MULTIMEDIA TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK AND SERVICE

摘要

A multimedia telecommunications network (10) provides telephone service which may involve one or more of audio, video and data communications. In one example of the invention, the multimedia telecommunications network (10) contains a virtual meeting services complex (28) which provides multimedia telecommunications service to subscribers of the network (10). Multimedia telephone calls can be completed automatically by the virtual meeting services complex (28) in a manner similar to that now used to complete conventional audio telephone calls. The multimedia telecommunications network (10) containing this virtual meeting services complex (28) is able to connect together users having diverse equipment and is able to handle integrated and nonintegrated network access mechanisms.