Patent ID: 7245932

Claim:
In a telecommunications network, a method of establishing a communication session comprising the steps of: grouping a plurality of telecommunications stations into a shared plan group; initializing a first database comprising data for determining for each member of said shared plan group which communication terminals can be called by the member and from which communication terminals the member can be called; responsive to receipt of a request for a communication session, determining whether the requesting or the requested terminal is part of a shared plan group; if said requesting or requested terminal is part of a shared plan group, determining whether the requesting terminal is authorized to establish a communication session with the requested terminal and whether the requested terminal is authorized to establish a communication session with the requesting terminal; if the communication session is authorized, completing the call; wherein only an authorized member of the shared communication plan group authorized to change data in the shared plan database can change said data in the shared plan database; and responsive to receipt of a request from a station authorized to change the shared plan data file, editing said shared plan data file; wherein the shared plan data file can be updated in real time based on input from said authorized member of the shared plan group; wherein said authorized member is identified in said first database as the member authorized to change data in the shared database.