Patent ID: 7242759

Claim:
A method for a telephony message comprising the steps of: (a) populating a national toll free database with a toll free telephone number, a carrier code identifier, a local calling area identifier representing a local calling region, and a local telephone number of an ingress private gateway to a private network; (b) inputting said toll free telephone number from an originating telephony device located in said local calling region; (c) sending said toll free telephone number from said originating telephony device to a local telephone switch; (d) querying said national toll free database from said local telephone switch using said toll free telephone number and said local calling area identifier; (e) receiving from said national toll free database at said local telephone switch said carrier code identifier and said local telephone number of said ingress private gateway to said private network; (f) sending a toll free telephony call associated with said toll free telephone number from said originating telephony device through said telephone switch to said ingress private gateway on said private network; (g) translating said local telephone number to said toll free telephone number in a telephony call header; (h) sending said toll free telephony call from said ingress private gateway on said private network; and (i) routing said toll free telephony call from said egress private gateway to a recipient telephony device; wherein a competitive telephony provider can originate and send said toll free telephony call over said private network to said recipient telephony device.