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.