Patent ID: 6947723

Claim:
A method of limiting accumulation of usage billing charges associated with a one-rate postpay service through a wireless communication network in real time, comprising: establishing a spending limit for a subscriber to a one-rate postpay service plan for providing service at one-rate within a geographic area, for a communication service offered through the wireless communication network; detecting a call for communication through the wireless communication network for a wireless remote terminal station of the subscriber; estimating a charge for completion of the call in accord with the one-rate service plan; comparing the estimated charge to the established spending limit for the subscriber; if the established spending limit is not as large as the estimated charge, preventing completion of the call through the wireless communication network; if the established spending limit is at least as large as the estimated charge, calculating a maximum allowable duration for the call in accord with the one-rate service plan and the established spending limit, and completing the call through the wireless communication network; monitoring length of the completed call in real time while the completed call is ongoing and interrupting the ongoing call through the wireless network if the length of the call reaches the calculated maximum allowable duration; upon ending of the call through the wireless communication network, recording actual usage data regarding the call; processing the recorded usage data in accord with the one-rate postpay service plan, to generate a bill for the subscriber; and sending the bill to the subscriber for payment.