Patent ID: 7002934

Claim:
A communications system for transferring information from a wireless transmitter to a hub station, comprising: a plurality of wireless transmitters, each configured to transmit a data signal as successive OFDM symbols with training symbols included among the OFDM symbols; a plurality of base stations, each configured to receive the OFDM symbols from the wireless transmitters located in a corresponding coverage area and relay the received OFDM symbols to the hub station, at least some of said base stations having overlapping coverage areas such that more than one base station can receive OFDM symbols from the same mobile transmitter; the hub station configured to receive the OFDM symbols from the base stations and demodulate the OFDM symbols and output an estimate of the data signals from the wireless transmitters, wherein each of the base stations is connected to the hub station by a substantially independent communications link and the hub station is configured to reduce differences in propagation delays between at least some of the communications links by measuring time differences of training symbols detected on the at least some communications links and buffering the symbols from the at least some communications links based on the measured time differences.