether a provider code exists; Further comprising the step of extracting the business entity code if the business entity code exists, The step of extracting the SGSN IP address is performed when the provider code does not exist, After the step of extracting the SGSN IP address, The GGSN retrieving a provider code corresponding to the SGSN IP address through a database; And setting one of the extracted business entity code or the retrieved business entity code as SGSN IP address related information. 9. The method of claim 8, After the basic billing information generation step, Analyzing a Create PDP Context Request sent from the SGSN with respect to use of the packet service by the GGSN to determine whether a provider code exists; Further comprising the step of extracting the business entity code if the business entity code exists, The step of extracting the SGSN IP address is performed when the provider code does not exist, After the step of extracting the SGSN IP address, Further comprising the GGSN setting one of the extracted business entity code or the SGSN IP address as SGSN IP address related information, After the step of transmitting the charging information to the charging server, Extracting an SGSN IP address included in the charging information when the charging server analyzes the charging information and searching for a corresponding provider code through a database; And using one of the business code included in the billing information or the searched business code to calculate the billing amount. 13. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, Wherein the business entity code is at least one of an MCC (Mobile Country Code) and an MNC (Mobile Network Code). 13. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, The step of generating the basic charging information Transmitting, by the roaming terminal, an Activate PDP Context Request message to an SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node) via an RNC (Radio Network Controller); The SGSN sending a Create PDP Context Request message to a Gateway GPRS Supporting Node (GGSN) of the home network; The GGSN sending a Create PDP Context Response message, which is a response message, to the SGSN; Transmitting an Activate PDP Context Accept message to the SGSN to complete a wireless Internet call process; The SGSN counts the packet volume used by the roaming user to generate the visiting network charging information and transmits the generated visiting network charging information to the visiting network charging server; And the GGSN counts the amount of packets used by the roaming user to generate basic charging information. delete 13. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, Wherein the database is stored in the form of a mapping table in correspondence with a business operator code of the foreign business operator and an IP address of the SGSN of the foreign business operator. delete

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