Abstract: Presence servers, communication devices, and methods are disclosed for determining the availability of a target party to receive a call prior to call setup. Upon initiation of a call to a target party, the communication device of a subscriber transmits an availability request message to a presence server requesting the availability of the target party to receive the call. Responsive to the availability request message, the presence server determines the availability of the target party to receive the call and transmits an availability response message indicating the availability of the target party to receive the call to the subscriber's communication device. The subscriber's communication device receives the availability response message from the presence server, displays the availability of the target party to receive the call from the subscriber, and may talk other associated actions such as setting up the call to the target party if it is available.