Patent ID: 8675513

Claim:
A method for a radio access network (RAN) involved in a call with a mobile station, said method comprising: said RAN receiving a single-channel reverse link signal for said call from said mobile station, said single-channel reverse link signal having a first reverse-link coding gain and a first reverse-link data rate; making a determination that said single-channel reverse link signal received by said RAN has an inadequate signal quality; in response to said determination, said RAN transmitting channel information to said mobile station; and after making said determination and transmitting said channel information, said RAN receiving a multi-channel reverse link signal for said call from said mobile station, said multi-channel reverse link signal comprising a first-channel reverse link signal transmitted over a first reverse link channel and a second-channel reverse link signal transmitted over a second reverse link channel, wherein each of said first-channel and second-channel reverse link signals has a respective coding gain that is higher than said first reverse-link coding gain, and wherein said multi-channel reverse link signal has an aggregate data rate that is substantially equal to said first reverse-link data rate.