Apparatus and a method for serving telecommunications customers, using
the transmission capabilities of a Packet Network. A customer having Customer Premises
Equipment (CPE) that includes a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE)/Gateway for communicating
with a Packet Network, is connected to a port of the Packet Network. The customer
is connected to the Gateway of a Home Switch via the Packet Network, and is also
connected to Gateways of one or more Guest Switches. The customer has telephone
numbers in the Home Switch and each of the Guest Switches. Callers can call the
customer as if that customer were directly served by the Home Switch or any of
the Guest Switches. Advantageously, the customer and callers to that customer are
billed only for the short, usually local, call rate from the selected Home or Guest
Switch. Advantageously, the customer can make outgoing calls dynamically via any
of the Guest Switches.