4.0 Introduction

32.2403GPPCharging architecture and principlesCharging managementRelease 18Telecommunication managementTS

The main requirements and high-level principles for charging and billing across the domains, subsystems and services that comprise 3GPP networks are established in the TS 22.115 [101]. In order to fulfil these requirements, appropriate charging information needs to be generated and collected by the network elements or network functions of the 3GPP network and forwarded to appropriate charging and billing systems.

Several logical charging functions are needed in the network in order to provide the functionality described above for online and offline charging, respectively. These charging functions are specified in detail in this clause, together with the reference points and service based interface that are used to transfer charging information between those functions. While the overall possibilities that exist within the 3GPP standards for the physical mapping of these logical functions are described in the present document, the exact situation that applies to the various domains, subsystems and services of the network is specified in the middle tier TS that is specific to that domain/subsystem/service (i.e. TS 32.25x, TS 32.26x and TS 32.27x).

In offline charging, the charging information is transferred from the network to the Billing Domain (BD), where it is processed for billing and/or statistical purposes, at the discretion of the PLMN operator. While the internal functions of the BD are outside the scope of 3GPP standardisation, the reference point for the charging information transfer from the network to the BD does form a part of the 3GPP standards and is therefore also specified in the present clause.

In online charging, the charging information is transferred from the network to the Online Charging System (OCS) or to the Converged Charging System (CCS). The OCS or CCS, in turn, may have an offline charging reference point used to forward charging information to the BD that is similar in scope and intent to the offline charging case described in the previous paragraph. Those areas of the OCS and CCS that form part of the 3GPP standards (functions, reference points and service based interface) are also described in the present clause. All other aspects of the OCS and CCS are outside the scope of 3GPP.