Patent ID: 6940833

Claim:
A method for scheduling upstream channel transmission by a wireless modem of a plurality of wireless modems in communication with a wireless hub in a broadband wireless access system, comprising: synchronizing the wireless modem with a wireless hub on a downstream channel by synchronizing the symbol timing, forward error correcting framing, and recognition of a synchronization message at the wireless modem; receiving at the wireless modem on the downstream channel at least one message comprising information regarding parameters for communicating over each of a plurality of upstream channels; utilizing one upstream channel of the plurality of upstream channels to communicate from the wireless modem to the wireless hub for one burst; transmitting from the wireless hub to the wireless modem on the downstream channel at least one message regarding a change to some of the parameters for communicating over at least some of the plurality of upstream channels; utilizing another upstream channel of the plurality of upstream channels for another burst to communicate from the wireless modem to the wireless hub based upon the change to some of the parameters for communicating over each of the plurality of upstream channels, allocating each of said plurality of upstream channels to different of said plurality of wireless modems for communication bursts on a predetermined schedule; and calibrating parameters of each of the plurality of upstream channels for each of the modems using the communication bursts between each respective modem and the wireless hub; wherein said step of allocating comprises the step of sending a special message to communicate with a modem and cause a communication burst if the modem is not communicating with said hub at a rate sufficient to meet the minimum allocation rate assigned to the modem.