The present invention provides methods and apparatus for interconnecting disparate communications systems. A call request that originates from a communications network is directed to a network interface. The network interface consequently redirects the call request to a communications entity, such as a radio or a cellular radio system that serves the user associated with the call request. The network interface may support address translation functionality for identifying the communications entity, control conversion functionality for generating control and signaling with the communications entity, transmission content conversion functionality for converting the transmission content during the call, and security functionality for encrypting and decrypting the transmission content. Also, the present invention enables non-networking communications entities to interact with applications that are being executed on another terminal through the network, enables network management systems to manage non-networking communications entities through a network, and enables non-networking communications entities to utilize networking routing services.