Abstract: A System and method for reducing and surviving failures in a voice trunking over ATM (VTOA) environment includes a CS-IWF complex having a plurality of interconnected CS-IWF units, each unit having a plurality of processors. An end office building may also be provided for interaction with the VTOA system. The end office building includes multiple T-IWFs, and a switch that distributes calls among the T-IWFs in a load sharing manner. Each T-IWF has a plurality of processors and is part of the VTOA system. A switch management system is also provided in the VTOA system. In order to reduce and survive failures, the switch management system includes a plurality of switch management system units. At least one of the switch management system units is a backup unit for a primary switch management system unit. Each switch management system unit provides application redundancy within itself.

Abstract: A communication network element determines a service provider's routing preference for routing communications and routes these communications from an originating connection address to a destination connection address over a network. The communication network element includes a receiver configured to receive a signal, which comprises the originating connection address and the destination connection address. The communication network element also includes a processor that determines the service provider associated with at least one of the originating connection address and the destination connection address of the received signal. The processor also determines the routing preference associated with the service provider using routing data.

Abstract: A telecommunications system determines a telecommunications service provider's routing preference for routing a call for a subscriber. The telecommunications system includes a storage that stores call routing data and a call routing service application for determining the routing preference using the call routing data. The call routing data includes an indicator that indicates when the subscriber subscribes to resold local switching services and when the subscriber subscribes to unbundled local switching services. The telecommunications system also includes a processor that executes the call routing service application, and that generates call routing instructions for routing the call according to the determined routing preference.

Abstract: A method and system for routing a communication through an alternate carrier. The A method includes recognizing an input number upon which a call is based, assigning primary, alternate and secondary interexchange carriers responsive to the recognizing, and sequentially routing an input number from a node among primary, alternate, and secondary carriers until a connection is established.

Abstract: A telecommunications billing system generates a bill for a local service provider when a call is routed for a subscriber of the local service provider by an incumbent telecommunications service provider. The system includes a billing generator that generates a billing record in response to receiving the call. The billing generator generates a terminating access billing record when the call is an unbundled local switching call to the subscriber of the local service provider. Alternatively, the billing generator generates an originating access billing record when the call is an unbundled local switching call from the subscriber of the local service provider.