Patent ID: 8265251

Claim:
A method to provide a telephone service to a subscriber of a telecommunications network via a cable host device in a cable media-delivery network, comprising: the subscriber selecting a telecommunication portal channel on the cable host device; displaying a user interface on a monitor connected to the cable host device; sending an activation message from the cable host device to a telephone subscriber database on the telecommunications network containing the telephone service to be provided to the subscriber, wherein the activation message includes a telephone number of a mobile phone of the subscriber and a cable host device identification; associating the telephone number with the cable host device in the telephone subscriber database; setting an indicator within the telephone subscriber database to indicate that the telephone service is active through the cable host device, whereby the subscriber's telephone service is directed to the cable host device as an alternative mechanism to the mobile phone; sending a deactivation message from the cable host device to the telephone subscriber database when the telephone service to the cable host device is to be deactivated, wherein the deactivation message includes the telephone number of the mobile phone of the subscriber and the cable host device identification; and setting an indicator within the telephone subscriber database to indicate that the telephone service to the cable host device is inactive.