An apparatus and a method for routing a multimedia message sent by a user
agent to one of a plurality of multimedia message service centers, the
user agent applying a pre-determined determined destination address to
the multimedia message. The multimedia message is received at the
pre-determined destination address, a target multimedia message service
center is selected and the multimedia message is forwarded to the target
multimedia message service center. Routing is based on address
information contained in the multimedia message, session identification
information associated with the multimedia message, load-balancing and
fault-tolerance information associated with each one of the plurality of
multimedia message service centers, service identifying information
contained in the multimedia message and combinations thereof.