Method and apparatus for inter-carrier communications

A machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

• receiving, from a private telephone number mapping server, a first database comprising a plurality of address records associated with a plurality of subscriber devices of a first carrier;
• converting the plurality of address records of the first database from an intra-carrier format to an inter-carrier format to generate an inter-carrier mapping database;
• storing the inter-carrier mapping database at an inter-carrier server system;
• detecting an update event associated with the first database, wherein the update event comprises an expiration of a timer;
• requesting, responsive to the detecting of the update event, a plurality of new address records associated with a plurality of new subscriber devices that have been registered with the first carrier since a prior update;
• receiving the plurality of new address records that are requested;
• updating the inter-carrier mapping database at the inter-carrier server system with the plurality of address records that have been converted to the inter-carrier format;
• receiving, from an internet protocol multimedia subsystem of a second carrier, a first query for an address record associated with a called number of a first device of the first carrier for initiating an internet protocol call between the first device and a second device of the second carrier, wherein the address record for the called number is not available at a telephone number mapping equipment of the second carrier;
• querying the inter-carrier mapping database of the inter-carrier server system for the address record associated with the called number;
• and
• transmitting the address record to the internet protocol multimedia subsystem of the second carrier, responsive to the address record being found in the inter-carrier mapping database, for routing the internet protocol call between the second device of the second carrier and the first device of the first carrier.

A method, comprising:

• receiving, by a processing system including a processor, from a private telephone number mapping server, a first database comprising a plurality of address records associated with a plurality of subscriber devices of a first carrier;
• storing, by the processing system and at an inter-carrier server system, an inter-carrier mapping database comprising the plurality of address records converted to an inter-carrier format;
• receiving, by the processing system, a plurality of new address records associated with a plurality of new subscriber devices that have been registered with the first carrier since a prior update;
• updating, by the processing system, the inter-carrier mapping database at the inter-carrier server system with the plurality of address records converted to the inter-carrier format;
• receiving, by the processing system and from an internet protocol multimedia subsystem of a second carrier, a first query for an address record associated with a called number of a first device of the first carrier for initiating an internet protocol call between the first device and a second device of the second carrier;
• querying, by the processing system, the inter-carrier mapping database of the inter-carrier server system for the address record associated with the called number;
• and
• transmitting, by the processing system, the address record to the internet protocol multimedia subsystem of the second carrier for use by the internet protocol multimedia subsystem of a second carrier in routing the internet protocol call between the second device of the second carrier and the first device of the first carrier.