A method and apparatus for estimating transmission delay across a telecommunications network by performing a statistical analysis of conversational, behavior in the network. Certain characteristic events associated with conversational behavior (such as, for example, alternative silence events, double-talk events, talk-spurt events and pause in isolation events) are identified and measured. Then, based on the proportion of time that these events occur, an estimate of the delay is calculated using a predetermined equation. Illustratively, the equation is a linear regression equation which has been determined experimentally.