LZT1235374 06 PDF

Charging
Chapter 6
This chapter is designed to provide the student with an

introduction to the charging system in GPRS.
OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of this chapter the student will be able to
• Describe different charging principles

• List the new types of CDRs
GPRS System Survey
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EN/LZT 123 5374 R1B

6 Charging
6 Charging
Table of Contents
Topic Page
CHARGING ..........................................................................................79
(ERICSSON’S) BILLING GATEWAY........................................................................... 79
EN/LZT 123 5374 R1B –i–

GPRS System Survey
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6 Charging
CHARGING
(ERICSSON’S) BILLING GATEWAY

The Billing Gateway (BGw) facilitates introduction of GPRS
services in the mobile network by offering functions that
simplify handling of GPRS charging in the billing systems.
For operators introducing GPRS into their mobile network, time

to market is, as always, extremely important. It is crucial that
adaptations that are needed in the administrative and billing
systems do not delay the introduction.
The charging criteria used for a packet-switched service such as

GPRS, are fundamentally different from the principles used for
circuit-switched services; they are volume-based instead of
time-based. A PDP context can be active for a very long time
while the actual data transmission can only take place
occasionally. In such cases, time is a relatively unimportant
charging criteria compared to data volume.
The charging information must be collected from the new

SGSNs and GGSNs which use a different interface than an AXE
MSC and produce new types of Call Data Records (CDR). The
new CDR types are:
• S-CDR, related to the radio network usage, sent from the

SGSN
• G-CDR, related to the external data network usage, sent
from the GGSN
• M-CDR, related to mobility management activity, sent from
the SGSN (Not supported in the first GSN release)
• CDRs related to the usage of the short message service with
GPRS
One PDP context may generate several S-CDRs and G-CDRs.
Partial outputs are generated at regular intervals (for example
once every fifteen minutes) or as soon as a certain amount of
data have been transmitted. CDRs from one PDP context can
also be sent from several SGSNs, if the GPRS subscriber has
moved and changed SGSN routing area.
The GPRS standard specifies the Charging Gateway

Functionality (CGF) can either be implemented as a separate
central network element or be distributed to the GSNs. The
BGw fulfils the role of the enhanced charging gateway,
providing all the higher functions specified in the standard,
EN/LZT 123 5374 R1B – 79 –

GPRS System Survey
while a basic CG functionality (collection, intermediate storage

and transfer) is part of the GPRS nodes.
The BGw will make it possible to charge for datacom service

usage with a minimal affect on the existing billing system. The
BGw can either transform the CDRs produced by the GPRS
nodes into GSM similar CDRs, or it can be used for building
new billing applications, specifically adapted to volume-based
charging. This will make it possible to introduce datacom
services quickly and to be able to charge for them immediately.
This can be used as an interim solution until the billing system
has been adapted to handle volume-based charging, or as a
permanent solution if that is preferred.
Charging of datacom services can be greatly simplified,

especially with the new optional feature Advanced Processing
introduced in BGw R7.0. Advanced processing consists of three
functions, CDR Matching, Rating, and Database interface.
CDR Matching
CDR Matching can be used to consolidate information from
several CDRs generated during one session. CDRs can be
generated in different SGSNs in the network (when the user
moves during the session) or from different network element
types (SGSN, GGSN, MSC, or Access Server), or from external
parties such as ISPs. All this data can be analyzed and put
together into one complete CDR, which contains all data for a
whole session. Even if charging data is sent from the GSNs at
regular intervals, the billing system may prefer to get data more
seldom: for example once every hour, once a day, or when the
PDP context is terminated.
Rating
Rating can be used to put a price tag on the CDR. The BGw can
thus be used either as a complete rating network element, or to
make some pre-rating, depending on the capabilities of the
billing system and on the functional distribution preferred by the
operator. For example, it is possible to translate the volume-
based information generated in the GPRS network elements and
in the IAS (Internet Access Server) into a time based charging
scheme. The BGw can translate the volume-based data
produced, such as megabytes sent, into time-based data that the
billing system can handle. For example an operator may decide
that one megabyte of data equals ten minutes of speech time,
which corresponds to a known cost in the used currency of the
operator. The BGw can do all these calculations, which are, of
– 80 – EN/LZT 123 5374 R1B

6 Charging
course, completely user configurable according to the operator’s

needs.
Database Interface
The database feature can be used to store data securely while it
is waiting for the session to end, to permit matching. This is
necessary CDRs to be matched are generated during a long
period of time, such as once a day. The database can also be
used to store data for longer periods of time, for later
processing.
Since datacom charging is a complex matter, an operator might

not be satisfied with only a tool, but may prefer a turnkey
solution. It is also possible to order custom applications
designed to suit customer specifications. Ericsson welcomes
operator input on how they plan to charge for datacom and what
their needs are in this area, as well as direct co-operation.
BOX 6 Abbreviations used in chapter six, in alphabetical

order
BGw Billing Gateway

CDR Call Data Record
CGF Charging Gateway Functionality
IAS Internet Access Server
EN/LZT 123 5374 R1B – 81 –

GPRS System Survey
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Charging

This chapter is designed to provide the student with an

• Describe different charging principles

EN/LZT 123 5374 R1B

EN/LZT 123 5374 R1B –i–

– ii – EN/LZT 123 5374 R1B

(ERICSSON’S) BILLING GATEWAY

For operators introducing GPRS into their mobile network, time

The charging criteria used for a packet-switched service such as

The charging information must be collected from the new

• S-CDR, related to the radio network usage, sent from the

The GPRS standard specifies the Charging Gateway

EN/LZT 123 5374 R1B – 79 –

while a basic CG functionality (collection, intermediate storage

The BGw will make it possible to charge for datacom service

Charging of datacom services can be greatly simplified,

– 80 – EN/LZT 123 5374 R1B

course, completely user configurable according to the operator’s

Since datacom charging is a complex matter, an operator might

BOX 6 Abbreviations used in chapter six, in alphabetical

BGw Billing Gateway

EN/LZT 123 5374 R1B – 81 –

– 82 – EN/LZT 123 5374 R1B

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