Telephony platform and method for providing enhanced communication services

A telephony platform providing pre-paid telecommunication services to users, the telephony platform comprising:

• an input device to receive a personal identification number from a user, to receive at least one of an enhanced telecommunication service selection from a user from a plurality of enhanced telecommunication services, a commercial transaction and a user request for user account information, wherein a user requesting account information includes at least one of a service customer, a transaction customer, a service provider, a transaction provider, an external carrier, and a sales agent;
• a storage device storing account data related to the user;
• a verification module to authenticate the personal identification number input by the input device, to verify that the user is authorized to receive the user-selected enhanced telecommunication service, the commercial transaction, and/or the user account information, and to verify that the stored account data comprises an account balance sufficient to pay for the user-selected enhanced telecommunication service;
• and
• a processor programmed to provide the user-selected enhanced telecommunication service, the commercial transaction, and/or the user-requested account information to the user, via a network or networks comprising at least the Internet, upon successful completion of the verification module's authenticating an input number and verifying an authorized user.

The telephony platform providing pre-paid telecommunication services to user, the telephony platform comprising:

• an input device to receive at least one of an enhanced telecommunication service selection from a user from a plurality of enhanced telecommunication services, a commercial transaction, and a user request for user account information;
• a storage device to store account data related to the user;
• a verification module to verify that the user is authorized to receive a user-selected telecommunication service, the commercial transaction, and/or the user account information and to verify that the stored account data comprises an account balance sufficient to pay for the at least one of the user-selected enhanced telecommunication service and commercial transaction;
• a charging unit to charge, by rating engines included in the telephony platform which dynamically calculate usage charges corresponding to the at least one of the telecommunication service and the commercial transaction, an authorized user account for providing the telecommunication service and/or commercial transaction;
• and
• a processor programmed to provide to the user-selected enhanced telecommunication service, the commercial transaction, and/or the user-requested account information to the user, via a network or networks comprising at least the Internet, upon successful completion of the verification module's verifying an authorized user.

A method of providing pre-paid communication services for facilitating commercial transactions via a network or networks, the method comprising:

• accepting, on an enhanced services platform, a request for a commercial transaction and/or a request for user account information from an authenticated user, wherein a user requesting account information includes at least one of a transaction customer, a transaction provider, an external carrier, and a sales agent;
• verifying, by the enhanced services platform, that the user is authorized to perform the commercial transaction and/or authorized to receive user account information, and that an account linked to a personal identifier of the user has sufficient value to pay for a user-requested commercial transaction;
• dynamically determining, by the enhanced services platform, charges corresponding to a user-requested commercial transaction using rating engines provided in the enhanced services platform;
• charging, via the enhanced services platform, the account for executing a user-requested commercial transaction based upon the dynamically determined charges, wherein said charging the account comprises decrementing a charge from an online pre-paid user account or adding a charge to an online credit account;
• and
• executing, by the enhanced services platform, user-requested commercial transaction and/or providing the user-requested account information via a network or networks comprising at least the Internet.

A communication method using an enhanced services platform for providing pre-paid services and commercial transactions via a plurality of networks, comprising:

• accepting, on the enhanced services platform, at least one of a request for a communication service, a commercial transaction and a request for user account information from an authenticated user, the request originating from any one of a plurality of networks of different types;
• verifying, by the enhanced services platform, that the authenticated user is authorized to receive the at least one of the communication service, the commercial transaction, and the user account information, and that an account linked to the authenticated user has sufficient value to pay for the at least one of the communication service and the commercial transaction;
• charging, by rating engines included in the enhanced services platform which dynamically calculate usage charges corresponding to the at least one of the communication service and the commercial transaction, an authorized user account for providing the at least one of the communication service and commercial transaction;
• providing, by the enhanced services platform, simultaneous processing of real-time settlement data for the at least one the communication service and commercial transaction;
• and
• providing, via the enhanced services platform, the at least one of the communication service and the commercial transaction based upon said verifying of the authenticated user and said charging of the authorized user account, and the user-requested account information based upon said verifying of the authenticated user.