Patent ID: 8892139

Claim:
System providing connectivity between at least one of a cellular communications text messaging service and a further network, the system comprising: a message router coupled to the cellular communications text messaging service and the further network, the message router including at least one processor configured to maintain user network identifiers identifying users on the further network, the at least one processor connected to a storage device that stores a directory of user accounts associated with the user network identifiers, at least one of the user accounts having at least one of a plurality of direct inward dialing numbers associated therewith, and the message router providing bridging services between the cellular communications text message service and the further network, the processor controlling the message router to route at least one of text messages associated with the at least one user account between the cellular communications text messaging service and the further network based at least in part on at least one of the plurality of direct inward dialing numbers to thereby provide network identity portability for said at least one user account across multiple network connections associated with said at least one user account.