Abstract: The invention relates to a method for indicating a multi-slot channel in signalling received over a radio terminal in a TDMA radio system without increasing the amount of signalling compared to normal signalling used for assigning one slot to the channel and for defining the channel in other respects. In the inventive method, an element describing the channel of a normal signalling message is transformed into a code, which identifies the channel as a multi-slot channel and sets the number of successive slots to be included in the multi-slot channel. The element indicating the normal timeslot for the channel is used to indicate the first timeslot to be included in the multi-slot channel.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are presented for testing the ability of a pair of serial data transceivers to transmit serial data at one frequency and to receive serial data at another frequency. A serial communication device of the present invention includes a first and second serial data transceivers and a multiplexer formed upon a monolithic semiconductor substrate. Each serial data transceiver includes a receiver and a transmitter which transmits serial data in response to a clock signal. The second serial data transceiver is coupled to receive a reference clock signal. The multiplexer facilitates testing, and is coupled to the first serial data transceiver. The multiplexer receives the reference clock signal, a test clock signal, and a test signal, and provides either the reference clock signal or the test clock signal to the first transceiver dependent upon the test signal. The reference and test clock signals have different frequencies.