Abstract: A system (28) provides communication services to mobile units (24). Mobile units (24) perform a unit-based location process (46, 48) to determine their locations. The system (28) performs a system-based location process (64, 66) to independently determine mobile unit locations. The system-based process may determine location less precisely than the unit-based process. A location selection process (104) evaluates the unit-determined location in view of a system-determined location error region to decide whether the unit-determined location is reliable. If the unit-determined location is reliable, it is used (120) to qualify communication services to be provided to the mobile unit (24). If the unit-determined location is unreliable, the system-based process is repeated (116) to improve the system-determined location precision, and the resulting system-determined location is used (118) to qualify communication services to be provided to the mobile unit (24).

Abstract: In a packet network, message packets (130) are comprised of vacant or unused bits for future system enhancements or for remedying unknown design oversights or utilizing vacant portions of fixed length data packets. Furthermore, message packets (130) comprise a message type identifier distinguishing message architecture. A transmit and receive packet network node (100) maintains an unused bit catalog (125) listing vacant or unused bits of particular message packet types. When a message packet type having vacant or unused bits is detected propagating through the packet network, background data is retrieved from a transmit background data queue (115) and interleaved into such message packets to form enriched message packets (130') for transportation through the packet network. Receiving packet network nodes (100) detect enriched message packets (130') and extract and buffer the background data.

Abstract: A digital cellular telecommunication network (30) uses transcoders (50) which vocode voice using a maximal lossy compression algorithm which conserves spectrum usage. A call path for an intercepted call is looped from an outer space satellite (32) network into a terrestrial gateway (34). Compressed call data for each of two half-calls in this call path are duplicated at any of the network nodes and inserted into the opposing half-call. In addition, the compressed call data are decompressed in a gateway transcoder (50), combined in a conference bridge (90), and routed to a monitoring center (60). A subscriber unit (36), a second device (48), and the monitoring center (60) all receive call data which has experienced only one compression/decompression cycle.