A method and apparatus for a conference call mediation service which
allows for the scheduling of multi-participant conferences over the
Internet is presented. A subscriber who desires to host a conference
sends a conference request to a Web Service Control Point (WSCP) with
attributes regarding the conference (i.e., date, time, conference agenda,
etc.). The WSCP generates a unique conference ID, identifying the
attributes of the proposed conference, and broadcasts a conference
invitation to potential conference participants. Potential participants
respond to the conference invitation and may make changes to, or modify,
the attributes of the proposed conference. The WSCP acts as a negotiator
between potential conference participants by continuing to resend the
modified and unmodified conference attributes until an agreement
regarding the conference is reached. At that point the WSCP schedules the
conference with a communication service provider and sends a confirmation
to each participant.