Abstract: Techniques for storing data used in making announcements in telephone communications are disclosed. In an embodiment, an announcement depends on classes of services associated with telephone subscribers. The classes of services represent call types or call features such as call-forwarding unconditional, call-forwarding busy, call-forwarding no answer, etc. A first database associates subscribed phone numbers with a class of service. A second database defines the class of services such as the call types, the telephone digit pattern in the subscribed telephone numbers, the condition for an announcement, etc. A third database defines a default class of service for use in case a phone number is not associated with a class of service in the first database.

Abstract: A method for authenticating a mobile communication device (MCD) to a wireless network. The method includes transmitting from the wireless network to the MCD a first value. The method further includes receiving from the MCD at the wireless network a second value, the second value representing a function of the first value, a shared data value that is stored in both the MCD and the wireless network, and at least one metric pertaining to an application program stored in the MCD.