Patent ID: 6868075

Claim:
A method of transmitting a code division multiple access (CDMA) frame in a cellular communications network, the method comprising: providing the CDMA frame so as to include a plurality of slots and at least a portion of a transmission gap (TG); defining the transmission gap using both a reduced spreading factor (SF) and increased redundancy of information bits to be transmitted; transmitting the frame, including the plurality of slots, on a channel; wherein the frame is transmitted on one of an uplink and a downlink; spreading the information bits to be transmitted on a higher rate data signature sequence to produce a coded information signal; and intermittently transmitting coded information signals in a compressed mode using the reduced spreading factor with a reduced spreading ratio, wherein a frame transmitted in the compressed mode includes a first part having a time duration of less than a duration of the entire frame and a second part also having a time duration of less than the duration of the entire frame.