Direct route ISDN primary route interface

A method of operating a network, the method comprising:

• generating, at an originating switch, a routing query including a dialed telephone number associated with a communication from a user seeking access to a data network of a service provider;
• communicating the routing query from the originating switch to a controller of the network, the controller including an associated controller database, the controller database to store a capacity threshold associated with a customer, the controller database to store a list of telephone numbers used to allow access to the customer which can be cross referenced to derive a trunk route index;
• based on the dialed telephone number contained in the routing query, identifying, in the controller database, the customer for which the communication is intended and the list of numbers that are used for access to the customer;
• based on the dialed telephone number contained in the routing query, identifying, in the controller database, the trunk route index, the trunk route index to identify a direct interface to a terminating switch associated with the customer;
• returning an Analyze Route message including the dialed telephone number to the originating switch when a route to the terminating switch is identified;
• returning a Continue message to instruct the originating switch to route the communication to the terminating switch using interoffice trunk lines when traffic on direct interface trunk groups exceeds the stored capacity threshold, wherein the direct interface trunk groups communicatively couple the originating switch and the terminating switch, wherein the interoffice trunk lines communicatively couple the originating switch and the terminating switch;
• and
• returning the Continue message including no parameters to the originating switch when the dialed telephone number is not identified in the list of numbers that are used for access to the customer.

A telecommunications network comprising:

• a first switch to receive a call from a calling communication station intended for a network subscriber and to generate a routing query in response thereto, the network subscriber identified by a dialed telephone number;
• a second switch associated with the network subscriber;
• interoffice trunk lines communicatively coupling the first and second switches;
• direct interface trunk groups communicatively coupling the first and second switches;
• a controller database to store a capacity threshold associated with the network subscriber, the controller database to store a list of telephone numbers used to allow access to the network subscriber which can be cross referenced to derive a trunk route index, the trunk route index to identify a direct interface to the terminating switch associated with the network subscriber;
• and
• a controller in communication with the first switch to receive the routing query, the controller to:
• determine whether the dialed number of the network subscriber is included in the controller database;
• use the called number contained in the routing query received from the originating switch to derive a capacity threshold for the network subscriber;
• return an Analyze Route message including the dialed telephone number to the first switch when a route to the second switch is identified;
• return a Continue message to instruct the first switch to route the call to the second switch using the interoffice trunk lines when traffic on the direct interface trunk groups exceeds the capacity threshold;
• and
• return the Continue message including no parameters to the first switch when the dialed telephone number is not identified in the list of numbers that are used for access to the network subscriber.