According to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, a method and an apparatus for efficiently and accurately processing incoming connection establishment requests is disclosed. The present invention allows the signaling provider of the network interface software to determine ownership of an incoming request by accessing client-provided information in the form of call filters. Upon receiving an incoming call establishment request, the network interface software matches the request to information previously provided by the clients of the network interface software. The network interface software can thus determine the correct recipient, negotiate parameters on the owner's behalf, establish a call connection, inform the client that the connection has been established, and inform the client of specific parameters relating to the incoming call.