Patent ID: 8416769

Claim:
A method for bypassing public switched telephone network (PSTN) carrier network facilities, comprising: providing an open architecture platform independent of the Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC) switching hierarchy comprising at least a network access node, a plurality of tandem access nodes, and a network communicatively connecting the network access node to the plurality of tandem access nodes, wherein the at least one network access node comprises a modem communicatively connected to an Internet Service provider by an Internet Protocol (IP) network; communicatively connecting each of a plurality of PSTN tandem switches and a plurality of third party voice switches to at least one of the plurality of tandem access nodes, wherein at least a first PSTN tandem switch of the plurality of PSTN tandem switches is communicatively connected to subscribers via an end office switch; and switching traffic between the plurality of PSTN tandem switches, the at least on network access node and the plurality of third party voice switches using the plurality of tandem access nodes, the switching act comprising: (i) receiving signaling information associated with a telecommunications call made by a first subscriber of the plurality of subscribers, wherein the signaling information comprises an identifier; (ii) analyzing the identifier to determine whether to send the telecommunications call to the at least one network access node or to one of the plurality of voice switches; and (iii) terminating the telecommunications call at the modem when the analyzing step (ii) determines that the identifier indicates that the telecommunications call is a data call; and (iv) establishing a session between the modem and a modem of the first subscriber.