Charging Communication Networks

by Songhurst

• ISBN13: 9780444502759
• ISBN10: 0444502750
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-06-03
• Publisher: Elsevier Science

Summary

This book proposes that usage-based charging schemes are essential to generate the incentives necessary for efficient operation of multiservice networks. The rapid development of network technology is enabling sophisticated new services and applications which demand new charging models. The same technology provides the means to operate the right charging schemes.Some of the work done in the European collaborative project CA$hMAN (Charging and Accounting Schemes in Multiservice ATM Networks). This project combined performance and economic models of network resource usage and cutomer utility to construct simple but effective charging schemes which were implemented and trialled in an advanced management platform.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	ix
Introduction	xi
Charging in communication networks	1	(22)
Multiservice networks	1	(4)
Internet	5	(7)
ATM	12	(4)
Requirements for charging schemes	16	(3)
The CA$hMAN Project	19	(4)
The abc scheme	23	(14)
Introduction	23	(1)
Models for charging schemes	24	(2)
A general mechanism for usage-sensitive charging	26	(3)
A numerical example	29	(3)
Charging policies	32	(2)
Implementation and user issues	34	(3)
Design and Implementation Concepts	37	(34)
Overview	37	(2)
Business model	39	(3)
Accounting management service	42	(6)
Service provision and charging - the common framework	48	(7)
Interfaces and information flow	55	(5)
User and network intelligent agents	60	(5)
Performance considerations	65	(6)
The CA$hMAN charging and accounting system	71	(38)
Overview	71	(2)
Motivation and objectives of the system	73	(3)
Service provision and accounting management	76	(3)
Architectural framework	79	(9)
The CA$hMAN charging unit	88	(7)
Integration and deployment of the system	95	(3)
User interface design	98	(3)
Operational scenario	101	(4)
Conclusion	105	(4)
Agents	109	(40)
A user agent for ABR connections	110	(15)
Experiments with the ABR agent	125	(8)
Automated tariff renegotiation	133	(4)
Automated traffic contract renegotiation	137	(12)
Open issues	149	(18)
Service-level charging	150	(2)
Interconnect charging	152	(5)
Relative prices of services	157	(3)
Standards activities	160	(1)
IP charging	161	(6)
A Pricing for guaranteed services	167	(26)
A.1 Overview	167	(1)
A.2 Effective bandwidth	168	(7)
A.3 A simple charging mechanism	175	(2)
A.4 Charges that are linear in general measurements	177	(6)
A.5 Accuracy and fairness	183	(5)
A.6 Charging and acceptance control	188	(5)
B Pricing for elastic services	193	(18)
B.1 Overview	193	(2)
B.2 Proportionally fair pricing	195	(6)
B.3 Dynamic pricing for ABR services	201	(5)
B.4 Sharing effective usage	206	(5)
C CA$hMAN participants	211	(2)
Glossary	213	(4)
Bibliography	217	(9)
Index	226