Method and System for Location-Dependent Billing for Services

Abstract

A method for location-dependent billing for a services that are available to a mobile terminal, a local communication connection is set up to a fixably installed external location tag with a corresponding wireless interface between the fixably installed tag and the mobile terminal, the method including the steps of accessing the external location tag and transmitting a billing rate code from the external location tag to the mobile terminal, forwarding the billing rate code from the mobile terminal to a central unit of a mobile communication network, in which the mobile terminal is logged, determining a geographic location identification of the external location tag by evaluation of the billing rate code at the central unit, and selecting a billing rate for billing for the service available to the user based on the billing rate code at the central unit.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A payment terminal, comprising:
 a wired interface configured to communicate network-related data with a control unit of a network; and   a wireless interface configured to wirelessly communicate the network-related data with a mobile terminal via a local communication connection to allow the mobile terminal to make a payment and to access the network, wherein:
 the payment terminal is at a fixed location, 
 the payment terminal is one of a plurality of payment terminals in the network, and 
 an access fee associated with the fixed location is determined by the control unit of the network. 
   
     
     
         22 . The payment terminal of  claim 21 , wherein the network is a communication network. 
     
     
         23 . The payment terminal of  claim 21 , wherein the mobile terminal is operable to initiate the local communication connection. 
     
     
         24 . The payment terminal of  claim 21 , wherein the wireless interface is operable according to a Near Field Communication (NFC) standard. 
     
     
         25 . The payment terminal of  claim 21 , wherein the local communication connection between the mobile terminal and the payment terminal is secured. 
     
     
         26 . The payment terminal of  claim 21 , wherein the payment terminal comprises a security component operable to secure the payment terminal. 
     
     
         27 . The payment terminal of  claim 21 , wherein the payment terminal is operably connected to a communication channel. 
     
     
         28 . The payment terminal of  claim 21 , wherein the wirelessly-provided, network-related data is associated with the fixed location. 
     
     
         29 . The payment terminal of  claim 21 , wherein the wirelessly-provided, network-related data comprises an encrypted portion. 
     
     
         30 . The payment terminal of  claim 29 , wherein the control unit of the network is operable to decrypt the encrypted portion. 
     
     
         31 . A method, comprising:
 receiving, by a payment terminal, data related to a network;   maintaining, in the payment terminal, the network-related data;   wirelessly providing the network-related data from the payment terminal to a mobile terminal via a local communication connection;   communicating the wirelessly-provided, network-related data from the mobile terminal to a control unit of the network;   causing payment of an access fee based on the wirelessly-provided, network-related data; and   gaining access to the network from the mobile terminal.   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the network is a communication network. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the method comprises initializing the local communication connection via a wireless interface of the mobile terminal. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein wirelessly providing is according to a Near Field Communication (NFC) standard. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the local communication connection between the mobile terminal and the payment terminal is secured. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the payment terminal comprises a security component operable to secure the payment terminal. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the payment terminal is operably connected to a communication channel. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the wirelessly-provided, network-related data is associated with a location of the payment terminal. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the wirelessly-provided, network-related data comprises an encrypted portion. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the method comprises decrypting the encrypted portion in the control unit of the network.