Methods and systems for providing message translation, accounting and routing service in a multi-protocol communications network environment

A network element that is capable facilitating the routing and accounting of messages between a plurality of network elements that do not share a common signaling application protocol nor a common transport protocol suite. In one embodiment of the present invention, a Multi-Protocol Gateway (MPG) is adapted to receive a signaling message and subsequently translate both the signaling and transport protocol suite prior to message routing. The MPG node is also configured to create and maintain usage and measurements data that may subsequently be used to produce billing records.