Charging for QoS in internetworks

Pricing is an effective regulatory tool to provide proper incentives so that users´ self-interest will lead them to modify their usage according to their needs. This leads to better overall network utilization and enhanced users´ satisfaction. In this work, a scalable pricing framework for QoS capable networks supporting real time, adjustable real time, and non-real time traffic is studied. The scheme, which belongs to usage-based methods, is independent of the underlying network and the mechanisms for QoS provisioning. The framework is credit-based ensuring the fairness, comprehensibility, and predictability of usage cost. On the other hand, it provides a means for the network providers to ensure, with high probability, cost recovery and profit, competitiveness of prices, and encouragement of client behavior that will enhance the network´s efficiency. This is achieved by appropriate charging mechanisms and suitable incentives. Simulation results suggest that users have better overall satisfaction; providers are able to recover costs; better network utilization is achieved while reduced call blocking probability is observed. The implementation and usage costs of the framework are low