Importance

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Abstract

A system and method for flexible and efficient routing of communications transmissions is disclosed. Service providers submit information comprising cost and service parameter data to a centralized server node. The server node evaluates the information and generates a rate-table database comprising efficient routing paths for connecting transmissions between any two locations in a communications switching network. The server may substantially optimize its rate-table database with respect to one or more parameters, such as price, network utilization, return traffic volumes, and others. Service requesters submit service requests to the centralized server node. The server node identifies efficient routes which meet the requesters' requirements and brokers sales of communication (or connect) time from the service providers to the service requesters. The telecommunications node may be programmed to dynamically monitor current volume and sell or buy communication bandwidth on the basis of the actual and predicted requirements for connect time. When a carrier wishes to establish communication via a route purchased through the global network, it passes supervision to a local telecommunications node which establishes transmission via a routing path for which the carrier has purchased connect time. When necessary, the system employs particular data messages to inform a switch in the routing path that an incoming communication transaction is in transit to a different location, and is not for termination at the location of the switch. This allows a switch to distinguish terminating traffic from transit traffic and set rates for transit traffic without invoking settlement agreement accounting rates.

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First Claim