Abstract: A communication system having a plurality of forward channel communications and a plurality of corresponding reverse channel communications from and to a plurality of mobile users. A plurality of collectors are distributed at macro-diverse locations for receiving reverse channel signals from the users. Each of the collectors includes micro-diversity receivers for receiving the reverse channel signals from users. The collectors process and forward the reverse channel signals to aggregators. The aggregators combine the reverse channel signals to yield a combined signal with fewer bit errors than occur in the absence of combining.

Abstract: A communication system having a plurality of forward channel communications and a plurality of corresponding reverse channel communications from and to a plurality of mobile users. A plurality of collectors are distributed at macro-diverse locations for receiving reverse channel signals from the users which are processed to yield one or more sequences of data bits as a burst and corresponding initial confidence metrics for each bit. The collectors forward these reverse channel signals including the data bits and corresponding processed confidence metrics to aggregators. The system includes bandwidth control for minimizing backhaul bandwidth from collector to aggregator while maximizing signal quality.

Abstract: A communication system having a plurality of forward channel communications and a plurality of corresponding reverse channel communications from and to a plurality of mobile users. A plurality of collectors are distributed at macro-diverse locations for receiving reverse channel signals from the users which are processed to yield one or more sequences of data bits as a burst and corresponding one or more initial confidence metrics for each bit. The initial confidence metrics have an initial range, a.sub.in, represented by an initial number of bits, .gamma..sub.in, and are processed to form processed confidence metrics having a processed range, a.sub.p, represented by a processed number of bits, .gamma..sub.p. The collectors forward these reverse channel signals including the data bits and corresponding processed confidence metrics to aggregators. The aggregators combine the multiple collector signals for the same user received from the macro-diverse collectors.