Patent ID: 7916716

Claim:
A method of providing services within a network, the method comprising: hosting a set of local voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services in a plurality of local regional call processors (RCP); hosting a set of national VoIP services in a plurality of national service centers; receiving a service request for a service at a local RCP of the plurality of local RCP, wherein the service request indicates an application identifier associated with the service; determining whether the service is one of the national VoIP services or one of the local VoIP services based on the associated application identifier; forwarding the service request to a national service center of the plurality of national service centers when the service is one of the national VoIP services; transmitting a query from the national service center to a national context center, when the service is one of the national VoIP services, and in response, receiving context information indicating a one national service center of the plurality of national service centers that will fulfill the requested national VoIP service; forwarding the service request to the one national service center and fulfilling the service request at the one national service center when the service is one of the national VoIP services and when the national service center is not the one national service center; fulfilling the service request at the national service center of the plurality of national service centers if the national service center is the one national service center; and fulfilling the service request at the local RCP when the service is one of the local VoIP services.