Patent ID: 7545800

Claim:
A method of establishing a call between a first narrowband switch and a second narrowband switch across a broadband network connecting said first and second narrowband switches, the first and second narrowband switches also being connected by a narrowband signalling link, the method comprising the steps of: a. receiving a call request at the first narrowband switch; b. sending call signalling data to the second narrowband switch over the narrowband signalling link; c. at the first narrowband switch establishing via a call server of said first narrowband switch a first phantom trunk to the second narrowband switch over the narrowband signalling link; d. at the second narrowband switch establishing via a call server of said second narrowband switch a second phantom trunk to the first narrowband switch over the narrowband signalling link; e. at one of said first and second narrowband switches determining from said first and second phantom trunks a connection to be established over said broadband network between said first and second narrowband switches; and f. establishing said connection between the first and second narrowband switches over the broadband network to thereby establish the call over the broadband network between the first and second narrowband switches.