Network session management for telephony over hybrid networks

A method comprising:

• receiving over a packet switched network at a call control object a request to initiate a communication session between a calling terminal and a called terminal, the request identifying a user account associated with the calling terminal and including an address of the called terminal;
• sending a request from the call control object to a unitary logical object, the unitary logical object including authentication, authorization, usage accounting, and pricing information for the user in a distributed database containing the user account;
• at the unitary logical object, authenticating, account validating and authorizing the communication session;
• receiving at the call control object a response from the unitary logical object indicating the communication session is authorized;
• determining a lowest cost gateway that connects the packet switched network and a circuit switched network through which to connect the communication session;
• establishing the communication session between the calling terminal and called terminal via the determined lowest cost gateway;
• distributing the unitary logical object over multiple physical systems;
• at a billing system object, having an extraction interface for selectively polling for extracting usage records from the unitary logical object;
• and
• at a credit card provider interface in communication with the billing system object, placing a charge against a credit card account number associated with the user account.