Integrated IP telephony and cellular communication system and method of operation

A system comprising:

• a packet data network including a gateway and a plurality of gatekeepers coupled thereto;
• a plurality of wireless systems;
• a plurality of wireless terminals;
• and
• a location database which stores at least one area, the at least one area being associated with at least one gatekeeper to which a message is transmitted to initiate a communication and to which the communication is transmitted;
• and wherein
• the packet data network processes the message to determine at least one area to which the message is transmitted to initiate the communication and uses the database to identify for the at least one area at least one destination gatekeeper to which the message is transmitted from the gateway, transmits the message from the gateway to the at least destination gatekeeper and from the at least one destination gatekeeper to at least one of the plurality of wireless systems and the at least one destination gatekeeper is not all of the plurality of gatekeepers.

A method of initiating a communication which is transmitted by a packet data network, containing and a plurality of gatekeepers, to a wireless terminal in one of a plurality of wireless systems comprising:

• processing a message for use in initiation of the communication to determine at least one area to which the message is transmitted;
• identifying for the at least one area at least one associated destination gatekeeper to which the message is transmitted to initiate the communication and to which the communication is transmitted;
• transmitting the message to the at least one associated destination gatekeeper;
• and
• transmitting the message from the at least one associated destination gatekeeper to at least one of the plurality of wireless systems;
• and wherein
• the at least one associated destination gatekeeper is not all of the plurality of gatekeepers.

A system comprising:

• a packet data network including a plurality of gatekeepers coupled thereto;
• a plurality of wireless systems;
• a plurality of wireless terminals;
• and
• a location database which stores at least one area, the at least one area being associated with at least one gatekeeper to which a message is transmitted to initiate a communication and to which the communication is transmitted;
• and wherein
• the packet data network processes the message to determine at least one area to which the message is transmitted to initiate the communication and uses the database to identify for the at least one area at least one destination gatekeeper to which the message is transmitted from the gateway, transmits the message to the at least destination gatekeeper and from the at least one destination gatekeeper to at least one of the plurality of wireless systems and the at least one gatekeeper is not all of the plurality of gatekeepers.