Service design center for device assisted services

• US 8,924,543 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2011
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Headwater Research LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Original Assignee: Headwater Partners I LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Inventors: Raleigh, Gregory G., Lavine, James, Raissinia, Alireza, Green, Jeffrey, James, Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): RUDY, ANDREW J
• Application Number:
  US13/248,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20120089727A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/220, 709/223, 709/224, 455/405, 455/406, 455/414.1, 455/456.3
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5025 by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5045 Making service definitions prior to deployment
• 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 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A technique involves modular storage of network service plan components and provisioning of same. A subset of the capabilities of a service design system can be granted to a sandbox system to enable customization of service plan offerings or other controls.

Claims

1. A network service plan provisioning system communicatively coupled to a wireless end-user device over a wireless access network, the network service plan provisioning system comprising one or more network elements configured to:

obtain and store a first service plan component and a second service plan component,

the first service plan component comprising (1) information specifying a first traffic classification filter for filtering a traffic event in a network traffic inspection system, the traffic event being associated with the wireless end-user device and (2) a first network policy enforcement action that is triggered in a network policy enforcement system when the traffic event possesses a characteristic that matches the first traffic classification filter, and the second service plan component comprising (a) information specifying a second traffic classification filter for filtering the traffic event in the network traffic inspection system, and (b) a second network policy enforcement action that is triggered in the network policy enforcement system when the traffic event possesses a characteristic that matches the second traffic classification filter;

process the first service plan component and the second service plan component to create a network provisioning instruction set in accordance with a prioritization of the first traffic classification filter over the second traffic classification filter, the network provisioning instruction set comprising one or more traffic inspection provisioning instructions for the network traffic inspection system and one or more policy enforcement provisioning instructions for the network policy enforcement system, the network traffic inspection system and the network policy enforcement system implementing one or more policies applicable to the wireless end-user device;

provide the one or more traffic inspection provisioning instructions to the network traffic inspection system; and

provide the one or more policy enforcement provisioning instructions to the network policy enforcement system.

2. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein process the first service plan component and the second service plan component to create a network provisioning instruction set in accordance with a prioritization of the first traffic classification filter over the second traffic classification filter comprises order traffic inspection comparison operations in the one or more traffic inspection provisioning instructions such that the one or more traffic inspection provisioning instructions direct the network traffic inspection system to determine whether the traffic event possesses the characteristic that matches the first traffic classification filter before determining whether the traffic event possesses the characteristic that matches the second traffic classification filter.

3. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 2, wherein process the first service plan component and the second service plan component to create a network provisioning instruction set in accordance with a prioritization of the first traffic classification filter over the second traffic classification filter further comprises include in the network provisioning instruction set one or more instructions directing the network traffic inspection system to determine whether the traffic event possesses the characteristic that matches the second traffic classification filter only if the traffic event does not possess the characteristic that matches the first traffic classification filter.

4. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 2, wherein process the first service plan component and the second service plan component to create a network provisioning instruction set in accordance with a prioritization of the first traffic classification filter over the second traffic classification filter further comprises include in the network provisioning instruction set one or more instructions directing the network traffic inspection system to determine whether the traffic event also possesses the characteristic that matches the second traffic classification filter if the traffic event possesses the characteristic that matches the first traffic classification filter.

5. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, further comprising:

a policy enforcement priority rule datastore including a policy enforcement priority rule for determining whether the traffic event possesses the characteristic that matches the first traffic classification filter before determining whether the traffic event possesses the characteristic that matches the second traffic classification filter,

and wherein process the first service plan component and the second service plan component to create a network provisioning instruction set in accordance with a prioritization of the first traffic classification filter over the second traffic classification filter comprises include the policy enforcement priority rule in the network provisioning instruction set.

6. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 5, wherein the policy enforcement priority rule comprises a priority order for a plurality of traffic classification filters, the plurality of traffic classification filters including the first traffic classification filter and the second traffic classification filter.

7. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 5, wherein the policy enforcement priority rule comprises a priority specification for one or both of the first service plan component and the second service plan component.

8. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more policies is dependent on a network state.

9. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 8, wherein the network state comprises a congestion state of the wireless access network, a network location, a type of the wireless access network, whether the wireless access network is a roaming network, a routing identifier associated with the wireless access network, or a combination of these.

10. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 9, wherein the congestion state is based on a time of day, a measure of network congestion, a measure of a delay, a measure of a jitter, a packet error rate, or a combination of these.

11. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 5, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to provide a user interface for a service plan design environment that provides for entering the policy enforcement priority rule in the design environment by entering a priority assignment for the first service plan component, entering a priority assignment for the second service plan component, positioning the first and second service plan components in a priority ordering, defining the first or second service plan component as belonging to a service type that has an implied or literal ordering, or a combination of these.

12. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the information specifying the first traffic classification filter comprises an inspection criterion selected from a group of inspection criteria consisting of:

specific device application, a specific network destination, a specific network source, a specific traffic type, a specific content type, a specific traffic protocol, and a combination of two or more of the inspection criteria.

13. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the first or second policy enforcement action is an action selected from a group of actions consisting of:

apply a traffic control policy;

apply a service usage accounting, charging, or billing policy;

apply a service notification policy; and

a combination of two or more of the actions.

14. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to include in the network provisioning instruction set an instruction to assist in enforcing a sponsored charging policy.

15. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to include in the network provisioning instruction set an instruction to assist in enforcing a classification-based charging policy, wherein the classification is selected from the group of classification categories consisting of:

application, destination, network, time of day, congestion state, quality of service, content type, and a combination of two or more of the classification categories.

16. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to include in the network provisioning instruction set an instruction to assist in presenting a service buy page notification with an actionable response.

17. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to include in the network provisioning instruction set an instruction to assist in generating a usage notification in response to a device state or a network state.

18. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to include in the network provisioning instruction set an instruction to assist in generating a marketing intercept offer notification specific to a device or a network state.

19. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to include in the network provisioning instruction set an instruction to assist in generating a roaming notification specific to a device or a network state.

20. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to provide a user interface for a service plan design environment that provides for a hierarchical definition and display of one or more of:

the first service plan component, the second service plan component, the first traffic classification filter, the second traffic classification filter, the first policy enforcement action, or the second policy enforcement action.

21. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to facilitate reuse of the first service plan component, the second service plan component, the first traffic classification filter, the second traffic classification filter, the first policy enforcement action, or the second policy enforcement action in a plurality of service plans by storing the first service plan component, the second service plan component, the first traffic classification filter, the second traffic classification filter, the first policy enforcement action, and the second policy enforcement action as one or more objects in a catalog.

22. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the first service plan component further comprises an additional policy enforcement action to augment the first policy enforcement action, and wherein the second service plan component further comprises the additional policy enforcement action to augment the second policy enforcement action.

23. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the first service plan component further comprises an additional policy enforcement action to over-ride the first policy enforcement action, and wherein the second service plan component further comprises the additional policy enforcement action to over-ride the second policy enforcement action.

24. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to facilitate grouping of the first and second service plan components and provide for grouping of the first and second service plan components into a larger service plan object definition.

25. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to facilitate grouping of the first and second service plan components and provide for an additional policy enforcement action applied at a service plan group level that augments the first policy enforcement action and the second policy enforcement action.

26. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to facilitate grouping of the first and second service plan components and provide for an additional policy enforcement action applied at a service plan group level that over-rides the first policy enforcement action and the second policy enforcement action.

27. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to facilitate grouping of the first and second service plan components and provide one or more service plan component group policy enforcement priority rules comprising a specification for how to resolve one or more policy enforcement ambiguities at a service plan component group level.

28. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to obtain service plan parameters for multiple service plans, combine one or more service policies for the multiple service plans into one composite-plan policy set, and provision the network policy enforcement system to enforce the composite policies for the multiple service plans.

29. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 28, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to provide a composite-plan policy enforcement priority rule comprising a specification for how to resolve one or more policy enforcement ambiguities between traffic classification or policy enforcement instructions for two or more composite-plans.

30. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the first service plan component is associated with a first priority, and wherein the second service plan component is associated with a second priority, the second priority being lower than the first priority, and wherein process the first service plan component and the second service plan component to create a network provisioning instruction set in accordance with a prioritization of the first traffic classification filter over the second traffic classification filter comprises include in the network provisioning instruction set one or more first instructions directing the network traffic inspection system to determine whether the traffic event possesses the characteristic that matches the first traffic classification filter and to determine whether the traffic event possesses the characteristic that matches the second traffic classification filter, and one or more second instructions directing the network policy enforcement system to enforce the first network policy enforcement action when the traffic event possesses both the characteristic that matches the first traffic classification filter and the characteristic that matches the second traffic classification filter.

31. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the first service plan component is associated with a first priority, and wherein the second service plan component is associated with a second priority, the second priority being lower than the first priority, and wherein process the first service plan component and the second service plan component to create a network provisioning instruction set in accordance with a prioritization of the first traffic classification filter over the second traffic classification filter comprises include in the network provisioning instruction set one or more first instructions directing the network traffic inspection system to determine whether the traffic event possesses the characteristic that matches the first traffic classification filter, and one or more second instructions directing the network policy enforcement system to enforce only the first network policy enforcement action when the traffic event possesses the characteristic that matches the first traffic classification filter.

32. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the first service plan component is associated with a first priority, and wherein the second service plan component is associated with a second priority, the second priority being lower than the first priority, and wherein process the first service plan component and the second service plan component to create a network provisioning instruction set in accordance with a prioritization of the first traffic classification filter over the second traffic classification filter comprises include in the network provisioning instruction set one or more first instructions directing the network traffic inspection system to determine whether the traffic event possesses the characteristic that matches the first traffic classification filter and to determine whether the traffic event possesses the characteristic that matches the second traffic classification filter, and one or more second instructions directing the network policy enforcement system to enforce the first network policy enforcement action and the second network policy enforcement action when the traffic event possesses both the characteristic that matches the first traffic classification filter and the characteristic that matches the second traffic classification filter.

33. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein process the first service plan component and the second service plan component to create a network provisioning instruction set in accordance with a prioritization of the first traffic classification filter over the second traffic classification filter comprises order one or more first instructions associated with the first traffic classification filter and one or more second instructions associated with the second traffic classification filter so that the first traffic classification filter is applied to the traffic event before the second traffic classification filter is applied to the traffic event.

34. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein process the first service plan component and the second service plan component to create a network provisioning instruction set in accordance with a prioritization of the first traffic classification filter over the second traffic classification filter comprises include one or more instructions directing the network traffic inspection system to trap a match of the first traffic classification filter in a kernel until the second traffic classification filter is matched.

35. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein process the first service plan component and the second service plan component to create a network provisioning instruction set in accordance with a prioritization of the first traffic classification filter over the second traffic classification filter comprises apply an explicit priority rule.

36. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein process the first service plan component and the second service plan component to create a network provisioning instruction set in accordance with a prioritization of the first traffic classification filter over the second traffic classification filter comprises configure the one or more traffic inspection provisioning instructions so that the network traffic inspection system determines whether the traffic event possesses the characteristic that matches the first traffic classification filter before determining whether the traffic event possesses the characteristic that matches the second traffic classification filter.

37. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein process the first service plan component and the second service plan component to create a network provisioning instruction set in accordance with a prioritization of the first traffic classification filter over the second traffic classification filter comprises configure the one or more policy enforcement provisioning instructions so that the network policy enforcement system applies the first policy enforcement action before applying the second policy enforcement action.

38. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein process the first service plan component and the second service plan component to create a network provisioning instruction set in accordance with a prioritization of the first traffic classification filter over the second traffic classification filter comprises configure the one or more traffic inspection provisioning instructions so that when the traffic event possesses the characteristic that matches the first traffic classification filter, the network policy enforcement system applies the first policy enforcement action, and the network traffic inspection system does not determine whether the traffic event possesses the characteristic that matches the second traffic classification filter.

39. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein process the first service plan component and the second service plan component to create a network provisioning instruction set in accordance with a prioritization of the first traffic classification filter over the second traffic classification filter comprises configure the network provisioning instruction set so that when the traffic event possesses the characteristic that matches the first traffic classification filter and the characteristic that matches the second traffic classification filter, the first policy enforcement action has a higher priority than the second policy enforcement action.

40. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein process the first service plan component and the second service plan component to create a network provisioning instruction set in accordance with a prioritization of the first traffic classification filter over the second traffic classification filter comprises configure the one or more traffic inspection provisioning instructions so that when the network traffic inspection system determines that the traffic event possesses the characteristic that matches the first traffic classification filter and the characteristic that matches the second traffic classification filter, the network policy enforcement system applies the first policy enforcement action but does not apply the second policy enforcement action.

41. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein process the first service plan component and the second service plan component to create a network provisioning instruction set in accordance with a prioritization of the first traffic classification filter over the second traffic classification filter comprises configure the one or more traffic inspection provisioning instructions so that when the network traffic inspection system determines that the traffic event possesses the characteristic that matches the first traffic classification filter and the characteristic that matches the second traffic classification filter, the network policy enforcement system applies the first policy enforcement action before applying the second policy enforcement action.

42. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the network policy enforcement system comprises a policy decision element.

43. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the network policy enforcement system or the network traffic inspection system comprises a gateway.

44. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the network policy enforcement system is on the wireless end-user device.

45. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the network policy enforcement system is in a network system communicatively coupled to the wireless end-user device over the wireless access network.

46. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the network traffic inspection system or the network policy enforcement system comprises a programmable element.

47. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the network policy enforcement system or the network traffic inspection system comprises a modem or an agent on the wireless end-user device.

48. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the network policy enforcement system comprises a charging element, a billing element, or a mediation element.

49. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the network policy enforcement system implements a charging function.

50. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more policies comprise a charging policy.

51. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 50, wherein the charging policy is associated with a sponsor entity subsidizing a network service usage associated with the wireless end-user device.

52. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 50, wherein the charging policy is inherited from a service plan associated with the first service plan component and the second service plan component.

53. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 50, wherein the charging policy is based on an amount of usage, a time, an overage allowance, or a combination of these.

54. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 50, wherein the charging policy is associated with a rate or a charging code.

55. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 50, wherein the charging policy is associated with a cycle specified by a duration, a frequency, a usage amount, or a combination of these.

56. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 50, wherein the charging policy assists in implementing a pre-paid billing or a post-paid billing.

57. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the network policy enforcement system comprises a notification element.

58. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the network policy enforcement system implements a notification function.

59. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 58, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to:

obtain notification information, the notification information at least assisting to specify or identify a notification content, a notification trigger, or a notification offer; and

determine at least a portion of the policy enforcement provisioning instructions based on the notification information.

60. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more policies comprise a notification policy.

61. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 60, wherein the one or more policy enforcement provisioning instructions assist in causing a notification to be delivered to a subscriber or to the wireless end-user device.

62. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 61, wherein the notification comprises a selection option for providing feedback or instructions.

63. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 61, wherein the notification indicates that a usage of a service plan has reached a particular percentage of a limit, or that a requested network activity has been capped because a policy limit has been reached.

64. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 61, wherein the notification provides information about a service plan limit or an overage.

65. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 61, wherein the notification provides information about an offer.

66. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 65, wherein the offer is an offer to allow an overage, an offer for a new service plan, or an offer to block an ongoing usage.

67. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 61, wherein the notification provides information about a plan expiration.

68. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 61, wherein the notification provides information about an activity of the wireless end-user device that has been blocked, or an activity of the wireless end-user device that is not allowed.

69. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 61, wherein the notification provides a message or an offer based on a current activity or a status of the wireless end-user device.

70. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 69, wherein the current activity or the status of the wireless end-user device is based on the traffic event.

71. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 61, wherein the notification is an actionable notification enabling a user of the wireless end-user device to provide a response to the notification.

72. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 71, wherein the response comprises a directive to dismiss the notification, a directive to cancel the notification, an acknowledgment of the notification, a request for information, or a request to make a purchase.

73. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 61, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to obtain, from a designer, information specifying the notification.

74. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 73, wherein the information specifying the notification specifies a title, a subtitle, text, an icon, a button, an action, whether to present the notification in a foreground, whether to present the notification in a background, or a combination of these.

75. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more policies comprise a notification policy, and wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to obtain information specifying the notification policy from a designer.

76. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 75, wherein the information specifying the notification policy comprises a name, a description, a notification destination, an interaction associated with the notification, whether to present the notification in a foreground or in a background, a specification of selection options associated with the notification, or a combination of these.

77. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 76, wherein the notification destination is a subscriber or a server.

78. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 76, wherein the interaction associated with the notification comprises a number of times the notification is presented, an option enabling a user to suppress the notification, or a combination of these.

79. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 75, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to present, through a user interface of the network service plan provisioning system, a representation of the notification for presentation on the wireless end-user device.

80. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 61, wherein the notification comprises an upsell offer.

81. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 80, wherein the upsell offer is based on a network state, a device state, or a subscriber state.

82. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 81, wherein the network state is based on a congestion level of the wireless access network, a number of failed attempts to authenticate on the wireless access network, a time of day, a location, a type of network, a roaming status, or a combination of these.

83. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 80, wherein the upsell offer is based on a current usage or an historical usage.

84. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 80, wherein the upsell offer provides an offer for a service at no cost to the subscriber.

85. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 61, wherein the notification comprises information about a purchase, a data usage, an application, an amount of data, a percentage, or a combination of these.

86. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 61, wherein the notification comprises information to assist a subscriber in activating the wireless end-user device, selecting a service plan for the wireless end-user device, setting a preference, or a combination of these.

87. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more policies comprise a traffic control policy.

88. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 87, wherein the control policy specifies to allow, block, throttle, delay, or defer the traffic event.

89. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 87, wherein the traffic control policy is based on a network state, a device state, a service-plan-usage state, or a combination of these.

90. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the traffic event is associated with a particular destination, a particular application on the wireless end-user device, a content type, a protocol, a port, or an operating system of the wireless end-user device.

91. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the traffic event is associated with a specified remote destination, a specified application, a specified operating system, a specified content, a specified protocol, or a specified port number.

92. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 91, wherein the specified remote destination is identified by a domain or an Internet protocol (IP) address.

93. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 91, wherein the specified application is identified by a name, a hash, a certificate, or a signature.

94. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the first network policy enforcement action or the second network policy enforcement action comprises sending a notification to a notification destination.

95. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the first network policy enforcement action or the second network policy enforcement action comprises trapping a match at a kernel level.

96. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the first service plan component or the second service plan component comprises a carrier component, a network protection component, an application component, a sponsored component, a subscriber-paid component, a marketing interceptor component, a parental control component, a bulk component, a post-bulk component, or an end-of-life component.

97. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to obtain, through a user interface of the network service plan provisioning system, a hierarchical arrangement of the first service plan component and the second service plan component, the hierarchical arrangement specifying whether the first service plan component has a higher priority than the second service plan component.

98. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the first service plan component or the second service plan component is associated with a service class.

99. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 98, wherein the service class is paid, marketing intercept, carrier, network protection, sponsored, parental control, open access, bulk, post-bulk, or a combination of these.

100. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the first service plan component is associated with a first service class, and the second service plan component is associated with a second service class, and wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to obtain, through a user interface of the network service plan provisioning system, a specification of whether the first service class has a higher priority than the second service class.

101. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to obtain, from a designer, information identifying the wireless end-user device.

102. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 101, wherein the information identifying the wireless end-user device comprises an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI), a phone number, a device type, an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI), a device name, a subscriber group, an owner name, a locale, an operating system version, subscriber information, or a combination of these.

103. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the wireless end-user device is a first wireless end-user device, and wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to obtain, from a designer, information identifying a plurality of wireless end-user devices, the plurality of wireless end-user devices including the first wireless end-user device.

104. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 103, wherein each wireless end-user device in the plurality of wireless end-user devices is a particular type of device, has a particular device characteristic, or is associated with a particular demographic characteristic.

105. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements are configured to obtain the information specifying the first traffic classification filter or the information specifying the second traffic classification filter from a designer.

106. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements are configured to obtain at least a portion of the first service plan component and at least a portion of the second service plan component from a designer.

107. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 106, wherein the designer is associated with a role.

108. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 107, wherein the role establishes one or more network service plan provisioning system capabilities available to the designer.

109. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 106, wherein the designer is associated with a carrier, an enterprise, an application developer, or a mobile virtual network operator.

110. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the first service plan component and the second service plan component are associated with a service plan, and wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to obtain, from a designer, information about the service plan.

111. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 110, wherein the information about the service plan comprises an icon, a name, a description, a version, a type, whether the service plan is a default plan, whether a user of the wireless end-user device is able to repurchase the service plan, a price, a charging policy, a billing policy, a charging code, or a combination of these.

112. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the information specifying the first traffic classification filter or the information specifying the second traffic classification filter comprises a name, a description, a filtering parameter, a launch mechanism, or a combination of these.

113. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 112, wherein the filter parameter specifies filtering the traffic event by destination, by application, by operating system, by protocol, or by port.

114. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to assist a designer in customizing a branding for presentation through a user interface of the wireless end-user device.

115. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to provide access to a service design sandbox.

116. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 115, wherein the service design sandbox provides for policy definition for a subset of subscribers of the network service plan provisioning system.

117. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 115, wherein the service design sandbox is available to an enterprise, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), or an application developer.

118. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 115, wherein the service design sandbox provides for definition of a subscriber group, a service plan, a notification, the first service plan component, the second service plan component, a service activity, a report, or a combination of these.

119. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 115, wherein the one or more network elements are further configured to provide access to a service design sandbox through a secure login environment.

120. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more policies comprise a policy associated with a tethering function.

121. The network service plan provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more policies comprise a policy associated with a web page, a domain, an application, a roaming network, an e-mail service, a networking service, a music download service, a video game service, a multimedia service, or a combination of these.