Abstract: A mobile terminal for use in a communication system comprising a first, packet-based network and a plurality of wireless access networks providing access to the first network. The mobile terminal comprises: one or more transceivers for connecting to the wireless access networks; and processing apparatus coupled to the one or more transceivers, operable to communicate with the first network by forming connections with the access networks using the one or more transceivers. The processing apparatus is configured to access a database recording motion information relating to motion of connection points of the wireless access networks; and the processing apparatus is further configured to determine one of the wireless access networks for use in accessing the first network, in dependence on the motion information accessed from the database relating to one or more of the wireless access networks.

Abstract: A method, performed from a server, of regulating a selection of an encoded bandwidth with which an encoded bitstream is transmitted from an encoder of a transmitting terminal over a channel to at least one receiving terminal, in a communication session between the transmitting and receiving terminals. The method comprises: receiving, at the server, information relating to the communication session; and from the server, setting a constraint on the selection of the encoded bandwidth. The setting of this constraint comprises, based on the received information, computing at least an upper bandwidth constraint for the encoded bitstream, and sending an indication of the upper bandwidth constraint to the transmitting terminal or receiving terminal, thereby allowing the transmitting or receiving terminal to perform the selection of the encoded bandwidth but constrained by said upper bandwidth constraint.

Abstract: A method comprising: conducting a communication session between a first terminal and a second terminal, the session comprising transmitting an encoded bitstream from an encoder of the first terminal over a channel to the second terminal; measuring a bandwidth capacity experienced over the channel at multiple different times, thereby collecting a history of bandwidth measurements for the channel; based on the history of bandwidth measurements, obtaining at least a selected upper bandwidth constraint for the encoded bitstream; and during the session, dynamically adapting an encoded bandwidth with which to encode the bitstream, by dynamically selecting the encoded bandwidth based on one or more current conditions of the channel, but constrained by at least said upper bandwidth constraint.

Abstract: A method comprising: collecting respective observations of end-end bandwidth experienced on different occasions by multiple past communications occurring over different respective observed paths over a network, each path comprising a respective plurality of network components; modelling each of the respective network components with a bandwidth probability function characterized by one or more parameters; and estimating a component bandwidth or component bandwidth probability density for each of the network components based on the modelling, by determining respective values for said parameters such that a combination of the component bandwidths or bandwidth probability densities for the network components in the observed paths approximately matches, according to an optimization process, the observations of the end-to-end bandwidth experienced by the past communications over the observed paths.

Abstract: A method comprising: collecting respective observations of end-end bandwidth experienced on different occasions by multiple past communications occurring over different respective observed paths over a network, each path comprising a respective plurality of network components; modelling each of the respective network components with a bandwidth probability function characterized by one or more parameters; and estimating a component bandwidth or component bandwidth probability density for each of the network components based on the modelling, by determining respective values for said parameters such that a combination of the component bandwidths or bandwidth probability densities for the network components in the observed paths approximately matches, according to an optimization process, the observations of the end-to-end bandwidth experienced by the past communications over the observed paths.

Abstract: A mobile terminal comprising: a positioning module arranged to determine a geographical location of the mobile terminal; a local transceiver for connecting to local wireless access networks; and processing apparatus for communicating with a first, packet-based network by forming connections with the wireless local area networks using the local transceiver. The processing apparatus is configured to determine measures of connection quality experienced by the mobile terminal on ones of the connections, and to record the determined measures in a database associating measures of connection quality with geographical locations.

Abstract: A receiver receives a first data stream and a second data stream from a transmitting device over a packet-based communication network, the first data stream being of a first media type (e.g. audio) and the second data stream being of a second media type (e.g. video). The first jitter buffer will buffer each of a plurality of portions of the first data stream as they are received via the receiver, and apply a de-jittering delay before outputting each portion of the first data stream (e.g. audio stream) to be played out through the receiving device. The jitter buffer controller receives information on the second data stream (e.g. video stream), and adapts the de-jittering delay of the first jitter buffer (e.g. audio jitter buffer) in dependence on the information on the second data stream (e.g. information on the video stream).

Abstract: In an embodiment, a method of controlling transmission of data from a wireless device to a receiver connected via a communication channel includes an application executing on the wireless device providing an estimate of end-to-end bandwidth of the communication channel; supplying to the application from wireless access circuitry in the wireless device at least on communication-related parameter and modifying in the application the estimate of end-to-end bandwidth using the at least one communication-related parameter.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of allocating resources of a processor executing a first real-time code component for processing a first sequence of data portions and a second code component for processing a second sequence of data portions. At least the second code component has a configurable complexity. The method comprises estimating a first real-time performance metric for the first code component, and configuring the complexity of the second code component based on the estimated first real-time performance metric.

Abstract: There is provided a method of controlling a rate at which content data is received at a receiver over a network, wherein the receiver has caused a first stream of real-time communication event data to be received at the receiver, and a second stream of content data to be received at the receiver, the method comprising steps of: dynamically measuring network conditions of the network based on the real-time communication event data; and limiting the rate at which the content data is received at the receiver based on the dynamically measured network conditions.