Abstract: A full duplex voice communication method constituted of: estimating an acoustic echo within a near-end signal; cancelling the estimated acoustic echo; detecting whether, or not, a change has occurred in a near-end acoustic echo path, the received near-end signal represents speech and the received far-end signal represents silence, wherein, responsive to the results thereof, the method is further constituted of: alternately attenuating frequency components of the echo cancelled near-end signal by a first frequency domain attenuation value and by a second greater frequency domain attenuation value; alternately attenuating a first function of the frequency component attenuated echo cancelled near-end signal by a first switchable attenuation value and by a second greater switchable attenuation value; and alternately attenuating a second function of the received far-end signal by a third switchable attenuation value and by a fourth greater switchable attenuation value.

Abstract: A comfort noise generation apparatus constituted of: near and far end speech detectors arranged to detect speech activity in near-end and far-end signals and a comfort noise generator, wherein responsive to an indication from the near-end speech detector that speech activity is absent on the near-end signal and an indication from the far-end silence detector that speech activity is absent on the far-end signal, the comfort noise generator is arranged to initiate a determination of an estimation of near-end background noise, wherein responsive to an indication from the near-end speech detector that speech activity is present on the near-end signal or an indication from the far-end silence detector that speech activity is present on the far-end signal, the comfort noise generator is arranged to terminate the estimation determination of near-end background noise, and wherein the comfort noise generator is arranged to output a function of the near-end background noise estimation.

Abstract: A full duplex voice communication method constituted of: estimating an acoustic echo within a near-end signal; cancelling the estimated acoustic echo; detecting whether, or not, a change has occurred in a near-end acoustic echo path, the received near-end signal represents speech and the received far-end signal represents silence, wherein, responsive to the results thereof, the method is further constituted of: alternately attenuating frequency components of the echo cancelled near-end signal by a first frequency domain attenuation value and by a second greater frequency domain attenuation value; alternately attenuating a first function of the frequency component attenuated echo cancelled near-end signal by a first switchable attenuation value and by a second greater switchable attenuation value; and alternately attenuating a second function of the received far-end signal by a third switchable attenuation value and by a fourth greater switchable attenuation value.

Abstract: A comfort noise generation apparatus constituted of: near and far end speech detectors arranged to detect speech activity in near-end and far-end signals and a comfort noise generator, wherein responsive to an indication from the near-end speech detector that speech activity is absent on the near-end signal and an indication from the far-end silence detector that speech activity is absent on the far-end signal, the comfort noise generator is arranged to initiate a determination of an estimation of near-end background noise, wherein responsive to an indication from the near-end speech detector that speech activity is present on the near-end signal or an indication from the far-end silence detector that speech activity is present on the far-end signal, the comfort noise generator is arranged to terminate the estimation determination of near-end background noise, and wherein the comfort noise generator is arranged to output a function of the near-end background noise estimation.