Patent ID: 6961339

Claim:
A processing system to control routing for a user communication, wherein the processing system is external to communication systems that transfer the user communication, and wherein the processing system is coupled to the communication systems over control links, the processing system comprising: a signaling platform configured to receive telecommunication signaling information for the user communication; an application platform configured to process a called number data structure, a routing data structure, and the telecommunication signaling information to select an identifier for placement in a header of the user communication, and to generate a control instruction indicating the identifier; a control platform configured to transfer the control instruction indicating the identifier over one of the control links to one of the communication systems; and wherein the one communication system places the identifier in the header of the user communication, wherein at least some of the communication systems route the user communication based on the identifier in the header, and wherein the processing system is external to the communication systems that transfer the user communication.