1. In a telecommunications and data network environment including non-participating elements and participating elements, a method for providing a telecommunications service between a first peer element connected to the telecommunications network environment and a second peer element connected to the telecommunications network, comprising the steps of: receiving at the first peer element an indication of the type of telecommunications service to be provided between the first peer element and the second peer element; determining a telecommunications service template in association with the indicated telecommunications service, the telecommunications service template including instructions for configuring the non-participating elements of the telecommunications network environment to provide the indicated telecommunications service and instructions for configuring the participating elements of the telecommunications network environment, the telecommunications service template further comprising routing instructions for the non-participating elements of the telecommunications network environment and routing instructions for the participating elements of the telecommunications network environment; executing the instructions to configure the participating elements and non-participating elements of the telecommunications network environment to provide the telecommunications service; and transmitting data between the first peer element and the second peer element via a predefined transmission protocol indicated by the telecommunications service template, the data including the routing instructions for the non-participating elements of the telecommunications network environment in a first portion of the predefined transmission protocol and the routing instructions for the participating elements of the telecommunications network environment in a second portion of the predefined transmission protocol.