TELCOREL04-BP03 Implement default configuration to bypass billing and charging services in case the system is down
Implementing a default configuration to bypass billing and charging services in a telecom network maintains service continuity for customers in the event of a failure or outage in the billing or charging system. The network is configured with a failover mechanism that continues providing critical communication services while bypassing the charging/billing component if they become unavailable or unresponsive. This bypass mode allows customers to continue accessing and using the telecom services without interruption, even when the billing or charging systems are down.
Desired outcome:
-
Verify customer experience and service availability take precedence over billing and charging functions.
-
Allow customers to continue using services while their usage and session data is temporarily stored or cached within the network.
-
Process cached usage data once the billing and charging systems are restored, verifying revenue is not lost.
Implementation guidance
Implement a default configuration on the control plane functions that allows the network to bypass the billing and charging systems in the event of a failure or outage. Configure the network functions to continue call setup or session establishment even when the charging system is unresponsive. When the billing or charging systems are restored, they process the cached usage data to verify revenue is not lost despite the temporary bypass of these systems.
Implementation steps
-
Define bypass triggers and thresholds:
-
Use monitoring tools to detect failures or unresponsiveness in the billing and charging systems
-
Establish clear criteria and thresholds for triggering the bypass mode, such as connection timeouts, error rates, or system availability metrics
-
-
Implement bypass configuration:
-
Configure network functions with a default method to continue call setup or session setup in case the charging system is unresponsive.
-
-
Use data records and call records for offline charging/billing:
-
Once the billing or charging systems are back online, the cached usage data can be processed and the end user is billed accordingly, verifying that revenue is not lost despite the temporary bypass of these systems.
-
Resources
Key AWS services:
