The present invention employs a power control methodology that adapts to the
transmission load associated with communications between a base station and a mobile
terminal. In one example embodiment, the base station gradually adjusts the power
data transmitted to the mobile terminal based on that associated transmission load.
As a result, radio channel quality measurements influenced by that base station
data transmission to the mobile terminal are not significantly affected by the
transmit power adjustment. In other words, the rate at which the transmit power
is changed is slower than the rate at which mobile stations measure channel quality.
For example, mobile terminals may detect a signal-to-interference ratio every time
slot and use that quality measurement for purposes of selecting a maximum transmission
rate for the next time slot. The transmit power might be changed by an incremental
amount once every ten time slots. By only gradually changing the base station transmit
power, the accuracy of the mobile terminal channel quality estimates is not significantly
affected. Moreover, if there is a relatively low transmission load, the base station
does not waste resources or generate unnecessary interference by transmitting at
maximum power.
