Reducing interference between users in a communications system through time scattering

Time-scattering of data is employed to reduce the interference effects, such as, error rate, between terminals disposed in nearby beams, or cells, of a communication system. A scattering schedule is determined, typically by a gateway, for a terminal. Scattering instructions, based at least in part on that scattering schedule, are provided to the terminal. The scattering instructions provide terminals with information suitable for controlling the temporal scattering of time slot data to be transmitted by the terminals so that interference impact of nearby out-of beam terminals is reduced. Time-scattered data received by a receiver remote from the terminal is returned to the desired order by sorting the data in accordance with the scattering schedule to achieve a reversing of the scattering. Time-scattering may be applied to data moving in either or both of the forward and reverse directions of a communication system.