A signaling regimen between a mobile station MS, a radio node RN, and a packet data switching node PDSN enables a quality parameter to be applied to packets moving between a mobile and a CDMA2000 network. The MS creates a new flow for packets of a certain data type and sends a related quality parameter for that flow to the BS. The BS determines whether an existing or new service instance will carry the new flow, and obtains authorization for the service instance to meet the quality parameter from the PDSN. The BS or PDSN builds a map between flow and a policy that ensures the quality is met, and the map is used to place different packets into the appropriate flow and service instance. Policies and enforcement may differ on uplink and downlink.