Patent attributes
In a next generation packet based network a routing engine is used to determine the most cost effective route for a call from a caller/client subscriber to a call destination. The service manager or call agent softswitch, a call processor that controls the processing of calls, uses a table of softswitch node location information to determine the softswitch node in the service provider's network that is closest to the call destination. The location information related to the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) is also used to make this determination by providing the necessary location information on the call destination. The service manager the first receives the call then forwards the call through the packet backbone network of the service provider to the identified closest softswitch thereby reducing the need for use of the PSTN or another service provider's network.
