Patent ID: 8189549

Claim:
In a wireless telecommunications system communicating with multiple mobile devices, wherein the wireless telecommunications system includes a converged telecommunications network that employs a core telecommunications network, a cellular network, and an IP-based network, and wherein subscribers can access the IP-based network via wireless connections between mobile devices and wireless access points forming IP-based wireless local area networks (WLANs), a method performed by the wireless telecommunications system to indicate changes in charges for voice calls or for data services, the method comprising: defining multiple service zones, wherein at least some of the service zones include one or more access points for one or more IP-based WLANs; storing the defined multiple service zones wherein the storing includes associating with at least some of the service zones free or reduced price telecommunications services including voice calls or data services; receiving a registration request from one of the multiple mobile devices, wherein the registration request is initially received at one of the access points for one of the IP-based WLANs, wherein the one access point is associated with a predetermined zone; authorizing access to the core telecommunications network by the one mobile device via the one access point in the predetermined zone; and, providing to the one mobile device an authorization acceptance signal via the one access point, wherein the authorization acceptance signal includes service zone text data associated with the predetermined zone, service zone icon information associated with the predetermined zone, or both service zone text data and service zone icon information associated with the predetermined zone, and wherein the one mobile device may display to a user a change in pricing for telecommunication services associated with the predetermined zone based at least in part on the service zone text data or the service zone icon information.