Billing in a packet data network

• US 7,389,105 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2001
• Issued: 06/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Honkanen, Jukka-Pekka, Ala-Laurila, Juha, Rinnemaa, Jyri, Ekberg, Jan-Erik, Vuonnala, Raimo, Takamaki, Timo
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild; Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOAN, KIET M
• Application Number:
  US10/239,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20030157926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,643 Days
• Field of Search: 455/411, 455/406, 455/435.1, 705/39, 705/410, 705/35, 709/217, 709/203, 713/189, 713/163, 370/401, 370/352, 379/114.01, 379/127.05, 380/51, 380/23, 380/44, 380/272, 380/249, 380/42, 380/248, 726/29
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/48 Secure or trusted billing, e.g. trusted elements or encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/55 for hybrid networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0156 Secure and trusted billing, e.g. trusted elements, encryption, digital signature, codes or double check mechanisms to secure billing calculation and information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/44 Charging/billing arrangements for connection made over different networks, e.g. wireless and PSTN, ISDN, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A method for billing in a packet data network (WISP1) comprising at least one user'"'"'s terminal (MN), comprising the steps of:

• • forming a data link between the terminal and the packet data network;
  • requesting a user identity from the terminal;
  • generating billing data based on the user identity; and
  • sending the billing data to an accounting server (HAAA) of an external telecommunications network.

Claims

1. A method for billing in a packet data network comprising at least one user'"'"'s terminal for accessing the packet data network, the terminal including a subscriber identity module corresponding to a telecommunications network subscription to a telecommunications network, wherein the telecommunications network is external to the packet data network and comprises an accounting server and the at least one user'"'"'s terminal is operating in one of a home and a roaming mode, comprising:

forming a data link between the terminal and the packet data network;

requesting by the packet data network, a user identity from the terminal;

obtaining by the terminal the user identity from the subscriber identity module;

indicating by the terminal the user identity to the packet data network;

generating by the packet data network, billing data based on the user identity; and

sending the billing data from the packet data network to the accounting server of the external telecommunications network,

generating a billing code corresponding to a price of accessing the packet data network;

generating a cryptographic checksum using at least the billing code; and

using the cryptographic checksum in a billing set up to verify that the user is provided with a correct price and that the user has accepted the access for that correct price.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising authenticating the terminal using the subscriber identity module.

3. In a user terminal, a method for billing a user for accessing a packet data network, comprising:

receiving from a packet data network an offer for accessing the packet data network, the offer including billing information for the accessing and a message authenticator based on the billing information; and

verifying the authenticity of the offer using a subscriber identity module storing a shared secret that is also known by a telecommunications network external to the packet data network,

sending to the packet data network a verification for the billing using the shared secret and the price of the accessing the packet data network, in order to indicate acceptance by the user of the billing.

4. A method for handling billing information comprising:

sending by a packet data network to an external telecommunications network billing information and an identity of a subscriber identity module of a user terminal to be authenticated to the packet data network, the subscriber identity module and the external telecommunications network sharing a shared secret corresponding to the subscriber identity module;

receiving by the packet data network, a response from a the external telecommunications network, the response including a message authenticator based on the billing information and the identity;

forwarding by the packet data network the response to the user terminal;

receiving by the packet data network, an answer to the response from the user terminal; and

verifying the answer to detect if the answer was generated based on the shared secret,

generating a billing code corresponding to a price of accessing the packet data network;

generating a cryptographic checksum using at least the billing code; and

using the cryptographic checksum in a billing set up to verify that the user terminal is provided with a correct price and that the user terminal has accepted the access for that correct price.

5. A data terminal configured to access a packet data network that is configured to provide access for the data terminal, comprising:

a subscriber identity module including a shared secret accessible to a telecommunication network that is external to the packet data network;

a processor configured to access the subscriber identity module to obtain an identity related to the subscriber identity module and to indicate the identity to the packet data network; and

a communication device configured to receive from the packet data network an offer for accessing the packet data network, the offer including the price of the accessing and a message authenticator based on the billing information and on the shared secret;

wherein the a processor is further configured to verify the authenticity of the offer using the shared secret,

further configured to provide the packet data network with a verification for the billing, using the shared secret and the price of the accessing.

6. A system, comprising:

a packet data network including a user terminal, wherein the user terminal comprises;

a communication unit configured to form a data link between the terminal and the packet data network;

a subscriber identity module configured to store a user identity and a corresponding shared secret known by the subscriber identity module and by a telecommunications network external to the packet data network; and

a transmitter for sending a user identity from the terminal to the packet data network,

wherein the packet data network comprises;

a processor configured to generate billing data based on the user identity;

an output configured to send the billing data to an accounting server of the external telecommunications network,

wherein the billing information further comprises a billing code corresponding to a price of accessing the packet data network and a cryptographic checksum using at least the billing code and wherein the cryptographic checksum is used in a billing set up to verify that the user terminal is provided with a correct price and that the user terminal has accepted the access for that correct price.

7. A data network element comprising:

a first input configured to receive an offer for accessing packet data network, including billing information;

an output configured to provide the offer for a packet data network together with a message authenticator to be forwarded via the packet data network to a user terminal that comprises a given subscriber identity module, the message authenticator being based on a shared secret known by said subscriber identity module and by a telecommunications network external to the packet data network;

a second input configured to receive a response from the packet data network; and

a processor configured to verify the response to detect if the response has been generated using billing information and the shared secret,

wherein the element is an authentication gateway.

8. A computer program product, embodied on a computer-readable medium for controlling a data terminal, comprising:

computer executable program code for causing the data terminal to receive from a packet data network, an offer for accessing the packet data network, the offer including billing information of the accessing and a message authenticator based on the billing information; and

computer executable program code for causing the data terminal to verify the authenticity of the offer using a subscriber identity module storing a shared secret that is also known by a telecommunications network external to the packet data network,

computer executable program code for generating a billing code corresponding to a price of accessing the packet data network;

computer executable program code for generating a cryptographic checksum using at least the billing code; and

using the cryptographic checksum in a billing set up to verify that the user is provided with a correct price and that the user has accepted the access for that correct price.

9. A computer program product, embodied on a computer-readable medium for controlling a data network element, comprising:

computer executable program code for causing the data network element to receive an offer for accessing a packet data network, including billing information;

computer executable program code for causing the data network element to provide the offer for a packet data network together with a message authenticator to be forwarded via the packet data network to a user terminal that comprises a given subscriber identity module, the message authenticator being based on a shared secret known by said subscriber identity module and by a telecommunications network external to the packet data network;

computer executable program code for causing the data network element to receive a response from the packet data network; and

computer executable program code for causing the data network element to verify the response to detect if the response is generated using the billing information and the shared secret,

computer executable program code for generating a billing code corresponding to a price of accessing the packet data network;

computer executable program code for generating a cryptographic checksum using at least the billing code; and

using the cryptographic checksum in a billing set up to verify that the user is provided with a correct price and that the user has accepted the access for that correct price.

10. A computer program product, embodied on a computer-readable medium, for controlling a packet data network comprising at least one-user terminal that comprises a subscriber identity module that stores a shared secret known by the subscriber identity module and by a telecommunications network external to the packet data network, the computer program, comprising:

computer program code for causing the packet data network to form a data link between the at least one user terminal and the packet data network;

computer program code for causing the packet data network to request a user identity from the at least one terminal;

computer program code for causing the packet data network to generate billing data based on the user identity;

computer program code for causing the packet data network to send the billing data to an accounting server of the external telecommunications network; and

computer program code for causing the packet data network to forward, responsive to the sending of the billing data, a response including a message authenticator based on the billing data and on the shared secret,

computer program code for generating a billing code corresponding to a price of accessing the packet data network;

computer program code for generating a cryptographic checksum using at least the billing code; and

using the cryptographic checksum in a billing set up to verify that the user is provided with a correct price and that the user has accepted the access for that correct price.

11. A data terminal configured to access a packet data network that is configured to provide access for the data terminal, comprising:

a subscriber identity module means including a shared secret accessible to a telecommunication network that is external to the packet data network;

means for accessing the subscriber identity module means to obtain an identity related to the subscriber identity module means and to indicate the identity to the packet data network;

means for receiving from the packet data network, an offer for accessing the packet data network, the offer including a price of the accessing and a message authenticator based on billing information and on the shared secret; and

means for verifying authenticity of the offer using the shared secret,

means for generating a billing code corresponding to a price of accessing the packet data network;

means for generating a cryptographic checksum using at least the billing code; and

using the cryptographic checksum in a billing set up to verify that the user is provided with a correct price and that the user has accepted the access for that correct price.