Lucent Technologies Inc.

Weiqian Dai

Tony Tuong Nguyen

Michael Dwayne Chambers

Chee Keong Lee

A method of forwarding a call properly for a wireless terminal when the wireless terminal is roaming in a different region (or country) than where its home location register resides is disclosed. In particular, this is accomplished by having the home location register and the serving wireless switching system implement procedures for internationalizing, when appropriate, forward-to numbers, and for nationalizing, when appropriate the same forward-to numbers. The illustrative embodiment of the present invention comprises: receiving at a first wireless switching center a first call set-up message from a second wireless switching center; transmitting, in response to the first call set-up message, a second call set-up message from the first wireless switching center to a third wireless switching center; receiving, in response to the second call set-up message, a first call set-up response message at the first wireless switching center from the third wireless switching center; and transmitting, in response to the first call set-up response message, a call set-up response message from the first wireless switching center to the second wireless switching center directing the second wireless switching center to set-up a call directly with the third wireless switching center.

Handling of forward-to numbers across regional and political boundaries

A method of reducing, or even eliminating, the tariffs, surcharges and long-distance charges that might be incurred for calls involving wireless switching centers in multiple regions (or countries) is disclosed. This is accomplished in the illustrative embodiment by trunking calls directly from the calling wireless switching center to the visiting wireless switching center, where advantageous, without trunking the call across a regional or political boundary as is done in the prior art. The illustrative embodiment of the present invention comprises: receiving at a first wireless switching center a first call set-up message from a second wireless switching center; transmitting, in response to the first call set-up message, a second call set-up message from the first wireless switching center to a third wireless switching center; receiving, in response to the second call set-up message, a first call set-up response message at the first wireless switching center from the third wireless switching center; and transmitting, in response to the first call set-up response message, a call set-up response message from the first wireless switching center to the second wireless switching center directing the second wireless switching center to set-up a call directly with the third wireless switching center.

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Naperville, IL, United States of America

Weiqian Dai