Real time charging is crucial to telecom operators who base their return on investment on this type of billing that still seems both attractive and fair to customers. In the context of the shift of network technology to the all-IP paradigm under the IMS umbrella, and the consequent revolution in terms of services, the concept of real-time charging evolved as well to tackle the challenges of multimedia services and packet switching technologies. However, IMS adds the notion of service composition by the service session concept that adds further complexity to the charging task.In order to handle this complexity, the present contribution suggests a framework to model applications and real-time charging policies according to involved services and their characteristics. Also, it introduces the concept of multi-definition of the single service in IMS charging paradigm.

Abstract. The increasing complexity, heterogeneity and dynamism of networks, systems and services have made our informational infrastructure unmanageable and insecure. The last events in the European telecom operator and IT landscapes showed inherent limits of current network and systems management architectures with respect to availability, resiliency and QoS. This paper presents a new architectural vision, merging well working technologies to tackle the problem complexity of network services management. Particular attention is drawn on the multiple stakeholders environment, where realistically many parties collaborate to fulfill end-to-end service to end users.

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The main function of a Rating Function in an online charging system is to perform real-time calculations of the tariff. In the context of the IP Multimedia Subystem, and the consequent revolution in terms of services and applications, quality of service and network performance play an important role in application delivery and user experience. Consequently, a Rating Function that integrates these new parameters is important to address the challenge of an accurate real-time charging of applications in IP multimedia subsystem environments. The present contribution suggests an approach for modeling rating functions in the Online Charging System of IMS. Furthermore it defines the interactions between the rating function and service elements and network elements and business actors.