Method to increase the number of simultaneous users in a control hold MAC state in CDMA

A computer program product for enabling Walsh codes to be shared between at least two mobile stations operating simultaneously in a Control Hold Medium Access Control (MAC) state in Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), the computer program product having a medium with a computer program embodied thereon, the computer program comprising, for each respective mobile station, upon entry of the respective mobile station into the Control Hold MAC state:

• a) computer program code for determining a gating rate 1/× to be used by the respective mobile station, wherein × is greater than one;
• b) computer program code for identifying a Walsh code being used by less than × mobile stations in the control hold MAC state, and allocating the identified Walsh code to the respective mobile station to thereby define a channel of communication for the respective mobile station;
• c) computer program code for identifying a time slot which is not being used by a base station to transmit to any mobile stations using the identified Walsh code in the control hold MAC state, and allocating the identified time slot for transmission of at least one signal to the respective mobile station;
• and
• d) computer program code for transmitting at least one signal between the base station and the respective mobile station using the identified Walsh code during the identified time slot.