Patent ID: 6907247

Claim:
A wireless telecommunications system for connecting to a data link and for routing data packets between the data link and a subscriber terminal of the wireless telecommunications system, the subscriber terminal being connectable to a central terminal of the wireless telecommunications system via a radio resource, the wireless telecommunications system providing a group of communication channels arranged to utilize the radio resource for transmission of data packets, the group being shared by a plurality of subscriber terminals and consisting of downlink communication channels for transmission of data packets from the central terminal to the subscriber terminals and uplink communication channels for transmission of data packets from the subscriber terminals to the central terminal, the wireless telecommunications system further comprising: a subscriber controller within the subscriber terminal arranged, when a data packet is to be transmitted to the data link, to acquire an uplink communication channel from the group to enable that data packet to be transmitted via the central terminal to the data link; a resource monitor within the subscriber terminal, for receiving information concerning the traffic loading of predetermined elements of the wireless telecommunications system, and for applying predetermined criteria based on that information to determine how long the uplink communication channel may be acquired for by the subscriber terminal for its own use before causing the subscriber controller to release the uplink communication channel for use by other subscriber terminals, arranged so that the subscriber terminal is allowed to acquire the uplink communication channel for a longer period than that required to send an individual data packet, but is prevented from keeping the uplink communication channel acquired indefinitely.