Inetwork architecture for calling party pays wireless service

A method of providing a calling party pays billing treatment on a call to a wireless subscriber station, comprising:

• routing a call for a telephone number assigned to the wireless subscriber station from a calling station through a landline network operated by a carrier to a predetermined switching office of the landline network;
• recognizing a need for calling party pays billing treatment with respect to the call;
• determining whether or not the carrier can bill charges to a party associated with the calling station;
• if the carrier can bill charges to a party associated with the calling station, completing and billing for the call by execution of steps comprising:
• 1) routing the call from the predetermined switching office to a wireless communication network serving the wireless subscriber station;
• 2) completing the call to the wireless subscriber station through the wireless communication network;
• 3) recording call completion information in the landline network operated by the carrier;
• 4) forwarding the call completion information to a billing system operated by the carrier;
• and
• 5) billing the party associated with the calling station for completion of the call through the wireless communication network using the billing system operated by the carrier;
• and
• if the carrier can not bill charges to a party associated with the calling station, completing and billing for the call by execution of steps comprising:
• a) routing the call from the predetermined switching office to another switching office;
• b) determining one of a plurality of alternate billing facilities which can bill charges to a party associated with the calling station;
• c) initiating call data recording for the one alternate billing facility;
• d) routing the call from said another switching office to the wireless communication network serving the wireless subscriber station;
• e) completing the call to the wireless subscriber station through the wireless communication network;
• and
• f) billing the party associated with the calling station for completion of the call through the wireless communication network using the one alternate billing facility and based on the call data recording,
• wherein the alternate billing facilities comprise a clearinghouse system and a credit card billing system, and the step of determining one the alternate billing facilities which can bill charges to a party associated with the calling station comprises:
• accessing a database of subscriber related information to determine if a party associated with the calling station is billable through the clearinghouse;
• and
• selecting billing through the credit card billing system if the database of subscriber related information indicates that no party associated with the subscriber station is billable through the clearinghouse.

A method of providing a calling party pays billing treatment on a call to a cellular telephone station, comprising:

• routing a call for a telephone number assigned to the cellular telephone station from a calling station through a landline telephone network operated by an exchange carrier to a predetermined switching office of the landline telephone network;
• determining whether or not calling party pays billing treatment applies to processing of the call;
• if calling party pays billing treatment applies to processing of the call, determining whether or not the exchange carrier can bill charges to a party associated with the calling station;
• if the exchange carrier can bill charges to a party associated with the calling station, completing and billing for the call by execution of steps comprising:
• 1) routing the call from the predetermined switching office to a mobile switching center of a cellular telephone network serving the cellular telephone station;
• 2) completing the call from the mobile switching center to the cellular telephone station;
• 3) recording call data in the predetermined switching office;
• 4) forwarding the call data recorded in the predetermined switching office to a billing system operated by the exchange carrier;
• and
• 5) billing the party associated with the calling station for completion of the call through the cellular telephone network using the billing system operated by the exchange carrier;
• and
• if the exchange carrier can not bill charges to a party associated with the calling station, completing and billing for the call by execution of steps comprising:
• a) routing the call from the predetermined switching office to another switching office;
• b) determining if the party associated with the calling station is billable through a clearinghouse, and if so, initiating call data recording in said another switching office;
• c) routing the call from said another switching office to the mobile switching center;
• d) completing the call from the mobile switching center to the cellular telephone station;
• e) forwarding call data recorded in said another switching office to the clearinghouse;
• and
• f) billing the party associated with the calling station for completion of the call through the clearinghouse.

A telecommunication system, comprising:

• a wireless communication network for providing wireless communication for a mobile station of a subscriber to a calling party pays communication service, the wireless communication network comprising a mobile switching center;
• an exchange carrier telephone network for providing selectively switched telephone communication services to subscriber stations linked to the exchange carrier telephone network, the exchange carrier telephone network comprising:
• a switching office having traffic and signaling links to the mobile switching center, and a billing system;
• a control node for determining whether or not the billing system can bill charges to a party associated with a calling subscriber station in response to a call from the subscriber station directed to the mobile station, wherein the switching office completes the call through the mobile switching center to the mobile station if the control node indicates that the billing system can bill charges to the party associated with the calling station;
• a telephone switch having traffic and signaling links to the switching office and having traffic and signaling links to the mobile switching center, wherein the telephone switch receives the call directed to the mobile station of the calling party pays subscriber, if the control node determines that the billing system can not bill charges to the party associated with the calling station;
• and
• an alternate billing facility coupled to the telephone switch, wherein the telephone switch completes the received call through the mobile switching center, and the alternate billing facility performs billing functions relating to completion of the call through the telephone switch and the mobile switching center, wherein:
• the alternate billing facility comprises a clearinghouse system;
• and
• the telephone switch compiles a data record of completion of the call through the telephone switch and the mobile switching center and forwards the data record to the clearinghouse system for billing to the calling party.

A telecommunication system, comprising:

• a wireless communication network for providing wireless communication for a mobile station of a subscriber to a calling party pays communication service, the wireless communication network comprising a mobile switching center;
• an exchange carrier telephone network for providing selectively switched telephone communication services to subscriber stations linked to the exchange carrier telephone network, the exchange carrier telephone network comprising:
• a switching office having traffic and signaling links to the mobile switching center, and a billing system;
• a control node for determining whether or not the billing system can bill charges to a party associated with a calling subscriber station in response to a call from the subscriber station directed to the mobile station, wherein the switching office completes the call through the mobile switching center to the mobile station if the control node indicates that the billing system can bill charges to the party associated with the calling station;
• a telephone switch having traffic and signaling links to the switching office and having traffic and signaling links to the mobile switching center, wherein the telephone switch receives the call directed to the mobile station of the calling party pays subscriber, if the control node determines that the billing system can not bill charges to the party associated with the calling station;
• alternate billing facilities including a clearinghouse system and a credit card billing system coupled to the telephone switch, wherein the telephone switch completes the received call through the mobile switching center, and one of the alternate billing facilities performs billing functions relating to completion of the call through the telephone switch and the mobile switching center;
• and
• a database, coupled to the telephone switch, storing data records indicating potential calling parties billable through the clearinghouse system, wherein:
• the switch completes the call directly through the mobile switching center if the data records in the database indicate that the party associated with the calling station is billable through the clearinghouse system, and
• the switch connects the call to the credit card billing system and subsequently completes the call through the mobile switching center if the data records in the database indicate that the party associated with the calling station is not billable through the clearinghouse.