MXPA99004370A - Selective broadcasting of charge rates - Google Patents

Abstract

A cellular phone system, optimizing user demand by charging system subscribers according to a Variable Charge Rate (VCR) that is based on the price elasticity of the subscribers. According to the present invention, the service provider monitors the load in each cell and, for each cell, the service provider continuously determines a charge rate that can be tailored to specific subscriber category according to a number of variables, offering subscribers a VCR that is optimized for the individual cell's capacity and overall system capacity. According to an exemplary embodiment, subscribers may use mobile stations supporting the Short Message Service (SMS) to provide the subscribers with the broadcast VCR. The system can determine, in real time, optimal VCRs for individual cells to maximize revenue generated by the cell for any time of day. The VCRs may be selectively broadcast to the VCR-mobile station to inform subscribers of the current rate of charge for calls. VCRs may be tailored to specific categories of subscribers to provide better price differentiation between subscribers based on price elasticity of the subscribers categories.

Description

SELECTIVE EMISSION OF COLLECTION RATES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to cellular telephone systems and, particularly, to a method and apparatus for controlling and optimizing the use of cellular telephony systems. A cellular telephone system normally provides services in an area populated by numerous users. With reference to Figure 1, the service area of the system is typically divided into cells (C1-C10), each equipped with a base station (BS1-BS10) capable of communicating with several users (Ml-10) within the cell inherently each cell has a maximum number of users that can be handled simultaneously. This is known as the capacity of the cell. In addition, the service area that contains the cells has a global capacity. A critical factor that is taken into account when providing a cellular telephone service to subscribers is the overall capacity of the system. A basic problem with the design of a cellular system is how the global and individual capacity of the cell must be provided in order to ensure an adequate service by optimizing the income generated from the users of the cellular system. What complicates the design of this system is the fact that the number of calls, or the demand for the use of the system, varies dramatically according to the time of day.

On the one hand, insufficient capacity during the peak hours of operation of the system will cause congestion, and the inability to offer an adequate service to users. On the other hand, providing too much unused capacity during the hours of low use underutilizes resources, which increases the overall cost of operating the system. Therefore, it is important to optimize the relationship between adequate capacity to handle subscribers' anticipated demand for the system during peak hours while minimizing unused capacity during low-usage hours. The most difficult of these two aspects is how to optimize the use of the system during the hours when the capacity of the system is largely idle. Several methods and systems have been designed in order to optimize the use of the global capacity of the cellular system at any time of the day. In the past this has been attempted by varying the rate charged to subscribers of the system and its services according to the time. For example, during peak hours, such as the hours when businesses are open when demand is the highest, all subscribers pay the full rate. However, as the demand of the subscribers decreases, for example during the night or on the weekend, the rates are reduced in one or several stages in order to encourage an increased use of the system. The price variation is an effective way to regulate the demand of the system due to the price sensitivity of the subscribers. Some subscribers are more price sensitive than others. This is known as the price elasticity of the subscriber. For example, a subscriber price elasticity for personal use is much greater than a commercial use subscriber because, unlike a commercial subscriber, the need for the personal use subscriber to make a call is generally much less urgent or necessary . As a result, subscribers for personal use can delay calls or make fewer calls simply because of the price of the call or because it comes out of their own pocket. As a result, subscribers for personal use are more likely to be induced to use a system when the rates are lower. Cellular service providers often charge higher rates during the week, especially during work hours, for cellular calls. Due to these higher rates, some subscribers who would otherwise use the cell phone system are discouraged from making calls due to the higher rates. During peak hours, when the system is being used at its almost total capacity, this is not a problem for the service provider because it is generating a maximum income from the use of the system. However, when the system is not being used to its near full capacity, the service provider is not deriving revenue from the unused capacity of the system and therefore would like to be able to attract additional subscribers to use the system. An additional complication of the problem of optimizing the available capacity of the system is that, even during the peak hours of the global system, certain cells may have excess capacity, and, therefore, may not be generating their maximum potential income. For example, in Figure 1, a cell in the center of a city (Cl) may have its peak time at noon, while a cell in a suburb (C9) may have its peak time later in the afternoon. Figures 2A and 2B illustrate this problem in another way. Figure 2A is an example of a macro cell 21 with a micro cell 22 indicated therein. As illustrated in Figure 2B while the load approaches its maximum capacity for the macro cell 21, a microcell 22 may be running at only 60% of its capacity and therefore have an excess capacity not yet used. when the macro cell 21 is congested. Typically, with current cellular systems, service providers must take all cells into consideration when choosing the time of day for a rate reduction. Because the macro cell 21 is close to its full capacity, the service provider can not reduce the rate to increase the income of the microcell 22. In addition, what complicates the matter is that by instantly decreasing the rate the load can increase rapidly throughout the system. In other words, these systems do not take into account which different types of subscribers have different price elasticities and therefore do not optimize revenues for service providers. These systems also do not attack the problem that cheaper rates can only be offered when there is a substantial excess capacity of the system, because the load of the system can increase significantly with the announcement of the reduction of tariffs. Thus, if there is insufficient excess capacity, and a lower rate is offered, congestion is likely to occur. Several systems have been contemplated in an attempt to attack some of these problems. In accordance with an approach described in Hillis North American Patent 5,303,297, it has been suggested that the demand of the system be monitored and based on demand, a collection fee is dynamically calculated and disseminated to subscribers to encourage subscribers to Use the system during non-peak hours. However, Hillis does not describe how this collection fee is calculated. While the broadcast rate message solution seems to provide more flexibility than previous systems, it is not a complete solution to optimize the overall use of the excess capacity of the system. The Hillis system does not take into account a particular elasticity of subscriber price and therefore the system indiscriminately discourages the use by some subscribers of the system. This additionally results in the inefficient use of excess system capacity and the loss of potential revenue. It has also been suggested that mobile phone calls can be charged according to where the calls were made, for example, a price in an office, another price in the street and another third price in the house, etc. However, in this solution, as in the case of the solution described above, an overload that results from a reduced rate can only be alleviated by indiscriminately discouraging the use of the service by certain subscribers and therefore can not provide a global optimization of optimal revenue generation for the system. COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION The present inventor has recognized that the price elasticity of the subscriber varies and that consequently optimizing the differentiation of prices between subscribers, the service provider can increase their income and more effectively regulate the capacity of the system. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to improve the use of system capacity irrespective of the time of day without indiscriminately discouraging service to subscribers. It is another object of the present invention to improve the global revenues generated by the cellular system through an optimized differentiation of the subscriber price. It is a further object to provide improved subscriber satisfaction due to the increased flexibility of when subscribers can make use of the system because it is their choice to make a call at a higher rate or wait until the diffusion of a lower rate. The rates are adjusted for the user category. The above and other objects are achieved through the implementation of a cellular system, which provides a user with a subscription that is charged according to a variable collection rate (BCR) that is based on the price elasticity of the subscribers. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the service provider monitors the load in each cell, and for each cell, the service provider continuously determines a charging rate which can be adapted to specific groups of subscribers according to a number of variables, offering to the subscribers a VCR that is optimized for the individual capacity of the cell and for the overall capacity of the system. In one modality, subscribers can make use of mobile stations that support the Short Message Service (SMS) to offer subscribers the broadcast VCR (mobile stations with VCR). The system can determine, in real time, optimal VCRs for an individual cell in order to optimize the income generated by the cell at a given time of the day. VCRs can be selectively broadcast to mobile stations with VCR to inform subscribers of current call charges. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the VCRs can be designed for specific categories of subscribers in order to offer a better price differentiation among subscribers based on the price elasticity of the subscriber categories. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood upon reading the following description in combination with the drawings, wherein: Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary arrangement of cellular system that can be used in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2A shows a cell array for a macro cell and a micro cell; Figure 2B illustrates the relationship between call charge in a cell and time in a macro cell and one of its micro cells; Figure 3 illustrates the relationship between the call charge in a cell and time; and Figure 4 is an exemplary block diagram of the system in accordance with the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Next, several characteristics of the invention will be described with reference to the figures, in which similar parts are identified with the same reference numerals. With reference to Figure 1, a conventional cellular radio communications system that can be employed with the present invention is illustrated. Figure 1 shows a geographical area divided into a plurality of radio coverage areas adjacent or cells labeled Cl to CIO. Associated with each of the Cl cells to CIO, there is a base station called Bl to BIO. Each base station generally includes a transmitter, a receiver and a base station controller, all of which are well known in the art. It will be noted that the representation of the cellular radio system in accordance with Figure 1 is for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to limit the possible implementations of a mobile radio telecommunications system within which the charge rate system may be implemented. variable (VCR) of the present invention. For example, the number and size of the cells may vary along with the position of the base station relative to a cell. The VCR according to the present invention can also be used with any of the multiple access communication systems such as GSM, AMPS, D-AMPS, CDMA, or the like. In FIG. 1, several mobile stations MI to MIO are also illustrated. These mobile stations can move from one location in the cell to another, from one cell to an adjacent cell or from a cellular radio system served by a mobile switching center (MSC) to another system of another type while still receiving and making calls both within the cellular system as well as to and from a public switched telecommunications network (PSTN). Each of the mobile stations MI to MIO can initialize or receive a call through one or more of the base stations Bl to BIO in combination with the MSC. The MSC is connected via communication link for example (cables), to each of the base stations Bl to BIO and to the PSTN (not illustrated) of a similar fixed network which may include an integrated services digital network installation (ISDN). In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the mobile stations supported by the system can be mobile stations with VCR and non-VCR mobile stations. Mobile VCR-type stations, base stations, and MSCs are described in greater detail below. Rates charged in a fixed manner Turning to figure 3, it can be seen that the available capacity of the service area changes abruptly with the time of day. An example of the levels of use of a fixed rate system is shown by curve 30. Fixed rate means that the same rate is offered without variation to all within the system or cell at the same time of day. Normally, the demand for the system will be higher in the hours of the day, for example, between 8:00 and 18:00 the time during which most people are awake and active. In addition, most businesses are also done during this period of time. As the working day ends, the demand on the part of subscribers to the cellular system decreases continuously and the system capacity increases with a demand that reaches its minimum point in the early hours of the morning. In response to the change in demand that depends on time, service providers have developed a time-based charging rate for a local communication link 50 in Figure 4. Figure 3 illustrates this concept with three different time-dependent charging rates. During the hours between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. when demand is high, a full fee is charged to the subscribers making the calls. According to figure 3 it can be seen that the demand for the system reaches its total capacity or almost total capacity by mid-morning and late afternoon with a decrease in capacity at noon, such as when the people are eating. As demand decreases steadily from approximately 5:00 p.m., the service provider offers a more economical rate in order to induce additional customer demand for the system. It will be noted that immediately after the introduction of the most economical tariff, the demand for the system increases before reaching a peak and falls slowly as dusk passes. Conversely, in the morning when rates rise around 7:00 am, demand drops sharply momentarily in a fixed rate system. A second cheaper rate is offered in the early hours of the morning when the demand of users is at its lowest point. Since only one fixed rate is offered at any particular time within a cell in accordance with previous systems, some subscribers are indiscriminately discouraged from making calls. For example, suppose that an M7 mobile station in the Cl cell used by a student who wanted to make a call in the afternoon. The student may decide not to make the call because the fixed rate charged for a call at this time is too high. However, if the Cl cell has unused capacity, the service provider would like to be able to encourage others, such as the student to make his call, thereby using the excess capacity thus optimizing the income generated by the Cl cell. This is achieved in accordance with the present invention by determining VCRs for a cell designed for various categories of subscribers. According to the present invention, the service provider can determine that there is an excess capacity in the Cl cell and further determines to offer a lower rate to a particular category of subscribers located in the Cl cell, such as students, and therefore encourages to subscribers such as students to make a call. By determining several VCRs for each cell in the entire service area, the service provider can optimize the use of excess system capacity. This can be seen from the VCR curve 35 illustrated in Figure 3. By offering VCRs, the load on the system increases throughout the day. In addition, there are fewer sudden drops in the system call. It should be noted that the VCR is generally calculated for the local communication link 50 illustrated in Figure 4. Additional charges may be added, for example, charges for long distance to determine a total charge rate. A description of the VCR is provided below. Variable collection rates (VCRs). In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, it is introduced. a new type of subscription. As an alternative to the conventional charging rates based on the time of day typically employed by service providers, in accordance with the present invention, subscribers are offered a VCR. A VCR can also be established to terminate calls on systems in which subscribers also pay for call termination (for example, in the United States of America). The service provider monitors the load in each cell and determines for each cell continuously a specific VCR for an individual subscriber or for a group of subscribers, in such a way that the global excess capacity of the system is used and the income is increased. While it is possible to offer an individual VCR for each subscriber, the following description focuses on VCRs for groups of subscribers based on categories of subscribers. In order to offer an increased global demand and to raise the income generated by the system, several factors other than the time of day and the location are used when determining a specific VCR for a subscriber. The following list, while not complete, includes some of the factors that the service provider can take into account when determining the VCR: A. the load of calls charged at a variable rate in the cell (lv); B. the load of calls charged to a fixed tariff in the cell (lf); C. the desired "safety margin", ie how close the load can be to the congestion (m); D. the total load on the switch; E. the number of mobile phones with VCR registered in the cell; F. the coverage power radiated by the base station; G. an estimated current demand curve; and H. the average co-channel disorder caused by the cell. By using these factors, a service provider is offered greater control to determine an optimal price to charge each user in such a way that the overall use of the system and therefore the revenues can be optimized. By using the VCR, the provider is no longer limited to the time of day and the location, but can adjust the various factors in such a way that the prices for the specific system in question are optimized. Said optimization can be carried out through the use of estimated demand curves derived empirically based on the specific area and the subscriber constitution that receives the service from the system based on the factors provided above. Subscriber demand In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an estimated demand curve is used to determine the price elasticity of the subscriber which in turn is used to determine a VCR. The estimated demand curve is a representation of the quantity (q) in relation to the price (p). The demand curve can be estimated from the records of the service provider of the previous use of the system or through the use of a measurement system during a representative period of time. The use of estimated demand curves allows taking into account the price elasticity of subscribers, unlike previous systems. The estimated demand curve may depend on several factors such as: Gl. the hour of the day; G2 the day of the week; G3 the season of the year; G4 the type of district (for example an industrial, business, residential, or a hybrid zone), etc; and G5. the category of the subscriber.

Estimation of a demand curve For each call charged according to VCR, the service provider records the time of day, the duration of the call and the collection rate. The system can continuously record the collection rate and the number of mobile phones with VCR registered in each cell. When a sufficient amount of data has been accumulated, the various demand curves can then be estimated accurately. According to an exemplary embodiment, the day could be divided into a plurality of intervals, and said intervals could be marked "time of day". For each hour of the day and each collection fee, the service provider determines the duration of all conversations of the subscribers making calls and the duration of exposure to a collection fee of the number of registered mobile stations or in conversation. For each cell the probability that a mobile station is in conversation at a certain time of day and for a certain charging rate can be estimated. Along the same guidelines, the system can then estimate the demand curves in relation to a plurality of factors, for example, the day of the week, the season of the year, the type of district, the various categories of subscribers, etc, or you can even divide the demand curves as described below. For the purpose of illustrating the general principles in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the following simplification was made: the probability that a subscriber is conversing does not vary due, say at the time of day, location, etc. Considering that there are different collection rates, for each collection fee the system adds (1) the duration of the conversations and (2) the duration of the offer, that is, the duration during which the mobile stations are offered this collection fee (either registered in cells or in conversation). The probability p that a mobile station is talking to a given charging rate can then be estimated as follows: EQUATION (1) P =? Talk duration? Duration of the offer Numerical example Consider a system with 50 subscribers, one cell, and two collection fees: $ 1.5 and $ 3.00. The system works for 10 hours, varying the collection fee. During this time, subscribers are offered calls at $ 1.50 and $ 3.00 for 6 hours and 4 hours, respectively. It turns out that subscribers globally have been talking for 24 hours when calls were cheap and for 6 hours when they were more expensive, by inserting into equation (1) you can estimate the probability that a mobile station is talking during the economic period of the following way P? .so = 24 n / (50 x 6 n) = 8 - L probability for both rates is illustrated in table 1 below. TABLE 1 Rate Duration of the A for collection the offer calls P $ 1.50 300 hours 24 hours 8% $ 3.00 200 hours 6 hours 3% Sufficient Data A sufficient amount of data is obtained when the estimates of pi pr differ significantly.

This can be determined in accordance with what is described below. The example is simplified by reducing the number of charge rates to 2. In addition, only the duration of the calls is taken into account, and the number of calls is not taken into account. If there are n calls to the tariff, the duration of each call could be perceived as the result of random variables distributed exponentially independent Xl Xn where the expected duration is ßx. In the same way, in rate2: the expected duration of Y ^ Ym, is ß2- Considering $ > ß, the test variable is: EQUATION (2) The test variable is used to verify that the change in the duration of the call is caused by the change in the charging rate and not only as a result of an accidental coincidence. The critical area of a test at the alpha significance level is represented in accordance with an "F" distribution such as: z > F (2n, 2m) 1_ß ( Where z is the observed value of the test variable Z. Therefore, the duration of the calls is summed up to z be in the critical area. Numerical example Consider, for example, that the duration of 50 random calls at $ 1.50 is SXi = 9000s; and at $ 3.00? Yi = 6400- the observed value of the test variable in accordance with equation 2 would be: 9000/50 Z 6400/50 -1'41 The critical area for a test at a level of 5% is z > F (100,100) .95 = 1.39. Therefore, the hypothesis that the expected duration is the same for both charging rates can be rejected and instead it is concluded that ßi = 180s and ß = 128s. One skilled in the art will note that the aforementioned method can be generalized to include the case of a greater plurality of collection fees. Division of demand curves If, for one reason or another, you suspect that the behavior of a subscriber category differs due to a factor, such as time of day, week, district, etc., then you can divide the curve of general demand in new demand curves (estimated) for the identified factor, provided that the demand curves differ significantly. Two demand curves differ significantly if and only if the probability of conversation of at least one collection fee differs significantly. For example, if a category of subscribers in New York City were professionals, a number of demand curves could be derived on the basis of the time of day factor. However, additional factors may govern the behavior of professionals within NY. If a service provider suspects that professionals on Wall Street make a large number of short calls, by isolating these calls from the rest of the calls from professionals in New York, additional demand curves can be derived for Wall Street from the rest of the New York professionals. Price Elasticity Subscriber price elasticity e is the derivative of the subscriber demand curve. It is defined as follows: EQUATION (3) c-? g / g? p / P Where q is the "quantity", that is, the charge, and here p is the "price", that is, VCR. By rearrangement, the following equation is obtained: EQUATION (4) ? p = P ?? q e In intervals where the elasticity of price e can be considered constant, there is the following relation: EQUATION (5) 3r = Apí Where A is a positive constant. If the estimated demand curve is discrete, that is, if the quantity g is known only for a finite number of values of p, then € between Pi and Pi + 1 can be calculated as follows: EQUATION (6) € = log (pi + 1) -log (pi) Unique category of mobile stations with VCR Congestion The following is an example of how the VCR can be calculated. In accordance with this example, it is considered a simplified case in which there are only two categories of mobile stations in a cell: mobile stations with a fixed collection rate (FCR) and mobile stations with a variable charging rate (VCR). The load caused by the two categories is lf (load caused by mobile stations of type FCR) and lv (load caused by mobile stations of type VCR). When lf + lv = l the system is congested or, in other words, at full capacity.

According to the present invention, only mobile stations of the VCR type can be influenced, therefore g = lv "The desired change is? Q = l-m-lf-lv. The VCR is determined dynamically, the VCR new = VCRvie "ja +? VCR." By insertion in equation 4, a new VCR is determined: EQUATION (7) ",, _, -, r,?" ((L -m-lv-l f) VCRaw? VCR0l < l * + j- ~~ Extra capacity As described above, when there is excess capacity in a cell, then the collection rate must be set in such a way that income is optimized. On the basis of economic theory, one skilled in the art will observe that this is obtained when i / = 1. When the VCR calculates in accordance with equation 7 it reaches a level such that | e (VCR) | = l, the VCR is no longer reduced by (in a simplified case when the demand curve in constant with the passage of time). Multiple categories of mobile stations of the VCR type As an example of multiple categories, one category would be "normal citizens" and another category could be "students" (considered here more sensitive in terms of price). Both categories are assigned a specific estimated demand curve. In the case of congestion, the lower collection rate would normally increase (and be disseminated to the corresponding category of subscribers). This charging rate can be calculated in accordance with equation (7) where the burden of the category of the "relieved" subscribers can be grouped with the mobile stations lf with fixed tariffs. If the two charge rates become identical, then the two categories of mobile stations with VCR can be combined. The common collection rate can be calculated in accordance with equation (7) and disseminated to both categories. In contrast, when there is excess capacity, the collection fees are reduced according to the category of the subscriber and disseminated to the corresponding subscribers. System applications The VCR can be determined in real time by the service provider. This can be implemented in several ways. For example, the determination can be made in the MSC or in another central location within the service provider by any means of calculation, such as a computer or a processor, for example. In an alternative mode, the calculation of the charge rate can be decentralized, for example by allowing the MSC to inform the base stations of a minimum acceptable charging rate, but leaving the base stations to calculate the VCR otherwise. spread it. In accordance with this exemplary modality, the VCRs are calculated through a computer or processor located at each base station. Another embodiment of the present invention will be discussed below in relation to Figure 4. Once a VCR has been determined (either centrally or at the base station), the VCR is then broadcasted from a base station 62 from its antenna 65 in communication channels 50 where it is received by the antennas 45 of the registered mobile stations 40. The service provider 60 would have at least one mobile switching center 64 linked to a PSTN 70, as in the case conventional. In accordance with the present invention, the mobile stations 40 can refer to any information or communication device that can be used to communicate information, for example a fixed wired telephone, a cellular telephone, a fax receiver, a modem, a computer, or other means of communication. The VCR can then be displayed on a display device 42, for example, in the mobile unit 40 for the subscriber. In VCR it could be transmitted to mobile stations in many different ways. In accordance with one embodiment, the VCR can be broadcast to the mobile stations 40 using the user group short message service (SMS) as provided in the system (D) -AMPS. In accordance with this modality, there would be a special group of users for each category of subscribers associated with mobile stations with VCR 40, in such a way that the other mobile stations are not informed accidentally. It follows that all system users do not have to belong to a subscriber category with VCR. Obviously, as the number of mobile stations with VCR increases, the control of global demand and the generated revenues becomes greater. Alternatively, in accordance with another modality, an existing message (such as the system identity message described in EIA standard IS-136.1 6.4.1.1.1.5) in the forward control channel (CC) would have a new aggregate information element indicating the current VCRs in a cell. Another modality would be to send the VCRs individually to each mobile station using short message point-to-point (SMS) services. Alternatively, you could add a new message that contains an information element that indicates current VCRs in a cell or an existing information element in a message exists, for example, "visualization" in record acceptance could be used to carry the VCR of compliance with the provisions of IS-136 6.4.3.14. In accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the issued VCRs could be issued either intermittently or at regular predefined intervals. However, in all cases, the VCR must be issued every time it changes. When a mobile station 40 not in conversation is registered in a cell and then moved to a neighboring cell, the mobile station will be registered in the new cell through channel reassignment, as we know those skilled in the art. If the new cell has a different VCR for the subscriber, the mobile station 40 will inform it as soon as possible. The simplest method for informing the subscriber of the new tariff is the use of the information element "visualization" in the acceptance of registration, obviously also alternative methods described above can be used. When the mobile station 40 carries out its initial registration, the same information element can be used; however, several of the methods described above may also be employed. If, during a conversation, a mobile station 40 is transferred to another cell, a service provider 60 may send a message to the mobile station 40 informing that the VCR will be changed after a predefined period, and what the future VCR will be. The decision to change the VCR will depend on several factors, such as the difference between the current VCR and the potential future VCR, the subscriber category, the individual subscriber, the load situation, etc. Similarly, the mobile station should also alert the subscriber if the VCR changes during a conversation by allowing the subscriber to determine if he wishes to continue the call at a new rate. The mobile station can provide the alert either visually or aurally. According to another embodiment, the mobile stations 40 can continuously read the relevant broadcast message and display the current VCR of the cell for the associated subscriber. In addition, the mobile station 40 can alert the subscriber when the VCR passes below a predetermined threshold registered by the user through a user interface in the mobile station (eg, keyboard 44). The alert can be provided either visually or aurally through an additional circuit or processor included in the mobile station that will be able to determine when a VCR has dropped below the predetermined threshold. Alternatively, the service provider will determine when the VCR is below the threshold and will alert the mobile stations. In accordance with this mode, the subscriber will inform the service provider of this threshold (for example, by presenting an SMS message). The display 42 on the mobile link 40 can be of any type capable of displaying human-readable characters, (e.g., LCD, LED, etc.). Alternatively the present invention will be practiced in mobile units 40 without displays 42 allowing a subscriber to receive an emitted audio message that carries the current VCR to the mobile station 40. In situations in which a device, such as a telefax or a computer must react with a VCR, the VCR can be issued in readable form by magic. For example, the collection fee can be converted into a series of ASCII characters formatted in accordance with a standard in such a way that the VCR can be understood by the machine as well as by humans. Alternatively, the VCR can be encoded in the form of a series of binary numbers. In cases in which the mobile station has a display device, the mobile station can translate the series of binary numbers into ASCII characters and then display them. In another embodiment according to the present invention, the initiating subscriber can actively register a number to which the user wishes to be connected through a keyboard 44. Accordingly, the mobile station making the call 40. transfers the telephone number desired that is being dialed through a communication link 50 to the service provider 60 through the base station 62. The service provider 60 can then determine a VCR, add additional charges needed, for example, for long distance, and transferring the total charge rate information back to the mobile station 40 through the communication link 50. The total charge rate information is indicated at the mobile station through the display device 42 or through another device in accordance with what is described above. The subscriber can then receive the option to actually make the call. Other devices can also be used to alert the user to the arrival of a message of this type, such as a flashing light, a display, tone, etc. In accordance with the present invention, you can also introduce many improvements and refinements to the charging function. In accordance with what has been described above, a plurality of subscription categories designed for specific clients that have an unusual price elasticity (for example, students, businessmen, according to family income), etc., can be formed. Collection fee policies can then be adapted to each category and disseminated accordingly. It is then possible to determine estimated demand curves for each identified category. In accordance with the above described in the example to divide the demand curves, the categories may depend on the area, and sub-area where the service provider is located according to what is described in the Wall Street demand curve. Alternatively, in certain areas there may be a concentration of one or more categories of subscribers, (for example, students and teachers on a university campus). In this situation, the service provider can simply use the existing estimated demand curves for these groups instead of determining new curves. In accordance with the present invention, with easy adjustment of parameters the system is virtually never congested simply because as the traffic increases, the price of a call will increase until a given number of subscribers moves away from the market due to the price of the call. In order to know when to increase the capacity of a system, for example, by dividing cells or by adding micro cells, the service provider 60 can estimate and record the potential charge on the cells, in other words, the that the burden would have been if the VCR had been set to a certain value. The present invention has been described by way of and modifications and variations of the exemplary embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. The preferred embodiments are merely illustrative and should not be construed as restrictive in any way. The scope of the present invention should be measured in the appended claims and not in the foregoing description, and all variations and equivalents that fall within the range of the claims pertain to the scope of the present invention.

Claims (26)

1. CLAIMS A communications system serving a plurality of subscribers, comprising: at least one base station in a cell to communicate with a plurality of mobile stations; a mobile station capable of communicating and receiving calls from the at least one base station, which includes a display device for displaying a current charging rate received from the at least one base station, where the current charging rate is based on the price elasticity of the subscriber.
2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the current charging rate is also based on a call charge within the system.
3. The system according to claim 2, further comprising: a processor for determining the current charging rate.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the current charging rate is based on a current call load within a cell where the mobile station is located.
5. The system of claim 4, wherein the processor determines the current charging rate based on at least one of the following factors: the number of calls in a cell charged at a variable charging rate, the number of calls in a cell charged at a fixed collection rate, and the total number of calls handled by the system.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein the current charge rate includes a security margin of how close to the congestion the current call load can be.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the subscriber price elasticity is determined from demand curves.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the demand curves with communication demand curves.
9. The system of claim 7, wherein the demand curves are determined on the basis of at least one of the factors of time of day, day of the week, seasons of the year, type of district, and category of subscribers .
10. The system of claim 7, wherein the demand curve is determined on the basis of the factors of time of day, day of the week, season of the year, type of district and category of subscribers.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein the current charging fee is determined on the basis of a request received from the mobile station and then the current charging fee is transmitted to the mobile station.
12. The system of claim 1, wherein the current charging rate is transmitted to the mobile station from the base station.
13. 13. The system of claim 1, wherein the subscribers are divided into categories of subscribers based on the price elasticity.
14. 14. A method for optimizing the use of the capacity of a radiocommunication system that includes a plurality of cells and the service to a plurality of subscribers, each cell includes at least one base station capable of communicating with a plurality of mobile stations, and a means to continuously monitor the call load of each cell, the method comprises the steps of: monitoring the current call load of each cell; the determination of a plurality of collection fees based on the price elasticities of the subscribers.
15. 15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the current charging rate is based on the current call load in a system.
16. 16. A method according to claim 14, wherein the current charging rate is based on a current call load within a cell.
17. The method of claim 15 or of claim 16, further comprising the step of broadcasting the plurality of charging rates to a plurality of mobile stations in a cell, where each charging fee is issued to a subset of the plurality of subscribers where the subset is based on a subscriber category.
18. 18. The method of claim 14, wherein the price elasticity is determined on the basis of subscriber demand curves.
19. 19. The method of claim 18, where the demand curves are based on a history of the collection rates in each cell, a history of the number of mobile stations registered in each cell, and a history based on the categories of subscribers that use the system.
20. The method of claim 14, wherein the current charging rate is based on the current call load within a cell where the mobile station is located.
21. 21. A system for optimizing the use of the capacity of a radiocommunication system having a plurality of cells serving a plurality of subscribers, the system comprising: a device for determining a charging rate based on the price elasticity of the subscribers; and a device for transmitting the charging rate to the plurality of subscribers.
22. 22. The system of claim 21, wherein the device for determining the charging rate further determines the charging rate based on a current call load in the system.
23. 23. The system according to claim 21, wherein the charging rate determination device further determines the charging rate based on a current call load in a cell.
24. 24. The system according to claim 21, wherein the price elasticity is determined from demand curves.
25. 25. The system of claim 24, wherein the demand curves are based on at least one of the factors of time of day, day of the week, season of the year, type of district, and category of subscriber.
26. 26. The system of claim 25, wherein the demand curves can be divided based on one of said factors if the demand curves differ significantly. The system of claim 25, wherein the charging rate is determined for a category corresponding to a subset of the plurality of subscribers and transmitted only to the subset of subscribers. The system of claim 21, further comprising a mobile station that includes a device for communicating with a user a current charging rate received from the transmission device. The system of claim 21, wherein the current charging rate is based on the current call load within a cell where the mobile station is located.