Abstract: A system and method for managing group-based charging for network usage and spending. A server computing device that includes an offline charging system (OFCS) component may be configured to receive a communication message that includes a first attribute, determine/identify a group of user equipments that includes a first user equipment device that is associated with the received communication message, and determine a charging attribute state for the determined group of user equipments based on the first attribute and a second attribute associated with a second user equipment device in the group of user equipments. The server may apply a charging event, determine whether the charging attribute state of the group of user equipments changed as a result of applying the charging event, and notifying a listener component of a new charging attribute state in response to determining that the charging attribute state of the group of user equipments changed.

Abstract: Methods, servers and systems for directly accessing and modifying charging information maintained within a telecommunications operator's business and operating systems' infrastructure from user equipment. A mobile application server may receive a charging request from a user equipment, identify a relevant charging system based on the received request, send a charging request to the identified charging system for processing, receive a first response message including charging information from the identified charging system, generate a second response message based on the charging information included in the first response message, and send the generated second response message to the user equipment. The received charging request may include various types of information, including information for transferring cost or billing information from a first billing category to a second billing category.

Abstract: The various embodiments include methods, computers and communication systems for controlling services across multiple heterogeneous networks, which may include receiving a service request, identifying two or more telecommunications domains required to fulfill the received service request, generating two or more domain specific service requests based on the received service request, associating at least one of the generated plurality of domain specific service requests with one of the identified telecommunications domains, and sending the associated domain specific service requests to exposed public interfaces of the associated telecommunications domains. A component in the telecommunications domain may receive the domain specific service request, decompose the request into resource rule(s), and send the resource rule(s) to a relevant component within the associated telecommunications domain for enforcement.

Abstract: The various embodiments include methods, computers and communication systems that enable synchronizing information in a telecommunications system, which may include receiving a first message including communication information to be synchronized from a first domain, receiving a second message including information associated with a communication on a component in a second telecommunication domain, synchronizing information included in the first message with information included in the second message, and sending the synchronized information to a public interface of the first domain. Synchronizing the information included in the first message with information included in the second message may include synchronizing one or more of metering, rating, charging, balance, policy, and contextual information.

Abstract: Methods, servers and systems for directly accessing and modifying charging information maintained within a telecommunications operator's business and operating systems' infrastructure from user equipment. A mobile application server may receive a charging request from a user equipment, identify a relevant charging system based on the received request, send a charging request to the identified charging system for processing, receive a first response message including charging information from the identified charging system, generate a second response message based on the charging information included in the first response message, and send the generated second response message to the user equipment. The received charging request may include various types of information, including information for transferring cost or billing information from a first billing category to a second billing category.

Abstract: A network server may be configured to communicate triggers across a telecommunication network by receiving a trigger communication message that includes information suitable for causing a destination machine-to-machine device to perform operations in response to receiving the trigger communication message, receiving policy or charging information from a component in the telecommunication network, determining whether the trigger communication message should be sent to the destination machine-to-machine based on the received policy or charging information, and sending the trigger communication message to the destination component only when it is determined that the trigger communication message should be sent to the destination machine-to-machine based on the received policy or charging information.

Abstract: Methods, servers and systems for managing subscriber accounts within a telecommunications network. A server may be configured to identify a network access scheme (e.g., subscription plan, service pass, etc.) associated with a subscriber account, and use contextual information received from components in the telecommunication network to intelligently determine whether to notify the user of the availability of different network access schemes based on various factors, such as based on determining whether any available service pass is more cost effective than the currently installed service pass, whether any available service pass will provide a user equipment device with an increased quality of service relative to the currently installed service pass, whether any available subscription plan will provide the user equipment device with an increased quality of service relative to the current subscription plan, or whether any available subscription plan is more cost effective than the current subscription plan.

Abstract: The various embodiments include methods, computers and communication systems for distributing telecommunications functionality across multiple heterogeneous domains within a telecommunications system, which may include determining policy-charging capabilities of a first telecommunications domain, determining policy-charging capabilities of a second telecommunications domain, determining policy-charging requirements required for a communication, partitioning the policy-charging requirements into a first group and a second group based on the determined policy-charging capabilities of the first and second telecommunications domains, sending a first message including the first group of policy-charging requirements to a public interface of the first domain, and sending a second message including the second group of policy-charging requirements to a public interface of the second domain.

Abstract: The various embodiments include methods, computers and communication systems for controlling services across multiple heterogeneous networks by collecting communication information from a plurality of telecommunications domains, generating a message based on the collected communication information, and sending the generated message to a public interface of a telecommunications domain to alter the functionality of the telecommunications domain component. The generated message may include information for altering a functionality of a telecommunications domain component. Generating a message based on the collected communication information may include crowd sourcing the collected information, which may include summing, averaging, aggregating, comparing and/or correlating the collected information.

Abstract: Methods, servers and systems for communicating signaling information in a telecommunications signaling network implement methods that include receiving a first message encoding signaling information from a source component and processing the message using a fixed pipeline having a plurality of modules, each module having at least one procedure for performing a specific set of tasks. Application level routing operations may be performed to identify a suitable destination component. Information contained in the first message may be used to generate a second message encoding signaling information, which is sent to the identified destination component.

Abstract: The various embodiments include methods, computing devices and communication systems for controlling services in a communications network. A communications server may be configured to receive bounding information from a first server, decision making information from a second server, and a request to generate a decision from any of a number of different systems or components. The communications server may define bounds for generating the decision based on the received bounding information, and generate the decision based on the received decision making information and defined bounds. The communication server may send the generated decision to a third server implementing a functional system, such as a server in policy management system, policy enforcement system, charging system, or mobile application server system.

Abstract: A combination of a common key routing (CKR) method and data proxy architecture (DPA) method may be used to route communication messages in a telecommunication network to achieve improved data locality and reduce secondary key lookups. A processor in a multiprocessor computing system may receive a first communication message that includes subscriber identifiers that uniquely identify a subscriber, generate a common key based on the subscriber identifiers, identify a first logical scalable unit that includes a first database memory that stores subscriber data relating to the subscriber via a database application programming interface (API) and the common key, store the first communication message in the first database memory included in the first logical scalable unit, and receive a second communication message in response to storing the first communication message in the first database memory and routing the second communication message to another component the telecommunication network.

Abstract: Methods, servers and systems for communicating signaling information in a telecommunications signaling network implement methods that include receiving a first message encoding signaling information from a source component and processing the message using a fixed pipeline having a plurality of modules, each module having at least one procedure for performing a specific set of tasks. Application level routing operations may be performed to identify a suitable destination component. Information contained in the first message may be used to generate a second message encoding signaling information, which is sent to the identified destination component.

Abstract: Systems and methods for accomplishing charging operations in a communications network in which a plurality of charging and enforcement (CaE) components operate as enforcement points for a single data communication may include receiving in a server computing device usage records from a first CaE component and a second CaE component, generating correlated usage records by using a common Service Data Flow (SDF) to correlate the one or more usage records received from the first CaE component with the one or more records received from the second CaR component, and using the correlated usage records to determine a charge value that identifies correct charges to be applied.

Abstract: A combination of a common key routing (CKR) method and a data locality table (DLT) method may be used to route communication messages in a telecommunication network to achieve improved data locality and reduce secondary key lookups. A processor in a multiprocessor computing system may receive a first communication message that includes subscriber identifiers that uniquely identify a subscriber, generate a common key based on the subscriber identifiers included in the first communication message, and identify a first logical scalable unit that includes a first database memory that stores subscriber data relating to the subscriber by querying a data locality table with the common key. The processor may also identify a first application processor in the multiprocessor computing system that is part of the first logical scalable unit and send the first communication message to the first application processor.

Abstract: A combination of an independent key routing (IKR) method and a data proxy architecture (DPA) method may be used to route communication messages in a telecommunication network to achieve improved data locality and reduce secondary key lookups. A processor may receive a first communication message that includes subscriber identifiers that uniquely identify a subscriber, generate a plurality of keys for a plurality of message types, identify a first logical scalable unit (LSU) that includes a first memory that stores a first type of data via a database API and a first key, identify a second LSU that includes a second memory that stores a second type of data relating to the subscriber via the database API and a second key of the plurality of keys, store the first communication message and the first key in the first database memory, and store the first key in the second database memory.

Abstract: A combination of an independent key routing (IKR) method and a data locality table (DLT) method may be used to route communication messages in a telecommunication network to achieve improved data locality and reduce secondary key lookups. A processor a multiprocessor computing system may receive a first communication message that includes subscriber identifiers that uniquely identify a subscriber, generate a plurality of keys for a plurality of message types based on the subscriber identifiers, identify a first logical scalable unit that includes a first database memory that stores a first type of data relating to the subscriber by using a first key of the plurality of keys to query a data locality table, identify a first application processor in the multiprocessor computing system that is part of the first logical scalable unit, and send the first communication message and the plurality of keys to the first application processor.

Abstract: Systems and methods for accomplishing charging operations in telecommunications networks that include multiple charging and enforcement components may include configuring a first charging and enforcement component to receive user traffic, determine usage information associated with the received user traffic, send the associated usage information to a charging system component, and send the user traffic and the associated usage information to a second charging and enforcement component. The second charging and enforcement component may be configured to receive the user traffic and usage information, compute updated usage information, and send the updated usage information to the charging system component. The charging system may use this updated usage information to ensure that the subscriber accounts were billed correctly.

Abstract: Methods, servers and systems for communicating signaling information in a telecommunications signaling network implement methods that include receiving a first message encoding signaling information from a source component and processing the message using a fixed pipeline having a plurality of modules, each module having at least one procedure for performing a specific set of tasks. Application level routing operations may be performed to identify a suitable destination component. Information contained in the first message may be used to generate a second message encoding signaling information, which is sent to the identified destination component.

Abstract: The various embodiments include methods, computing devices and communication systems for controlling services in a communications network. A communications server may be configured to receive bounding information from a first server, decision making information from a second server, and a request to generate a decision from any of a number of different systems or components. The communications server may define bounds for generating the decision based on the received bounding information, and generate the decision based on the received decision making information and defined bounds. The communication server may send the generated decision to a third server implementing a functional system, such as a server in policy management system, policy enforcement system, charging system, or mobile application server system.