Patent ID: 8484704

Claim:
A method, comprising: receiving, at a first network, a first real-time communication initialization message from a first customer communication device operated by a first user; authenticating the first user at the first network, wherein authenticating comprises receiving authentication information at the first network from the first user connected with the firs network via the first customer communication device; forwarding a second real-time communication initialization message from the first network to a second network, wherein the first and second real-time communication initialization messages are the same or different and wherein the first network belongs to a first domain operated by a first entity and the second network belongs to a second domain operated by a second entity; forwarding user information from the first network to the second network, such that the user information is used by the second network in connection with processing one or more of (i) the second real-time communication initialization message and (ii) a communication session created with the second real-time communication initialization message; retrieving, by the first network, user information for the first user from a database in the first domain, wherein the user information retrieved from the database in the first domain includes one or more of account number, billing information, payment information, communication history, and communication preferences; and providing, by the first network to the second network, at least a portion of the user information retrieved from the database.