In a telecommunications system having functionally interconnected network elements including service switching points (SSPs), a service control point (SCP), and a service node (SN), a method to retain an original calling party number associated with a communication as a calling party number at an ultimate destination of the communication, even when the communication, prior to the communication being routed to the ultimate destination, is routed from an original called party number to a called party number associated with the SN, the method comprising:
- A. causing the SN, in response to receipt of the communication directed to the called party number associated with the SN, to make a call by dialing a feature access code (FAC) followed by the SN dialing a string of digits, the string of digits including call information for parameters of call structure of the communication;
- B. causing an SSP serving the SN, in response to receiving the call dialed to the FAC and dialed to the string of digits from the SN, to send a first query to the SCP, the first query including the FAC and the string of digits;
- C. causing the SCP, in response to receiving the first query including the FAC and the string of digits, to provide parameter instructions with respect to the parameters of the call structure of the communication, the parameter instructions being provided to the SSP serving the SN, the parameter instructions instructing the SSP serving the SN to:
- i. cause a calling party number parameter of the call structure of the communication to include the original calling party number associated with the communication, and
- ii. cause a billing party number parameter of the call structure of the communication to include an identification of the SN;
- D. causing the SSP serving the SN, in response to the parameter instructions from the SCP, to carry out the parameter instructions, and then to route the communication to the original called party number;
- E. causing an SSP serving the original called party number, in response to receiving the communication from the SSP serving the SN, to make a second query of the SCP, the second query including the identification of the SN in the billing party number parameter of the call structure of the communication;
- F. causing the SCP, in response to the second query including the identification of the SN in the billing party number parameter of the call structure of the communication, to provide the SSP serving the original called party number with routing instructions to route the communication to the ultimate destination;
- and
- G. causing the SSP serving the original called party number, in response to the routing instructions, to route the communication to the ultimate destination,
- whereby the original calling party number is retained as the calling party number at the ultimate destination by causing the SN to provide the call information in the string of data provided to the SCP so the SCP may provide the parameter instructions so as to cause the call structure of the communication to reflect the original calling party number as the calling party number at the ultimate destination of the communication.