4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: counting at least one of a number of packets processed and a number of symbols converted during the conversion; and generating a message to inform a billing system of the conversion or the receipt of the textual information.
1. A method comprising: receiving, by a processor, as part of chat-based service, textual information corresponding to an instant messaging session over a data connection; allocating resources and communication ports for conversion of the textual information into a speech signal; receiving commands by at least one controller from an intelligent gateway for coordinating connections between the receipt of the textual information and the conversion of the textual information into the speech signal, the at least one controller and the intelligent gateway being remote from each other; and converting, by the processor, the textual information into the speech signal for transmission over a telephony connection during the instant messaging session, wherein the received textual information is from a particular person, and the speech signal conveys sex, approximate age, vocal characteristics, inflection, and local dialect of the particular person, wherein the textual information includes one or more emoticon symbols indicative of emotion, and wherein the converting includes converting the one or more emoticon symbols into one or more sound effects corresponding to the one or more emoticon symbols.