Central entity to adjust redundancy and error correction on RTP sessions

An apparatus comprising:

• a message buffer associated with a central entity and operable to receive messages from a voice over packet endpoint if impairments in a media stream sent between a first voice over packet endpoint and a second voice over packet endpoint pass a threshold, the media stream sent between the first voice over packet endpoint and the second voice over packet endpoint without passing through the central entity;
• a processor coupled with the message buffer, the processor operable to:
• determine, in response to receiving a message from a voice over packet endpoint, changes to the media characteristics for the voice over packet endpoint in relation to the impairments;
• preliminarily alter one of packet redundancy levels or forward error correction settings for the media stream based on the message at the message buffer associated with the central entity;
• and
• signal the voice over packet endpoint to adjust media characteristics of the media stream.

A method comprising:

• monitoring a voice over packet media stream sent from a first voice over packet endpoint to a second voice over packet endpoint for packet loss at the second voice over packet endpoint;
• computing voice over packet quality metrics based on any monitored packet loss;
• sending the voice over packet quality metrics from the second voice over packet endpoint to a session peer;
• when a threshold is crossed for the voice over packet quality metrics, sending an event notification to a central entity;
• preliminarily altering one of packet redundancy levels or forward error correction settings for the voice over packet media stream based on the event notification at the central entity;
• computing bandwidth and media quality impacts that the preliminary alterations will have on the voice over packet media stream at the central entity;
• throttling the preliminary alterations of the voice over packet media stream when one of the computed bandwidth and media quality impacts on the voice over packet media stream meets a criticality threshold;
• and
• signaling at least one of the first and second voice over packet endpoints from the central entity to communicate the alterations for the voice over packet media stream.