PDF of this tutorial
Definition
Billing in a 3G environment refers to the capacity of a wireless communications service provider to capture, rate, and bill next-generation mobile communications events. These events include voice, data, and electronic content such as mobile Web browsing and e-mail, mobile commerce activities, and streaming video.
Overview
The migration from second generation (2G) to third generation (3G) wireless communications systems represents a landmark shift in the development of the mobile communications industry—and the communications and information industries in general.
This tutorial explores the evolution of the wireless market from 2G through interim 2.5G to advanced 3G networks. Its central focus is an examination of the challenges that service providers face in deploying billing systems that are capable of meeting existing requirements and flexible enough to support the gradual adoption of 2.5G and 3G next-generation services by consumers.
The tutorial also reviews the enabling technologies and standards that define each generation of communications services. To satisfy the unique billing requirements of carriers that deploy advanced network services, billing systems must support the standards described in the following sections.
