Speech coding methods, standards, and applications

Voice is the preferred method of human communication. Although there have been times when it seemed that the voice communications problem was solved, such as when the PSTN was our primary network or later when digital cellular networks reached maturity, such is not the case today. This paper addresses the challenges and opportunities starting from the basic issues in speech coder design, developing the important speech coding techniques and standards, discussing current and future applications, outlining techniques for evaluating speech coder performance, and identifying research directions. The most prominent speech coding standards are presented and their properties, such as performance, complexity, and coding delay, analyzed. Particular networks and applications for each standard are included. Further, reflecting upon the issues and developments highlighted in this paper, it becomes evident that there is a diverse set of challenges and opportunities for research and innovation in speech coding and voice communications.