Creating accurate billing records in a carrier-aggregation network

• US 8,954,032 B1
• Filed: 08/21/2012
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Stoler, Moshe
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEDRICK, CHARLES TERRELL
• Application Number:
  US13/590,335
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/432.1
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1442 at network operator level
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/62 based on trigger specification
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A method, system and medium are provided for accounting for shared-network scenarios in a carrier-aggregation network using billing identifiers. A base station within the network establishes a wireless-telecommunications link with a mobile station associated with a first provider within the network. The base station communicates a billing identifier associated with the base station to the first provider. The billing identifier indicates a type of shared-network scenario associated with the base station. The billing identifier is used by the provider to determine billing information for the mobile station.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, cause a computing device to perform a method of accounting for shared-network scenarios in a carrier-aggregation network using billing identifiers, the carrier-aggregation network comprising at least a first wireless-telecommunications provider (the “

first provider”

) and at least a second wireless-telecommunications provider (the “

second provider”

), the method comprising;

at a base station that comprises at least a set of hardware and a radiofrequency (RF) spectrum and that is part of the carrier-aggregation network, wherein the at least the set of hardware and the RF spectrum are allocated between the first provider and the second provider;

establishing a wireless-telecommunications link with a first mobile station associated with the first provider; and

communicating a billing identifier associated with the base station to the first provider, the billing identifier comprising a first portion associated with the first provider and a second portion associated with the second provider, and the billing identifier indicating a type of shared-network scenario associated with the base station, the shared-network scenario corresponding to the allocation of the at least the set of hardware and the RF spectrum between the first provider and the second provider, wherein the billing identifier is useable by the first provider to determine billing information for the first mobile station that reflects the type of shared-network scenario.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the type of shared-network scenario comprises one selected from the following:

(1) the RF spectrum is associated with the second provider, and the set of hardware is associated with the first provider,

(2) the RF spectrum is associated with the first provider and the set of hardware is associated with the second provider,

(3) the RF spectrum is associated with the first provider and the second provider and the set of hardware is associated with the first provider, or

(4) the RF spectrum is associated with the first provider and the second provider and the set of hardware associated with the second provider.

3. The media of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating the billing identifier associated with the base station to the second provider.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the billing identifier is encrypted in a first manner, and wherein the second portion of the billing identifier is encrypted in a second manner.

5. The media of claim 4, wherein the first provider deciphers the first portion of the billing identifier, and wherein the second provider deciphers the second portion of the billing identifier.

6. The media of claim 5, wherein the first provider cannot decipher the second portion of the billing identifier, and wherein the second provider cannot decipher the first portion of the billing identifier.

7. The media of claim 1, further comprising:

at the base station;

establishing a wireless-telecommunications link with a second mobile station associated with the first provider; and

communicating the billing identifier associated with the base station to the first provider, the billing identifier useable by the first provider to determine billing information for the second mobile station.

8. The media of claim 7, wherein the second mobile station is associated with a different subscriber than the first mobile station.

9. The media of claim 1, further comprising:

at the base station;

establishing a wireless-telecommunications link with a third mobile station associated with the second provider; and

communicating the billing identifier associated with the base station to the second provider, the billing identifier useable by the second provider to determine billing information for the third mobile station.

10. One or more non-transitory computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, cause a computing device to perform a method for a first wireless-telecommunications provider (“

the first provider”

) in a carrier-aggregation network to account for shared-network scenarios using billing identifiers, the method comprising;

at the first provider;

receiving a billing identifier associated with a first base station within the carrier-aggregation network, the first base station providing a communications link for a mobile station associated with the first provider, wherein a set of hardware and a radio frequency (RF) spectrum associated with the first base station are allocated between the first provider and a second provider, wherein the billing identifier comprises a first portion associated with the first provider and a second portion associated with the second provider;

using the billing identifier, determining a first type of shared-network scenario associated with the first base station, the first type of shared-network scenario corresponding to the allocation of the set of hardware and the RF spectrum between the first provider and the second provider; and

generating a first billing record for the mobile station that reflects the first type of shared-network scenario.

11. The media of claim 10, wherein only the first portion of the billing identifier is used by the first provider to determine the first type of shared-network scenario.

12. The media of claim 11, wherein the first portion of the billing identifier is encrypted, and wherein the first provider deciphers the first portion prior to using the first portion to determine the first type of shared-network scenario.

13. The media of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a second billing identifier from a second base station within the carrier-aggregation network, the second base station providing a communications link for the mobile station;

using the billing identifier, determining a second type of shared-network scenario associated with the second base station; and

generating a second billing record for the mobile station that reflects the second type of shared-network scenario.

14. One or more non-transitory computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, cause a computing device to perform a method of using billing identifiers to differentiate billing rates associated with different base stations in a carrier-aggregation network (the “

network”

), the method comprising;

at a first provider within the network, the first provider providing wireless-telecommunications services to a mobile station during a user session;

receiving a first billing identifier from a first base station within the network that is providing a communications link to the mobile station at a first point in time, the first billing identifier associated with the first base station and indicating billing rates associated with the first base station, the billing rates associated with the first base station based on an allocation of hardware and RF spectrum resources associated with the first base station between the first provider and at least a second provider of wireless-telecommunications services within the network;

receiving a second billing identifier from a second base station within the network that is providing a communications link to the mobile station at a second point in time not concurrent with the first point in time but in the same user session, the second billing identifier associated with the second base station and indicating billing rates associated with the second base station, the billing rates associated with the second base station based on an allocation of hardware and RF spectrum resources associated with the first base station between the first provider and at least a third provider of wireless-telecommunications services within the network;

determining that the first billing identifier is different from the second billing identifier; and

creating a billing statement for the mobile station that reflects at least the billing rates associated with the first base station and the billing rates associated with the second base station.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein the first base station and the second base station are owned by the first provider.

16. The media of claim 15, wherein the billing rates associated with the first base station and the second base station are dependent upon a physical location of the first base station and the second base station.

17. The media of claim 14, wherein the billing rates associated with the first base station and the second base station are dependent upon a type of shared-network scenario associated with at least one of the first base station or the second base station.