A protocol for billing mobile network access devices operating in foreign networks

Mobile computing is becoming pervasive, and with it comes the demand for unfettered network access for mobile users. Currently, mobile network access is provided by a relatively small number of service providers, in part due to the high costs of operating wireless network systems and the accompanying "backbone" architectures. Mobile users have to establish proprietary billing arrangements with their service providers, and are limited to using the wireless networks run by their service provider. The existence of the Internet as the baseline network backbone with its unifying TCP/IP architecture, and the advances in low cost wireless network technology allows for a new means of wireless network access for mobile users. Small scale service providers can simply install low cost wireless network base stations and plug them into the Internet, providing network access to any willing mobile user. The low barriers to entry makes it likely that there will be a large number of service providers. A non-proprietary billing protocol used among these service providers will allow mobile users to use any service provider's network. This leads to better wireless coverage for the mobile user. The authors propose one such protocol. This protocol may be implemented as an extension to the Mobile IP protocol, as they share certain similarities in their execution. This would spur its deployment as Mobile IP is an open standard that will likely be used by mobile users.