Method and apparatus for network-based call screening for interrupting packet data calls

A user of a telecommunications device ( 102 ), such as a wireless terminal, or the like, selects certain actions that should be taken when a circuit call is received while a packet data session is active ( 200 ). These actions include interrupting the packet data session, or not interrupting the packet data session, which may be determined based on stored options specific to the subscriber and/or a query to the subscriber device ( 216 ). When a switching system detects that a subscriber device has an incoming circuit call during an active packet data session, the switching system queries a subscriber database and determines the appropriate action to take ( 210, 212, 214 ). The appropriate action is based on, for example, the calling number, time of day, date, duration of the packet data session, an instantaneous or simultaneous query to the subscriber device or a type of packet data session that is active. Once the appropriate action is determined ( 216 ), either the packet data session is not interrupted and secondary treatment may be applied to the incoming call ( 218 ), or the packet data session is interrupted and the circuit call is paged to the subscriber device in the traditional manner ( 222 ) and traditional treatment is thereafter applied ( 224 ).