A generic framework for the management of charging, billing and accounting process in heterogeneous networks

The introduction of the IP in the mobile networks and furthermore the convergence of heterogeneous networks (e.g. UMTS, EDGE, tVLAN) brings additional requirements and complexity for managing flexible service provision and charging in heterogeneous environments. To cope with such complexity the introduction of an integrated framework for all least charging process is required. In that context, this paper discusses the involved business players and the imposed requirements and describes a generic framework for all management aspects related to charging, billing and accounting in heterogeneous environments.