Method and apparatus for selecting an encoding rate in a variable rate vocoder

A method of adding hangover frames to a plurality of frames encoded by a vocoder, the method comprising: detecting that a predefined number of successive frames has been encoded at a first rate; determining that a next successive frame should be encoded at a second rate that is less than the first rate; and selecting a number of successive hangover frames beginning with the next successive frame to encode at the first rate, the numbering dependent upon an estimate of a background noise level.