TS 32.255 – 5G Data Connectivity Converged Charging

1 Scope

The present document is part of a series of documents that specify charging functionality and charging management in 3GPP networks. The 3GPP core network charging architecture and principles are specified in TS 32.240 [1], which provides an umbrella for other charging management TSs that specify:

- the content of the CDRs per domain / subsystem / service (offline charging);

- the content of real-time charging messages per domain / subsystem / service (online charging);

- the functionality of online and offline charging for those domains / subsystems / services;

- the interfaces that are used in the charging framework to transfer the charging information (i.e. CDRs or charging events).

The complete document structure for these TSs is defined in TS 32.240 [1].

The present document specifies the converged offline and online charging description for the 5G Data Connectivity domain based on the functional stage 2 description in TS 23.501 [200], TS 23.502 [201] and TS 23.503 [202].

This charging description includes the converged offline and online charging architecture and scenarios specific to the 5G Data Connectivity domain, as well as the mapping of the common 3GPP charging architecture specified in TS 32.240 [1] onto the 5G Data Connectivity domain.

It further specifies the structure and content of the CDRs for offline charging, and the charging events for converged online and offline charging. The present document is related to other 3GPP charging TSs as follows:

- The common 3GPP charging architecture is specified in TS 32.240 [1].

- The parameters, abstract syntax and encoding rules for the CDRs are specified in TS 32.298 [51].

- A transaction based mechanism for the transfer of CDRs within the network is specified in TS 32.295 [54].

- The file based mechanism used to transfer the CDRs from the network to the operator's billing domain (e.g. the billing system or a mediation device) is specified in TS 32.297 [52].

- The services, operations and procedures of charging, using Service Based Interface are specified in TS 32.290 [57].

- The charging service of 5G system is specified in TS 32.291 [58].

All references, abbreviations, definitions, descriptions, principles and requirements, used in the present document, that are common across 3GPP TSs, are defined in TR 21.905 [100]. Those that are common across charging management in 3GPP networks/domains, services or subsystems are provided in the umbrella TS 32.240 [1] and are copied into clause 3 of the present document for ease of reading. Finally, those items that are specific to the present document are defined exclusively in the present document.