Distributed data storage and delivery in a cellular telephone network

A wireless telephone network, comprising:

• a home location register;
• a first switching node serving an addressee message entity;
• a first message center assigned to a service provider to which an addressee message entity has subscripted for telephone service;
• a second message center;
• and
• a second switching node having connection capability with both the first and the second message center, the second switching node receiving a subscriber data message addressed to the addressee message entity and operating to forward the received subscriber data message not to the first message center but instead to the second message center.

A method for handling storage of subscriber data messages in a cellular telephone network, wherein the network comprises:

• a home network for an addressee message entity, the home network including a home location register storing addressee message entity related information and a home message center operating to store and forward subscriber data messages;
• and
• another network including a message center operating to store and forward subscriber data messages;
• and
• the method comprising the steps of:
• receiving a subscriber data message transmitted to that addressee message entity;
• forwarding the received subscriber data message, not to the home message center associated with the addressee message entity in the home network for the purpose of storage and delivery to the addressee message entity, but instead to the message center in the another network;
• storing the forwarded subscriber data message in the message center for the another network;
• and
• delivering the stored subscriber data message to the addressee message entity from the message center in the another network.

A wireless telephone network, comprising:

• (a) a home network for an addressee message entity, comprising:
• a home location register storing addressee message entity related information;
• and
• a home message center operating to store and forward subscriber data messages;
• (b) another network, comprising:
• a message center operating to store and forward subscriber data messages;
• and
• (c) a switching node having connection capability with both the home message center and the message center in the another network, the switching node receiving a subscriber data message addressed to the addressee message entity and operating to forward the received subscriber data message not to the home message center associated with the addressee message entity in the home network for the purpose of storage and delivery to the addressee message entity, but instead to the message center in the another network for the purpose of storage and delivery to the addressee message entity.