Transmission format selection for optimizing transmission of delay sensitive traffic

A scheduler for scheduling transmission of packets from a base station to a mobile station, the scheduler comprising:

• a port operable to receive a data rate control index from a mobile station;
• and
• a selector operable to select a transmission format using the received data rate control index, wherein the selected transmission format uses a payload size that is smaller than a largest compatible payload size for another transmission format corresponding to the received data rate control index smaller than a total size of packets waiting to be transmitted and selected to reduce transmission time of packets by reducing a number of time slots expected to be used to decode the packets;
• wherein the transmission format has a number of time slots less than a number of time slots of the another transmission format to have a spectral efficiency greater than a spectral efficiency of the another transmission format.

A processor program product comprising a non-transitory processor-readable medium encoded with processor-executable instructions for scheduling transmission of packets from a base station to a mobile station, the instructions comprising:

• instructions executable to receive a data rate control index from a mobile station;
• and
• instructions executable to select a transmission format using the received data rate control index, wherein the selected transmission format uses a payload size that is smaller than a largest compatible payload size for another transmission format corresponding to the received data rate control index, and smaller than a total size of packets waiting to be transmitted;
• wherein the transmission format has a number of time slots less than a number of time slots of the another transmission format to have a spectral efficiency greater than a spectral efficiency of the another transmission format.