A communications system, comprising: a plurality of N mobile nodes forming a mobile ad-hoc network; a plurality of wireless communications links connecting the mobile nodes together, each mobile node comprising a communications device for transmitting and routing data packets wirelessly to other mobile nodes via the wireless communications links in accordance with a time division multiple access, TDMA, data transmission protocol using a TDMA epoch that is divided into a beacon interval, digital voice interval and digital data interval, wherein the mobile nodes are operative for monitoring channel conditions using the beacon, digital voice and digital data intervals (22,24, 26) and obtaining a network connectivity performance as correct beacon receptions occur within mobile nodes, wherein each mobile node is operative for suggesting a data rate for each of the other N-1 mobile nodes using monitored channel conditions for the beacon interval or for data intervals, wherein each mobile node is operative to transmit at a predetermined data rate on the basis of the data rate suggested by the other N-1 mobile nodes, characterized in that each mobile node is operative for: determining the signal-to-noise ratio, SNR, and received signal strength indication, RSSI for each of the other N-1 mobile nodes based on correct beacon receptions and determining the signal-to-noise ratio, SNR, received signal strength indication, RSSI, and packet rate error rate, PER, for each of the other N-1mobile nodes based on digital voice and digital data interval receptions; maintaining a history of the SNR, RSSI and PER over an X second interval for each respective N-1 node; and, wherein the suggested data rate for each respective N-1 node is determined based on the SNR, RSSI and PER of data burst receptions if a number of data packets have been received during a predetermined time interval, and based on the SNR and RSSI of correct beacon receptions if no data bursts have been received during a predetermined time interval. a plurality of N mobile nodes forming a mobile ad-hoc network; a plurality of wireless communications links connecting the mobile nodes together, each mobile node comprising a communications device for transmitting and routing data packets wirelessly to other mobile nodes via the wireless communications links in accordance with a time division multiple access, TDMA, data transmission protocol using a TDMA epoch that is divided into a beacon interval, digital voice interval and digital data interval, wherein the mobile nodes are operative for monitoring channel conditions using the beacon, digital voice and digital data intervals (22,24, 26) and obtaining a network connectivity performance as correct beacon receptions occur within mobile nodes, wherein each mobile node is operative for suggesting a data rate for each of the other N-1 mobile nodes using monitored channel conditions for the beacon interval or for data intervals, wherein each mobile node is operative to transmit at a predetermined data rate on the basis of the data rate suggested by the other N-1 mobile nodes, determining the signal-to-noise ratio, SNR, and received signal strength indication, RSSI for each of the other N-1 mobile nodes based on correct beacon receptions and determining the signal-to-noise ratio, SNR, received signal strength indication, RSSI, and packet rate error rate, PER, for each of the other N-1mobile nodes based on digital voice and digital data interval receptions; maintaining a history of the SNR, RSSI and PER over an X second interval for each respective N-1 node; and, wherein the suggested data rate for each respective N-1 node is determined based on the SNR, RSSI and PER of data burst receptions if a number of data packets have been received during a predetermined time interval, and based on the SNR and RSSI of correct beacon receptions if no data bursts have been received during a predetermined time interval.