Patent ID: 7860076

Claim:
A method, comprising: scheduling data traffic periods for a base station to receive data traffic in an uplink channel from customer premises equipment (CPE) stations according to a time-division multiple access protocol; scheduling a first control signal period in the uplink channel for said base station to receive one or more access burst request messages from one or more of said CPE stations; scheduling a second control signal period in the uplink channel for said base station to receive one or more bandwidth request messages from said one or more of said CPE stations; allocating, by said base station, one or more of said data traffic periods to a selected CPE station in response to a bandwidth request message received from said selected CPE station during said second control signal period; transmitting, by said base station, a delay time value to said selected CPE station; waiting for a new first control signal period; scanning for an access burst message from an associated CPE station during the new first control signal period; acquiring an access burst request message from the associated CPE station during the new first control signal period; and returning to said waiting if the new first control signal period has expired.