Method to improve voice over IP capacity for user equipment employing variable rate vocoders

1. A method, comprising:

sending a message to a user equipment having a variable rate vocoder,

the message defining two or more transport block sizes for the user equipment to select from in making uplink transmissions if the user equipment is permitted to vary a packet size for uplink transmissions during a talk spurt; and

sending a scheduling grant to the user equipment,

the scheduling grant including an indicator indicating that the user equipment is permitted to vary the packet size for uplink transmissions during a talk spurt, and autonomously select and use a transport block size from among the defined transport block sizes during the talk spurt,

wherein the indicator indicates that the user equipment is to select a smallest of the defined transport block sizes that permits delivery of data in a buffer of the user equipment.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sending a message step sends a radio resource control message.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the message indicates four different transport block sizes.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the four different transport block sizes are 256 bits, 136 bits, 104 bits and 72 bits.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the message indicates two different transport block sizes.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the two different transport block sizes are 256 bits and 104 bits.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the message defines a set of transport block sizes.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indicator in the scheduling grant is an unused modulation and coding scheme level.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indicator indicates that the user equipment is permitted to select a smallest of the defined transport block sizes that permits delivery of data in a buffer of the user equipment.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

setting a power control rule to permit the user equipment to change transmit power based on the packet size of uplink transmission.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: performing blind decoding of received transmissions from the user equipment to determine the selected transport block size from the defined transport packet sizes.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the performing step sequentially performs blind decoding, for each of the defined transport packet sizes in a defined order, to determine the selected transport packet size.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the performing step performs blinding decoding for each of the defined transport packet sizes in parallel.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

setting a power control rule to permit the user equipment to change transmit power based on the packet size of uplink transmission; and wherein

the sending a message step sends a radio resource control message;

the indicator in the scheduling grant is an unused modulation and coding scheme level.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving, at user equipment having a variable rate vocoder, a message defining two or more transport block sizes for the user equipment to select from in making uplink transmissions if the user equipment is permitted to vary a packet size for uplink transmissions during a talk spurt; and

receiving, at the user equipment, a scheduling grant, the scheduling grant including an indicator indicating that the user equipment is permitted to vary the packet size for uplink transmissions during a talk spurt by selecting a transport block size from among the defined transport block sizes; and

selecting, at the user equipment, a transport block size from among the defined transport block sizes if the indicator indicates that the user equipment is permitted to vary the packet size for uplink transmissions during a talk spurt by autonomously selecting and using a transport block size from among the defined transport block sizes during the talk spurt, the user equipment selecting a smallest of the defined transport block sizes that permits delivery of data in a buffer of the user equipment; and

transmitting a packet on the uplink based on the selected transport block size.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising: setting power control based on a packet size of the packet for transmission if a power control rule permits the user equipment to change transmit power based on the packet size of uplink transmission.