Method of and system for ordering data of an encoder for masking errors occurring in a transmission channel

A method and system by which parameter data representative of vocoded speech are organized into a data packet for transmission so as to reduce the impact of transmission channel induced errors on the data packet. A data packet is constructed with certain most perceptually significant bits of parameter data at the beginning of the data packet. Following in the data packet are lesser perceptually significant bits of the same parameter data. Other parameter data then follows in the data packet. Interleaved in the data packet following the most perceptually significant bits at the beginning of the data packet are most perceptually significant bits of other parameter data. A parity check code is computed from the most perceptually significant bits in the data packet and also interleaved in the data packet following the most perceptually significant bits at the beginning of the data packet.