Packet-switched cellular telephone system

A unique packet-switched cellular telephone system includes a cellular switch (140) and base sites (110) for providing packet-switched data services to cellular data telephones (102). Cellular switch (140) includes packet access points (152, 153) coupled to a packet network and T1 span lines (160, 161) coupled to the landline telephone network. Base sites (110) are coupled to cellular switch (140) by T1 span lines (164, 165) in which all time slots are clear channels and one time slot is dedicated for common channel signalling. Multiple data calls are assigned to each packet-mode radi channel thereby conserving valuable radio channel spectrum. Data calls are handed off from one packet-mode radio channel to another on the basis of cellular data telephone movement, signal strength, and/or bit-error rate, or on the basis of radio channel data packet capacity, data packet traffic, and/or data packet throughout.