Abstract: A method of operating a communications circuit with at least one control channel and at least one data channel includes the steps of monitoring the at least one control channel, powering a receiver portion of the circuit when the at least one control channel indicates that data is to be received, and refraining from powering the receiver portion when the at least one control channel indicates that data is not to be received. The circuit can operate, for example, under the 3GPP HSDPA standard. Where desired, the clock and power supply to the receiver portion and a bit rate processing portion can be independently gated.

Abstract: In the method of rate-matching, software is used to calculate at least one rate-matching parameter for data, and dedicated hardware is used to perform at least one of a puncturing and repetition process on data based on the calculated rate-matching parameter. In rate de-matching, software is again used to calculate at least one rate de-matching parameter for received data, and dedicated hardware is used to compensate for puncturing and repetition based on the calculated rate de-matching parameter.

Abstract: Apparatus and method to determine selection of a scrambled data channel before receipt of an entire data block. An initial portion of a block of data received in one of a plurality of scrambled data channels is decoded, then re-encoded. A value is computed related to the number of mis-matched data symbols based on a comparison of decoded/re-encoded data and the corresponding received data. A best one of the plurality of data channels is selected based on the computed value being beyond a given threshold value.