It should be noted that FIG. 8 is exemplary. More, less, or functionally equivalent steps may be embodied in alternative embodiments. Furthermore, the steps may be practiced in a different order. For example, the carrier-independent VoIP call may be initially established. Subsequently, the peer-to-peer connection may be tested (e.g., in real-time) for quality and other requirements established in the user-specified standard to determine if the call should fall back to the standard third-party route.

It should be noted that trixNet can federate with other calling services such as Skype or GoogleTalk and even other calling directories such as eNUM, FWD, or other number resolving schemas. Additionally, trixNet can be extended with APIs so that other calling services or directories can federate with trixNet users.

The above-described functions and components can be comprised of instructions that are stored on a storage medium. The instructions can be retrieved and executed by a processor. Some examples of instructions are software, program code, and firmware. Some examples of storage medium are memory devices, tape, disks, integrated circuits, and servers. The instructions are operational when executed by the processor to direct the processor to operate in accord with embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art are familiar with instructions, processor(s), and storage medium.