Abstract: A method and system is disclosed for setting forward-link power for an access terminal operating in a coverage area of a wireless communication system, whereby power is redistributed from access terminals operating in the same coverage area and having forward-link power in excess of their needs for maintaining acceptable service quality, to an access terminal that is in need of additional forward-link power in order to attain a desired or required level of service quality. Following a determination that a given access terminal is requesting a forward-link transmission power level that exceeds a first threshold power level, a number of other access terminals are identified as each having requested a respective decrease in forward-link transmission power level by an amount at least as large as a respective threshold amount.

Abstract: An improved mechanism for managing allocation of air interface timeslots for transmission of data to access terminals. When an access terminal requests an access network to transmit data to the access terminal in a first sector, the access terminal will identify within its request a second sector that the access network can optionally use instead. The access network will then determine whether a threshold number of upcoming timeslots in the first sector are already scheduled to carry data to other access terminals and whether at least one of those timeslots is available for use in the second sector. If so, the access network will then responsively transmit the data to the access terminal in the at least one timeslot on the second sector. Advantageously, this process can help to increase sector throughput.