Patent ID: 8194648

Claim:
A cellular communication system comprising: a media gateway for interfacing between a packet switched network and a circuit switched network; and first and second radio network controllers coupled to the media gateway via the packet switched data network and arranged to support a real time communication from a remote station to a destination in the circuit switched network; wherein the media gateway comprises means for time aligning real time data of the real time communication received in data packets from the first and second radio network controllers via the packet switched network in response to timestamps of the data packets; wherein each of the first and second radio network controllers comprise: means for receiving real time data of the real time communication, the real time data being data of an air interface communication from the remote station to a base station supported by the radio network controller; means for transmitting data packets comprising the real time data to the media gateway via the packet switched network; and means for determining timestamps for the data packets in response to a timing characteristic of the air interface communication; and wherein the timing characteristic is an air interface frame number of the air interface communication.