Prepaid Extensions to Radius for Event-based Charging

1
Prepaid Extensions to Radius for Event-based
Charging

• ltdraft-guenther-radext-ppebc-00.txtgt
• Christian Guenther, Hannes Tschofenig

2
Overview

• Several models for charging
• Volume-based charging (e.g., 2 Cent/KiloByte),
• Duration-based charging (e.g., 3 Cent/minute),
• Subscription-based charging (e.g., 5
  Dollar/monthservice),
• Event-based charging (e.g., 7 Cent/URL or email).
• Volume- and time-based charging with debiting of
  prepaid accounts is being treated in
  ltdraft-lior-radius-prepaid-extensions-gt
• In event-based charging procedures, customers get
  charged for service usage per se.
• This type of charging can be independent of data
  volume transferred, time period of service
  availment, or user subscription status.

3
Framework

• User/Host
• ---------- ----------
• Event
• Policy
• Database ---- Event
• (EPD) Handler
• ---------- (EH)
• ---------- -----------
  ----------
• Rating Charging
  Accounts
• Entity ---- ---- Handler
  ---- Database
• (RE) (CH)
  (AD)
• ---------- ---------- -----------
  ----------
• ----------
• Service
• Provider
• (SP)
• -----------

4
Use CasePrice Enquiry

• ---------------
  ---------------
• Event Handler
  Rating Entity
• ---------------
  ---------------
• 
  
• Price Enquiry Request
  
• ------------------------------------------
  ----gt
• 
  
• 
  
• Price Enquiry Response
  
• lt-----------------------------------------
  -----
• 
  
• Used to determine price information related to a
  given service.

5
Use CaseDirect Debiting

• ---------------
  ------------------
• Event Handler
  Charging Handler
• ---------------
  ------------------
• 
  
• Direct Debiting Request
  
• ------------------------------------------
  ----gt
• 
  
• 
  
• Direct Debiting Response
  
• lt-----------------------------------------
  -----
• 
  
• Debiting of prepaid accounts can be preceded by
  reserving a sufficient amount from the prepaid
  account or can go without such an amount
  reservation.
• The latter case is referred to as 'direct
  debiting' which can occur prior to service
  execution or afterwards.

6
Use Case Amount Reservation

• ---------------
  ------------------
• Event Handler
  Charging Handler
• ---------------
  ------------------
• 
  
• Amount Reservation Request
  
• ------------------------------------------
  ----gt
• 
  
• 
  
• Amount Reservation Response
  
• lt-----------------------------------------
  -----
• 
  
• Reservation of amounts of money (or of
  non-monetary units)
• Reserved amounts are then captured at a later
  point of time.

7
Use CaseAmount Capture

• ---------------
  ------------------
• Event Handler
  Charging Handler
• ---------------
  ------------------
• 
  
• Amount Capture Request
  
• ------------------------------------------
  ----gt
• 
  
• 
  
• Amount Capture Response
  
• lt-----------------------------------------
  -----
• 
  
• After having reserved a certain amount of a
  prepaid account, this amount can be captured.

8
New RADIUS Attributes

• Service-Name
• Specifies the service to which the user requests
  access.
• Requested-Action
• Action requested to perform price enquiry,
  amount reservation, amount capture, or price
  enquiry
• Cost
• Indicates price information
• Currency-Code
• Currency of the value of the cost attribute
• Charging-Session-Id
• Unique identifier

9
Next Steps

• Resolve some open issues
• Work together with authors of ltdraft-lior-radius-
  prepaid-extensions-gt

10
Questions?