Patent ID: 6870918

Claim:
A method of providing a message forwarding service provisioned for a calling party via a network service platform in a telecommunications network, the calling party calling the message forwarding service by dialling a number associated with the message forwarding service, the method comprising: a) communicating a signal identifying the calling party, which calls the message forwarding service, to said network service platform connected to the telecommunications network, the network service platform being arranged to associate a subscriber profile with the calling party, the calling party subsequently dialling a called destination; b) initiating, in dependence on the subscriber profile associated with the calling party and said called destination number via the service platform, a call setup process for a call from the calling party to said called destination number; c) monitoring, at the service platform, network signalling indicating the status of the call setup process to the called destination number; and d) when the network signalling indicates call setup has not successfully completed, automatically offering to the calling party, via the network service platform and in dependence on the subscriber profile associated with the calling party, said message forwarding service provided for the calling party, the message forwarding service being arranged to enable the calling party to create a message to be forwarded to said called destination number prior to attempting to directly connect the calling party to the called destination number so that the calling party controls whether to create and forward a message to the called destination number.