diff --git a/include/osmocom/gsm/gsm0808_utils.h b/include/osmocom/gsm/gsm0808_utils.h
index 4a2233e70..7c6f70702 100644
--- a/include/osmocom/gsm/gsm0808_utils.h
+++ b/include/osmocom/gsm/gsm0808_utils.h
@@ -63,7 +63,8 @@ struct gsm0808_cell_id_list2 {
 struct osmo_lcls {
 	enum gsm0808_lcls_config config;   /**< §3.2.2.116 Configuration */
 	enum gsm0808_lcls_control control; /**< §3.2.2.117 Connection Status Control */
-	struct osmo_gcr_parsed *gcr;       /**< §3.2.2.115 Global Call Reference */
+	struct osmo_gcr_parsed gcr;        /**< §3.2.2.115 Global Call Reference */
+	bool gcr_available;
 	bool corr_needed;                  /**< §3.2.2.118 Correlation-Not-Needed */
 };
 
diff --git a/src/gsm/gsm0808_utils.c b/src/gsm/gsm0808_utils.c
index 2a458c388..9fcccaec6 100644
--- a/src/gsm/gsm0808_utils.c
+++ b/src/gsm/gsm0808_utils.c
@@ -551,8 +551,8 @@ uint8_t gsm0808_enc_lcls(struct msgb *msg, const struct osmo_lcls *lcls)
 	uint8_t enc = 0;
 
 	/* LCLS: §3.2.2.115 Global Call Reference */
-	if (lcls->gcr)
-		enc = gsm0808_enc_gcr(msg, lcls->gcr);
+	if (lcls->gcr_available)
+		enc = gsm0808_enc_gcr(msg, &lcls->gcr);
 
 	/* LCLS: §3.2.2.116 Configuration */
 	if (lcls->config != GSM0808_LCLS_CFG_NA) {
@@ -581,10 +581,9 @@ uint8_t gsm0808_enc_lcls(struct msgb *msg, const struct osmo_lcls *lcls)
  *  \returns GCR size or negative on error */
 int gsm0808_dec_lcls(struct osmo_lcls *lcls, const struct tlv_parsed *tp)
 {
-	int ret = gsm0808_dec_gcr(lcls->gcr, tp);
-	if (ret < 0)
-		return ret;
+	int ret = gsm0808_dec_gcr(&lcls->gcr, tp);
 
+	lcls->gcr_available = (ret < 0) ? false : true;
 	lcls->config = tlvp_val8(tp, GSM0808_IE_LCLS_CONFIG, GSM0808_LCLS_CFG_NA);
 	lcls->control = tlvp_val8(tp, GSM0808_IE_LCLS_CONN_STATUS_CTRL, GSM0808_LCLS_CSC_NA);
 	lcls->corr_needed = TLVP_PRESENT(tp, GSM0808_IE_LCLS_CORR_NOT_NEEDED) ? false : true;
diff --git a/tests/gsm0808/gsm0808_test.c b/tests/gsm0808/gsm0808_test.c
index e5c1fd373..90bef21fc 100644
--- a/tests/gsm0808/gsm0808_test.c
+++ b/tests/gsm0808/gsm0808_test.c
@@ -445,17 +445,17 @@ static void test_create_ass2()
 	struct sockaddr_in sin;
 	struct gsm0808_speech_codec_list sc_list;
 	uint32_t call_id = 0xDEADFACE;
-	struct osmo_gcr_parsed gcr = { .net_len = 3, .node = 0xFEED };
 	uint8_t Kc[16];
 	struct osmo_lcls lcls = {
 		.config = GSM0808_LCLS_CFG_BOTH_WAY,
 		.control = GSM0808_LCLS_CSC_CONNECT,
-		.gcr = &gcr,
+		.gcr = { .net_len = 3, .node = 0xFEED },
+		.gcr_available = true,
 		.corr_needed = false
 	};
 
-	memset(gcr.cr, 'A', 5);
-	memset(gcr.net, 'D', gcr.net_len);
+	memset(lcls.gcr.cr, 'A', 5);
+	memset(lcls.gcr.net, 'D', lcls.gcr.net_len);
 	memset(Kc, 'E', 16);
 
 	memset(&ct, 0, sizeof(ct));
@@ -683,16 +683,16 @@ static void test_enc_dec_lcls()
 	};
 	uint8_t len;
 	struct msgb *msg;
-	struct osmo_gcr_parsed p = { 0 }, g = {
-		.net_len = 3,
-		.net = { 0xf1, 0xf2, 0xf3 },
-		.node = 0xDEAD,
-		.cr = { 0x41, 0x42, 0x43, 0x44, 0x45 },
-	};
 	int rc;
 	struct tlv_parsed tp;
-	struct osmo_lcls lcls_out = { .gcr = &p }, lcls_in = {
-		.gcr = &g,
+	struct osmo_lcls *lcls_out, lcls_in = {
+		.gcr = {
+			.net_len = 3,
+			.net = { 0xf1, 0xf2, 0xf3 },
+			.node = 0xDEAD,
+			.cr = { 0x41, 0x42, 0x43, 0x44, 0x45 },
+		},
+		.gcr_available = true,
 		.config = GSM0808_LCLS_CFG_NA,
 		.control = GSM0808_LCLS_CSC_NA,
 		.corr_needed = true,
@@ -702,6 +702,10 @@ static void test_enc_dec_lcls()
 	if (!msg)
 		return;
 
+	lcls_out = talloc_zero(msg, struct osmo_lcls);
+	if (!lcls_out)
+		return;
+
 	len = gsm0808_enc_lcls(msg, &lcls_in);
 	printf("Testing Global Call Reference IE encoder...\n\t%d bytes added: %s\n",
 	       len, len == ARRAY_SIZE(res) ? "OK" : "FAIL");
@@ -715,25 +719,25 @@ static void test_enc_dec_lcls()
 		abort();
 	}
 
-	rc = gsm0808_dec_lcls(&lcls_out, &tp);
+	rc = gsm0808_dec_lcls(lcls_out, &tp);
 	if (rc < 0) {
 		printf("decoding failed: %s [%s]\n", strerror(-rc), msgb_hexdump(msg));
 		abort();
 	}
 
-	if (lcls_out.config != lcls_in.config) {
+	if (lcls_out->config != lcls_in.config) {
 		printf("LCLS Config parsed wrong: %s != %s\n",
-		       gsm0808_lcls_config_name(lcls_out.config), gsm0808_lcls_config_name(lcls_in.config));
+		       gsm0808_lcls_config_name(lcls_out->config), gsm0808_lcls_config_name(lcls_in.config));
                 abort();
         }
 
-	if (lcls_out.control != lcls_in.control) {
+	if (lcls_out->control != lcls_in.control) {
 		printf("LCLS Control parsed wrong: %s != %s\n",
-		       gsm0808_lcls_control_name(lcls_out.control), gsm0808_lcls_control_name(lcls_in.control));
+		       gsm0808_lcls_control_name(lcls_out->control), gsm0808_lcls_control_name(lcls_in.control));
                 abort();
         }
 
-	if (!osmo_gcr_eq(lcls_out.gcr, lcls_in.gcr)) {
+	if (!osmo_gcr_eq(&lcls_out->gcr, &lcls_in.gcr)) {
 		printf("GCR parsed wrong.\n");
                 abort();
         }