Wireless telephone menu system

A telephone system that processes failed call attempts, comprising:

• a wireless receiver that receives a call attempt request from a wireless phone identifying a phone to be called;
• a communication system that places the call attempt to the called phone;
• a processor, provided in one of the wireless receiver and the communication system, responsive to a failure to complete the call attempt that:
• determines a time zone a the wireless phone;
• determines a time zone at a location of the called phone;
• compares the time zones;
• when the time zones are different, causes a time of day to be announced to a calling party at the wireless phone;
• provides during the telephone call connection attempt a menu of options to the calling party if the call attempt fails because the calling party receives either a busy signal, a ring no answer response, a message that the called party's telephone has been changed or a message that the called party's telephone is out of service;
• and
• processing a selected option during the telephone call connection attempt.

In a communication network, a method of determining a time zone at a wireless phone, comprising steps of:

• receiving a billing identifier from a cellular switch communicating with the wireless phone,
• identifying the cellular switch,
• referring the cellular switch's identity to an index of cellular switches, and
• retrieving from the index an identifier of the time zone at the cellular switch.

In a communication network, a method of determining a time zone at a wireless phone, comprising steps of:

• receiving communications from a cellular switch communicating with the wireless phone,
• identifying a communication path over which the communication from the cellular switch is received,
• identifying the cellular switch from the communication path,
• referring the cellular switch's identity to an index of cellular switches, and
• retrieving from the index an identifier of the time zone at the cellular switch.

In a communication network, a method of determining a time zone at a wireless phone, comprising steps of:

• receiving a billing reference number representative of the attempted call,
• identifying from the billing reference number a cellular switch in communication with the wireless phone,
• referring the cellular switch's identity to an index of cellular switches, and
• retrieving from the index an identifier of the time zone at the cellular switch.