Rate control adaptable communications

A method for execution by a communication device, the method comprising:

• employing a metric generator to calculate a plurality of metrics for a respective symbol of a signal received from a communication channel based on one of a first plurality of rate controls or one of a second plurality of rate controls that corresponds to the respective symbol;
• employing a decoder, coupled to the metric generator, to decode the signal using the first plurality of rate controls and the second plurality of rate controls to generate estimates of information bits encoded within symbols of the signal including using the plurality of metrics to decode the respective symbol of the signal;
• employing a rate control sequencer, coupled to the decoder, to provide the first plurality of rate controls to the decoder;
• employing the decoder firstly to decode a first portion of the signal using the first plurality of rate controls such that each respective symbol within the first portion of the signal is decoded based on a respective one of the first plurality of rate controls;
• based on a change of a signal to noise ratio (SNR) corresponding to the communication channel, employing the rate control sequencer to provide the second plurality of rate controls to the decoder;
• and
• employing the decoder secondly to decode a second portion of the signal that follows the first portion of the signal using the second plurality of rate controls such that each respective symbol within the second portion of the signal is decoded based on a respective one of the second plurality of rate controls.

A method for execution by a communication device, the method comprising:

• receiving a signal transmitted to the communication device from at least one additional communication device via a communication channel;
• employing a metric generator, coupled to the decoder, to calculate a first plurality of metrics for a first symbol of the signal based on a first rate control indicating a first constellation and a first corresponding mapping of the first symbol;
• employing the metric generator to calculate a second plurality of metrics for a second symbol of the signal based on a second rate control indicating a second constellation and a second corresponding mapping of the second symbol;
• employing a decoder to decode the signal, based on a first plurality of rate controls and a second plurality of rate controls to generate estimates of information bits encoded within symbols of the signal including employing the first plurality of metrics and the second plurality of metrics to decode the first symbol and the second symbol, respectively;
• employing a rate control sequencer, coupled to the decoder, to provide the first plurality of rate controls to the decoder;
• employing the decoder firstly to decode a first portion of the signal using the first plurality of rate controls such that each respective symbol within the first portion of the signal is decoded based on a respective one of the first plurality of rate controls;
• receiving, from the at least one additional communication device coupled to the communication device via the communication channel, information related to a change of a signal to noise ratio (SNR) corresponding to the communication channel;
• based on the change of the SNR corresponding to the communication channel, employing the rate control sequencer to provide the second plurality of rate controls to the decoder;
• and
• employing the decoder secondly to decode a second portion of the signal that follows the first portion of the signal using the second plurality of rate controls such that each respective symbol within the second portion of the signal is decoded based on a respective one of the second plurality of rate controls.