Patent ID: 8023926

Claim:
A communication network, comprising: a wireless local area network (WLAN) operable to provide wireless communication service to a communication device; a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network connected to the WLAN and having an Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) server operable to manage a session involving the communication device, and to identify a session charging identifier assigned to the session; and a packet data network gateway operable to manage a data flow during the session, and to identify a data flow charging identifier assigned to the data flow; at least one of the AAA server and the packet data network gateway is further operable to share the session charging identifier or the data flow charging identifier with the other; the AAA server and the packet data network gateway are each further operable to transmit accounting request messages to an offline charging system; wherein after sharing the charging identifiers, at least one of the AAA server and the packet data network gateway is further operable to insert both the session charging identifier and the data flow charging identifier in an accounting request message that is sent to the offline charging system.