Grant channel assignment

A method for scheduling grant channels to carry grant messages to a plurality of scheduled mobile stations in a sector of a communications network, the method comprising:

• assigning at least one grant channel to each scheduled mobile station in an ordering of the scheduled mobile stations for monitoring;
• assigning to a current mobile station in the ordering, a grant channel that is monitored by the current mobile station and is not previously assigned to the current mobile station;
• changing the current mobile station to a next mobile station in the ordering of scheduled mobile stations, and repeating the assigning of a previously unassigned monitored grant channel, if there are more mobile stations to be processed in the ordering of scheduled mobile stations.

A transceiver controller in a CDMA communications network, the transceiver controller comprising:

• a grant channel assignment module configured to assign grant channels to carry grant messages to a current mobile station in an ordering of a plurality of scheduled mobile stations in an area of the CDMA communications network, a previously unassigned grant channel from a list of grant channels monitored by the current mobile station, and to repeat the assignment for a next mobile station in the ordering of scheduled mobile stations, if there are more mobile stations to be processed in the ordering of the scheduled mobile stations.