Method and apparatus for controlling access to a communication channel

A method for improving throughput along a data channel in a wireless network, the method comprising the steps of:

• dividing a frame of data into a plurality of data blocks;
• detecting that said data channel is idle;
• transmitting one of said plurality of data blocks when said data channel is idle;
• determining whether said one of said plurality of data blocks has been received by a base unit;
• and
• forwarding the remaining data blocks of said plurality of data blocks corresponding to said frame of data when it is determined that said base unit has received said one of said plurality of data blocks.

A method for improving data flow from a remote unit to a base unit along a data channel, the method comprising the steps of:

• checking an idle status indicator transmitted from the base unit along a second channel;
• when said indicator indicates that said base unit is accessible, transmitting a first portion of a frame of data from the remote unit to said base unit in a first time slot along said data channel;
• after transmitting said first portion, examining time slots from said base unit to determine whether the idle status indicator has changed;
• and
• delaying transmission of a remainder of said frame of data until said step of examining determines that the idle-status indicator has changed in a round trip time slot that occurs at a time corresponding to a communication round trip time between the remote unit and the base unit.

A method for enhancing data throughput in a fixed wireless communication system that includes a plurality of remote units, a base unit, a forward communication channel from the base unit to said plurality of remote units, and a shared reverse communication channel from said remote units to said base unit wherein each communication channel comprises a plurality of time slots, the method comprising the steps of:

• at a first remote unit,
• detecting an idle status indicator transmitted on a first time slot on said forward channel;
• transmitting a first portion of a data package to said base unit on the reverse communication channel in a time slot following a detection of an idle status;
• and
• monitoring an idle status indicator and a decode indicator in time slots along he forward channel after transmitting said first portion;
• at the base unit,
• receiving data in a time slot from the reverse channel,
• attempting to decode the received data,
• in a time slot along the forward channel,
• changing an idle status indicator to indicate a busy state,
• setting a decode indicator to reflect whether the decoding attempt was successful, and
• transmitting said time slot along the forward channel;
• wherein when said first remote unit receives a round trip time slot that occurs at a round-trip time after transmitting the first portion and said round trip time slot has an idle status indicator that indicates a busy status and a decode indicator that indicates that the base unit successfully decoded said first portion, said first remote unit transmits a remainder of said data package in a plurality of subsequent time slots.