Automatic repeat request with adaptive latency

In a transmission environment, such as a wireless environment, the communication channel 23 may be subject to noise bursts 27, 28. When the transmitter 2 sends a frame 24(8) to the receiver, it may collide with a noise burst 28. The receiver 4 is adapted to send a retransmission request, 25(8) Original, when it receives corrupted data from transmitter 2. The duration of the noise may be sufficient to also interfere with the request, 25(8) Original. The receiver includes channel monitoring means to detect noise and to delay the sending of the retransmission request, 25(8) Delayed, based on the level of the noise.