Within a network environment, redundant capabilities for exchanging
call-processing signals enhance reliability of telephony support for
telephony endpoint devices. A data network, such as a
telephony-over-local area network, provides primary support for the
telephony endpoint devices, which may be telephony-enabled computers or
Internet Protocol telephones. A second network has a first mode in which
it is inactive with respect to telephony traffic to the telephony
endpoint devices, but has a second mode in which call-processing signals
are routed through the second network in response to a determination that
the data network is disabled. As a result, telephone features such as
call deflection may be continued when the primary support is disabled. In
some implementations, the second network includes a third mode in which
the voice information is also carried as a response to determining that
the data network is disabled and the currently available bandwidth of the
second network exceeds a threshold bandwidth level.