Method and apparatus for providing back-up, in-band signaling in a communications network

A method for detecting at a terminating switching center an out-of-band signal failure between an originating switching center and the terminating switching center, the method comprising steps of:

• receiving and recognizing a loss of out-of-band signaling at the terminating switching center;
• identifying at least one trunk impacted by the loss of out-of-band signaling and changing a signaling characteristic of at least one trunk identified as impacted by the loss of out-of-band signaling from an out-of-band signaling characteristic to an in-band signaling characteristic;
• receiving in-band address signaling data over a trunk that is connected to the originating switch center and has been changed from the out-of-band signal characteristic to the in-band signaling characteristic;
• and
• attempting to complete a call to a dialed number, said dialed number being indicated by said in-band address signal data.

Apparatus for detecting and recovering from an out-of-band signaling failure in a telecommunications network, comprising:

• a data processor of a common-channel-controlled switching system receiving and sending dialed number data and detecting an out-of-band signaling failure;
• and
• a memory storing an availability of at least one trunk having an in-band signaling capability toward a destination switching system that is identified based on received dialed number data,
• the data processor further modifying a status of a selected trunk from an out-of-band signal characteristic to an in-band signaling characteristic, the status modification providing in-band supervisory and address signaling capability for the selected trunk.

A method of detecting and recovering from an out-of-band signaling failure in a telecommunications network, the method comprising steps of:

• detecting an out-of-band signaling network failure at the processor of a common-channel-controlled switching system;
• identifying at least one trunk impacted by the out-of-band signaling failure;
• and
• changing a signaling characteristic of at least one selected trunk from an out-of-band signaling characteristic to an in-band signaling characteristic having supervisory and address data.