Method and devices for bandwidth allocation in a wireless communications system

1. In a wireless network comprising at least one base station and a plurality of subscriber terminals, a method is provided for allocating channel resources, which method comprises the following steps:

a) transmitting at least one message which comprises information that would allow associating at least one service flow for use in conveying data from/to a subscriber terminal out of said plurality of subscriber terminals, with at least one group of service flows;

b) transmitting from said base station one or more messages adapted to provide information which relates to the allocation of resources of a channel along which data will be transmitted to/from said subscriber terminal via one or more service flows associated with said at least one group of service flows, and wherein the information comprises an identification of the at least one group of service flows; and

c) transmitting data from/to said subscriber terminal in accordance with the allocation of channel resources for the at least one group of service flows,

wherein each of the service flows associated with a selected group of service flows has a periodic pattern of a transmission demand essentially identical to that of any other service flow associated with said selected group of service flows.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one message transmitted in step b), comprises information to enable allocation of channel resources to said at least one group of service flows.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one message transmitted in step a), comprises information to enable allocating channel resources to said at least one service flow from among the resources allocated to said at least one group of which said at least one service flow is a member.

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein identification of one or more service flows is carried out by using an index assigned when the one or more service flows are configured.

5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the properties of said at least one group of service flow comprise one or more members of the group consisting of: identification of the at least one group of service flows and size of a single allocation per service flow.

6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one message transmitted in step b) comprises information which relates to one or more of the following:

PHY layer properties of the transmission(s);

identification of the group;

indication related to which of the service flows in said at least one group of service flows, are the resources actually allocated.

7. A base station for use in a wireless network which comprises:

a receiver capable of receiving information that allows associating at least one service flow for use in conveying data to and/or from one or more subscriber terminals, with at least one group of service flows, wherein each of the service flows associated with a selected group of service flows has a periodic pattern of a transmission demand essentially identical to that of any other service flow associated with said selected group of service flows;

a processor operative to associate based on available information related to one or more service flows, said one or more service flows with at least one group of service flows, and wherein said processor is further operative to allocate channel resources to one or more service flows associated with said at least one group of service flows;

a transmitter operative to transmit to said one or more subscriber terminals:

information that allows association of at least one service flow for transmission of data from and/or to a subscriber terminal out of the plurality of subscriber terminals, with at least one group of service flows; and

information that relates to the allocation of channel resources to the group of service flows; and

information that allows identifying said at least one group of service flows;

wherein said base station is operative to transmit data to and/or receive data from a plurality of subscriber terminals in accordance with channel resources allocated for said at least one group of service flows and channel resources allocated for said at least one service flow out of said channel resources allocated for the at least one group of service flows of which said at least one service flow is a member.