METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ROUTING MESSAGES IN A COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

摘要

A flexible routing node (302) provides re-directing or re-routing of signaling message packets through the use of a range or block-based database (332) in conjunction with an exception-based database (330) in the node. The range-based database contains routing instructions and incorporates a data structure that maps ranges or blocks of mobile identification numbers (MINS) to a single destination address, while the exception-based database stores any exceptions to the routing instructions of the range-based database. When a signaling message is received that requires re-direction, the exception-based database is queried first. If a match is found in the exception-based database, the signaling message is modified using routing instructions in the exception-based database and transmitted into an associated communication network. If no match is found in the exception-based database, a default query is performed against the range-based database. The signaling message is then modified using the routing instructions in the range-based database and transmitted into an associated communication network.