Patent ID: 7633895

Claim:
A method of operating L access terminals on a return link in a satellite communication system comprising: transmitting a reference signal from each access terminal to a satellite gateway; assigning a unique orthogonal Walsh code to each access terminal of the L access terminals, wherein each access terminal of the L access terminals repeats a data modulation symbol L times during the access terminal's assigned Walsh code interval to achieve a processing gain of L; receiving a message at an access terminal from the satellite gateway, the message assigning a time slot for the return link, a code channel for transmission for the return link, a transmit time adjustment instruction for the return link, a transmit power instruction for the return link, and a data rate instruction for the return link; wherein the transmit power instruction is based on, at least in part, a location of the access terminal with respect to a beam center; wherein the time slot assignment informs the access terminal of the time or times at which it is to transmit; and wherein the transmit time adjustment instruction enables the access terminal to adjust its time slot assignment in order to maintain code synchronism for orthogonal code division multiple access (OCDMA) on the return link; and transmitting a Walsh code modulated message from the access terminal to the satellite gateway during a time slot specified by the time slot assignment, at a transmit power specified by the transmit power instruction, and at a data rate specified by the data rate instruction.