Abstract: Subscriber identity is determined when the public exchange has no information regarding the identity of the subscriber. When a subscriber accesses a telephone function of a system coupled to the public exchange, the system develops a relationship between a component of the system allocated to the subscriber and the identity of the subscriber. The identity is then forwarded to the public exchange. In a mail message system, the subscriber accesses his or her mail, and the system determines from the account, a relationship between an identity and a caller. The identity of the subscriber may be employed to activate a monitoring system. In another aspect, the identity of the subscriber may be employed for a point of service provider to the Internet.