As the world goes digital, more and more 5G networks are now coming to life. It is quite fascinating to take a look at how far we have from when it comes to charging systems within the new 5G mobile networks. And there seems to be no signs of stopping any time soon as technology keeps evolving.

Either way, it always pays off to know what 5G charging function has to offer and how to get there. Luckily, that is precisely what this article will help you find out today. Below are some of the 3GPP changes to the fundamental charging system standards.

Convergence

With 5G network, the Charging solution has been renamed to Converged Charging System (CCS). The term ‘Converged’ simply places more emphasis on the convergence of online and offline charging models within 5G CCS. This new charging architecture is now capable of handling offline and online charging models by merely counting on the same platform.

Before that, most CSPs had to deploy different charging solutions to address prepaid and postpaid segments. This, in turn, resulted in spaghetti architecture for rating and charging. For this reason, this change continues to play a vital role in simplifying the complex charging ecosystems that most CSPs have amassed.

CDR Generation Responsibility

You might not know this but 5G CCS happens to be the only mode in the entire 5GC capable of generating usage call data records (CDRs). Before the changes were put into place, the CDRs were generated by different elements. But with the 5G mobile network, all the gateway nodes such as AMF and SMF will no longer be in a position to generate CDRs directly.

Instead, they will have to count on the CDR generation capability within the CCS. Either way, they all need to invoke the new charging function. To cut a long story short, CCS in 5G assumes an indispensable and central role in all aspects of network monetization. This is regardless of how simple or complex the charging use cases may be. No wonder it is viewed at as a significant change.