Patent ID: 8432896

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a signaling path border element (SBE) operable to: receive an INVITE from a first endpoint, the INVITE comprising a preferred local address; determine, based on the preferred local address, that the first endpoint supports media optimization; generate a signaling message, the signaling message comprising both: (a) the preferred local address to allow the first endpoint and a second endpoint to perform the media optimization according to an ICE/TURN/STUN protocol if the second endpoint supports the media optimization; and (b) optimization information selected to facilitate performing the media optimization independently of the ICE/TURN/STUN protocol if the second endpoint does not support the media optimization; determine whether the second endpoint supports the media optimization based on a response to the signaling message; if the first endpoint and the second endpoint support the media optimization, facilitate a data path border element (DBE) to allow the first endpoint and the second endpoint to perform the media optimization according to the ICE/TURN/STUN protocol; and if the first endpoint or the second endpoint fail to support the media optimization, facilitate insertion of a media relay into the DBE to perform the media optimization for the first endpoint and the second endpoint, the media relay inserted according to the optimization information and independently of the ICE/TURN/STUN protocol.