Method and apparatus for improving transmission reliability in wireless communications network

1. A method for allocating transmission resources in a wireless communications network that comprises at least one base station and a plurality of subscriber terminals associated therewith, out of which at least one of said subscriber terminals is operative to communicate with said at least one base station in accordance with a first communication protocol by exchanging separated standardized protocol compatible communication frames, and at least one of the remaining subscriber terminals is operative to receive communications from said at least one base station that are compatible with a second communication protocol, wherein the second communication protocol is associated with non-standardized separated communication frames, or with communication frames that are in accordance with a second standardized protocol, said method comprising:

transmitting by said base station a plurality of separated communication frames' types, wherein at least one of said types is associated with separated communication frames that are compatible only with said first communication protocol and at least one other of said types is associated with separated communication frames that are compatible only with said second communication protocol, wherein said base station is further configured to frequently alternate the transmission for each frame of said plurality of separated communication frames' types from said standardized protocol compatible communication frames to said non-standardized separated communication frames; and

decoding communication frames received by said at least one subscriber terminal that are compatible only with said first communication protocol or decoding separated communication frames that are compatible only with said second communication protocol, and whereas the at least one subscriber terminal being operative to check if said frame is successfully read then categorizing said frame as a nonstandard frame and reading said frame using base permutation and if said frame is not successfully read then reading said frame using permutation zero.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein alternate types of separated communication frames that are compatible only with the first protocol and separated communication frames that are compatible only with the second protocols are transmitted by said base station.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a separated standardized communication frame that is compatible only with the first communication protocol is transmitted by said base station following transmission of two or more separated communication frames that are compatible only with said second communication protocol.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a step whereby said at least one base station transmits information related to the allocation of transmission resources to said at least one subscriber terminal operative by receiving second communication protocol's frames by using a sub-channel frequency.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said first communication protocol is the WiMAX Forum Mobile System Profile in accordance with IEEE 802.16e and wherein said second communication protocol is compatible with IEEE 802.16m.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said second communication protocol comprises utilizing Alamouti scheme for transmission of frame MAPs.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said base station uses an IDCell as a permutation base for part of the frames.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said alternation is not fixed.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said alternation is fixed.

10. A base station adapted for use in a wireless communication network comprising a plurality of subscriber terminals out of which at least one subscriber terminal is operative to communicate with said base station by exchanging separated standardized protocol compatible communication frames and at least one other subscriber terminal is operative to receive second separated protocol communication frames, wherein the second protocol is associated with non-standardized communication frames, or with communication frames that are compatible with a second standardized protocol, and comprising:

a scheduler operative to frequently alternate a transmission between said standardized protocol compatible communication frames and non-standardized communication frames, or with communication frames that are compatible with a second standardized protocol and to determine time frames at which said at least one subscriber terminal would be operative to communicate with said base station by exchanging separated communication frames that are compatible only with said standardized protocol, and to determine time frames at which said at least one other subscriber terminal would be operative to receive separated communication frames that are compatible only with said second protocol transmitted by said base station;

a transmitter operative to transmit separated communication frames that are compatible only with said standardized protocol which can be decoded by all subscriber terminals receiving said separated communication frames, and communication frames that are compatible only with said second protocol which can be decoded only by enhanced subscriber terminals receiving said separated second protocol communication frames, wherein said decoding is utilized according to a base permutation for the said standardized protocol and according to permutation zero for said second protocol.

11. The base station according to claim 10 , wherein said scheduler is operative to schedule alternate types of separated communication frames that are compatible only with the standardized protocol and separated communication frames that are compatible only with the second protocol.

12. The base station according to claim 10 , wherein said scheduler is operative to schedule separated communication frames that are compatible only with the standardized protocol following scheduling for transmission of two or more separated communication frames that are compatible only with said second protocol.

13. The base station according to claim 10 , wherein said standardized communication protocol is the WiMAX Forum Mobile System Profile in accordance with IEEE 802.16e and wherein said second communication protocol is compatible with IEEE 802.16m.

14. The base station according to claim 10 , wherein said second communication protocol comprises utilizing Alamouti scheme for transmission of frame MAPs.