KR20030042567A - Method of Processing Account in Mobile Communication Packet Data Network - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An accounting process method in a mobile communication packet data network is provided to process the data packet accounting of a prepayment subscriber by only the interworking of a PDSN(Packet Data Service Node) and an AAA(Authentication, Authorization, Accounting). CONSTITUTION: An AAA(100) confirms through subscriber information whether a subscriber who receives a call service is a prepayment subscriber. If the subscriber who receives the call service is the prepayment subscriber, the AAA(100) subtracts a residual limit accounting money according as the call service is provided to the prepayment subscriber. If a prepayment accounting residual money of subscriber information stored in the AAA(100) is 0, a PDSN(50) releases a call.

Description

Charging processing method in mobile communication packet data network {Method of Processing Account in Mobile Communication Packet Data Network}

The present invention relates to a charging processing method in a mobile communication packet data network, and in particular, when providing a packet data service to a prepaid subscriber, the mobile communication packet data network to process the charging information in AAA without interworking with other mobile communication network equipment. The billing processing method in

In general, a mobile communication packet data network uses a Radius (Remote Authentication Dial In User Service: RADIUS) server to perform subscriber authentication, authorization, and accounting functions.

As shown in FIG. 1, the structure of the mobile communication packet data network includes a mobile terminal 10, a radio network 20 for managing radio resources, and a packet data service node (PSDN). 50, a local RADIUS server 40 directly connected to the packet data service node 50, and a home radius that manages authentication, authorization information, and billing data of mobile subscribers through an Internet network. A broker that acts as a relay with an authentication relationship between a Home RADIUS Server 70, a Visitor Location Register (VLR) 30 and a Home Location Register (HLR) 60. And a Home Agent (HA) 90 for providing a mobile IP service.

Meanwhile, in the mobile communication system, a prepaid subscriber refers to a subscriber who can receive a call service within the amount by paying a call charge for a predetermined period.

In order to charge for the packet data call service used by the prepaid subscriber, each device in the mobile communication packet data network should be able to provide the packet data service within the prepaid billing limit, and use the amount of the service as provided. It is to be subtracted from prepaid billing and shut off the service if the total limit is exceeded.

The prepaid charging method in the packet data network includes a packet data service node (PSN) 50 for establishing a Point to Point Protocol (PPP) connection with a terminal, and an AAA for managing information of a prepaid subscriber. (Authentication, Authorization, Accounting) (100) and of the Service Control Point (SCP) 200, which is a service controller that processes the billing information for each prepaid subscriber and passes the information to the Mobile Service Control (MSC) 300 This is done through interlocking.

A billing processing method in a conventional mobile communication packet data network is described below with reference to the scenario of FIG.

First, when the packet data service node 50 receives a PPP connection establishment request from the subscriber's terminal, the packet data service node 50 transmits an access request message to the AAA 100, and the corresponding access request. The (Access-Request) message contains information on whether the subscriber who requested the call connection is an accessible subscriber.

Receiving the Access-Request message, the AAA 100 searches its subscriber database based on the information of the subscriber included in the message and performs an authentication function to determine whether the subscriber is a registered subscriber. Once identified as a registered subscriber, the AAA 100 confirms the subscriber's limit balance information by sending a SCP-Access-Request message including the "mobile terminal number @ realm" to the SCP 200. .

The AAA 100 confirms that the subscriber is a registered subscriber, and sends an access-accept message to the packet data service node 50 to establish a PPP connection, and if the subscriber is not a registered subscriber or the call setup is wrong, the access-rejection ( Access-Reject) message is sent to the packet data service node 50 so that the connection to the subscriber who made the connection request is not established.

After the packet data service node 50 receives the access-accept message from the AAA 100 and the PPP connection between the subscriber who requested the call and the packet data service node 50 is established, the packet data service node 50 ) Will send an Accounting Request Start message to the AAA 100.

In this case, the accounting request start message includes information for billing processing of the subscriber. Receiving the message, the AAA 100 searches the stored subscriber's information to recognize that the subscriber has the correct charging information, and the SCP billing response (SCP) including the subscriber's "mobile terminal number @ realm" and the charging information. -Accounting-Response) Sends a message to SCP (200). Subsequently, after checking the limit balance of the subscriber, SCP 200 transmits a response message including limit balance information to AAA 100, and AAA 100 receiving the response message receives packet data service node 50. Send an accounting response message.

After the accounting request start message, the packet data service node 50 sends an accounting request interim message to the AAA 100 to receive an accounting response, and the AAA 100 receives an SCP response. Intermediate Charging Request (SCP-AccountingRequestInterim) message is sent to the SCP (200) using the billing information, such as the amount of use, start, etc. SCP 200 again processes the subscriber's balance is sent to the AAA (100).

The billing information of the Accounting Request Interim message transmitted from the packet data service node 50 during the packet data service of the subscriber is transmitted to the SCP 200 by the AAA 100 server. If exceeded, the subscriber call is terminated by SCP (200).

As described above, in order to process the prepaid subscriber in the mobile communication packet data network, interworking with the SCP 200 was additionally required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned general problems, and an object thereof is to process data packet charging of a prepaid subscriber only by interworking with a packet data service node and AAA in a mobile communication packet data network.

1 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a general mobile communication packet data network.

2 is a scenario showing a charging processing procedure in a conventional mobile communication packet data network.

3 is a scenario showing a charging processing procedure in a mobile communication packet data network according to an embodiment of the present invention.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

50: Packet Data Service Nod (PDSN)

100: AAA (Authentication, Authorization, Accounting)

200: SCP (Service Control Point)

300: MSC (Mobile Service Control)

The billing processing method in the mobile communication packet data network according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object is whether the subscriber receiving the call service through the subscriber information of AAA (Authentication, Authorization, Accounting) or not Confirming; If the subscriber receiving the call service is identified as a prepaid subscriber through the subscriber information of the AAA, subtracting the remaining limit charge amount as much as the AAA provides the call service to the prepaid subscriber; When the prepaid billing balance of the subscriber information stored in the AAA is 0, the AAA may include the packet data service releasing the call.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The billing processing in the mobile communication packet data network according to an embodiment of the present invention checks whether or not the subscriber is a prepaid subscriber based on the information of the subscriber stored in the AAA 100 in the mobile communication packet data network. In the AAA 100 to process the balance for.

That is, subscriber processing and balance processing for prepaid billing are all handled by AAA 100 without going through packet data service node 50 or SCP 200.

The charging processing method in the mobile communication packet data network according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the scenario of FIG.

First, the packet data service node 50 receiving the PPP connection establishment request from the subscriber station sends an access request message to the AAA 100. The access request message is a subscriber that has made a call connection request. Contains information about whether the subscriber is accessible.

The AAA 100 sends an access accept message to the packet data service node 50 in response to an access request message. The access accept message is a subscriber requesting a call service. It will include subscriber information to confirm whether or not it is a prepaid subscriber.

At this time, a specific attribute value of the RADIUS protocol is set in an access accept message including subscriber information to determine whether the subscriber is a prepaid subscriber.

Subsequently, the packet data service node 50, which checks the prepaid charge by the Vendor Specific Attribute of the Radius protocol in the access response message, sends an accounting request interim to the AAA 100. Shorten the time period of the message to minimize the charging information lost.

The processing of the subscriber's prepaid billing sends an accounting request interim message from the packet data service node 50 to the AAA 100 so that the AAA 100 sends the accounting response message back to the packet data service. This is done when sent back in response to node 50.

Here, when the Accounting Request Interim message occurs, the AAA 100 sends a response message to the packet data service node 50, and then sends information of the prepaid subscriber to the SCP 200, as in the prior art, by sending the response message to the SCP. The AAA 100 itself processes the subscriber's balance without sending a message back to the MSC 300 to process the call.

That is, the AAA 100 itself manages billing data and processes billing information. Whenever an Accounting Request Interim message is generated, the AAA 100 does not send the SCP-AccountingRequestInterim message, but instead calculates the remaining limit charge amount as long as the call is made from the information stored in the prepaid subscriber. Will be subtracted.

If the AAA 100 receives an accounting request stop message from the packet data service node 50 while continuously deducting the charge while the prepaid subscriber is in a call, a response message is sent to the packet data service node 50. Send and change subscriber information.

Here, when a prepaid subscriber call is made, the billing response, which is a response message sent from the AAA 100 to the packet data service node 50 when the billing balance becomes 0 while subtracting the billing for the call. The accounting status attribute of the message is set to 8 and transmitted. The packet data service node 50 receiving the Accounting Response message with the Accounting Status Attribute set to 8 recognizes that the prepaid billing balance is 0 and can no longer provide the call service. Release it.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be modified or modified in various ways. Therefore, changes of the embodiments of the present invention will not be able to escape the technical scope of the present invention.

As described above, the present invention processes the packet service billing of the prepaid subscriber only by interworking between the packet data service node and the AAA, and the prepaid subscriber in the AAA without processing the subscriber and the balance of the prepaid subscriber through the packet data service node or the SCP. By processing the packet service billing of the additional message can be reduced and the prepaid billing of the prepaid subscriber can be processed without the addition of additional equipment.

Claims (3)

Checking whether the subscriber receiving the call service is a prepaid subscriber through the subscriber information of AAA (Authentication, Authorization, Accounting); If the subscriber receiving the call service is identified as a prepaid subscriber through the subscriber information of the AAA, subtracting the remaining limit charge amount as much as the AAA provides the call service to the prepaid subscriber; When the prepaid billing balance of the subscriber information stored in the AAA is 0, the AAA performs a step in which the packet data service releases the call. The method according to claim 1, In the subscriber information of the AAA, indicating whether the subscriber receiving the call service is a prepaid subscriber, And setting a specific attribute value of the Radius protocol in the access acceptance message including the subscriber information to confirm whether the subscriber is a prepaid subscriber. The method according to claim 1, In the mobile communication packet data network, when the AAA processes the prepaid billing of the subscriber, calculating the prepaid billing balance by shortening the period of the billing request intermediate message sent from the packet data service node to the AAA. How to handle billing.