Hardware arrangement, cellular network, method and cellular terminal for processing variable-length packets

A packet-switched telecommunication network comprising a backbone network, fixed communications connections, operating nodes, base station subsystems and wireless terminals, which packet-switched telecommunication network further comprises both a converter connected to the backbone network and means in the terminals for determining the number of basic packets, which contain one or more data blocks, to be included in an RTP packet according to the IETF standard RFC 1889 on the basis of a measured quality parameter describing the quality of a communications connection.

A terminal of a telecommunication network operating on a packet-switched basis and comprising means for receiving and transmitting RTP packets, which further comprises means for determining the number of basic packets, which contain one or more data blocks, to be included in RTP packets on the basis of a quality parameter describing the quality of a communications connection.

A method for utilizing a real-time packet-switched connection between a terminal of a telecommunication network and a base station subsystem of a telecommunication network, in which method RTP packets are communicated from the base station subsystem towards a backbone network in fixed-length RTP packets according to the IETF standard RFC 1889 and where the number of basic packets, which contain one or more data blocks, to be included in RTP packets in the communication between the base station subsystem and terminal is determined on the basis of a quality parameter describing the quality of a communications connection.