Apparatus, methods and systems for routing information from a packet-switched network to a mobile device communicating with a wireless telecommunications network

Abstract

Apparatus, methods and systems for routing information from a packet-switched network to a mobile device communicating with a wireless telecommunications network, wherein a call request for a mobile device is received from the packet-switched network at a first node of the wireless telecommunications network; a determination is made of the serving node of the wireless telecommunications network in communication with the mobile device and whether the serving node is coupled to the packet-switched network; and the call request is redirected to the serving node in response to an affirmative indication that the serving node is coupled to the packet-switched network. Alternatively, in response to a negative indication that the serving node is coupled to the packet-switched network, the call request is routed from the first node to the serving node through a circuit-switched network coupled intermediate to the first node and the serving node. The packet-switched network may be a network employing, for example, the Internet Protocol (IP), and the circuit-switched network may, be the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), whereby calls originating from devices coupled to the Internet, or similar network, can be directly routed to a serving node of the wireless telecommunications network in communication with the mobile device or, alternatively, through the PSTN. In a conventional Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), the first node of the wireless telecommunications network can be a Gateway Mobile-Services Switching Center (GMSC) and the serving node of the wireless telecommunications network in communication with the mobile device can be a Mobile-Services Switching Center (MSC).