METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EDGE CHARGING CONTROL IN A COMMUNICATION NETWORK

Methods and apparatus provide for granting and using group quotas, rather than individual quotas, wherein a granted group quota may be shared or divided by an edge Charging Function (eCHF) among individual user terminals among a group of affiliated user terminals. For example, an eCHF sends a charging request for consumption of an edge service by one user terminal among a group of affiliated user terminals. A charging node responds to the request by granting a group quota shareable or dividable among the affiliated user terminals, rather than an individual quota. Correspondingly, the eCHF makes local grant decisions, such as by granting respective fractions of the granted group quota to two or more ones of the affiliated user terminals operating at the involved edge location. "Edge location" refers to an edge connection point of a telecommunication network where one or more types of edge computing services are offered.