Prepaid short message services revenue capture
A prepaid messaging solution that utilizes a pre-delivery debit query to tariff a short message, coupled with an additional debit query performed once necessary billing information has been acquired. A short message is tariffed prior to message delivery via a pre-delivery debit query to a prepaid server. During message delivery, the prepaid server is queried a second time, following the HLR query performed by the Short Message Service Center (SMSC). This subsequent debit query bills a subscriber for any additional service fees discovered throughout message delivery, e.g., international/roaming fees, etc. If either the pre-delivery debit query or the subsequent debit query indicates that a subscriber has insufficient account balance to deliver a short message, the message is prevented from being delivered. If a message is dropped due to lack of account balance, any funds debited throughout the attempted message delivery may be credited back to the subscriber's prepaid account.
1. A prepaid messaging service comprising:
receiving a short message at a delivery server;
initiating a pre-delivery debit query to a prepaid server;
if a prepaid account does not have adequate account funds to deliver said received short message, dropping said short message;
if said prepaid account has adequate account funds to deliver said received short message, receiving a home location register (HLR) query response identifying an additional service fee from message delivery, and tariffing said received short message prior to completion of message delivery;
wherein a subscriber device with sufficient account balance is billed for said additional service fee prior to completion of message delivery.
2. The prepaid messaging service according to claim 1 , wherein:
said querying said home location register is performed via a short message service center (SMSC).
3. The prepaid messaging service according to claim 1 , wherein:
said pre-delivery debit query is performed before completion of said start message delivery.
4. The prepaid messaging service according to claim 1 , wherein:
said pre-delivery debit query debits a standard message delivery fee.
5. The prepaid messaging service according to claim 1 , wherein:
said pre-delivery debit query debits said additional service fee from message delivery.
6. The prepaid messaging service according to claim 1 , wherein:
said additional service fee from message delivery is an international fee.
7. The prepaid messaging service according to claim 1 , wherein:
said additional service fee from message delivery is a roaming fee.
8. Apparatus for providing a prepaid messaging service, comprising:
means for receiving a short message at a delivery server;
means for initiating a pre-delivery debit query to a prepaid server;
means for dropping said short message if a prepaid account does not have adequate account funds to deliver said received short message;
if said prepaid account has adequate account funds to deliver said received short message, means for receiving a home location register (HLR) query response identifying an additional service fee from message delivery, and means for tariffing said received short message prior to completion of message delivery;
wherein a subscriber device with sufficient account balance is billed for said additional service fee prior to completion of message delivery.
9. The apparatus for providing a prepaid messaging service according to claim 8 , wherein:
said means for querying said home location register queries from a short message service center (SMSC).
10. The apparatus for providing a prepaid messaging service according to claim 8 , wherein:
said pre-delivery debit query is performed before completion of said message delivery.