Transmitting acknowledgement messages using a staggered uplink time slot

1. A code division multiple access (CDMA) wireless subscriber unit comprising:

a circuit configured to use a pseudo-random noise (PN) code combined with other codes to define a plurality of channels on a given radio frequency carrier; and

a circuit configured to receive a downlink communication in at least one downlink time slot; wherein in response to the received downlink communication, the circuit is further configured to produce an acknowledgement message; wherein the subscriber unit is configured to transmit the acknowledgement message in an uplink time slot a fixed integer number of uplink time slots after reception of the received downlink communication; wherein the uplink and downlink time slots are staggered by substantially a half of a time slot.

2. The CDMA wireless subscriber unit of claim 1 wherein the downlink communication includes TCP/IP data.

3. The CDMA wireless subscriber unit of claim 1 wherein the acknowledgement is a link layer acknowledgement.

4. A method for use by a code division multiple access (CDMA) wireless subscriber unit comprising:

using a pseudo-random noise (PN) code combined with other codes to define a plurality of channels on a given radio frequency carrier;

receiving, by the CDMA wireless subscriber unit, a downlink communication in at least one downlink time slot;

in response to the received downlink communication, producing, by the CDMA wireless subscriber unit, an acknowledgement message;

transmitting, by the CDMA wireless subscriber unit, the acknowledgement message in an uplink time slot a fixed integer number of uplink time slots after reception of the received downlink communication; wherein the uplink and downlink time slots are staggered by substantially a half of a time slot.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the downlink communication includes TCP/IP data.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the acknowledgement is a link layer acknowledgement.

7. A code division multiple access (CDMA) network device comprising:

a circuit configured to use a pseudo-random noise (PN) code combined with other codes to define a plurality of channels on a given radio frequency carrier; and

a circuit configured to transmit a downlink communication in at least one downlink time slot; wherein in response to the transmitted downlink communication, the circuit is further configured to receive an acknowledgement message in an uplink time slot a fixed integer number of uplink time slots after transmission of the transmitted downlink communication; wherein the uplink and down time slots are staggered by substantially a half of a time slot.

8. The CDMA network device of claim 7 wherein the downlink communication includes TCP/IP data.

9. The CDMA network device of claim 7 wherein the acknowledgement is a link layer acknowledgement.

10. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the uplink time slot is not assigned to the subscriber unit by a network device.

11. The method of claim 4 , wherein the uplink time slot is not assigned to the wireless subscriber unit by a network device.

12. The network device of claim 7 , wherein the uplink time slot is not assigned by the network device.