Telephone call processing

A system for providing an enhanced telephony service in a telecommunications network, the system comprising:

• means for maintaining a store of identifiers for enhanced telephony service users in the network;
• means for receiving a first message caused by a number portability query relating to a first telephone call in the network, the first message comprising a first identifier for the first telephone call;
• means for searching the store for an identifier corresponding to the first identifier to identify a user of enhanced telephony service;
• means for, in response to the searching identifying a user of an enhanced telephony service, instructing routing of the first telephone call to a first node in the network for the provision of a first enhanced telephony service, the first enhanced telephony service being a service other than a number portability service.

A method for providing an enhanced telephony service in a telecommunications network comprising a local telephone exchange switch capable of interworking with a telephone call control node remote to the local telephone exchange switch according to an existing interworking function, the method comprising:

• maintaining a store of identifiers for enhanced telephony service users in the network;
• reconfiguring the existing interworking operation to include an additional enhanced telephony service initiation function;
• in response to receiving a telephone call at the local telephone exchange switch, triggering the reconfigured interworking operation;
• during the reconfigured interworking operation, searching the store for an identifier corresponding to the received telephone call to identify a user of an enhanced telephony service;
• in response to the searching identifying a user of an enhanced telephony service, instructing routing of the received telephone call to a node in the network responsible for providing an enhanced telephony service.

A method of providing an enhanced telephony service and a number portability service in a telecommunications network, the method comprising:

• receiving a message caused by a number portability query, the message identifying a user;
• identifying whether the user is registered to receive the enhanced telephony service;
• if the user is so registered, providing the enhanced telephony service;
• if the user is not so registered, providing the number portability service.

A computer readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed, cause a computing device to perform a method of providing an enhanced telephony service in a telecommunications network, the method comprising:

• maintaining a store of identifiers for enhanced telephony service users in the network;
• receiving a first message caused by a number portability query relating to a first telephone call in the network, the first message comprising a first identifier for the first telephone call;
• searching the store for an identifier corresponding to the first identifier to identify a user of an enhanced telephony service;
• in response to the searching identifying a user of an enhanced telephony service, instructing routing of the first telephone call to a first node in the network responsible for the provision of a first enhanced telephony service, the first enhanced telephony service being a service other than a number portability service.

A computer readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed cause a computing device to perform a method of providing an enhanced telephony service in a telecommunications network comprising a local telephone exchange switch capable of interworking with a telephone call control node remote to the local telephone exchange switch according to an existing interworking function, the method comprising:

• maintaining a store of identifiers for enhanced telephony service users in the network;
• reconfiguring the existing interworking operation to include an additional enhanced telephony service initiation function;
• in response to receiving a telephone call at the local telephone exchange switch, triggering the reconfigured interworking operation;
• during the reconfigured interworking operation, searching the store for an identifier corresponding to the received telephone call to identify a user of an enhanced telephony service;
• in response to the searching identifying a user of an enhanced telephony service, instructing routing of the received telephone call to a node in the network responsible for providing an enhanced telephony service.