Access retry method for shared channel wireless communications links

Each remote station in a wireless network cell that uses a collision oriented multiple access scheme, counts the number of retries attempted to gain access to the base station for a particular message. The accumulated value of the number of retries is then inserted in a retry count field of the access request message. After one or more retries, the base station successfully receives the access request message. The base station runs a common access channel allocation manager program that adaptively provides additional channels to the remote station, depending on the number of retries the remote station required to successfully transmit the access request message. In this manner, the base station has accurate information about the reduced performance that the remote stations suffer during an interval of high usage, to enable the base station to adaptively provide additional channels to the remote stations.