10 Charging requirement

23.2463GPPArchitecture and functional descriptionMultimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS)Release 17TS

Tools: ARFCN - Frequency Conversion for 5G NR/LTE/UMTS/GSM

10.1 General

The MBMS architecture shall support on-line and off-line charging.

It shall be possible to collect charging information for the multicast mode. It shall also be possible to collect charging information for MBMS services in visited networks.

MBMS shall collect charging information about the transmission of MBMS broadcast or multicast data that are provided by content or service providers (e.g. 3^rd parties). This shall enable billing of broadcast and multicast content or service providers.

To enable billing of broadcast and multicast content providers, data shall be collected at the BM-SC.

NOTE: SGSN, GGSN and BM-SC generate charging data for the transmitted data, always under the assumption that the UEs are within the MBMS service area. If the MBMS service area is less than the PLMN, then there is the possibility that a UE will have moved outside the MBMS service area. Charging data will still be generated for that UE causing an inaccuracy in the data. This inaccuracy increases as the size of the MBMS service area is decreased.

10.2 Bearer level charging for MBMS

To provide bearer level charging for MBMS, mechanisms and functional elements described in TS 23.125 [12] are used for MBMS Bearer Contexts.

For EPS, MBMS GW shall collect charging information about the transmission of MBMS broadcast for UTRAN and E-UTRAN. MBMS Bearer context in MBMS GW should include charging related information elements.

Flow Based Charging (FBC) may be used to collect charging data records for MBMS Bearer Contexts e.g. for the purpose to charge the service provider, cf. TS 23.125 [12].

NOTE: Since multiple users share an MBMS bearer context FBC cannot be used for creating reports on a per user basis.

10.3 Application level charging for MBMS

For GPRS, in order to meet the MBMS charging requirements in TS 22.146 [2] and TS 22.246 [6], the following elements and functionalities are provided by the GPRS MBMS architecture:

a) The MSISDN and IMSI are passed to the BM-SC. This provides the operator with the ability to associate GPRS location information (i.e. serving network idenity) with a user.

b) In order to permit differential roaming tariffs, the serving network identity is provided to the BM-SC.

c) Charging for MBMS services is based on application layer mechanisms, since it is only at the application layer that security is provided which can restrict content to authorised users or confirm delivery of content to users:

The following general requirements apply to charging information generated by the BM-SC:

– Charging information generated for application layer charging events should include the above information provided by the GPRS network to facilitate differential roaming tariffs.

– Charging information should include an indication of the point at which the user had access to the content (e.g. if and when decryption keys for encrypted content are sent to the UE.).

For EPS, in order to meet the MBMS charging requirements in TS 22.146 [2], charging requirements for MBMS in EPS should be supported in broadcast mode and be same as that in broadcast mode for MBMS in GPRS network on application level.

10.4 Generation of charging records in the VPLMN

In this Release, charging for roaming scenario of MBMS in EPS will not be considered.

For GPRS, in order to permit the settlement of inter-operator roaming charges , the SGSN needs to raise CDRs. The information that needs to be included on these CDRs is FFS.