METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SHARING SIGNALING FORMATS ON A COMMUNICATION CHANNEL

摘要

A method and apparatus allows sharing first and second signaling formats (400, 708) in a communication system. The first signaling format (400) is synchronous and includes frames (401) transmitted in predetermined frame positions (402). Receivers (110) utilizing the first signaling format (400) are preprogrammed with a base frame position (324) corresponding to one of the predetermined frame positions (402). A system value (326) is transmitted (508) and stored (612) in the receivers (110) for enabling the receivers (110) to monitor(620) at least one frame position (402). The at least one monitored frame position (402)is determined from the preprogrammed base frame position (324) and the system value (326). Frames (401) of the first signaling format (400) are transmitted (508) periodically, and the second signaling format (708) is sent between the periodic transmissions of the first signaling format (400).