Patent ID: 7149182

Claim:
A system for providing lifeline telecommunication service, comprising: a gateway operable to receive telecommunication information from a telecommunication switch, to generate data packets for communicating the telecommunication information in a first mode of operation and in a second mode of operation, and to communicate the telecommunication information as digital data not encapsulated in data packets in a third mode of operation; an analog signal service module remotely coupled to the gateway and operable to receive the data packets from the gateway in the first mode of operation, to receive the telecommunication information as digital data not encapsulated in data packets in the third mode of operation, and to generate a first analog telephone signal for communicating the telecommunication information over a local loop circuit; and an integrated access device coupled to the local loop circuit and operable to receive the first analog telephone signal from the analog signal service module and to communicate the first analog telephone signal to a subscriber line in the first and third modes of operation, the integrated access device further operable to receive the data packets from the gateway, to process the data packets to generate a second analog telephone signal communicating the telecommunication information, and to communicate the second analog telephone signal to the subscriber line the second mode of operation.