Computerized system and method for rating wireless roaming
Disclosed is a system and method for wireless data clearing and settlement. The disclosed systems and methods relate towards near real-time ratings for purposes of wireless rating for data clearing and financial settlement. The present disclosure reconciles differing rating attribute formats using flexible matching. The disclosed systems and methods apply known negotiated rates for Home Service Provider (HSP) users roaming onto a VNP hotspot, and apply a standardized set of attributes of the contract with the applicable HSP, and other attributes applying a different set of rates to another HSP. The present disclosure provides systems and methods that enable traffic to be offloaded more easily from the Wide Area Networks (WAN) or macro networks.
1. A method comprising:
determining, via a computing device, session information associated with a user device in accordance with a first network;
determining, via the computing device, roaming session information associated with the user device in accordance with a second network, said roaming session information based upon information associated with a roaming session at the second network;
performing settlement, via the computing device, between the first network and the second network based in part upon said session information and said roaming session information, said settlement comprising negotiating rates between the first network and said second network, said settlement further comprising:
confirming a rating rule based upon said negotiated rate between the first network and said second network and said session information and said roaming session information generated in association with said user device;
negotiating, via the computing device, usage contracts between the first network and said second network;
selecting, based upon offload criteria, said confirmed rating rule, wherein said confirmed rating rule facilitating cost minimization for network usage of the second network by said user device; and
wherein the selection of said confirmed rating rule, causes the user device to offload from said first network to said second network and said offloading comprising applying the selected confirmed rating rule to network activity of said user device.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a presence of a third network based upon information associated with the user device, said information comprising at least one of a location of the user device or network activity of the user device on said first network or said second network; and
determining roaming session information associated with the user device in accordance with a third network, said roaming session information based upon information associated with a roaming session at the third network.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
offloading, via the computing device, the user device from said second network to said third network based upon settlement between the first network and said third network, which comprises confirming a second rating rule for application to the user device's network activity based in part upon network configuration and data usage associated with said third network; and applying the second rating rule to network activity of said user device.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first network is a network provided by a home service provider (HSP).
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said second network is a network provided by a Virtual Network Provider (VNP) at a VNP hotspot.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said rating rule confirmation is based in part upon session packet information generated from RADIUS packets, wherein said confirmation comprises obtaining said group of ratings rules in accordance with said RADIUS packets and matching each rating rule in accordance with said roaming session information associated with said second network.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein each the roaming session information comprises at least one of the group consisting of: user device location, time usage of said second network, minutes of use, data volume and an incremental rating.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said negotiation of usage contracts is further based upon at least one of a group consisting of: aggregator agreements for network usage, agreements between service providers and direct agreements with a user associated with the user device.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said applied rating is adjusted in accordance with network usage by the user device and contractual information between the user device and second network.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein, said negotiation comprising:
identifying rates attributable to the user device upon activity occurring over the first network;
identifying rates attributable to the user device upon activity occurring over the second network; and
comparing each respective rate in accordance with offload criteria associated with said second network, said offload criteria based upon contractual information between the user device and the second network.
11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly encoded with computer-executable instructions, that when executed by a processor, perform a method comprising:
determining session information associated with a user device in accordance with a first network;
determining roaming session information associated with the user device in accordance with a second network, said roaming session information based upon information associated with a roaming session at the second network;
performing settlement between the first network and the second network based in part upon said session information and said roaming session information, said settlement comprising negotiating rates between the first network and said second network; and
confirming a rating rule based upon said negotiated rate between the first network and said second network and said session information and said roaming session information generated in association with said user device;
negotiating usage contracts between the first network and said second network; and
selecting, based upon offload criteria, said confirmed rating rule, wherein said confirmed rating rule facilitating cost minimization for network usage of the second network by said user device; and
wherein the selection of said confirmed rating rule causes the user device, to offload from said first network to said second network and said offloading comprising applying the selected confirmed rating rule to network activity of said user device.
12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , further comprising:
determining a presence of a third network based upon information associated with the user device, said information comprising at least one of a location of the user device or network activity of the user device on said first network or said second network; and
determining roaming session information associated with the user device in accordance with a third network, said roaming session information based upon information associated with a roaming session at the third network.
13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , further comprising:
offloading, via the computing device, the user device from said second network to said third network based upon settlement between the first network and said third network, which comprises confirming a second rating rule for application to the user device's network activity based in part upon network configuration and data usage associated with said third network; and
applying the second rating rule to network activity of said user device.
14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein said rating rule confirmation is based in part upon session packet information generated from RADIUS packets, wherein said confirmation comprises obtaining said group of ratings rules in accordance with said RADIUS packets and matching each rating rule in accordance with said roaming session information associated with said second network.
15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein, said negotiation comprising:
identifying rates attributable to the user device upon activity occurring over the first network;
identifying rates attributable to the user device upon activity occurring over the second network; and
comparing each respective rate in accordance with offload criteria associated with said second network, said offload criteria based upon contractual information between the user device and the second network.
16. A system comprising:
at least one computing device comprising:
memory storing computer-executable instructions; and
one or more processors for executing said computer-executable instructions, comprising:
determining session information associated with a user device in accordance with a first network;
determining roaming session information associated with the user device in accordance with a second network, said roaming session information based upon information associated with a roaming session at the second network;
performing settlement between the first network and the second network based in part upon said session information and said roaming session information, said settlement comprising negotiating rates between the first network and said second network; and
confirming a rating rule based upon said negotiated rate between the first network and said second network and said session information and said roaming session information generated in association with said user device;
negotiating usage contracts between the first network and said second network; and
logically selecting, based upon offload criteria, said confirmed rating rule, wherein said confirmed rating rule facilitating cost minimization for network usage of the second network by said user device; and
wherein the selection of said confirmed rating rule causes the user device, based on the compared rates, to offload from said first network to said second network and said offloading comprising applying the selected confirmed rating rule to network activity of said user device.
17. The system of claim 16 , wherein said computer-executable instructions, further comprising:
determining a presence of a third network based upon information associated with the user device, said information comprising at least one of a location of the user device or network activity of the user device on said first network or said second network;
determining roaming session information associated with the user device in accordance with a third network, said roaming session information based upon information associated with a roaming session at the third network;
offloading, via the computing device, the user device from said second network to said third network based upon settlement between the first network and said third network, which comprises confirming a second rating rule for application to the user device's network activity based in part upon network configuration and data usage associated with said third network; and
applying the second rating rule to network activity of said user device.
18. The system of claim 16 , wherein said negotiation comprising:
identifying rates attributable to the user device upon activity occurring over the first network;
identifying rates attributable to the user device upon activity occurring over the second network; and
comparing each respective rate in accordance with offload criteria associated with said second network, said offload criteria based upon contractual information between the user device and the second network.