Communications apparatus, systems, and methods for preventing and/or minimizing session data clipping

A session border controller comprising:

• memory, and
• a processor configured to control said session border controller to perform the following operations:
• receiving a first initial offer message from a first user equipment device directed to a second user equipment device, said first initial offer message including one or more Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE) candidate addresses for the first user equipment device, said first user equipment device being an endpoint device which supports the ICE protocol, said second user equipment device being an endpoint device which supports the ICE protocol;
• establishing a data path between the session border controller and the second user equipment device in response to receiving said first initial offer message, said session border controller and said second user equipment device being ICE agents which perform an ICE negotiation to establish said data path between the session border controller and the second user equipment device, said ICE negotiation including at least the following operations:
• (i) identifying by the session border controller a first ICE candidate address for the session border controller, (ii) generating by the session border controller a list of session border controller and second user equipment device ICE candidate address pairs, and (iii) performing by the session border controller a successful connectivity check on one or more of the ICE candidate address pairs included in the generated list of ICE candidate address pairs;
• and
• establishing a data session between the first user equipment device and the session border controller after establishing the data path between the session border controller and the second user equipment device in response to receiving said first initial offer message.

A non-transitory computer readable medium including processor executable instructions for use in a session border controller, the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

• instructions which when executed by at least one processor in the session border controller controls said session border controller to:
• receive a first initial offer message from a first user equipment device directed to a second user equipment device, said first initial offer message including one or more Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE) candidate addresses for the first user equipment device, said first user equipment device being an endpoint device which supports the ICE protocol, said second user equipment device being an endpoint device which supports the ICE protocol;
• establish a data path between the session border controller and the second user equipment device in response to receiving said first initial offer message, said session border controller and said second user equipment device being ICE agents which perform an ICE negotiation to establish said data path between the session border controller and the second user equipment device, said ICE negotiation including at least the following operations:
• (i) identifying by the session border controller a first ICE candidate address for the session border controller, (ii) generating by the session border controller a list of session border controller and second user equipment device ICE candidate address pairs, and (iii) performing by the session border controller a successful connectivity check on one or more of the ICE candidate address pairs included in the generated list of ICE candidate address pairs;
• and
• establish a data session between the first user equipment device and the session border controller after establishing the data path between the session border controller and the second user equipment device in response to receiving said first initial offer message.