Method and apparatus for providing prepaid telecommunications services

A method of operating a communications network where communication services provided by the system may be paid for in advance using a prepayment service, comprising:

• creating a record in a database assigned to a network subscriber, the database record including a prepaid account number, a subscriber number, and an associated prepaid monetary value;
• the subscriber requesting a communications service from a prepay communications terminal;
• the prepayment service processing the request and checking if the prepaid monetary value in the subscriber's record is sufficient for authorizing the requested service, and if so, authorizing the requested service;
• the prepayment service decreasing the prepaid monetary value in the subscriber's record in accordance with the service rendered;
• the subscriber dialing a telephone number to place a call to the prepayment service and requesting addition of monetary value to the subscriber's prepaid account;
• in response to the subscriber request to add monetary value to the subscriber's prepaid account number in the database, the prepayment service:
• authenticating the subscriber;
• prompting the subscriber to enter an amount of money to be added to the prepaid monetary value in the database;
• adding to the prepaid monetary value in the database an amount of money forwarded by the subscriber during the call to generate a new prepaid monetary value in the database associated with the prepaid account number;
• and
• communicating the amount of money added to the prepaid monetary value to a billing controller to add the amount of money to a telephone bill issued to the subscriber.

In a communications system including a plurality of communication terminals having access to a communications network, at least one of the communications terminals being a prepay terminal requiring payment before a desired communications service is rendered, an Intelligent Network (IN) apparatus providing a prepayment telecommunications service comprising:

• a service control point storing records in a database assigned to IN subscribers, each database record including a prepaid account number and an associated prepaid monetary value for each IN subscriber, and
• a service switching point, coupled to the service control point, detects and routes calls directed to prepayment of communications services involving IN subscribers to the service control point;
• wherein when the service switching point detects a subscriber calling a prepayment telecommunications service number requesting that a specified monetary value be added to the subscriber's prepaid account and signals the service control point, the service control point interfaces with the subscriber through the service switching point to permit the subscriber to add to the prepaid monetary value associated with the subscriber in the database an amount of money entered by the subscriber to generate a new prepaid monetary value in the database associated with the prepaid account number such that a subsequent prepayment communication service may be requested and rendered using the new prepaid monetary value, and
• wherein the service control point communicates the amount of money added to the prepaid monetary value to a billing processor to add the amount of money to a telephone bill issued to the subscriber.