Patent ID: 7856239

Claim:
A method of operating a mobile phone telecommunications network, comprising the steps of: using a servicing mobile switching center (servicing MSC) of the network to receive at least one short message service (SMS) text message and to generate a mobile application part (MAP) message as a result of reception of the SMS text message; transmitting the MAP message from the servicing MSC to at least one service control point (SCP) of the network; implementing the SCP in the network as a single network element; operating the SCP to process the MAP message by determining a subsequent handling of the at least one SMS text message and by interrogating the MAP message to obtain information from the MAP message about a sender of the SMS text message and to determine whether or not there is sufficient credit on an account of the sender to allow sending of the at least one SMS text message onwards towards an intended receiver; and using the information in determining the subsequent handling of the at least one SMS text message, wherein if processing of the MAP message by the SCP determines that the MAP message should be sent onwards towards the intended receiver, then the SCP sends the MAP message onwards towards the receiver by sending it directly to a networking mobile switching center (networking MSC).