Patent ID: 7751359

Claim:
A method in a communication network in which a session initiation protocol (SIP) is overlaid on top of a code division multiple access network for reducing a number of transcoders in a voice bearer path, the SIP protocol for initiating a session between a calling party and a called party, the method comprising: transmitting a connection management (CM) Service Request message) to initiate a call from a base station (BS) to a Serving mobile switching center (MSCe), the CM Service Request message containing BS connection information, a list of voice codecs supported by a calling party terminal device and a list of BS transcoders; at least one of: establishing a context between the MSCe and a media gateway (MGW) for the purpose of establishing a packet-data connection to the BS informing the MGW as to which BS connection point to send data packets and informing the MSCe as to the MGW connection point that it wanted the BS to send data packets to; and establishing a context between the MSCe and the MGW for the purpose of establishing a packet-data connection to a network entity that supports the called party and informing the MSCe as to the MGW connection point that it wanted the network entity supporting the called party to send data packets to; and transmitting a message from the MSCe to the BS for the purpose of instructing the BS to establish a bearer resource connection between the calling party terminal device and the BS, sending the BS information as to which MGW connection point the BS is to send data packets to, instructing the BS as to whether or not to assign a transcoder in the bearer path between the BS-to-MS connection and the BS-to-MGW connection, and if so, which one, and for assigning the calling party terminal device to a codec.