Patent ID: 7046658

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a first voice-band switch; and a database coupled to the first voice-band switch; the first voice-band switch being configured to receive a direct-dialed voice-band call from a calling party's telephone number and to automatically designate the direct-dialed voice-band call as a voice-over-Internet protocol (VOIP) call; and the first voice-band switch being further configured, if the database contains information that the calling party's telephone number is only registered for non-single-stage VOIP services or if the database contains information that the calling party's telephone number is registered for the single-stage VOIP service and the destination number of the direct-dialed voice-band call is inaccessible by the VOIP service, to automatically designate the direct-dialed voice-band call as a circuit-switched call; and to automatically route the direct-dialed voice-band call for routing as a circuit-switched call if the direct-dialed voice-band call is designated as a circuit-switched call.