Abstract: According to one aspect of the invention, a method is provided in which a group of users in a system that employs a retransmission mechanism such as Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) is divided into multiple sub-groups of users. Each user is assigned a number of channels for transmission of information. The number of channels assigned to each user is determined based, at least in part, on the number of the sub-groups and a number of channels available in the system. Transmission intervals are alternated among the multiple sub-groups such that only one of the sub-groups of users is allowed to transmit information during any transmission interval. An idle interval during which a particular user in the first group does not transmit information is used as a waiting period for acknowledgement of a previous transmission by the particular user.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the invention, a method is provided in which a group of users in a system that employs a retransmission mechanism such as Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) is divided into multiple sub-groups of users. Each user is assigned a number of channels for transmission of information. The number of channels assigned to each user is determined based, at least in part, on the number of the sub-groups and a number of channels available in the system. Transmission intervals are alternated among the multiple sub-groups such that only one of the sub-groups of users is allowed to transmit information during any transmission interval. An idle interval during which a particular user in the first group does not transmit information is used as a waiting period for acknowledgement of a previous transmission by the particular user.

Abstract: A system and method for providing a simple, but effective technique for communicating overhead messages in a wireless communication system providing access to a decentralized network, while achieving bandwidth savings as well as minimizing power consumption. In one embodiment, a wireless base station which is connected to a decentralized network transmits a sequence of signatures for overhead messages to a mobile unit. The mobile unit wakes up receives the signatures and compares them to signatures stored at the mobile unit. If the signatures received by the mobile unit are different from the signatures stored at the mobile unit, the mobile unit stays awake to receive the overhead messages to be transmitted by the wireless base station. If the signatures received by the mobile unit are the same as the signatures stored at the mobile unit, the mobile unit may go back to sleep.