System and methods for providing instant services in an internet protocol network

A method for providing instant services in an Internet Protocol network, the method comprising:

• receiving on a presence server from a first user terminal a request to subscribe to a multimedia service;
• sending from the presence server to a conference server a request to provision a first communication session between the first user terminal and the conference server;
• provisioning the first communication session between the first user terminal and the conference server responsive to receiving the request;
• providing online status information associated with a user associated with the first user terminal to at least one user authorized to receive the online status information;
• provisioning a second communication session between the conference server and a second user terminal;
• providing online status information associated with a user associated with the second user terminal to the user associated with the first user terminal;
• receiving on the conference server an activation request to establish an active session between the first user terminal and the second user terminal;
• bridging the first communication session to the second communication session on the conference server.

The system for providing real-time data transmission in an Internet Protocol network, the system comprising:

• a plurality of conference servers comprising a first conference server and a second conference server, the first conference server configured to provision at least one communication session to a first user associated with a first user terminal, and the second conference server configured to provision at least one communication session to a second user associated with a second user terminal, the first conference server and the second conference server being further configured to bridge the at least one communication session between the first user terminal and the second user terminal upon receiving a communication session activation request, and further being configured to un-bridge the sessions upon receiving a communication session deactivation request;
• a presence server configured to assign the first user to the first conference server and the second user to the second conference server upon receiving registration requests from the first user and the second user, the presence server being further configured to receive from the first user a communication session activation request to establish a communication session with the second user and, responsively, determine an association of the second user with the second conference server and an association of the first user with the first conference server, and the presence server being further configured to send a first request to the first conference server and a second request the second conference server, wherein the first request comprises a request to bridge the at least one communication session provisioned for the first user to the second conference server, and the second request comprises a request to bridge the at least one communication session provisioned for the second user to the first conference server.