Billing in a packet data network

• US 20030157926A1
• Filed: 02/20/2003
• Published: 08/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• 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
• Granted Patent: US 7,389,105 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 (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 (CDR) based on the user identity; and

sending the billing data to an accounting server (HAAA) of an external telecommunications network.

2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of providing the terminal with access to a subscriber identity module (SIM) having the user identity.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2 further comprising the step of authenticating the terminal using the subscriber identity module.

4. A method according to any of preceding claims, comprising the steps of:

generating a billing code corresponding to the 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 the correct price and that the user has accepted the access for that correct price.

5. A method for billing a user of a service comprising the steps of:

accessing a shared secret that is also known by a telecommunications network;

receiving an offer for a commercial service, including the price of the service; and

verifying the authenticity of the offer using the shared secret.

6. A method according to claim 5 further comprising the step of:

generating a verification for the billing, using the shared secret and the price of the service, in order to indicate acceptance by the user to the billing.

7. A method for handling billing information comprising the steps of:

receiving an offer for a service from a telecommunications network (GSM1), including a price;

providing the offer for a packet data network (WISP) for the offer to be forwarded to a user terminal;

receiving a response from the packet data network; and

verifying the response to detect if the response is generated using the price of the service and a shared secret accessible to the terminal and to the telecommunications network.

8. A data terminal (900) comprising:

a processor (910) for accessing a shared secret that is also known by a telecommunications network;

a communication block (930) for receiving an offer for a commercial service, including the price of the service; and

a processor (910) for verifying the authenticity of the offer using the shared secret.

9. A data terminal (900) according to claim 8 further comprising a processor (910) for generating a verification for the billing, using the shared secret and the price of the service, in order to indicate acceptance by the user to the billing.

10. A system comprising:

a packet data network (WISP1) having at least one user'"'"'s terminal (MN);

means (930) for forming a data link between the terminal and the packet data network;

means (940) for requesting a user identity from the terminal;

means (910) for generating billing data based on the user identity; and

means (930) for sending the billing data to an accounting server (HAAA) of an external telecommunications network.

11. A data network element (1000) comprising:

means (1050) for receiving an offer for a service from a telecommunications network (GSM1), including a price;

means (1030) for providing the offer for a packet data network (WISP) for the offer to be forwarded to a user terminal;

means (1030) for receiving a response from the packet data network; and

means (1010) for verifying the response to detect if the response is generated using the price of the service and a shared secret accessible to the terminal and to the telecommunications network.

12. A data network element according to claim 11, wherein the element is an authentication gateway.

13. A computer program product for controlling a data terminal, comprising:

computer executable program code for causing the data terminal to access a shared secret that is also known by a telecommunications network;

computer executable program code for causing the data terminal to receive an offer for a commercial service, including the price of the service; and

computer executable program code for causing the data terminal to verify the authenticity of the offer using the shared secret.

14. A computer program product for controlling a data network element, comprising:

computer executable program code for causing the data terminal to receive an offer for a service from a telecommunications network, including a price;

computer executable program code for causing the data terminal to provide the offer for a packet data network for the offer to be forwarded to a user terminal;

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

computer executable program code for causing the data terminal to verify the response to detect if the response is generated using the price of the service and a shared secret accessible to the terminal and to the telecommunications network.

15. A computer program for controlling a packet data network comprising at least one user'"'"'s terminal, comprising:

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

computer program code for causing the network to request a user identity from the terminal;

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

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