Title: Design and implementation of an integrated accounting architecture for distributed UMTS and WLAN networks

Authors: Peter Racz, Volker Forster, Burkhard Stiller

Addresses: Communication Systems Research Group, Department of Informatics (IFI), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. ' Deutsche Bundeswehr, Führungsunterstutzungsbereich der Luftwaffe, Koln. ' Communication Systems Research Group, Department of Informatics (IFI), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Computer Engineering and Networks Laboratory (TIK), ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

Abstract: Accounting for resource and service usage in communication networks forms the basis of network operators| business, and is therefore essential. Within a heterogeneous, multidomain mobile environment of emerging new access technologies, the demand for a distributed accounting infrastructure becomes more relevant. Driven by the analysis of current accounting solutions in Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) and Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) networks, the newly developed approach presents an integrated accounting architecture based on the Diameter protocol, forming a flexible basis for charging UMTS and WLAN communication services. The system developed is described, discussed and evaluated by a prototypical implementation.

Keywords: distributed accounting; charging; multidomain environments; Diameter protocol; universal mobile telecommunications system; UMTS; wireless LANs; local area networks; WLANs; wireless networks.

DOI: 10.1504/IJWMC.2007.016721

International Journal of Wireless and Mobile Computing, 2007 Vol.2 No.4, pp.275 - 287

Published online: 18 Jan 2008 *

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