Patent ID: 8594625

Claim:
A method in a first mobile terminal for controlling charging of communication between the first mobile terminal and a second mobile terminal, the first mobile terminal being associated with a first network operator, the method comprising: generating charging information without access to an external network, the charging information being associated with communication between the first mobile terminal and the second mobile terminal, the communication being by way of an ad hoc wireless connection established between the first mobile terminal and the second mobile terminal where the ad hoc wireless connection is by one of: a) a wireless connection between the first mobile terminal and the second mobile terminal, or b) through a support node that is not reliant on a network backbone to support the ad hoc wireless connection between the first mobile terminal and the second mobile terminal, and the charging information, internally to the first mobile terminal, charges for the communication via the ad hoc wireless connection according to a mutual agreement with the first network operator, retaining the charging information securely in the first mobile terminal and without access by a user of the first mobile terminal, and analyzing a charging control profile in the first mobile terminal without access to an external network and, depending on the analysis, deciding whether or not to charge the communication within the first mobile terminal or to transfer the charging information to the first network operator when access to an external network is available, wherein the first mobile terminal is subject to the mutual agreement with said first network operator to permit the first mobile terminal to engage in the communication with the second mobile terminal via the ad hoc wireless connection, and disabling future communication via ad hoc wireless connections involving the first mobile terminal if the mutual agreement would be violated by future communication via ad hoc wireless connections.