Connecting a circuit switched device to a packet switched device by allocating a calling identity to the packet switched device

摘要

Transmitting a communication event from a calling entity (e.g. Public Switched Telephone Network device) to a called entity (Peer to Peer device), comprising the steps of: Determining a first identity (IP address, URI, username, VoIP device) associated with the called entity recognisable in the first network (internet), allocating a calling identity (PSTN number) to the called entity, wherein the allocated identity is recognisable in the second network (PSTN network), associating at a first node located in the first network (internet) the first identity with the calling identity (PSTN number), providing the calling identity to the calling entity (PSTN device), establishing a connection between the nodes using the calling identity, querying the first node with the calling identity associated with the called entity to determine the first identity associated with the called entity, transmitting the communication event to the called entity (P2P) using the first identity (IP address etc) associated with the called entity (P2P), and disassociating the calling identity (PSTN number) from the called entity after step of querying the first node to determine the first identity associated with the called entity. Since the caller is provided with a PSTN number to establish a call to another party, there is no need for the caller to have prior knowledge of a fixed PSTN number that is used by the other party to receive calls.