Patent ID: 7738453

Claim:
A system in a building for connecting at least a first analog telephone set to an Internet Protocol (IP) -based telephone network, for use with a Cable Television (CATV) network connected for carrying video channels in a video band and telephone signals for providing video and telephony services, and being operated by a first telephone service provider, and for use with a second IP-Based telephone service network external to the building for carrying Voice over IP (VoIP) packets and operated by a second telephone service provider different from the first telephone service provider, said system comprising: a CATV coaxial cable that forms a part of a home network, that is at least in part in walls of the building and that is accessible at an outlet cavity or outlet opening, said coaxial cable being connected for carrying a digital data signal in a digital data frequency band that is distinct from the video band, the digital data signal containing one or more digitized telephone signals; a gateway connected to said coaxial cable at a first connection point, said gateway being couplable to the CATV network and to the IP-Based telephone service network, and being operative to pass the one or more digitized telephone signals between the IP-Based telephone service network and said coaxial cable; and a first adapter housed in a single enclosure and connected to said coaxial cable at a second connection point distinct from said first connection point and connectable to the first telephone set, said first adapter being operative for converting between analog and digital telephone signals for converting a first digitized telephone signal carried over said coaxial cable to a first analog signal and coupling the first analog signal to the first analog telephone set.