In markets where customers are unlikely to pay more for 5G services over existing 4G spend, how can telcos’ growth ambitions be achieved? One new option that the 5G standalone architecture makes possible relates to the charging function (chf) itself. Especially when it comes to thinking about the needs of telcos’ enterprise customers.

In this research note, we explore the case for a distributed charging function, and the new opportunities it could provide, compared to earlier generations of mobile network charging architectures. We contrast that with a traditional centralized charging function, and make recommendations for CSPs who are considering how best to achieve their business goals from the rollout of 5G networks.