Patent ID: 7453867

Claim:
A method for replacing, within a telecommunications network, an existing international telephone exchange (ITNC) by a new ITNC, both exchanges being in a domain of an operator, the method comprising the steps of: configuring the new ITNC before it is brought into operation and handles traffic in the domain wherein a point-code is allocated to the new ITNC that is the same as a point-code that has been previously allocated to the existing ITNC so that the operator need not communicate any change to the point-code for the new ITNC to any other operator in the network; reducing an amount of traffic routed via the existing ITNC to zero during a period of time, while increasing during said period an amount of traffic routed via other ITNCs in the domain; replacing, in the domain and the network, the existing ITNC with the new ITNC, after the amount of the traffic routed via the existing ITNC has been reduced to zero; and allowing traffic to be routed to the new ITNC after the new ITNC has replaced the existing ITNC.