Abstract: This invention provides a highly flexible multiplexing scheme for Direct Sequence CDMA systems enabling the CDMA system to flexibly allocate CDMA channel resources between packet-switched broadcast channels and fast-circuit-switched dedicated channels in order to optimize system throughput. A method and system are provided for operating a communication system. The method has steps of: flexibly allocating CDMA channel resources between packet-switched broadcast channels and fast-circuit-switched dedicated channels in order to optimize system throughput, and employing a side channel as required to send all or a part of a total amount of data, depending on the total amount of the data. A bandwidth allocation scheme allocates a set of CDMA channels for burst packet-switched channels, and data is time division multiplexed over the set of burst CDMA channels providing a wide bandwidth data pipe for packet-switched data.