WO2011077261A1

WO2011077261A1 - A method, a node, a system and an application to provide media content to a calling device

Info

Publication number: WO2011077261A1
Application number: PCT/IB2010/003505
Authority: WO
Inventors: Manoj Mourya; Sergio Catanzariti
Original assignee: France Telecom
Priority date: 2009-12-24
Filing date: 2010-12-21
Publication date: 2011-06-30

Abstract

A method for providing media content to a calling device provided with a media player for playing the media content, the media content being one of a plurality of media content identified in a media content database of a telecommunication network by corresponding media call numbers, the method carried out by a media service node of the telecommunication network, and including identifying a request for a media content from the calling party, when intercepting a first call from the calling party placed to a media call number of the media content database, identifying the media content corresponding to the media call number using the media content database, activating a data connection to the calling party, sending a control message for starting the media player provided on the calling device, providing the identified media content to the calling device over the data connection for subsequent playing with the activated media player.

Description

A METHOD, A NODE, A SYSTEM AND AN APPLICATION TO PROVIDE MEDIA CONTENT TO A CALLING DEVICE

FIELD OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM:

The present invention generally relates to communications using telecommunication devices in telecommunication networks, and more specifically to enhanced communications services. BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM:

Telecommunication devices, such as mobile phones, have become important devices in our daily life. A mobile phone or device is generally a subscriber to a telecommunication network in order to enjoy communication services, such as voice, data, etc. A mobile user may be identified using an International Mobile Subscriber Identity, or IMSI . The mobile IMSI is a unique number associated with all GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network mobile phone users. It is stored in the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) inside the phone. The SIM is actually unique to one subscriber and carries information to identify that subscriber in his home network, i.e. the network he is a subscriber of. This information includes among other things the IMSI and further authentication data . The SIM is generally provided by the network operator when a user gets his subscription, and corresponds in this network to a unique MSISDN (Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number) which is actually the mobile device phone number in this network.

When placing a call from a calling party to a called party (respectively named here after the caller and callee) , the caller phone number may be presented to the callee device for identification of the caller. The caller phone number is generally referred to as the Caller Identification, Caller ID or CID in short. Presenting the Caller ID is a fairly recent service provided by most if not all network operators to their subscribers. For instance Caller ID presentation is described in the document 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) TS23.081 for GSM mobile devices. Caller IDs, when referring†o phone numbers either for landline or mobile telecommunication devices, are defined according to standardized numbers recommended by ITU-T (Telecommunication Standardization Sector) in the recommendation E. I 64 (Public telecommunication numbering plan) . As they are unique to a given telecommunication device, they can be referred to as globally routable numbers, i.e. fhey can be dialed from any other telecommunication device to reach the given telecommunication device.

Mobile phone owners can enjoy a large variety of communication and data services. They generally subscribe to these such services using they Caller ID as an identifier for accessing a service and for billing purposes. The data service may be enabled using the IMS architecture. The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is indeed an architectural framework for delivering Internet Protocol (IP) multimedia services.

Data services can nonetheless be expensive to a user. Network operators generally offer data plans for allowing access†o data services while limiting the financial burden on a user. For instance, when a user is interested in viewing media content hosted by a content provider, like e.g. a video, or a TV channel, he may launch/activate the media player provided with his mobile device. The media player interface may offer the selection of various media content that can be pushed by the content provider, pulled from the content provided, streamed ... Alternatively, the media content may be viewed from a browser. In any event, in order to avoid unwanted cost, the user needs a data plan to make sure that viewing the media content will not come at too large a cost.

Such a solution is neither suitable for users who are not familiar with the internet, data services, media player or browsers. Only computer literate users can understand the technicality behind accessing a media content.

Furthermore, not all users are interested in buying data plans which are generally provided through long term subscriptions over 1 2 or 24 months for instance.

Today there is still a need for a simple solution that allows a user to easily access media content. There is a further need for a solution that does not require an expensive data plan a user has no need for. SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM AND METHOD:

I† is an object of the present system, processor and method to overcome disadvantages and/or make improvements in the prior art.

To that extent, the present method proposes a method for providing media content to a calling device provided with a media player for playing the media content, the media content being one a plurality of media content each identified in a media content database of a telecommunication network by a corresponding media call number, the method being carried out by a media service node of the telecommunication network, and comprising acts of:

- identifying a request for a media content from the calling party, when intercepting a first call from the calling party placed†o a media call number of the media content database,

- identifying the media content corresponding to the media call number using the media content database,

- activating a data connection to the calling party,

- sending a control message for starting the media player provided on the calling device,

- providing the identified media content to the calling device over the data connection for subsequent playing with the activated media player.

Thanks to the present method, the calling party can enjoy a dial-to- media feature or service. Indeed, a user of the calling device just needs to dial a number, like a number stored in his contact list, to access and enjoy a media content. The user may also find the relevant number, corresponding to his favorite show or channel, as advertised online or in newspapers. Seen from the user, the simple dialing of a call number will cause the media player on his device to start and a media content corresponding to the dialed number to start.

The present system also relates to a media service node for providing media content to a calling device provided with a media player for playing the media content, the media content being one a plurality of media content each identified in a media content database of a telecommunication network by a corresponding media call number, the media service node being arranged to:

- identify a request for a media content from the calling party, when intercepting a first call from the calling party placed†o a media call number of the media content database,

- identify the media content corresponding to the media call number using the media content database,

- activate a data connection to the calling party,

- send a control message for starting the media player provided on the calling device,

- provide the identified media content to the calling device over the data connection for subsequent playing with the activated media player.

The present system also relates to a telecommunication system comprising:

- a calling party provided with a media player for playing media content,

- a media content database for storing a plurality of media call numbers associated each to a media content,

- a media service node for providing a media content to the calling device and arranged†o:

- identify the media content corresponding †o the media call number using the media content database,

- activate a data connection to the calling party,

The present system also relates to an application embodied on a computer readable medium and arranged to configure a processor to provide media content to a calling device provided with a media player for playing the media content, the media content being one of a plurality of media content each identified in a media content database of a telecommunication network by a corresponding media call number, the application comprising:

- instructions to identify a request for a media content from the calling party, when intercepting a first call from the calling party placed to a media call number of the media content database,

- instructions to identify the media content corresponding to the media call number using the media content database,

- instructions to activate a data connection to the calling party,

- instructions to send a control message for starting the media player provided on the calling device,

- instructions to provide the identified media content to the calling device over the data connection for subsequent playing with the activated media player.

BRI EF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:

The present system, call management node and method are explained in further detail, and by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative embodiment of the present system;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of the present method;

FIG. 3 is another illustrative embodiment of the present system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM AND METHOD:

The following are descriptions of exemplary embodiments that when taken in conjunction with the drawings will demonstrate the above noted features and advantages, and introduce further ones.

In the following description, for purposes of explanation rather than limitation, specific details are set forth such as architecture, interfaces, techniques, etc., for illustration. However, if will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments that depart from these details would still be understood to be within the scope of the appended claims.

Moreover, for the purpose of clarity, detailed descriptions of well-known devices, systems, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the present system. Furthermore, routers, servers, nodes, base stations, gateways or other entities in a telecommunication network are not detailed as their implementation is beyond the scope of the present system and method.

For purposes of simplifying a description of the present system, the terms "operatively coupled", "coupled", and formatives thereof as utilized herein refer to a connection between devices and/or portions thereof that enables operation in accordance with the present system. For example, an operative coupling may include one or more of a wired connection and/or a wireless connection between two or more devices that enables a one and/or two-way communication path between the devices and/or portions thereof. For example, an operative coupling may include a wired and/or wireless coupling to enable communication between a call control node of a telecommunication network and one or more user devices. A further operative coupling, in accordance with the present system may include a coupling between the media service node hosting the present dial-to-media feature and a content provider hosting the media content a user may have access to, through dialing a predefined media call number. This coupling may be achieved via a telecommunication network in accordance with an embodiment of the present system.

Unless specified otherwise, the exemplary embodiment here after will be described in its application to a mobile device characterized by a unique MSISDN (mobile phone number, i.e. the number through which the device can be reached) as provided by the Telecommunication Network (Telco) the user, i.e. the mobile device owner, is a subscriber of. Depending on the technologies supported by the Telco, the incoming Caller ID may comprise other information as well as, like postal address, email address, website, pictures, and additional phones numbers (other mobile phone, landline, work phone, ...) . For simplification purposes, the incoming Caller ID will be limited here after, and unless specific otherwise, to the calling device phone number. This incoming Caller ID can be seen as the information about the calling device passed on by the network with a call placed to a given call number.

The present exemplary embodiment is in no way a limitation of the scope of the present method and system as telecommunication devices such as fixed devices of a PSTN, or communication devices behind a PBX (Private Branch exchange), may implement the present teachings. Furthermore, Caller ID is used for identifying the calling device in the present system, but other means for such identification may be used by the man skilled in the art.

Furthermore, what will be referred†o as a "call" in this description may be a standard voice call or any other communication session established between a first party, referred to as the first user, calling party or caller, and another party generally referred to as the recipient of the call, the called party or callee. One will understand of course that the call is placed more precisely between the users telecommunication devices, i.e. the calling device and the called device, for instance a video call between two users, or data exchange between devices. Each side of the call in the telecommunication network will be referred†o as a branch or a leg of the call. The call may also be placed, as in the present system, to a reserved call number, in order to access a service, such as the present dial-†o-media service. The recipient of the call is then a node of the network hosting the service.

The call may also be referred to as a communication path between the calling device and the recipient of the call. When a communication path is set up, different entities of the present telecommunication system are involved and this path generally involves a two level exchange mechanism:

- a signaling level corresponding to the signaling (or set up) messages exchanges through the network entities between the two devices,

- a media level for handling data, voice, etc.

Furthermore, the calling and called devices will also be referred to as end points as they represent both ends†o the communication path.

In addition, it should be expressly understood that the drawings are included for illustrative purposes and do not represent the scope of the present system. FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of the present system. A first telecommunication device, or first end point, 101 is illustrated as a mobile device comprising a SIM with information to identify itself in a telecommunication network 1 60. The first device 101 , belonging to a first user A, is further characterized by a first phone number NUM_A, which corresponds to its unique MSISDN. The first device, also referred to as the calling device, is identified the calling device is identified when placing a call in the telecommunication network 1 60 through a Caller ID corresponding to NUM_A.

The present dial-to-media, or dial-†o-TV, feature may be hosted by a media service platform 1 10 (MSP) . This media service platform 1 10 may:

- parse a number of content providers 1 20 for identifying media content and associate each identified media content with a distinct media call number in a media content database (MCD) 130,

- intercept a call from the calling device 101 placed to anyone of the media call numbers stored in the media content database 130. Such a call will actually correspond and be identified as a request for media content from the calling device,

- identify the media content corresponding to the recipient call number of the intercepted call, using the media content database 130,

- activate a data connection to the calling party,

- send over the activated data connection one or more control message for starting the media player 102 provided, i.e. hosted by the calling device 101 ,

- provide the identified media content over the activated data connection for subsequent playing with the activated media player 102.

To that effect, the media service platform 1 10 may comprise:

- a call control module or node CCN 1 1 1 to handle the communication path between the calling device 101 and any call numbers the calling device may dial. This module is arranged in the present system to intercept any first calls from the calling party placed to a media call number of the media content database 130. This module may further handle call setup and media mixing in communications. This module may be characterized through 2 main functions: α) a Call Control function that corresponds to the central function of a telephone switch. Call control offers different features such as decoding addressing information and routing telephone calls from one end point to another. It also creates added features such as "Call Waiting", "Call Forward on Busy", and "Do Not Disturb". This function handles the signaling level in regards to the communication between two devices,

b) a Media function to handle the entire media part of a communication between two end points. This function corresponds to the media level mentioned before.

- a media providing module or node MPN 1 12 to identify the media content corresponding to the intercepted call recipient. The media providing node 1 12 is operatively coupled to one or more content providers 1 20 hosting the different media content available to the user of the calling device. The media providing node may also parse the different content provider databases for indexing media content with a media call number. This will also enable a user to access any of the indexed media content by simply dialing the corresponding media call number as illustrated here after. Furthermore, the media providing node 1 1 2 will also provide the requested media content to the call control node 1 1 1 for subsequent provision to the calling device.

The present system may also comprise a network subscriber database 1 1 5 for storing information about the telecommunication network subscribers. This may for instance associate each user Caller ID with different services they can access in the present telecommunication network. For instance, the network subscriber database 1 15 may store an indication that a Caller ID is eligible or not for enjoying the present dial-to-media feature, i.e. is eligible for receiving any media content identified in the media content database 130.

In the present description, CCN 1 1 1 and MPN 1 1 2 are illustrated as two separate parts of the MSN 1 10. One may note that illustrating the two entities 1 1 1 and 1 1 2 as separate parts is in no way limiting as these two parts could be hosted by the same node or server, like MSN 1 10. One may also note that the present method may be implemented by a node of the telecommunication network 1 60 distinct from MSN 1 10, and rely upon MSN capacities for call controls and media provision.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the present method, wherein the first device places a call to one of the media calling numbers available from the media content database 130. The present method will be described as implemented by the MSN 1 10, through the CCN 1 1 1 and MPN 1 12 parts.

In a preliminary act 200, the media content available in the present system may be indexed by the MSN 1 10. A number of media call numbers may be allocated by the MSN 100 to implement the present method.

In the preliminary act 200, MSN may parse all content providers database, like TV channels, movies, videos, music ... and associate for each found media content a media calling number. In other words, thanks to the present preliminary act 200, each media content available to the calling device is identified in the media content database 130 by a corresponding media call number. For any media content request he may have, the user of the calling device will just have to know the corresponding media call number and dial this number to access the media content.

The correspondence between the media call numbers and the media content may be made available to the user through catalogs, publication, online advertising ... MSN 1 10 may, in a further embodiment of the present system, push a plurality of media calling number and their corresponding media content to the calling device in the form of "media contacts" so that these numbers can appear as contacts in the calling device phonebook. These new contact entries may be listed under the media content name, and a user will just have to select the name and place a call, just like he would place a call to an ordinary contact.

Once the user has chosen a media content, he will in a further act 210, send a request to the MSN 1 10 for the chosen media content. To do so he will place a first call to the media call number corresponding to the chosen media content. With the example of the media call numbers pushed as entries to the calling device phone book, he may look up for instance to a CNN entry if he is interesting in watching CNN with his mobile device. The MSN 1 10, more precisely its call control node 1 1 1 part, will monitor any first call placed to a media call number stored in the media content database, i.e. any media call number associated to a media content in the present system. When identifying such a number as the recipient number of the first call, the MSN 1 10 will interpret this call as a request for a media content corresponding to the called number.

In a further act 220, the MSN 1 10, more precisely its media providing node 1 1 2 part, will identifying the media content corresponding to the recipient number in the intercepted call using the media content database. Thanks to a lookup in the media content database 130, MSN 1 10 can identify which media content corresponds to the request for a media content from the calling device.

In a further and optional act 230 (represented in dotted lines following act 220) , the call control node 1 1 1 may identify the calling device using the caller ID in the intercepted call. The Caller ID, just like the recipient number, are passed on as parameters in any call placed in existing telecommunication networks. In the present system, information about a user, and his calling device, may be stored in the network subscriber database 1 15. As mentioned before, any Caller ID may be associated with an indication that the corresponding calling device is eligible or not for enjoying the present dial-to- media feature. In a further optional act 235 (represented in dotted lines in FIG. 2), the MSN 1 10 will verify that the calling device is eligible for receiving any media content identified in the media content database using the calling device Caller ID.

If not eligible (answer No to act 235), the present method will end in a further act 265. Provided it is eligible (answer Yes to act 235) , the present method will proceed to act 240. Provided the Caller ID of the calling party is not checked in the intercepted call, act 220 may be directly followed by act 240.

In a further act 240, the call control node 1 1 1 will activate a data connection between the MSN 1 10 and the calling device. As the calling device receives an IP (internet protocol) address when connecting to the telecommunication network, call control node 1 1 1 will use that IP address to set an IP tunnel to the calling device. This IP tunnel is used to provide the requested media content. The data connection corresponds to the media level mentioned here before with regards to the two level exchange mechanism in a call.

In a further optional act 250, the call control node 1 1 1 will send a control message to the calling device for starting the media player 102 provided on the calling device. The control message may be sent over the activated data connection or through a different route. This message corresponds to the signaling level mentioned before with regards to the two level exchange mechanism in a call. In the present system, when the dial-to-media feature is enabled by a network operator, the media player may be a default player provided with the mobile device when purchased. This ensures that any media content is compatible with the media player.

Alternatively to act 250, the media player may start either automatically upon receiving the media content on the calling device or be triggered by the user (e.g. in response to a prompt on the device screen for instance) .

Media content available through content providers 1 20 may not all come with the same format. In a further act of the present method (not shown in FIG. 2), the media providing node 1 1 2 may convert any media content available to the calling device in a suitable format compatible with the media player 102.

A user may be free to choose his own media player. A suitable conversation is then needed prior to the provision of the media content. To do so, the media providing node 1 12 needs to identify the type of media player 102 present on the calling device. In an additional embodiment of the present system, the media providing node 1 1 2 may:

- request to the calling device 101 the type of media player 102 provided on the calling device,

- convert and provide the media content based on the type of media player provided by the calling device in response to the request.

In a further act 260, the media providing node 1 1 2 will provide the requested media content to the calling device over the data connection for subsequent playing with the activated media player. As mentioned before, the media content, identified in act 220, may be pushed by the MSN 1 10, pulled from the calling device 101 , streamed using the media player 102 ... The present method may end in a further act 265, once the media player is done with playing the media content.

In the hereabove illustrations, telecommunication device 101 was illustrated as a mobile device, such as a PDA, a cellular phone, a smart phone and the likes. The present teachings can be readily implemented with the calling device being a landline phone provided with media playing capabilities.

FIG. 3 shows a system 300 in accordance with an embodiment of the present system. The system 300 includes a media service platform or node 390 hosting the present dial-to-media feature or service. Service node 390 has a processor 310 operationally coupled to a memory 320, a rendering device 330, such as one or more of a display, speaker, etc., a user input device 370, such as a sensor panel, a keyboard, trackball and the likes, and a connection 340 operationally coupled to other entities and nodes of a network 360, such as the Telco 160 shown in FIG. 1 . The connection 340 may be an operable connection between the service node 390 and another node, server or device that has similar elements as service node 390, such as the calling device or the service providers in the present system.

The memory 320 may be any type of device for storing for instance the application data related to the operating system of the service node, as well as to application data in accordance with the present method. The application data are received by the processor 310 for configuring the processor 310 to perform operation acts in accordance with the present system. The processor 310 so configured becomes a special purpose machine particularly suited for performing in accordance with the present system. The operation acts may include:

- identifying a request for a media content from the calling party, when intercepting a first call from the calling party placed to a media call number of the media content database,

- activating a data connection to the calling party, - sending a control message for starting the media player provided on the calling device,

The user input 370 may include a sensor panel as well as a keyboard, mouse, trackball, touchpad or other devices, which may be stand alone or be a part of a system, such as part of a personal computer (e.g., desktop computer, laptop computer, etc.) personal digital assistant, mobile phone, converged device, or other rendering device for communicating with the processor 310 via any type of coupling, such as a wired or wireless coupling. The user input device 370 is operable for interacting with the processor 310 including interaction within a paradigm of a GUI and/or other elements of the present system, such as to enable entry of data by an operator.

Clearly the service node 390, the processor 310, memory 320, rendering device 330 and/or user input device 370 may all or partly be portions of a computer system or other device, and/or be embedded in one or more servers.

The system, device and method described herein address problems in prior art systems. In accordance with an embodiment of the present system, the telecommunication device 101 , i.e. the calling device, may send a request for a media content to be player with a media player provided on the telecommunication device. To that effect, the device may dial a media call number corresponding to the requested media content in accordance with the present system. As may be readily appreciated, one or more of the user devices (any calling device using the present dial-to-media service) may also include a corresponding processor, memory, rendering device, user input device and operable coupling as the service node 390 and as such, the description of operation, etc. of the service node 390 should be understood to encompass a description of illustrative operable portions of the users devices, suitably coupled and configured for operation in accordance with the present system.

The methods of the present system are particularly suited to be carried out by a computer software program, such program containing modules corresponding to one or more of the individual steps or acts described and/or envisioned by the present system. Such program may of course be embodied in a computer-readable medium, such as an integrated chip, a peripheral device or memory, such as the memory 320 or other memory coupled to the processor 310.

The computer-readable medium and/or memory 320 may be any recordable medium (e.g., RAM, ROM, removable memory, CD-ROM, hard drives, DVD, tloppy disks or memory cards) and/or may be a transmission medium utilizing one or more of radio frequency (RF) coupling, Bluetooth coupling, infrared coupling, etc. Any medium known or developed that can store and/or transmit information suitable for use with a computer system may be used as the computer-readable medium and/or memory 320.

Additional memories may also be used. These memories configure processor 310 †o implement the methods, operational acts, and functions disclosed herein. The operation acts may include controlling the rendering device 330 to render elements in a form of a GUI and/or controlling the rendering device 330 to render other information in accordance with the present system.

Moreover, the term "memory" should be construed broadly enough to encompass any information able to be read from or written to an address in the addressable space accessed by a processor. With this definition, information on a network is still within memory 320, for instance, because the processor 310 may retrieve the information from the network for operation in accordance with the present system. For example, a portion of the memory like the media content database 130 as understood herein may reside on different nodes of the telecommunication network 1 60.

The processor 310 is capable of performing operations in response to an incoming first call from the calling device and executing instructions stored in the memory 320. The processor 310 may be an application-specific or general-use integrated circuit(s) . Further, the processor 310 may be a dedicated processor for performing in accordance with the present system or may be a general- purpose processor wherein only one of many functions operates for performing in accordance with the present system. The processor 310 may operate utilizing a program portion, multiple program segments, or may be a hardware device utilizing a dedicated or multi-purpose integrated circuit. Finally, the above discussion is intended to be merely illustrative of the present system and should not be construed as limiting the appended claims to any particular embodiment or group of embodiments. Thus, while the present system has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, including user interfaces, it should also be appreciated that numerous modifications and alternative embodiments may be devised by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the broader and intended spirit and scope of the present system as set forth in the claims that follow. Further, while exemplary user interfaces are provided to facilitate an understanding of the present system, other user interfaces may be provided and/or elements of one user interface may be combined with another of the user interfaces in accordance with further embodiments of the present system.

The section headings included herein are intended to facilitate a review but are not intended to limit the scope of the present system. Accordingly, the specifications and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative manner and are not intended†o limit the scope of the appended claims.

In interpreting the appended claims, it should be understood that:

a) the words "comprising" or "including" do not exclude the presence of other elements or acts than those listed in a given claim;

b) the word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements;

c) any reference signs in the claims do not limit their scope;

d) several "means" may be represented by the same item or hardware or software implemented structure or function;

e) any of the disclosed elements may be comprised of hardware portions (e.g., including discrete and integrated electronic circuitry), software portions (e.g., computer programming), and any combination thereof;

f) hardware portions may be comprised of one or both of analogue and digital portions;

g) any of the disclosed devices or portions thereof may be combined together or separated into further portions unless specifically stated otherwise; h) no specific sequence of acts or steps is intended to be required unless specifically indicated; and i) the term "plurality of" an element includes two or more of the claimed element, and does not imply any particular range of number of elements; that is, a plurality of elements may be as few as two elements, and may include an immeasurable number of elements.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1 . A method for providing media content to a calling device provided with a media player for playing the media content, the media content being one a plurality of media content each identified in a media content database of a telecommunication network by a corresponding media call number, the method being carried out by a media service node of the telecommunication network, and comprising acts of:

- activating a data connection†o the calling party,

- providing the identified media content to the calling device over the data connection for subsequent playing with the media player.

2. The method of claim l , wherein the act of activating a data connection further comprises the act of sending a control message for starting the media player on the calling device.

3. The method of claim l , wherein the calling device is identified when placing a call in the telecommunication network through a Caller ID, the method further comprising an act of identifying the calling device through the Caller ID of the first call.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising an act of verifying that the calling device is eligible for receiving any media content identified in the media content database using the calling device Caller ID.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the act of sending the control message further comprises acts of: - requesting to the calling device the type of media player provided on the calling device,

- providing the identified media content based on the type of media player provided by the calling device in response to the request.

6. A media service node for providing media content to a calling device provided with a media player for playing the media content, the media content being one a plurality of media content each identified in a media content database of a telecommunication network by a corresponding media call number, the media service node being arranged to:

- identify a request for a media content from the calling party, when intercepting a first call from the calling party placed to a media call number of the media content database,

- activate a data connection to the calling party,

7. The node of claim 6, further arranged after activating the data connection to send a control message for starting the media player on the calling device.

8. The node of claim 7, wherein the calling device is identified when placing a call in the telecommunication network through a Caller ID, the node being further arranged to identify the calling device through the Caller ID of the first call.

9. The node of claim 8, further arranged to verify that the calling device is eligible for receiving any media content identified in the media content database using the calling device Caller ID.

10. The node of claim 6, further arranged†o:

- request†o the calling device the type of media player provided on the calling device,

- provide the identified media content based on the type of media player provided by the calling device in response to the request.

Π . A telecommunication system comprising:

- a calling party provided with a media player for playing media content,

- activate a data connection to the calling party,

1 2. An application embodied on a computer readable medium and arranged to configure a processor †o provide media content to a calling device provided with a media player for playing the media content, the media content being one a plurality of media content each identified in a media content database of a telecommunication network by a corresponding media call number, the application comprising:

- instructions to identify the media content corresponding to the media call number using the media content database, - instructions to activate a data connection to the calling party,

5

13. The application of claim 1 2, further comprising after the instructions for activating instructions for sending a control message for starting the media player provided on the calling device.

10 1 4. The application of claim 12, wherein the calling device is identified when placing a call in the telecommunication network through a Caller ID, the application further comprising instructions to identify the calling device through the Caller ID of the first call.

15 15. The application of claim 14, further comprising instructions to verify that the calling device is eligible for receiving any media content identified in the media content database using the calling device Caller ID.

1 6. The application of claim 1 2, further comprising:

0 - instructions to request to the calling device the type of media player provided on the calling device,

- instructions to provide the identified media content based on the type of media player provided by the calling device in response to the request.