Maintaining audio communication in a congested communication channel

A non-transitory computer readable medium having an application stored thereon, the application defining instructions executable by a processor of a communication device for carrying out a method when the application is run by the processor, the method comprising:

• monitoring a quality of service of a first channel of a communication channel between a sender side and a receiver side;
• upon determining that the quality of service of the first channel is below a pre-selected threshold:
• interrupting the sending of speech data of the speech from the sender side over the first channel while retaining a second channel of the communication channel, and
• indicating that the first channel is inactive and that the retained second channel is to be used for continuing the audio communication via the retained second channel;
• converting speech to text for transmitting the text to the receiver side via the retained second channel;
• and
• transmitting the text over the retained second channel of the communication channel for conversion of the text to speech at the receiver side.

A communication apparatus, comprising:

• a processor configured to control communication between a first communication device and a second communication device, the processor configured to carry out a method comprising:
• monitoring a quality of service of a first channel of a communication connection between the first and second communication devices;
• upon determining that the quality of service of the first channel is below a pre-selected threshold:
• interrupting the sending of speech data of the speech from the first communication device over the first channel while retaining a second channel of the communication channel, and
• indicating that the first channel is inactive and that the retained second channel is to be used for continuing the audio communication via the retained second channel;
• converting speech to text at the first communication device for transmitting the text to the second communication device via the retained second channel;
• and
• transmitting the text over the retained second channel of the communication channel for conversion of the text to speech at the second communication device.