Abstract: Data traffic is selectively transmitted in one direction when the quality or condition of the channel in the opposite direction is sufficient to ensure a reasonable or high likelihood that the transmitter will accurately receive and decode feedback messages. In one preferred, non-limiting, example embodiment, a base station schedules transmission of data packets to a user equipment unit (UE) over a downlink traffic channel when the uplink channel over which the UE sends ARQ type signals to the base station has a signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) greater than a predetermined threshold. The downlink channel condition is also preferably taken into account.