Patent ID: 7031397

Claim:
A communication system with reduced power variation wherein data is transmitted over a plurality of subchannels including at least one means of generating information symbols; at least one encoder for encoding information symbols into higher order channel symbols at substantially the same symbol rate, the encoding of an individual information symbol as a channel symbol including a forward error correction scheme for the channel symbol and including selection of the channel symbol from a higher order channel symbol constellation comprising redundant channel symbol values by evaluating the power variation for all possible redundant channel symbol values for a combined signal of the plurality of subchannels and choosing the channel symbol value producing the lowest power variation for the combined signal, and a subchannel transmitter for transmission of channel symbols on individual subchannels in the combined signal, characterized in that one channel symbol is generated for each information symbol; and wherein the at least one encoder is arranged to perform the apply the forward error correction scheme independently on the individual subchannels.