Patent ID: 8681717

Claim:
A method of allocating an available frequency spectrum between a plurality of users, the available frequency spectrum comprising a plurality of frequency sub-channels, comprising, for each user: setting an allocation level; determining a respective number of sub-channels required in order to give a respective required bandwidth to said user; allocating a respective group of consecutive sub-channels, including the determined respective number of sub-channels, to said user, wherein said allocated sub-channels are selected from the frequency sub-channels that have not previously been allocated to another user; defining a permutation operator for shifting the allocated sub-channels and a complementary permutation operator for shifting the non-allocated sub-channels within the plurality of frequency sub-channels; during a first time period, operating said user on a first group of consecutive sub-channels; and during a second time period, operating said user on a second group of consecutive sub-channels, the second group of consecutive sub-channels being defined by applying to said allocated group of consecutive sub-channels, the respective complementary permutation operator defined for each user having a lower allocation level, and the permutation operator defined for said user.