A wireless access node (102 2) configured to communicate over a physical channel (204, 208) with a plurality of wireless devices (104 2, 104 3...104 n), the wireless access node comprising: an obtain module adapted to obtain, for each of the plurality of wireless devices, code bits (136 1, 136 2, 136 3...136 y); a generate module adapted to generate, for each of the plurality of wireless devices, a baseband signal using the code bits; a divide module adapted to divide, for each of the plurality of wireless devices, the baseband signal into a plurality of blocks (140 1, 140 2...140 x), wherein each block contains one or more time division units; a repeat module adapted to repeat, for at least one of the plurality of wireless devices assigned a user rate r N, N times each block of the plurality of blocks to generate a plurality of sequences of N repeated blocks (142 1, 142 2...142 x), wherein N is a number of repetitions; and to repeat, for at least one of the plurality of wireless devices assigned a user rate r A, A times each block of the plurality of blocks to generate a plurality of sequences of A repeated blocks, wherein A is a number of repetitions; a multiply module adapted to multiply, for each of the plurality of wireless devices, each of the plurality of sequences of the N repeated blocks and the A repeated blocks by a code word of length N selected from a set of orthogonal code words to generate a plurality of sequences, wherein at least one of the code words of length N is not selected from the set of orthogonal code words to maintain orthogonality between the plurality of sequences of the multiplied N repeated blocks and the multiplied A repeated blocks of the plurality of wireless devices which have different user rates r A and r N; and a transmit module adapted to transmit, for each of the plurality of wireless devices, the plurality of sequences of the multiplied N repeated blocks and the multiplied A repeated blocks. an obtain module adapted to obtain, for each of the plurality of wireless devices, code bits (136 1, 136 2, 136 3...136 y); a generate module adapted to generate, for each of the plurality of wireless devices, a baseband signal using the code bits; a divide module adapted to divide, for each of the plurality of wireless devices, the baseband signal into a plurality of blocks (140 1, 140 2...140 x), wherein each block contains one or more time division units; a repeat module adapted to repeat, for at least one of the plurality of wireless devices assigned a user rate r N, N times each block of the plurality of blocks to generate a plurality of sequences of N repeated blocks (142 1, 142 2...142 x), wherein N is a number of repetitions; and to repeat, for at least one of the plurality of wireless devices assigned a user rate r A, A times each block of the plurality of blocks to generate a plurality of sequences of A repeated blocks, wherein A is a number of repetitions; a multiply module adapted to multiply, for each of the plurality of wireless devices, each of the plurality of sequences of the N repeated blocks and the A repeated blocks by a code word of length N selected from a set of orthogonal code words to generate a plurality of sequences, wherein at least one of the code words of length N is not selected from the set of orthogonal code words to maintain orthogonality between the plurality of sequences of the multiplied N repeated blocks and the multiplied A repeated blocks of the plurality of wireless devices which have different user rates r A and r N; and a transmit module adapted to transmit, for each of the plurality of wireless devices, the plurality of sequences of the multiplied N repeated blocks and the multiplied A repeated blocks.