Systems and methods for providing intelligent wireless access systems

A microcell telecommunications network coupled to an existing source of wire-based calls, said network comprising:

• a digital switch;
• a plurality of intelligent radio ports connected to said digital switch, said radio ports being capable of communicating with each other via said microcell network and also being capable of communicating with a plurality of wireless telephones via a macrocell public wireless network;
• and
• an intelligent radio port controller connected to said digital switch, said controller providing control commands to said digital switch and to said plurality of radio ports such that an incoming call from said source of wire-based calls may be answered via a cellular telephone coupled to one of said intelligent radio ports irrespective of whether said incoming call was directed to a cellular telephone number, said incoming call being handled as a wire-based call provided that said call is answered via an intelligent radio port based cellular phone.

A method for providing wireless telephone service in an existing wire-based environment, said method comprising the steps of:

• directing an incoming call simultaneously to a wire-based telephone in said existing environment and to a digital switch in a microcell wireless network that causes ringing to occur at said digital switch, said incoming call having a phone number associated with it;
• monitoring said digital switch by a controller;
• receiving said phone number at said controller when said ringing is monitored;
• determining which cellular phone is associated with said phone number and determining which one of a plurality of intelligent radio ports said associated cellular phone is currently registered to;
• and
• directing said call from said digital switch to said associated cellular phone so that said call may be answered at either said associated cellular phone or said wire-based telephone transparently to a caller that placed said incoming call.

A method for providing telephone service in an environment that includes wire-based phone service and wireless phone service, said method comprising the steps of:

• directing an incoming call simultaneously to a wire-based telephone in said existing environment and to a digital switch in a microcell wireless network that causes ringing to occur at said digital switch when both said wire-based phone service and said wireless phone service are operational, said incoming call having a phone number associated with it;
• monitoring said digital switch by a controller;
• receiving said phone number at said controller when said ringing is monitored;
• determining which cellular phone is associated with said phone number and determining which one of a plurality of intelligent radio ports said associated cellular phone is currently registered to;
• directing said call from said digital switch to said associated cellular phone so that said call may be answered at either said associated cellular phone or said wire-based telephone transparently to a caller that placed said incoming call;
• operating said wireless phone service independently of said wire-based phone service if said incoming call is placed by dialing a mobile identification number;
• and
• operating said wire-based phone service independently of said wireless phone service if said incoming call is placed by dialing a wire-based telephone directory number.