Online Charging and Policy Control
PAiCore OCS / PCRF manages offers, usage balances and charging decisions in one configurable platform, bringing online charging, policy control and 5G charging together on a shared policy and rating engine.
OVERVIEW
PAiCore OCS / PCRF combines online charging (OCS), policy control (PCRF) and 5G charging (CHF) on a shared policy and rating engine, with asset and wallet repositories and an API orchestration layer. Operators manage offers, usage balances and charging decisions in one configurable platform.
Every price plan works on the charging context: trigger, subscriber, asset, wallet and location data. A plan determines whether the session or event is allowed, the rate to apply and any additional actions, such as notifications and policy changes.
Interface, policy and charging services are deployed as separate Kubernetes components and managed through APIs and the O&M GUI. REST APIs connect provisioning, charging sessions and events, while rated CDRs connect the charging platform with downstream invoicing.
KEY FEATURES
- Rating through price tables, decision trees and scripts
- Money, volume, duration and unit balances, with limits and cascading
- One-off or recurring bundles with lifecycle and threshold notifications
- REST APIs for provisioning, charging sessions and events
CAPABILITIES
Offers, Balances and Charging Decisions in One Platform
Manage offers, usage balances and charging decisions in one configurable platform.
Rating & Price Plans
Define tariffs through price tables, decision trees and scripts.
Wallets & Balances
Manage money, volume, duration and units, with limits and cascading.
Bundles & Buckets
Configure one-off or recurring bundles, expiry and balance changes.
Subscribers & Assets
Organize identities, devices and hierarchies, with wallets at different levels.
Charging Decisions
Use event, asset, wallet and location data to allow, rate or block usage.
APIs & Integration
Connect provisioning, charging sessions and events through REST APIs.
PLATFORM ARCHITECTURE
One Policy and Rating Engine for 4G and 5G
Policy control, online charging and 5G charging share the platform layer, from the API and AI orchestration layer down to the 4G and 5G network interfaces.
Policy & Rating Engine
Application Integration
REST provisioning, charging sessions and events.
Network Interfaces
OCS, policy control and 5G charging interfaces are scoped during solution alignment.
Charging Records
Rated CDRs connect the charging platform with downstream invoicing.
PRICE-PLAN LOGIC
The Charging Context Steers Every Decision
Any charging-context field can steer the plan, and every evaluation ends in clear outcomes.
- Triggering data
- Asset data
- Wallet
- Location
- Destination location
Price-plan
Matrix and decision-tree plans cover most designs. New plan types can be added through the Java SDK.
- Allow / block
- Rate to use
- Extra actions, e.g. notifications
Classic Price Tables
Multidimensional matrices from XLS or CSV, with configurable fields and wildcard rows (*) for clean fallback pricing.
Decision Trees
Evaluate configured conditions and select allow/block, rates, policy actions and notification triggers.
Scripting
Groovy, Lua or JavaScript for the most complex rating and policy logic, with full access to trigger, asset and wallet data.
PLATFORM DETAILS
Configure Rating, Wallets, Bundles and Integrations
Explore how each part of the platform is configured, connected and operated.
Rating & Price Plans
Three Configuration Methods
Build multidimensional price tables from XLS or CSV, use decision trees, or apply scripts for complex logic. Wildcard entries support fallback pricing; SDK extensions support custom rating blocks and plan types.
Decisions Based on Charging Context
Use trigger, subscriber, asset, wallet and location data to select the charging behaviour. Country, region, network, destination and time-of-day information can steer a configured plan.
Configurable Rates
Define linear rates, surcharges and fixed charges. Each rate references a balance cascade, with configurable VAT treatment, currency exchange rules and future activation dates.
Clear Evaluation Outcomes
A plan determines whether the session or event is allowed, the rate to apply and any additional actions. Those actions can include notifications and policy changes within the agreed solution scope.
Wallets & Balances
Balance Types and Units
Manage money, volume, duration or unit balances. Every balance carries a unit, enabling conversions such as MB to GB or seconds to minutes. Balances can also act as informative usage counters.
Limits and Counting Behaviour
Count balances down for consumption or up for accumulation. Set upper and lower limits, and decide whether reaching a limit blocks further usage or allows another balance to take over.
Balance and Bucket Selection
Cascade across eligible balances when one is depleted. Mix balance types, convert usage through the configured rate and select buckets by rules such as expiry date or creation order.
Wallets Across the Organisation
Link wallets at different organizational levels. Wallet cascading can let a parent wallet cover a remaining charge when a subscriber wallet has insufficient balance. Currency exchange behaviour is defined per rate.
When an eligible balance is depleted, the next balance takes over. Selection, limits and expiry follow the configured rules.
Bundles & Notifications
Bundle Behaviour
Define one-off boosters or recurring bundles, with optional automatic start on subscription and pro-rata behaviour. A definition can permit one or multiple instances in the same wallet.
Configurable Balance Changes
A bundle can top up or charge one or more balances. Changes can be mandatory or optional, absolute or relative, and can use an existing bucket or create a new one with an expiry date.
Wallet Subscriptions
Keep balances, buckets, bundle subscriptions and notification definitions within the wallet model. Configure renewal behaviour and the conditions that trigger an action or notification.
Lifecycle and Threshold Notifications
Trigger notifications for activation, deactivation, renewal success or failure, approaching expiry and balance thresholds. Events flow to the notification engine for e-mail, SMS or downstream systems.
Notifications flow to the notification engine: e-mail, SMS or downstream systems.
Subscribers & Assets
Flexible Subscriber Hierarchies
Organize companies, subscribers and devices in a tree-leaf structure. Each organizational level can have its own wallet, supporting charging relationships across the hierarchy.
Multiple Subscriber Identities
Associate one or more identities with a subscriber: MSISDN, IMSI, IMEI, external OSS IDs, e-mail addresses or serial numbers. Identity metadata supplies context for service and charging decisions.
Configurable Asset Data
Store simple values or complex JSON-style objects, with or without a schema. Templates can define mandatory fields, data constraints and lifecycle rules for different asset types.
Linked Assets and Configuration
Connect assets to other assets, child assets, wallets and the relevant charging or policy configuration. Additional information can remain in the asset or be organised through linked child assets.
APIs & Integration
Provisioning and Configuration
Use REST APIs to maintain assets, locations, rates and plans. Location data can also be imported from CSV or maintained through the Java SDK, supporting automated OSS/BSS workflows.
Charging Sessions and Events
Integrate charging-session and event requests through the platform APIs. Session management includes create, retrieve, update and delete operations, with charging context supplied to the relevant services.
Network Interface Scope
Align Diameter Gy/Ro charging, Gx/Rx policy interfaces and N40/Nchf 5G charging with the selected components. Versions, network peers and interoperability scenarios are confirmed during solution alignment.
Records and Notifications
Connect rated records with downstream billing or invoicing and exchange records or files through the relevant interfaces. Deliver configured notification events to the agreed channels and external applications.
Deployment & Operations
Kubernetes-based Deployment
Deploy interface, policy and charging services as separate Kubernetes components. Scale the required components and assess private-cloud, public-cloud or bare-metal hosting.
API-based Management
Manage configuration and maintenance through APIs and the O&M GUI. Version changes through GitOps or CI/CD, with controlled application and rollback.
Observability & Access
Combine metrics, logs and alerting with scoped access. Reference tools include Prometheus, Loki, Grafana and Keycloak; tool selection and customer visibility are deployment-specific.
Security & Service Scope
Confirm tenant isolation, encryption, audit and retention controls. Agree hosting, operational responsibilities, support coverage and SLA terms. Deployment and service scope are agreed for each engagement.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
TPS & Recommended HW
| Environment | vCPU | RAM | Deployment | Estimated throughput |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test / PoC | 2 | 8 GB | 1 VM | ≈ 500 TPS |
| Production | 8 | 16 GB | 3 VMs | ≈ 500 TPS |
Our software products are fully tested and optimized for deployment in AWS EC2 instances, ensuring peak performance and reliability. While they are compatible with any Linux-based virtual environment, performance may vary depending on the underlying infrastructure and configuration.
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