Providing announcement information in requests to establish interactive call sessions

An apparatus for use in a data network, comprising:

• an interface to receive an invitation wherein the invitation includes a Session Initiation Protocol Invite message, over the data network to establish an interactive call session, the invitation including announcement information relating to content of a desired interactive call session;
• and
• a controller to process the invitation and present the announcement information before the interactive call session is established, the invitation including a header portion and a body portion, at least a part of the announcement information being contained in the body portion.

A data signal embodied in a carrier wave and containing one or more code segments including instructions for call control, the instructions when executed causing a system to:

• receive a call request wherein the call request includes a Session Initiation Protocol Invite message, containing announcement information relating to content of a requested interactive call session, the request containing a header portion and a body portion, at least a part of the announcement information being contained in the body portion;
• and
• present the announcement information on an output device of the system to influence a called party on disposition of the requested interactive call session.