AbstractThe authors study a scalable pricing framework for QoS enabled networks that support real-time, adjustable real-time, and non-realtime traffic. The scheme, which belongs to usage-based methods, is independent of the underlying network and the mechanisms for QoS provisioning. The framework is credit based, ensuring the fairness, comprehensibility, and predictability of usage price. It also provides a means for the network providers to ensure, with high probability, cost recovery and profit, competitiveness of prices, and encouragement of client behaviours that will enhance the network's efficiency. This is achieved by appropriate charging mechanisms and the provision of suitable incentives. Simulation results suggest that users have better overall satisfaction, that providers are able to recover costs; and that better network utilization is achieved while reduced call blocking probability is observed. The implementation and usage costs of the framework are low.