Dialed-digit based determination of whether to originate a call as a circuit-switched call or a packet-switched call

1. A telephone device comprising:

a user interface for receiving, from a user, a telephone number to call, wherein the telephone device is capable of originating a packet-switched call and capable of originating a circuit-switched call, and wherein the telephone device is a device selected from the group consisting of a voice telephone, a fax machine and a dial-up modem, and

program logic executable to decide, based on the telephone number, whether the telephone device should originate a call to the telephone number as a circuit-switched call or as a packet-switched call,

wherein the program logic is executable to determine, based on the telephone number, whether the call is an international call and (i) in response to a determination that the call is an international call, to decide that the telephone device should originate the call as a packet-switched call and (ii) in response to a determination that the call is not an international call, to decide that the telephone device should originate the call as a circuit-switched call,

whereby, if the program logic decides that the telephone device should originate the call as a circuit-switched call, then the telephone device originates the call as a circuit-switched call, and, if the program logic decides that the telephone device should originate the call as a packet-switched call, then the telephone device originates the call as a packet-switched call.

2. A method comprising:

receiving into a telephone, from a user, a telephone number to call, wherein the telephone is capable of originating a packet-switched call and capable of originating a circuit-switched call;

making a determination, based on the telephone number, whether to originate the call as a circuit-switched call or as a packet-switched call;

if the telephone number is not an international number, the telephone originating the call as a circuit-switched call, wherein the telephone originating the call as a circuit-switched call comprises sending the telephone number to a serving switch to request the switch to originate the call; and

if the telephone number is an international number, the telephone originating the call as a packet-switched call, wherein the telephone originating the call as a packet-switched call comprises acquiring packet-data connectivity and then engaging in packet-based call-setup signaling to set up the call,

wherein acquiring packet-data connectivity comprises sending a packet-data origination message over an air interface to a radio access network, and acquiring a Mobile-IP address for communication on a packet-switched network.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein engaging in packet-based call-setup signaling to set up the call comprises engaging in signaling of a type selected from the group consisting of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling and H.323 signaling.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

if the telephone originates the call as a circuit-switched call, then, after the telephone originates the call as a circuit-switched call, exchanging non-packetized voice data; and

if the telephone originates the call as a packet-switched call, then, after the telephone originates the call as a packet-switched call, exchanging packetized voice data.

5. The telephone device of claim 1 , wherein the program logic is executable to determine, based on a length of the telephone number, whether the call is an international call.

6. The telephone device of claim 1 , wherein the telephone device is a wireless communication device.

7. The telephone device of claim 1 , wherein the program logic is executable to determine whether the telephone number includes a country code and, if so, to conclude that the call is an international call.

8. The telephone device of claim 1 , wherein, to originate a call as a packet-switched call, the telephone device first acquires packet-data connectivity if the telephone device does not already have packet-data connectivity, and the telephone device then engages in packet-based call setup signaling to set up the call.

9. The telephone device of claim 8 , wherein, to acquire packet-data connectivity, the telephone device sends an origination message that carries a packet-data origination code.

10. The telephone device of claim 8 , wherein the packet-based call setup signaling comprises signaling selected from the group consisting of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling and H.323 signaling.