An ingress call filter system enables real-time or near real-time efficiencies of an inter-carrier switch. The ingress call filter determines if a received call to a called party is likely to fail. If the call is likely to fail, the ingress call filter returns an indication that the call should be filtered or rejected. If the call in not likely to fail, the ingress call filter returns an indication that a call router should attempt to establish the call. Such techniques mitigate penalties assessed to the inter-carrier network for incomplete or failed calls in real time or near real time.