Network level admission control apparatus for a communications network having a sub-ip level protocol

Abstract

Apparatus (D) is dedicated to network level admission control for a communications network (NSIP) using a protocol at sub-IP level and including border routers (BR-) interconnected by links associated with known characteristic resources and managed by a network management system (NMS). This connection apparatus comprises control means (CM) that firstly are fed by the network management system (NMS) with data representative of the links between the border routers of the sub-IP first network (NSIP) and of the associated resources, and that secondly, on receiving a request to transfer a call via the sub-IP first network (NSIP), which call is associated with at least one service criterion and designates another communications network (NIP) that is connected to the sub-IP network and that is of a different type, are capable of determining from the received data whether resources are available that satisfy the service criterion(a) associated with the call to be transferred, and if so of forwarding the call transfer request to the control apparatus (S) connected to the network management system (NMS) which manages the designated other network (NIP).