Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system for connection verification. An embodiment includes a DSL based system, with a tester resident at a central office respective to a DSLAM. When a problem is encountered by a subscriber, the tester can be readily connected to the DSLAM to allow performance of tests on the connection between the tester, the DSLAM and the Internet. If such tests are successful, then service provider can eliminate that portion of the link as the source of the connectivity problem. If unsuccessful, the service provider can repair that portion of the connection, and thereby potentially obviate the need to send a technician to the subscriber premises.

Abstract: A method and system for transmitting service data between telecommunication devices. Pre-paid access data including a first digital key and control data is stored in a memory module of a telecommunication device, a second digital key being stored on one or more control units of the telecommunication network. A validity criterion is determined based on the control data, and service data of the first telecommunication device is encoded by the first key as long as the validity criterion is fulfilled. The encoded service data is transmitted to the control unit, decoded by the second digital key, and transmitted to another telecommunication device.

Abstract: A process of creating incentives for wireless hotspots by a service provider is disclosed. An access point is provided to a wireless hotspot for wireless devices to wirelessly connect to a larger network in a publicly accessible location. Use of the access point for a portable device is authenticated by requesting submission of an account identifier to the service provider and billing data for a user of the portable device for use of the access point is generated. Use statistics are evaluated of the access point of the wireless hotspot by portables devices and an inducement is provided to the publicly accessible location based on the evaluated use statistics.

Abstract: An exchange capable of increasing the number of participants in a conference without increasing conference circuits for conference communications. The exchange (2) switches connections either between a line wire (11) and a plurality of extensions (10a) to (10c) or between plural extensions and plural line wires.

Abstract: A method of identifying arbitrage includes determining whether originating and terminating call detail records (CDRs) are correlated and obtaining correlated candidate pairs from the determined CDRs; establishing whether a correlated candidate pair of the obtained correlated candidate pairs is a unique pair; and if established that a correlated candidate pair is unique, determining an amount of arbitrage based on the comparison of the originating and terminating CDR fields of the unique correlated candidate pair.

Abstract: In one particular embodiment, the disclosure is directed to a method of activating a prepaid telephony account. The method includes receiving a call from a caller at a prepaid service destination address identified by a prepaid calling card; receiving a prepaid card number of the caller; receiving a destination number; receiving an origination address of the caller; providing a message to the caller including an offer to associate a prepaid account corresponding to the prepaid calling card with the origination address of the caller; receiving a response to the message from the caller; and associating a long distance service code with the origination address of the caller based on the response to the message.

Abstract: A test emergency response location (ERL) is used to exercise an emergency response (ER) service. The test ERL does not have any connections to the real external PSAP or OSAN and only routes the call to synthetic phones or agents. A 911 call is intercepted and routed to an ER application to make a decision on which emergency location identification number (ELIN) to use. The ER application recognizes the call originator as a synthetic phone or agent and routes it through the test ERL. In one embodiment, the test ERL is configured so that a second synthetic phone or agent is registered as the PSAP endpoint and a third synthetic phone or agent is registered as the OSAN endpoint. In a properly functioning system, the ER application forwards the call to the second and third agents. When the second and third agents receive the calls, the system is considered to be functioning properly.

Abstract: A telecommunication service charges for voice calls entering a network over a particular time period, such as a billing period. A parameter or parameters related to the number of information units (e.g., packets, bytes or bits) used to transmit the plurality of voice calls over the network is measured. A charge for the plurality of voice calls is computed based on the one or more parameters measured. The one or more parameters may be used to compute a charge for the plurality of voice calls based on the total number of information units transmitted, average number of information units transmitted, peak information units transmitted over the billing period or some combination thereof.

Abstract: The present invention may include a call controller for initiating third-party call control requests. The invention may also include an endpoint control manager for determining whether a remote endpoint is a simple endpoint or intelligent endpoint. The invention may further include an intelligent device manager for coordinating third-party call control requests from the call controller for endpoints determined to be intelligent by the endpoint control manager, and a simple device manager for coordinating third-party call control requests from the call controller for endpoints determined to be simple by the endpoint control manager.

Abstract: The invention relates to a gas-insulated bus bar component comprising a grounded housing that is filled with protective gas and at least one bus bar conductor, which extends in the longitudinal direction of the housing and is supported on said housing by means of insulating bus bar supports. According to the invention, each bus bar conductor is connected to a disconnecting switch that is insulated by protective gas. The aim of the invention is to provide a component of this type, which can be simply connected to and disconnected from an air-insulated conductor, even when operational. To achieve this, the disconnecting switch is located in an outdoor bushing that is fixed to the housing.

Abstract: System and method for efficiently detecting packet format from a control channel. A preferred embodiment comprises the use of a slot counter (for example, slot counter 1310) to count the number of slots received (perhaps at a buffer, such as buffer 1305) since the last successfully demodulated packet. Using the slot counter, the number of demodulation attempts can be reduced. For example, if slot counter is one, then a single slot format decode is attempted. If slot counter is two, then a single and dual slot format decode is attempted. Additionally, channel quality can be used to determine likely channel formats. Furthermore, when multiple control channels are used, decoding information regarding one control channel can assist in determining the slot format of another.

Abstract: In a telephone terminal an incoming call is detected from a calling entity followed by determining a caller identity of the calling entity. Then it is determined whether the caller identity is associated with a subscription to presence information associated with the calling entity, where the presence information includes media data for output through an output unit in the telephone terminal. If the caller identity was determined to be associated with a subscription to presence information, it is determined whether the media data is present in the terminal, and if the media data is present in the terminal, the media data is output through an output unit in the telephone terminal.

Abstract: There is provided a portable terminal device which is capable of transmitting and receiving data such as an image during a voice call by using a radio communications system allowing parallel access. The portable access allows parallel access where a voice call by way of a circuit switching system and data communications using a packet communications system are made in parallel. In case an instruction to transmit data to a distant party is issued by way of an operation on the key operation section during a voice call (S16), the directory data is referenced and the mail address of the distant party is retrieved and acquired (step S21). An electronic mail with the photo image data, etc. shot with a camera section attached is automatically generated and transmitted to the distant party by way of packet communications (S23). In case the received electronic mail is from the distant party and image data, etc.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to manage collect phone calling limits are disclosed. A disclosed example method comprises: determining if collect calls from one or more predetermined locations to a terminating phone number have exceeded a collect calls limit; and determining a future date when collect calls will be permitted from the one or more predetermined locations to the terminating phone number if the collect calls limit has been exceeded.

Abstract: A network-based verification of call connections is provided between a telecommunications subscriber terminal and a telecommunications service device selected by a service call number. This verification provides a way of enabling secure protection against an undesired selection of a service device and/or the selection of an undefined service device. A system and a method are provided in which during a call set-up, the selected call number is evaluated on the basis of at least one service call number stored in a communication network and/or at least one service call number area.

Abstract: An intercom adapter used for selecting optionally one of three popular in-place residential wiring systems, in which two switches, each with two circuit-selecting contacts provide four permutations for selecting a circuit compatible for the in-place residential wiring system, to thereby reduce inventory to only the one switch-operated adapter.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide methods for determining the characteristics of a local loop using the multi-carrier tones of a DSL activation process. For one embodiment, one or more sets of downstream multi-carrier tones of a digital subscriber line activation process are received at an extended voice-band modem and are capable of transmitting upstream multi-carrier tones of the digital subscriber line activation process over a local loop. The downstream carrier tones and the upstream carrier tones are folded into a first multi-tone signal and a second multi-tone signal, respectively, each having a plurality of component signals within the spectrum band of the extended voice-based modem. The total signal power of the first multi-tone signal is divided by the power of one of the plurality of component signals of the second multi-tone signal to determine a ratio value. The ratio value is used to determine a characteristic of the local loop.

Abstract: A hyper-scatternet includes a first ad hoc piconet, a second ad hoc piconet and a wide area network, wherein the first and second ad hoc piconets are configured to communicate with one another via the wide area network. Each ad hoc piconet can include an application server that includes an ad hoc piconet interface that is configured to communicate with an ad hoc piconet using an ad hoc piconet protocol, and a wide area network interface that is configured to communicate with a wide area network using a wide area network protocol. The application server also includes a service manifest that is configured to determine ad hoc piconet services that are available from the ad hoc piconet via the ad hoc piconet interface, and to advertise the ad hoc piconet services to the wide area network as wide area network services via the wide area network interface.

Abstract: A mobile communications network includes various entities, such as a mobile station, a radio network, and a packet data node. In one implementation, the mobile station is enabled for an always-on service. In response to detecting that the mobile station is an always-on mobile station, the packet-data node denies requests from the radio network to tear down a packet data session of the mobile station unless some predetermined criterion has been met.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for automatically populating a signaling-based access control database based on output from a fraud detection application are disclosed. According to one method, a fraud detection application detects fraud based on call information received from monitoring points in a network. The fraud detection application produces output for identifying a calling party making a fraudulent call. The output is used to automatically populate a signaling-based access control database. A signaling-based access control application screens call signaling messages and performs a screening action, such as rerouting a call, using the information received from the fraud detection application.