Carrier proportioned routing

Apparatus for use in a telecommunications switch at which a telephone call originates, said originating switch being part of a telephone network in a first country that must route said telephone call to the telephone network of one of a plurality of carriers in a second country, said apparatus comprising:

• means for assigning said call, in said originating switch, to one of said carriers of said plurality to which said call has never been previously assigned;
• means for launching with said call from said originating switch to another switch of said network in said first country, an indication of the identity of said assigned carrier with said call, said indication remaining with said call as said call is processed in said network in said first country;
• and
• means for storing in said originating switch an indication that said call was assigned to said carrier.

A method for use in a telecommunications switch at which a call originates, said call being destined for a country having more than one carrier, said switch belonging to a network having a plurality of switches each of which can directly complete a call to at least one of said carriers in said country, said method comprising the steps of:

• assigning said call, in said originating switch, to a carrier in said country to which said call was never previously assigned;
• identifying a switch of said network other than said originating switch to which said call has not been routed and which can directly complete said call to said assigned carrier;
• routing said call from said originating switch to said identified switch with associated call information which includes an indication of said assigned carrier;
• receiving said call back at said originating switch when said identified switch was unable to complete said call to said assigned carrier;
• and
• repeating said identifying and routing steps.

A method for use in processing a call assigned to a predetermined carrier at an egress switch of a telephone network for said carrier, said call having originated at another switch of said network and being destined for a country having more than one carrier, said method comprising the steps of:

• receiving said call, including a predetermined indication specifying said predetermined carrier, from said originating switch;
• routing said call to said carrier if a direct route to said carrier is available;
• and
• cranking said call back to said originating switch if said egress switch is unable to complete said call to said assigned carrier.

A method for use in a switch at which a call originates, said call being destined for a country having more than one carrier, said switch belonging to a network having a plurality of switches that can directly complete a call to at least one of said carriers in said country, said method comprising the steps of:

• assigning said call to one of said carriers;
• routing said call, associated call information, to one of said switches of said plurality that can directly complete said call to said assigned carrier and including in said call information an indication of said assigned carrier;
• and
• receiving an indication of said assigned carrier back from said switch to which said call was routed in the event said switch was unable to complete said call to said assigned carrier.

A method for use in a switch of a telephone network in a first country that must route a telephone call to the telephone network of one of a plurality of carriers in a second country, said method comprising the steps of:

• assigning said call to one of said carriers of said plurality, said assigning being performed in the switch of said network in said first country at which said call originates;
• routing said call from said originating switch along with an indication of the identity of said carrier to an egress switch of said network in said first country that connects to the network of said assigned carrier and to which said call was not previously routed;
• determining, at said originating switch in response to a cranking back of said call to said switch, which of said carriers was assigned to said call by said switch;
• and
• repeating said routing step.

Apparatus for use in a telecommunications switch at which a telephone call originates, said switch being part of a telephone network in a first country that must route said telephone call to the telephone network of one of a plurality of carriers in a second country, said apparatus comprising:

• means for assigning said call to one of said carriers of said plurality, to which said call has never been previously assigned;
• means for launching from said switch, to a particular switch of said network of said first country that directly connects to said network of said assigned carrier, with said call, an indication of the identity of said assigned carrier, said indication remaining with said call as said call is processed in said network in said first country;
• means for storing an indication that said call was assigned to said carrier;
• means for receiving said call back at said switch of said telephone network in said first country at which said call originated;
• means for identifying said assigned carrier from said stored indication;
• and
• means for launching said call so that it is destined for another particular switch in said telephone network that directly connects to said assigned carrier.