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WO2005107230A1 - A call charging method for voip calls - Google Patents

A call charging method for voip calls Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2005107230A1
WO2005107230A1 PCT/EP2005/004560 EP2005004560W WO2005107230A1 WO 2005107230 A1 WO2005107230 A1 WO 2005107230A1 EP 2005004560 W EP2005004560 W EP 2005004560W WO 2005107230 A1 WO2005107230 A1 WO 2005107230A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
service
sip
charge
user
sip message
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/EP2005/004560
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Klaus-Josef Kunte
Ingolf Thiele
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Siemens AG
Siemens Corp
Original Assignee
Siemens AG
Siemens Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Siemens AG, Siemens Corp filed Critical Siemens AG
Publication of WO2005107230A1 publication Critical patent/WO2005107230A1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M15/00—Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M15/00—Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
    • H04M15/56—Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP for VoIP communications
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M15/00—Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
    • H04M15/63—Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP based on the content carried by the session initiation protocol [SIP] messages
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M15/00—Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
    • H04M15/82—Criteria or parameters used for performing billing operations
    • H04M15/8292—Charging for signaling or unsuccessful connection
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M15/00—Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
    • H04M15/83—Notification aspects
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M15/00—Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
    • H04M15/83—Notification aspects
    • H04M15/835—Time or frequency of notifications, e.g. Advice of Charge [AoC]
    • H04M15/8351—Time or frequency of notifications, e.g. Advice of Charge [AoC] before establishing a communication
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M2215/00—Metering arrangements; Time controlling arrangements; Time indicating arrangements
    • H04M2215/20—Technology dependant metering
    • H04M2215/202—VoIP; Packet switched telephony
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M2215/00—Metering arrangements; Time controlling arrangements; Time indicating arrangements
    • H04M2215/81—Notifying aspects, e.g. notifications or displays to the user
    • H04M2215/8104—Time or frequency of notification
    • H04M2215/8108—Time or frequency of notification before establishing a communication
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M2215/00—Metering arrangements; Time controlling arrangements; Time indicating arrangements
    • H04M2215/82—Advice-of-Charge [AOC], i.e. notify subscriber of charges/cumulative charge; meter at the substation

Definitions

  • This invention relates to call charging method for Voice over Internet Protocol VoIP calls.
  • the costs for a call or other service are billed to the subscriber by the service provider or network operator.
  • Session Internet Protocol In Internet Protocol telephony, the connection may be established by a protocol called Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).
  • Session Internet Protocol or SIP is a text based protocol which is designed for flexibility and provides a modular approach to enable voice over IP telephone calls. The protocol is described in Handley et al, SIP:Session Initiation Protocol, Internet Engineering Task Force Request For Comments RFC 2543 and also RFC 3261.
  • the sessions that may be set up by the protocol can include two party or multicast, telephony, video conferences and other multimedia sessions.
  • SIP is designed to be a single module which interoperates with current internet based applications. Thus, telephone numbers are denoted as URLs of the form user @ host which may be displayed on a webpage. Clicking that part of the webpage can then result in a telephone being initiated.
  • SIP does not assign costs to the parties in the call.
  • the only cost involved is the fee to the internet service provider and thus the call may be more or less free.
  • the call may involve a connection to carry a conversation between two subscribers or another service such as video-on-demand.
  • the service provider needs a business case with a revenue stream based on connection specific cost handling where the use of a connection causes a financial charge to be accrued.
  • SIP messages could include elements which convey charging information.
  • a method of establishing a charge bearing service in a SIP telephony network comprising the steps of a user unit requesting by a SIP message a service from a node providing that service, the node responding to the request by sending a SIP message indicating a cost for the service to the user unit and in the event of the user unit responding with a SIP message indicating acceptance of the cost continuing with establishing the service, wherein upon termination of the established service a SIP message is sent indicating the charge accrued for provision of the service.
  • the SIP messages are specific to charging. It may also be possible to modify the currently available SIP messages.
  • the user unit sends an INVITE message and the node sends a CHARGE_REQUEST and then the user unit sends the CHARGE_RESPONSE SIP message. This latter message may be an acceptance or a refusal of the charges.
  • Figure 1 shows a user unit connected via a hotspot to an application server offering a service for a charge
  • Figures 2 and 3 show an interaction between the user unit and a service provider in accordance with the invention over the network shown in Figure 1.
  • a communications network 1 comprises two Internet Protocol backbones 2 and 3 connected by a SIP- Proxy/VolP gateway 4 and a number of hotspots 5 to 8 connected to the SIP proxy via .
  • the hotspots serve a number of user units 9 to 13.
  • the user units are personal digital assistants or laptops and the hotspots are wireless local area networks sited at airports, cafes or other public areas.
  • a user can connect to an internet router 16 via the WLAN or to a service provided by the application servers 15.
  • At least one of the services offered by the application servers 15 incurs a charge for its use by the user.
  • a user logs onto the communication system 1 by utilising the WLAN at the particular hotspot. This connects the user unit to the SIP-proxy gateway 4. This is operated by an organisation such as the airport authority with which the user has an account. Let us suppose that the user wishers to access a video-on-demand service from the application servers 15.
  • the SIP call set-up commences.
  • the user unit sends a SIP message indicating that the video on demand service is required and a connection is invited.
  • the application server sends out a SIP message CHARGE_REQUEST. This is received by the user unit and the user unit responds with the SIP message CHARGE_RESPONSE. If this indicates acceptance of the charge then the call is established and the service provided.
  • the process starts with the user or caller alice@sag.de placing a call. This results in the first SIP message INVITE support@fsc.de.
  • the second and third message from the callee to the caller indicate that the connection is being tried and then the call is ringing.
  • Message 7 is a SIP message which acknowledges and accepts the charge.
  • the VoIP connection and service is then established.
  • the user unit is placed on hook and a SIP BYE message 8 is sent.
  • Message 9 is an acknowledgment and message 10 indicates the cost to pay 200 Euros.
  • the VoIP connection is then cleared down.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)
  • Meter Arrangements (AREA)

Abstract

In order to generate revenue from a telecommunications service established by Session Initiation Protocol SIP messages are sent to a user requesting the service indicating the charge for doing so. If the user sends a SIP message indicating acceptance then the service is established.

Description

A call charging method for VoIP calls
This invention relates to call charging method for Voice over Internet Protocol VoIP calls.
In traditional subscriber telephony, the costs for a call or other service are billed to the subscriber by the service provider or network operator.
In Internet Protocol telephony, the connection may be established by a protocol called Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). Session Internet Protocol or SIP is a text based protocol which is designed for flexibility and provides a modular approach to enable voice over IP telephone calls. The protocol is described in Handley et al, SIP:Session Initiation Protocol, Internet Engineering Task Force Request For Comments RFC 2543 and also RFC 3261. The sessions that may be set up by the protocol can include two party or multicast, telephony, video conferences and other multimedia sessions. SIP is designed to be a single module which interoperates with current internet based applications. Thus, telephone numbers are denoted as URLs of the form user @ host which may be displayed on a webpage. Clicking that part of the webpage can then result in a telephone being initiated.
SIP does not assign costs to the parties in the call. The only cost involved is the fee to the internet service provider and thus the call may be more or less free. The call may involve a connection to carry a conversation between two subscribers or another service such as video-on-demand. In order to justify the investment to provide a service, the service provider needs a business case with a revenue stream based on connection specific cost handling where the use of a connection causes a financial charge to be accrued.
The present invention arose from a realisation by the inventors that SIP messages could include elements which convey charging information.
According to the invention there is provided a method of establishing a charge bearing service in a SIP telephony network comprising the steps of a user unit requesting by a SIP message a service from a node providing that service, the node responding to the request by sending a SIP message indicating a cost for the service to the user unit and in the event of the user unit responding with a SIP message indicating acceptance of the cost continuing with establishing the service, wherein upon termination of the established service a SIP message is sent indicating the charge accrued for provision of the service.
Preferably, the SIP messages are specific to charging. It may also be possible to modify the currently available SIP messages. In the specific embodiment there is a SIP message CHARGE_REQUEST and a second SIP message CHARGE_RESPONSE. The user unit sends an INVITE message and the node sends a CHARGE_REQUEST and then the user unit sends the CHARGE_RESPONSE SIP message. This latter message may be an acceptance or a refusal of the charges. A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawing in which:
Figure 1 shows a user unit connected via a hotspot to an application server offering a service for a charge; and
Figures 2 and 3 show an interaction between the user unit and a service provider in accordance with the invention over the network shown in Figure 1.
As is shown in figure 1, a communications network 1 comprises two Internet Protocol backbones 2 and 3 connected by a SIP- Proxy/VolP gateway 4 and a number of hotspots 5 to 8 connected to the SIP proxy via . the JP backbone 3. The hotspots serve a number of user units 9 to 13. The user units are personal digital assistants or laptops and the hotspots are wireless local area networks sited at airports, cafes or other public areas. A user can connect to an internet router 16 via the WLAN or to a service provided by the application servers 15.
At least one of the services offered by the application servers 15 incurs a charge for its use by the user. A user logs onto the communication system 1 by utilising the WLAN at the particular hotspot. This connects the user unit to the SIP-proxy gateway 4. This is operated by an organisation such as the airport authority with which the user has an account. Let us suppose that the user wishers to access a video-on-demand service from the application servers 15. The SIP call set-up commences. The user unit sends a SIP message indicating that the video on demand service is required and a connection is invited. The application server sends out a SIP message CHARGE_REQUEST. This is received by the user unit and the user unit responds with the SIP message CHARGE_RESPONSE. If this indicates acceptance of the charge then the call is established and the service provided.
When the user unit wishes to terminate the call a SIP BYE message is sent out. The server 15 then sends out a CHARGE_INFO SIP message. The charge is displayed to the user and the message is interpreted by the SIP Proxy and the account held for the user billed. This process is shown in figures 2 and 3. ,
The process starts with the user or caller alice@sag.de placing a call. This results in the first SIP message INVITE support@fsc.de. The second and third message from the callee to the caller indicate that the connection is being tried and then the call is ringing.
In the fourth and fifth messages the connection is made. In a sixth message from the callee to the caller the message indicates a cost of 200 Euros. Message 7 is a SIP message which acknowledges and accepts the charge.
The VoIP connection and service is then established. When the user wishes to finish the service the user unit is placed on hook and a SIP BYE message 8 is sent. Message 9 is an acknowledgment and message 10 indicates the cost to pay 200 Euros.
The VoIP connection is then cleared down.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a charge bearing service in a SIP telephony network comprising the steps of a user unit requesting by a SIP message a service from a node providing that service, the node responding to the request by sending a SIP message indicating a cost for the service to the user unit and in the event of the user unit responding with a SIP message indicating acceptance of the cost continuing with establishing the service , wherein upon termination of the established service a SIP message is sent indicating the charge accrued for provision of the service.
PCT/EP2005/004560 2004-04-30 2005-04-26 A call charging method for voip calls Ceased WO2005107230A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0409924A GB2413728A (en) 2004-04-30 2004-04-30 Call charging for voip calls
GB0409924.8 2004-04-30

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2005107230A1 true WO2005107230A1 (en) 2005-11-10

Family

ID=32482647

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/EP2005/004560 Ceased WO2005107230A1 (en) 2004-04-30 2005-04-26 A call charging method for voip calls

Country Status (2)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2413728A (en)
WO (1) WO2005107230A1 (en)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2009016336A1 (en) * 2007-07-27 2009-02-05 British Telecommunications Public Limited Company Internet protocol telephony
WO2009056041A1 (en) * 2007-10-23 2009-05-07 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Method, system and device for transmitting the charge attribute information
EP2086164A1 (en) * 2008-02-03 2009-08-05 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Charging system, apparatus and method

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1994028670A1 (en) * 1993-05-31 1994-12-08 Nokia Telecommunications Oy A method for indicating the charge of a call, and a subscriber station
WO2002054673A1 (en) * 2001-01-03 2002-07-11 Nokia Corporation Aoc in all-ip networks
US20020098827A1 (en) * 2001-01-25 2002-07-25 Patrik Nilsson Charge advice in a mobile telecommunications system
US20030112932A1 (en) * 2001-12-17 2003-06-19 Johnston Alan Bernard Call charging notification

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
NO308019B1 (en) * 1998-11-27 2000-07-03 Ericsson Telefon Ab L M Procedure for Extending the Use of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)
GB2370448B (en) * 2001-04-28 2003-03-26 Ericsson Telefon Ab L M Cost control in a SIP based network
ATE308846T1 (en) * 2001-11-21 2005-11-15 Cit Alcatel METHOD FOR FLEXIBLE LOADING IP MULTIMEDIA COMMUNICATION SESSIONS, TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM AND NETWORK ELEMENTS TO APPLY SUCH METHOD
US7092385B2 (en) * 2002-03-12 2006-08-15 Mci, Llc Policy control and billing support for call transfer in a session initiation protocol (SIP) network
US7362853B2 (en) * 2002-12-16 2008-04-22 Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ) Cost negotiation for communication sessions

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1994028670A1 (en) * 1993-05-31 1994-12-08 Nokia Telecommunications Oy A method for indicating the charge of a call, and a subscriber station
WO2002054673A1 (en) * 2001-01-03 2002-07-11 Nokia Corporation Aoc in all-ip networks
US20020098827A1 (en) * 2001-01-25 2002-07-25 Patrik Nilsson Charge advice in a mobile telecommunications system
US20030112932A1 (en) * 2001-12-17 2003-06-19 Johnston Alan Bernard Call charging notification

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2009016336A1 (en) * 2007-07-27 2009-02-05 British Telecommunications Public Limited Company Internet protocol telephony
WO2009056041A1 (en) * 2007-10-23 2009-05-07 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Method, system and device for transmitting the charge attribute information
EP2086164A1 (en) * 2008-02-03 2009-08-05 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Charging system, apparatus and method

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB0409924D0 (en) 2004-06-09
GB2413728A (en) 2005-11-02

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