Analysis of transmission characteristics in a voice-over-IP network

A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions which, in response to being executed, cause a first computer process circuitry and a second computer process circuitry to perform a method comprising:

• the first computer process circuitry communicating VoIP-packets between upstream and downstream computer process circuitry in a network during a VoIP communication session, and including and sending a set of metadata with at least one of the VoIP-packets downstream in the network, the set of metadata including both audio and video;
• the second computer process circuitry
• receiving, from the first computer process circuitry, the set of metadata with said at least one of the VoIP-packets, and
• sending a response packet upstream relative to the first computer process circuitry with data indicative of a latency-transmission characteristic relative to the set of metadata sent downstream by the first computer process circuitry,
• a network pathway assessment circuit, in response to the response packet, deriving the latency-transmission characteristic and a communication-quality characteristic indicating a likelihood said at least one of the VoIP packets may be dropped based on a packet loss count detected at the second computer process circuitry, responding to the VoIP-packets communicated along a pathway between the first computer process circuitry and the second computer process circuitry;
• a call control server, in response to a connection request for the VoIP communication session, selecting one from among a plurality of relay servers as a function of a plurality of transmission characteristics, wherein each of the plurality of relay servers is to communicate at least one of the VoIP packets in response to receiving said at least one of the VoIP packets from an upstream node in the network along a path via a downstream node in the network, and
• the first computer process circuitry dynamically adjusting the selection of the said one of the plurality of relay servers for relaying the set of metadata through the network in real time during the VoIP communication session based on the plurality of transmission characteristics.