A method for facilitating a collaboration conference in a telecommunications network, the method comprising performing, by an application programming interface, the operations of: receiving a collaboration conference access request from a client application program executed on a client device at the application programming interface of a server associated with the telecommunications network; selecting a hosting conference bridge (122, 124) from a plurality of conference bridges associated with the telecommunications network and configured to host a collaboration conference, the selection occurring in response to the collaboration conference access request, wherein a conferencing system (120 - 124) of the telecommunications network comprises the plurality of conference bridges and one or more conference call routing servers, the plurality of conference bridges comprising different types of conference bridges wherein a first said type is IP based and a second said type is TDM based and the selected hosting conference bridge (122, 124) is of the first or second type; translating the received collaboration conference access request to one or more instructions specific to the type of the selected hosting conferencing bridge (122, 124) and corresponding to a type of the client device; and transmitting the one or more instructions specific to the type of the selected hosting conferencing bridge (122, 124) to the selected hosting conferencing bridge (122, 124), wherein the one or more instructions specific to the type of the selected hosting conferencing bridge (122, 124) include an indication of the collaboration conference access request from the client application program, wherein the application programming interface is configured to use a said conference call routing server to determine bridge route information, said determination based on at least one of a telephone number, access number, access code and pin supplied to the application programming interface through a user interface on the client device and further based on traffic information received from a said IP based or TDM based conference bridge of the plurality of conference bridges. receiving a collaboration conference access request from a client application program executed on a client device at the application programming interface of a server associated with the telecommunications network; selecting a hosting conference bridge (122, 124) from a plurality of conference bridges associated with the telecommunications network and configured to host a collaboration conference, the selection occurring in response to the collaboration conference access request, wherein a conferencing system (120 - 124) of the telecommunications network comprises the plurality of conference bridges and one or more conference call routing servers, the plurality of conference bridges comprising different types of conference bridges wherein a first said type is IP based and a second said type is TDM based and the selected hosting conference bridge (122, 124) is of the first or second type; translating the received collaboration conference access request to one or more instructions specific to the type of the selected hosting conferencing bridge (122, 124) and corresponding to a type of the client device; and transmitting the one or more instructions specific to the type of the selected hosting conferencing bridge (122, 124) to the selected hosting conferencing bridge (122, 124), wherein the one or more instructions specific to the type of the selected hosting conferencing bridge (122, 124) include an indication of the collaboration conference access request from the client application program, wherein the application programming interface is configured to use a said conference call routing server to determine bridge route information, said determination based on at least one of a telephone number, access number, access code and pin supplied to the application programming interface through a user interface on the client device and further based on traffic information received from a said IP based or TDM based conference bridge of the plurality of conference bridges.