An apparatus and method that schedules and allocates data transmissions over
communication
channels within a broad-band communications system is provided. Data transmissions
are first scheduled with priority to data service users granted access to radio
resources first, until more data transmissions require service than there are radio
resources available. Then, data transmissions are scheduled according to a resource
scheduling priority 135 as determined by a resource scheduling function
within a resource scheduling and allocation algorithm 300, 500. The resource
scheduling function considers various communications parameters (e.g., frame count,
transmission time, number of data frames queued, signal/noise ratio, frame error
rate (FER), bit error rate (BER), transmission delay, jitter, etc.) and can be
implemented to treat data service requests proportionately (algorithm 300)
or disproportionately (algorithm 500). Once assigned, allocation of the
radio resource to a given data transmission is based on a resource allocation parameter
140 (e.g., frame count, transmission time).
