GB2407936A - Telecommunications services routing using country codes - Google Patents

Abstract

A destination address for a text or voice communication comprises at least a country code and a short number service code. The address is processed and routed in a similar manner to routing a long number service code using rules for routing international traffic according to the received country code. Means may be provided for comparing the received country code with a list including country codes respectively relating to actual countries 6 and at least one virtual country 7 code providing access to a respective service 8. The virtual country 7 code may provide access to a service 8 within a specific destination territory 6 such that calls arriving at and originated within the destination territory 6 are routed to the service.

Description

TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES APPARATUS

This invention concerns the field of telecommunications and in particular the provisions of text and voice services to subscribers from multiple networks and nations using a common access method.

It has become commonplace for telephone services to be offered on specific numbers, and for these numbers to be either full telephone numbers ('long numbers') or short codes. Provided that a subscriber can find the number to dial or text, then the service is accessible to that subscriber provided that no barring or credit mechanism prevents it.

A whole industry has been created around the provision of telephone services that attract premium rate call charges, while the Freefone market addresses services that are free to subscribers but are paid for by the sponsoring organization.

One characteristic of these types of service is that the services are generally limited to national boundaries. This generality is also enforced by the international ISDN numbering plan (ITU E.164) which identifies the country in which a telephone call will be terminated by a portion of the dialled number known as the country code. For calls within a country the country code may be omitted. Also for some modern mobile telephone networks that support CAMEL (A mobile network standard similar to the IN), it is arranged that a number dialled when the subscriber is roaming in that network can address the same destination as when that number is dialled by the subscriber at home. Consequently, depending on where a mobile subscriber is roaming, he may or may not have to use a country code either to dial home, or to dial a number in the country where he is roaming.

When dialling a number with a country code, it is usual for a prefix to be required.

This prefix, usually denoted '+' is called the international access code, and varies by country. The prefix indicates to the telephone exchange that a country code follows, and enables the necessary international routing to be initiated. In most European countries, and many other territories, the International prefix is 00, but in some 50% of countries a prefix other than 00 is used. On most mobile telephone networks, the prefix may be directly dialled as a '+', so the user does not need to know the international access code when he is roaming.

Country codes are specified by the ITU and consist of one to three digits. Examples are 'I' for the USA and '44' for the UK. No country code currently begins with '0'.

The use of country codes to define the terminating country for any telephone number provides a means for a service or subscriber to be dialled from anywhere in the world using the same number. The international prefix and country code may be omitted if the terminating number is in the same country as the caller, and it is a quirk of many fixed line networks that in this case the prefix MUST be omitted. That is, in many fixed line networks, dialling an international access followed by ones own country code is not permitted. This is never the case in mobile networks, since mobile telephone numbers are expected to work seamlessly across national boundaries; numbers stored in a handset's phone book may be stored in international format (including the + and country code) and numbers in this format must also work in the home network. Furthermore the '+' prefix is not generally usable on fixed networks.

This international access method for any number is indeed powerful and neatly solves problems of international dialling. However it creates a different problem, which is this: If operators in different territories wish to advertise a service on a common long number, as is increasingly the case for today's global businesses, but wish to have these services terminated in the subscribers own territory and language, then they cannot do so. In order for French speakers to have the service terminated in France, and for Spanish speakers to have the service terminated in Spain, then the service numbers must be different. The French number must commence +33 and the Spanish, +34.

The only solution to this at present is for the operators to agree common short codes across territories, and this is notoriously difficult. Policies for allocating shortcodes are different between different operators and regulators and global commonality is impossible.

CAMEL does not provide a solution to this, because CAMEL simply allows for subscribers to dial the same numbers when roaming that they do when at home.

What is required is a means to advertise a single number worldwide, and for any subscriber to be able to text it, or dial it, and have the service terminated in an appropriate language according to the nationality of the subscriber's home network. It must also be possible for the terminating network or networks to be able to bill the subscriber's home network to make the service financially viable.

Such billing is already routine. When a GSM subscriber, for example, who is not using CAMEL, calls a local number in a foreign country where he is roaming, the voice call does not pass through his home network. The roaming network subsequently passes a billing record back to the subscriber's home network. The home network has no means to check the validity of the billing record, but this is the mechanism used.

The present invention provides a solution to the above problem, permitting common numbers to be used in all territories while retaining the advantage and memorability of short codes. However, the invention does not require special treatment or interpretation of the number, as is the case with short codes; the number is treated in the same way as a normal long number, and so can be processed and routed by any network without modification.

According to the invention there is provided a telecommunications services apparatus operable to process a destination address for a text or voice communication, wherein the destination address comprises at least a country code and a service code, but is at the same time a short number, such that special processing of short numbers is avoided, and routing of the communication takes place in the usual way as for long numbers, utilising rules for routing international traffic according to country code.

Referring to Figure 1, a subscriber (1) roaming in a visited network in country A (2) sends a message to a number corresponding to a service platform (8). The number has a virtual country code corresponding to virtual country C (7), while the equipment is situated in Country B (6). The message or call passed through the visited MSC (3) and via the international gateways (4,5), before being delivered to the service platform (8).

The invention would permit for example calls to the short number +444444 be routed to the UK (country code 44) when called from anywhere, and to be presented at a UK international gateway as call for destination 4444. It is only necessary for toutings in the UK to be set up to accept calls to this services and terminate them at the correct operator; no new toutings outside the UK are required. The difference from normal short codes is that no inter-operator agreement is required for the use of the short code, since the number is in international format, although short. The use of short numbers with international prefixes is novel.

It is evident that the global nature of this novel access mechanism would be of interest to organizations that are global in nature and have a need for information services applicable to users of multiple nationalities, resident or roaming in a wide range of territories. The service equipment, though located in one or a few territories, would be able to provide service in a language, or using material, according to the country code of the Caller as provided in his CLI. If the CLI is absent, which is rare for text messages but common for voice calls, then the service could be provided in a default language, or with interactive language selection.

An example of the usefulness of this service could be provided on behalf of the International Olympic movement, whose recognizable logo comprises five interlocking rings. A telephone number comprising five zeros could be allocated that would connect the caller to an Olympic information service. In countries where the international access code is 00 (most European countries) then this number 00000 implies a 'virtual' country code of 00 and a service access code of 0. Hence by registering the new country code of 00 with the ITU, and provided that networks updated their country code tables in the usual way, calls or texts to 00000 could be routed to specific destination equipment in one or more territories. Language specific service could be provided using the CLI as a language indicator. For countries with multiple main languages, such as Switzerland, and introductory message could be provided in one or more languages, inviting the user to press * for example to choose an alternative language.

The provision of a Games information service on OOOOO would provide users with unprecedented convenience, and could be very heavily used during the Olympic games period every four years.

Routing to equipment embodying the invention could be achieved in a number of 1 5 ways.

In a first embodiment, equipment would be situated in one territory, with participating nations routing traffic to that territory based on the virtual country code. Calls arriving at or originated within the destination territory would be routed to the equipment.

In a second embodiment, the first embodiment could be augmented by additional equipments placed in one or more other territories. Calls originated within these other territories would be routed preferably to the local equipment, while calls originated elsewhere would be routed as in the first embodiment.

In a third embodiment, as might be preferably implemented by one or more global operators, equipment would be placed in one or more territories associated with the global operator, and routines configured by that operator so that calls made in networks affiliated to the operator are routed to the equipment. Routing, whether local or international based on the virtual country code, is then under the control of one global operator which increases the likelihood of successful implementation even in the absence of a worldwide agreement to use the virtual country code. In other words, one operator could decide to 'go it alone' and start using the virtual country code prior to agreement by the ITU to create it.

It will be appreciated that audio services provided by the invention may be 'start at the beginning', and hence offer an immediate advantage over other means of broadcasting news and information such as radio and television which necessarily provide very limited ability for the user to choose to immediately hear an item from the beginning.

In so far as the embodiment(s) of the invention described above may be implemented, at least in part, using software controlled processing apparatus, it will be appreciated that a computer program providing such software control and a storage medium by which such a computer program is stored are envisaged as aspects of the invention.

Claims (18)

1. Telecommunications services apparatus for use with a telephone system, the apparatus being operable to process a destination address for a text or voice communication, wherein the destination address comprises at least a country code and a short number service code, and to route the communication in a similar manner to routing to a long number service code utilising rules for routing international traffic according to the received country code.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, including means for comparing the received country code with a list including country codes respectively relating to actual countries and at least one virtual country code providing access to a respective service.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the virtual country code begins with a zero.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the virtual country code comprises two zeroes.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the short number service code is a zero.

6. Apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the or each virtual country code provides access to a service within a specific destination territory, such that calls both arriving at and originated within the destination territory are routed to the service.

7. Apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein calls directed to the or each virtual country code originated within the destination territory are preferentially routed to the service, but if necessary, are routed to equipment located in one or more other territories.

8. Telecommunications services apparatus for use with a telephone system, the apparatus being substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

9. A telecommunications services method for a telephone system, the method comprising processing a destination address for a text or voice communication, wherein the destination address comprises at least a country code and a short number service code, and routing the communication in a similar manner to routing to a long number service code utilising rules for routing international traffic according to the received country code.

10. A method according to claim 9, including comparing the received country code with a list including country codes respectively relating to actual countries and at least one virtual country code providing access to a respective service.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the virtual country code begins with a zero.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the virtual country code comprises two zeroes.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the short number service code is a zero.

14. A method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the or each virtual country code provides access to a service within a specific destination territory, such that calls both arriving at and originating within the destination territory are routed to the service.

15. A method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein calls directed to the or each virtual country code originated within the destination territory are preferentially routed to the service, but if necessary, are routed to equipment located in one or more other territories.

16. A telecommunications services method for use with a telephone system, the method being substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

17. A computer program for implementing a method according to any one of claims 9 to 16.

18. A storage medium storing a computer program according to claim 17.