System and method for optimizing telecommunication signal quality

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides a system and method for selecting voice compression and coding based on capabilities of all intermediary networks and links in addition to the capabilities of the end points. The present invention optimizes voice quality by determining a minimum number of new conversions, herein referred to as transcodings, necessary in voice connections, on a system wide basis. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a sender sends a signaling message to a receiver. The signaling message is sent to the receiver prior to sending an actual message. Each entity or device capable of converting voice coding, herein referred to as a “station”, between the sender and the receiver identifies their capabilities to the signaling message. The receiver, which is also a station, also identifies its capabilities to the signaling message. The signaling message may then be sent back to the sender for the sender to determine an optimized series of voice codings to be used for the call. Alternatively, the call receiver, or an intermediate station located along the call route, may determine the optimized series of voice codings to be used for the call and communicate to the caller how the call should be coded.