Method and apparatus for improved billing for converged wireless networks

摘要

The invention includes a method and apparatus for computing a bill for a wireless subscriber communicating using a converged wireless network. The method includes obtaining service usage information for communications by the wireless subscriber using a wide-area wireless network, obtaining service usage information for communications by the wireless subscriber using a small-area wireless network, and computing a bill value using the wide-area service usage information and the small-area service usage information, and adjusting the bill value using a bill adjustment value that is determined using the small-area service usage information and a bill adjustment parameter. The present invention enables the wireless subscriber to subscribe to a single wireless subscription, track a single set of service credits associated with the service subscription, and receive a single bill for the service subscription, despite different costs of communications by the wireless subscriber using the wide-area and small-area wireless networks.

主权项

1. A method for determining a bill for a wireless subscriber communicating using a converged wireless network, the method comprising:
obtaining, by a billing system associated with the converged wireless network, a number of available service credits for the wireless subscriber; obtaining, by the billing system, wide-area service usage information for communications by the wireless subscriber using a wide-area wireless network; obtaining, by the billing system, small-area service usage information for communications by the wireless subscriber using a small-area wireless network; determining, by the billing system using the wide-area service usage information and the small-area service usage information, a number of used service credits used by the wireless subscriber; determining, by the billing system using the number of available service credits for the wireless subscriber and the number of used service credits used by the wireless subscriber, a bill value for the wireless subscriber; determining, by the billing system using the small-area service usage information and a bill adjustment parameter configured to be controlled by a wireless service provider of the wide-area wireless network, a bill adjustment value for the wireless subscriber; and adjusting, by the billing system using the bill adjustment value for the wireless subscriber, the bill value for the wireless subscriber to provide thereby an adjusted bill value for the wireless subscriber.