Service provider selection system for communications connections selects cheapest option for speech, fax or data exchanges

摘要

Telephone service providers have varying tariffs according to the time of day and the destination of a call. It can be cheaper to switch between providers according to the nature of the call, but this involves research and attention by the user. The present system involves the use of a local microprocessor unit which has a programmable memory. The memory carries all the tariff data and selects the cheapest provider for each call.