Patent ID: 7529204

Claim:
A method for allocating bandwidth among connections in a wireless communication system between a base station and associated customer premise equipments (CPEs), including a requesting CPE, where the modulation scheme of the uplinks and downlinks can be varied over time, the method comprising: receiving a request for additional bandwidth for an existing connection from a requesting CPE; summing hard bandwidth commitments of a base station and CPEs associated with the base station based on a planned modulation scheme for each connection; determining an air link line rate between the base station and associated CPEs; and allocating additional bandwidth to the requesting CPE if the air link line rate exceeds the hard bandwidth commitments and determining a second hard bandwidth commitment for the existing connections between the base station and the associated CPEs based on a current modulation scheme for each connection where the current modulation scheme for at least one of the connections is different than the planned modulation scheme for that connection, else denying the bandwidth request; if the air link line rate exceeds the second hard bandwidth commitments, allocating air link resources to the requesting CPE, else denying the request for additional bandwidth.