Interoperability is achieved between wireless user communication devices that have different speech processing formats and/or attributes. A first wireless user communication device includes a primary speech codec that encodes a first speech message using a first speech encoding format. The encoded speech is then sent to a second wireless user communications device that includes a primary speech codec supporting a second speech encoding format. The first user device receives from the second user device a second speech message encoded using the second speech encoding format. The second speech message is then decoded by the first user device using a second speech decoder supporting decoding of the second speech encoding format. But the first communication device does not support speech encoding using the second speech encoding format--regardless of whether the first communication device includes or does not includes an encoder for encoding speech using the first speech encoding format.