In any network, it is always a good idea to maintain border security and not disclose
a lot of details about the nodes within the network. In fact, routing of all traffic through
gateways allows operators to publish a finite number of addresses (or in the case of
IMS, an Anycast address). The gateway or topology hiding function then knows the
internal addresses and is responsible for routing messages from other networks to the
appropriate entities within the network domain.
Chapter 7
Online and Offline Charging in the IMS
The most important function within the IMS is charging. It is by charging that operators
are able to collect revenues for the services they offer, and what allows them to
continue to fund the development of their network and future services. While the model
in place today for how operators charge for services (a minutes-of-use model) is rapidly
changing (to a content/services rendered model), there lacks a means today for supporting
the charging of many different types of services within one system or platform.
The IMS provides a fresh opportunity for operators and vendors alike to implement
a major change within their charging architectures. Literally everything that a subscriber
does is tracked and recorded within the IMS, which is one of its principle advantages
from a revenue perspective. If a subscriber places a voice call, every aspect of that
call is captured and recorded, much as it is today with one significant difference.
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