The exemplary embodiments of this invention provide in one aspect thereof a method that comprises assuming that a user k is scheduled in M transmission time intervals during a radio resource indication period of N transmission time intervals, where M.ltoreq.N, where an effective average power used by the user k is expressed as: P k = 1 N .times. m = 1 M .times. P k ' .function. ( m ) ,where P'.sub.k(m) denotes the transmit power that is used by user k for each of the M transmission time intervals where user k is scheduled; and estimating a required downlink shared channel power for a scheduling priority indicator number x so as to fulfill a guaranteed bit rate as: P SPI .function. ( x ) = k .di-elect cons. SPI .function. ( x ) .times. P k .times. GBR k RB k ,where RB.sub.k is an average bit rate supported to the user k over a past radio resource indication period, GBR.sub.k is a guaranteed bit rate for the user k, and SPI(x) is a set of users that have SPI=x.