Patent ID: 7830859

Claim:
A method of operating a communication system that is coupled to a communication network that includes a home Mobile Switching Center (MSC), a Home Location Register (HLR) for the home MSC, a visiting MSC, and a Visitor Location Register (VLR) for the visiting MSC, the method comprising: in a route manager, generating route control information by querying a first network element to identify egress network elements connected to the first network element; receiving a call to a telephone number into the first network element, and in response, transferring the telephone number from the first network element to the route manager; in the route manager, processing the telephone number to select a second network element using the route control information, and indicating to the first network element that the second network element is an egress network element, wherein the first network element transfers the call to the second network element and the second network element queries the route manager in response to the call; transferring a first query from the route manager to the HLR to determine if the home MSC is serving the telephone number and receiving a first response from the HLR into the route manager; in the route manager, if the first response indicates that the home MSC is serving the telephone number, then selecting a first egress route from the second network element to the home MSC and indicating the first egress route to the second network element; if the first response indicates that the home MSC is not serving the telephone number, then transferring a second query from the route manager to the VLR to determine if the visiting MSC is serving the telephone number and receiving a second response from the VLR into the route manager; if the second response indicates that the visiting MSC is serving the telephone number, then selecting a second egress route from the second network element to the visiting MSC and indicating the second egress route to the second network element; routing the call from the first network element to the second network element and routing the call from the second network element over the selected one of the first and second egress routes.