Method and apparatus for controlling transmission power in a CDMA cellular mobile telephone system

A cellular communication system in which a system user and another user communicate with each other by way of information carrying spread spectrum modulated signals transmitted via a cell-site in which system: the system user comprises a transmitter for transmitting information carrying spread spectrum modulated signals to said cell-site, a receiver for receiving information carrying spread spectrum modulated signals from said cell-site and means for measuring signal quality in said information carrying spread spectrum modulated signals received by the system user; the cell-site comprises a transmitter for transmitting information carrying spread spectrum modulated signals to said system user, a receiver for receiving information carrying spread spectrum modulated signals from said system user and adjusting means for adjusting the power of information carrying spread spectrum modulated signals transmitted from the cell-site ; ; and power control means is provided for controlling the transmission power of the information carrying spread spectrum modulated signals by measuring the signal power in the information carrying spread spectrum modulated signals received by the system user and transmitting data representing the measured power to the cell-site by way of the information carrying spread spectrum modulated signals, the adjusting means being responsive to the data in the information carrying spread spectrum modulated signals from the system user to adjust the power in the information carrying spread spectrum modulated signals transmitted by the cell-site.