Patent ID: 8306573

Claim:
A method for increasing calling capacity in a carrier, the method comprising: transmitting, by a base station to at least one mobile station, a permission signal for transmission by the at least one mobile station on one of a plurality of timeslots on a carrier, wherein each of the plurality of timeslots is divided into at least two sub-slots; configuring, by the base station, a control signal that is associated with each of the plurality of timeslots, wherein specific fields in the control signal are associated with each sub-slot on each of the plurality of timeslots; providing usage markers through the control signal, by the base station to the at least one mobile station, wherein usage markers values are divided into ranges, each range used to identify a timeslot or a sub-slot assignment on the carrier; and sending, by the base station, a time advance value to the at least one mobile station to indicate when transmission from the mobile station is to begin, thereby synchronizing transmissions on channels on the carrier from mobile stations in different geographical locations.