A method of communications employs a communications protocols defining respective
responses to predetermined events. The protocol is separated into a first group
of behaviours defining responses to corresponding first, relatively frequently
occurring, events, and a second group of behaviours defining responses to corresponding
first, relatively frequently occurring, events, and a second group of behaviours
defining responses to corresponding second, relatively infrequently occurring events.
The first group is stored at a user communications terminal. At least the second
group is stored at a store remote from the user terminal, and interconnected therewith
via a communications channel. Communication is established from the user terminal
using first events. On detecting an event other than one of said the first events
at the user terminal, event holding data is signaled from the store to the user
terminal; and communication is established from the user terminal using the event-handling data.
