Internet-based message delivery with PSTN billing

摘要

A global computer network message delivery service is disclosed. A sender enters a short message for delivery to a recipient's telephone. The sender also enters the recipient's telephone number. The sender may also enter the telephone number that he can be reached at in case the recipient wants to converse live with the sender upon receipt of the message. The message and other entered information is authenticated and validated. The sender's billing telephone number is determined for billing purposes. A call leg is created from a service node to the switch hosting the sender's billing telephone number. The sender's inter-exchange carrier codes are determined and another call leg is created from the service node to the recipient's telephone. After the recipient answers, the service node plays the message (via text-to-speech technology) to the recipient. The inter-exchange carrier codes are used to bill the message service to the sender's billing telephone number.