An apparatus for enabling signals directed to a first telecommunications terminal to be forwarded intelligently to a second telecommunications terminal in the vicinity of the first terminal is disclosed. In particular, the illustrative embodiment automatically forwards signals from a first terminal in a network to the closest terminal in the network that the first terminal is authorized to forward to. In one illustrative embodiment, each switch in the network has an associated location server for determining the closest authorized terminal. In another illustrative embodiment, each switch employs additional logic and data for determining the closest authorized terminal.