Splitting up the handling of-voice channel-related functions in a telecommunications network, whereby only the least used functions are centrally provided

1. A method for providing voice channel-related functions in a telecommunications network, comprising:

providing a dialog device at a central location in the network to accommodate a plurality of first voice channel-related functions within the telecommunications network; and

providing a plurality of announcement devices at distributed locations in the network to accommodate a plurality of second voice channel-related functions within the telecommunications network, the second voice channel-related function being used more frequently than the first voice channel-related functions.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second voice channel-related functions are controlled at a central location in the network.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the first voice channel-related functions comprise complex dialog functions, simple dialog functions, tones, and/or announcements and the second voice channel-related functions only include tones, announcements, and/or simple dialog functions.

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the first voice channel-related functions are transmitted over a first data transmission network and the second voice channel-related functions are transmitted over the first data transmission network and/or a second data transmission network.

5. A method according to claim 4 , wherein a packet-switched data transmission network is employed as the first data transmission network and a circuit-switched data transmission network is employed as the second data transmission network.

6. A method according to claim 4 , wherein the second data transmission network is a public telephone network and the first data transmission network is an IP-based data transmission network.

7. A method according to claim 4 , wherein the second voice channel-related functions are provided by an announcement device located in each case in a network interworking node between the first and second data transmission network.

8. A telecommunications network for providing voice channel-related functions, comprising:

a dialog device for providing a plurality of first voice channel-related functions at a central location in the network;

a plurality of announcement devices for providing a plurality of voice channel-related functions at distributed locations within the network, the second voice channel-related functions being used more frequently than the first voice channel-related functions; and

a central controller for controlling the first voice channel-related functions of the dialog device and the second voice channel-related functions of the announcement devices.

9. A telecommunications network according to claim 8 , wherein the announcement devices provide the voice channel-related functions for both a circuit-switched data transmission network and a packet-switched data transmission network.

10. telecommunications network according to claim 9 , wherein the announcement devices are implemented in a network interworking node between the first data transmission network and second data transmission network.

11. A telecommunications network according to claim 8 , wherein the dialog device is implemented in a switching center for the second data transmission network or is controlled by said switching center as external equipment of the second data transmission network.

12. A telecommunications network according to claim 8 , wherein the first voice channel-related functions comprise complex dialog functions, simple dialog functions, tones, and/or announcements and the second voice channel-related functions only include tones, announcements, and/or simple dialog functions.

13. A telecommunication according to claim 8 , wherein the first voice channel-related functions are transmitted over a first data transmission network and the second voice channel-related functions are transmitted over the first voice channel-related functions and/or a second data transmission network.

14. A method according to claim 8 , wherein the second data transmission network is a public telephone network and the first data transmission network is an IP-based data transmission network.

15. A method according to claim 8 , wherein the second voice channel-related functions are provided by an announcement device located in a network interworking node between the first and second data transmission network.

16. A method according to claim 6 , wherein the second voice channel-related functions are provided in each case by means of an announcement device located in each case in a network interworking node between the first and second data transmission network.