Patent ID: 6839684

Claim:
A host-sponsored data transmission billing system for billing for Internet connections between a mobile user and an Internet site, said system comprising: a mobile terminal for connecting the mobile user to a cellular telecommunications network; an Internet gateway for connecting the mobile user to the Internet site via the cellular telecommunications network; and a billing system including means to determine whether the Internet site is a private site or a host sponsored site, means responsive to determination that the site is a private site to generate billing data for payment by the mobile user for the connection, and means responsive to determination that the site is a host sponsored site to generate billing data for payment by the host sponsor of the site for the connection wherein the means to determine whether the Internet site is a private site or a host sponsored site comprises a database of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for host-sponsors, a log file tracer to provide an output indicative of the IP addresses accessed by the mobile user, and a comparator for comparing the output of the log file tracer with the IP addresses stored in the database to determine whether the IP addresses accessed by the mobile user are to host-sponsored sites.