Abstract: A digital cellular communication system supports call forwarding with better speech quality by avoiding unnecessary speech decoding when a call is forwarded from one network or exchange to another. A new information element that contains the network code of an originating mobile services switching center (MSC) is added in an initial address message, so that the address of the originating MSC can be properly determined by a terminating MSC or, if call forwarding has been initiated, by a forwarded-to MSC. A structured dialog is used for sending a speech coding request to the originating MSC in which a return result signal acknowledging the request is sent to the correct receiver in the terminating MSC or, if call forwarding has been initiated, in the forwarded-to MSC.