METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SIGNALING THE SUBSCRIBER TYPE OF IP AND NON-IP SUBSCRIBERS USING THE HOSTPART OF THE SIP URI

摘要

A major drawback of current methods for identifying the subscriber type of IP and non-IP subscribers with SIP is that additional signaling elements have to be added in existing SIP headers. The present invention provides a method for identification of subscriber type with SIP in which the originating subscriber URIs are in form of userpart@hostpart, the userpart uniquely identifying the originating subscriber (SUBa, SUBc) ; the present invention comprising, by a first switch (SSl), identifying itself to a second switch (SS2) through the hostpart; by the first switch (SSl) signaling via SIP to a second switch (SS2) the originating subscriber-type by using the hostpart to define a logical grouping identifying the originating subscriber-type.