Wireless telecommunication system with prepaid debit rates depending on call features initiated by caller

There is disclosed a prepaid system (10) and method for permitting a prepaid subscriber of the cellular wireless telecommunication system to revise call features during a call within the operators node and from roaming locations to debit the subscribers prepaid account on a real-time basis. The system includes a switching node (14) permitting (50) a call to be set up with the prepaid subscriber (16) when a prepaid service credit balance exists and terminating the call when the prepaid service credit balance is nil. The switching node continually generates (52, 54) real-time call event Data Message Handier (DMH) formatted messages related to the call made by the prepaid subscriber and forwards these call event messages to a prepaid administrative network (38). The prepaid administrative network stores (56) the prepaid service credit balance of the prepaid subscriber and generates at call set up an initial charge debiting rate (60) used during the call to reduce the prepaid service credit balance. The prepaid administrative network, in response to the real-time call event messages received from the detailed call event generation means, revises the initial charge debiting rate to generate a real-time debiting rate used during the call to reduce the prepaid service credit balance.