A radio communication system has means for ensuring that power control of a communication channel has been established before the transmission of data. This is done by delaying initial transmission of a data channel (either at the start of a transmission or after a pause) until after the initial transmission of control channels. In one embodiment the transmission of a data channel can be delayed until adequate power control has been established. These techniques overcome the problem that data transmissions at the start of a data channel are likely to be corrupted if their power level is too low, or to generate extra interference if their power level is too high.