An arrangement for inhibiting the completion on defrauding calls. Calls to certain area codes are sometimes not subject to the kinds of regulations characteristic of U.S. based area codes. The result is that callers are charged an exorbitant fee (frequently several dollars per minute) without realizing that they are incurring such charges. In accordance with applicant's invention, a data base maintains a record of suspected telephone numbers and calls to the suspected area codes are checked to see if the call is to one of the suspected numbers. If so, the caller is warned and can disconnect before the call is completed. Advantageously, possibly for the payment of the fee, callers are saved from making calls with exorbitant charges.

A telephone apparatus for providing service to a plurality of telephones located at a particular facility, and with the capability of controlling the connection of calls to such telephones as well as recording selected phone conversations. In particular, control of call connection is accomplisued with access control data that is phone-related and PIN number-related. Phone-related data activates the telephone based on, for example, its location in the facility, time of day and day of the week. PIN number-related data allows access to the phone depending on data associated with the caller to whom a unique PIN number has been assigned. The recording of conversations is controllable based on a comparison of call-related data, particular to the call being attempted, with stored recording control data that may also be phone-related and/or PIN number-related.

A new prefix, an international mobile call prefix, is provided in a telecommunications network, such as PSTN, for routing the PSTN originating international call to a foreign mobile subscriber. When a local PSTN exchange receives the international mobile call prefix in the dialed telephone number, it will route the call to a predetermined destination in the same country. The predetermined destination is a network element having a capability of making international routing information interrogation to a home PLMN of a called foreign mobile subscriber. Upon receiving the routing information from the home PLMN the call will be routed to the current location of the called foreign mobile subscriber according to the routing information. As a result, unnecessary international legs in the call can be avoided when the called mobile subscriber is roaming abroad.

A system and method that provides specialized processing based on the source of the communication and/or type of communication being made. The system includes at least one user device connected to at least one network through a communications link. The network includes a specialized processor that has access to at least one database and which determine the source and/or type of communication being made. The database stores information necessary for identifying the appropriate processing for the type of communication. The specialized processor performs the appropriate specialized processing based on the source and/or type of communication and the information obtained from the database. The method according to the invention includes automatically determining the source and/or type of communication being made. Based on the determined source and/or type of communication, information indicating the specialized processing that is to be performed for that source and/or type of communication is retrieved from the database. Based on the information retrieved, specialized processing identified by the retrieved information is performed on the communication. In this manner, specialized processing of the communication may be automatically performed based on the source and/or type of communication being made.

The present invention is a digital telephone control interface system that provides a programmable control to the keys of a digital feature telephone. The programmable control selectively masks the keys present on a telephone and prevents masked keys from being directly responded to by the telephone or routed to the telephone switching network. While the keys are masked, the programmable control can suppress, delay, modify or enhance the key events produced by the masked keys as directed by the application software being run by the programmable control.