Objectives:
The Internet Protocol (IP) is the world’s dominant data communications protocol and is the core of the emerging UMTS networks. However, traditional ways of billing by telcos don’t fit IP. The classic ‘time and distance’ paradigm used for voice traffic is not applicable to bursty IP traffic. Nevertheless, IP must be billed if carriers are to stay (or, in some cases, become) profitable.

This course examines how billing for both Circuit Switched and Packet Switched traffic can be billed in an UMTS network. It starts by refreshing delegates on the architecture of the UMTS core networks, both the first, Release 99 and all-IP before looking at the IP chain of services necessary to deliver IP-based services to customers before looking at major characteristics of IP. This is not an in-depth IP course but some aspects of IP are essential to understand how to bill IP.

The course then examines a number of UMTS billing models and discusses their possible implementation.