Patent ID: 7266593

Claim:
An Internet Protocol communication system comprising: a service provider network configured to offer services to users, wherein the service provider network is an Internet Protocol network; and a bearer provider network configured to provide call related functions to users, wherein the bearer provider network is an Internet Protocol Telephony provider network, the service provider network being separate from the bearer provider network to allow the users to manage the services in a centralized manner across multiple bearer provider networks, the bearer provider network comprising serving entities which are configured to receive a control protocol message, analyze the control protocol message, and, depending on the analyzing result, perform call related functions, wherein the service provider network is configured to receive a control protocol message, analyze the control protocol message and, depending on the analyzing result, execute services, the bearer provider network comprises a subscriber database containing subscriber subscription information, when a respective serving entity receives a control protocol message indicating an initiated call to a user equipment, it analyzes the control protocol message and, if a user address is present in the control protocol message, fetches a service provider network user identification address related to the user address from the subscriber database and sends a control protocol message with the service provider network user identification address and a terminating call indication towards the service provider network, and the respective serving entity indicates an address of another serving entity in the bearer provider network in the control protocol message indicating the initiated call and sent to the service provider network, and the service provider network uses the other serving entity when routing the call towards the user equipment.