Communication unit and method for facilitating prepaid communication services

摘要

The present invention addresses the need to facilitate prepaid communication services in a manner that reduces the user inconvenience and lost operator revenue presently associated with account replenishment. The network equipment (110-122) collects service usage information associated with a prepaid account and uses this information to predict when the prepaid account will be depleted. If the remaining time before account depletion is below an established minimum, a communication unit (101) associated with the account is notified. The communication unit is then able to respond by requesting replenishment of the account.