A method for operating a radio communication apparatus, the method comprising: exchanging narrowband control messages with other radio communication apparatuses (11, 12), each control message comprising a pilot sequence and an identifier identifying a transmitter of the control message; receiving a broadband signal covering a bandwidth comprising a plurality of sub-bands through a broadband radio receiver and correlating the plurality of sub-bands of the received broadband signal so as to detect a narrowband control message within the received broadband signal; upon detection of the narrowband control message on a sub-band of the received broadband signal, determining the transmitter of the narrowband control message from the identifier of the narrowband control message; and determining from the reception of the narrowband control message on the sub-band that the sub-band is preferred by the transmitter of the narrowband control message, and negotiating data transmission with the transmitter of the narrowband control message by exchanging (S12, S14) a transmission request message and a transmission response message responsive to the transmission request message, wherein the transmission request message is transmitted by a transmitter apparatus and comprises parameters of the data transmission requested by the transmitter apparatus, including an information element specifying how much data the transmitter apparatus needs to transmit, and further comprises an information element allocating a feedback channel for the transmission response message, and wherein the transmission response message comprises a channel allocation for the data transmission that is different from the feedback channel allocated to the transmission response message, the channel allocation indicating sub-bands selected by a receiver apparatus to comply with the transmission request message; and performing, by the transmitter apparatus, the data transmission on the selected sub-bands. exchanging narrowband control messages with other radio communication apparatuses (11, 12), each control message comprising a pilot sequence and an identifier identifying a transmitter of the control message; receiving a broadband signal covering a bandwidth comprising a plurality of sub-bands through a broadband radio receiver and correlating the plurality of sub-bands of the received broadband signal so as to detect a narrowband control message within the received broadband signal; upon detection of the narrowband control message on a sub-band of the received broadband signal, determining the transmitter of the narrowband control message from the identifier of the narrowband control message; and determining from the reception of the narrowband control message on the sub-band that the sub-band is preferred by the transmitter of the narrowband control message, and negotiating data transmission with the transmitter of the narrowband control message by exchanging (S12, S14) a transmission request message and a transmission response message responsive to the transmission request message, wherein the transmission request message is transmitted by a transmitter apparatus and comprises parameters of the data transmission requested by the transmitter apparatus, including an information element specifying how much data the transmitter apparatus needs to transmit, and further comprises an information element allocating a feedback channel for the transmission response message, and wherein the transmission response message comprises a channel allocation for the data transmission that is different from the feedback channel allocated to the transmission response message, the channel allocation indicating sub-bands selected by a receiver apparatus to comply with the transmission request message; and performing, by the transmitter apparatus, the data transmission on the selected sub-bands.