Method and apparatus for controlling conference calls

Abstract

A conference manager establishes and controls a conference and subconferences for a plurality of telecommunication terminals so as to reduce telecommunication costs by establishing the conference and dynamically placing telecommunication terminals geographically located with conference or isolated remote telecommunication terminals geographically located remote from the conference into the conference. The conference manager requests that other conference managers establish subconferences to conference together remote telecommunication terminals that are geographically located together. The conference manager requests that the other conference managers extend these subconferences to the conference. Further, the conference manager controls the other conference managers to interconnect the subconferences if the conference manager determines that communicating cost can be lowered by interconnecting two or more of the subconferences. Telecommunication costs include telecommunication transport costs and/or conference port costs.