Method and apparatus for online charging of pre-fetched content

摘要

In one aspect of the teachings herein, an Application Function, AF, in a wireless communication network is configured to support online charging for the consumption of content that has been pre-fetched to a wireless device via the network. The AF functionality thus provides a mechanism by which content may be pre-fetched to a wireless device in advance of charging for that content, while reliably conditioning the later consumption of that content at the wireless device on the online charging decisions made by an online charging system. In another aspect, a wireless device is configured to send a consumption request for pre-fetched content towards such an AF and condition its consumption of the pre-fetched content on the consumption response returned to it.

主权项

1. A method of supporting online charging for content that was pre-fetched to a wireless device via a communication network, said method implemented at a network node associated with the communication network and comprising:
receiving a consumption request indicating a requested consumption for at least a portion of the pre-fetched content at the wireless device; initiating a credit control procedure towards an online charging system in response to receiving the consumption request, including:
identifying the requested consumption to the online charging system in an online charging request sent from the network node to the online charging system; andreceiving an online charging response from the online charging system indicating whether or to what extent the requested consumption is authorized; and sending a consumption response for the wireless device granting or denying all or a portion of the requested consumption, according to the charging response.