METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR VARIABLE POWER CONTROL IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS

摘要

A wireless communications system (Fig. 1) that has variable power levels in communications frames may be provided. The wireless communication system may include a plurality of cells (22) that include transmitters (24) for providing communications services to a geographic area. Each cell may be assigned a channel selected from a limited number of available channels. Communications frames may be transmitted in the cells using a plurality of data rates. Each communications frame may include a portion that is to be transmitted at one of the data rates. The power level used for transmitting that portion of a communication frame may be selected to limit at what distances that portion may be properly received. Locations of cells in the geographic area may be partly determined based on the power levels.