Patent ID: 7526270

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: a mobile communication device that sends a plurality of rate queries to a plurality of service providers for a communication session, and the mobile communication device communicates with each of the service providers; wherein the plurality of rate queries carry connection information of the communication session that indicates a) a location of endpoints of the communication session and b) a type of communication session; and wherein based on one or more rate quotes received from one or more of the plurality of service providers in response to one or more of the plurality of rate queries, the mobile communication device selects one of the plurality of service providers to handle a communication session; and wherein the mobile communication device selects a preferred service provider to handle the communication session when a higher rate quote of the preferred service provider is within a predetermined range of lower rate quotes of other of the plurality of service providers; and wherein, upon receipt of the one or more of the plurality of rate queries, the one or more of the plurality of service providers determine the one or more rate quotes as a function of a time of day, a current network load, an availability of excess capacity, and the location of the endpoints of the communication session.