Patent ID: 7075920

Claim:
An arrangement for combining narrowband and broadband transport mechanisms in a communications network, comprising: a narrowband network switch, said narrowband network switch including call control functionality and narrowband connection control functionality; a broadband network switch in communication with the narrowband network switch, said broadband network switch including only broadband connection control functionality; wherein, the call control functionality in the narrowband network switch includes: means for determining whether a first traffic call received in the narrowband network switch is destined for a node that has only narrowband capabilities, or is destined for a node that has broadband capabilities; means, responsive to a determination that the first traffic call is destined for a node that has only narrowband capabilities, for controlling the narrowband connection control functionality in the narrowband network switch to route the first traffic call to the narrowband destination node, and means, responsive to a determination that the first traffic call is destined for a node that has broadband capabilities, for controlling the broadband connection control functionality in the broadband network switch to route the first traffic call to the broadband destination node.