Enhancing wimax performance with subcriber stations acting as ad hoc repeaters

A method of operating a relay station in a wireless communications network, the method comprising:

• receiving a first radio frequency (RF) signal from a base station carrying downlink (DL) data for a subscriber station located remotely from the relay station, the first RF signal received during a first portion P1 of a DL frame;
• demodulating the first RF signal to recover the DL data;
• storing the DL data;
• modulating the stored DL data to generate a second RF signal;
• transmitting the second RF signal during a second portion P2 of a DL frame for reception by the subscriber station.

A base station for communicating with one or more remote communication devices in a wireless network, the base station comprising:

• a processor;
• memory coupled to the processor;
• a transceiver, having an antenna coupled thereto, operable for transmitting and receiving DL frames and UL frames to the one or more remote communications devices;
• and
• a scheduler operable for:
• scheduling the base station to transmit downlink (DL) data for a first communication device within a first portion P1 of a DL frame,
• scheduling transmission of the DL data from a second communication device located remotely from the first communication device within a second portion P2 of a DL frame,
• scheduling transmission of uplink (UL) data from the first communication device within a first portion P1 of a UL frame, and
• scheduling transmission of the UL data from the second communication device to the base station within a second portion P2 of a UL frame.