Apparatus and method for using two-dimensional data compression over an air interface

A method and apparatus are provided for processing first encoded facsimile data generated by a source facsimile device, for subsequent transmission to a receiving station, and for ultimate communication to a destination facsimile device. According to one embodiment of the invention, the method is performed by a transmitter device, such as a radiotelephone, that is bidirectionally coupled to the source facsimile device. The method comprises steps of detecting the first encoded facsimile data output by the source facsimile device, encoding the first encoded facsimile data to produce second encoded facsimile data, and transmitting the second encoded facsimile data to the receiving station, which preferably includes a Base Station, Mobile Switching Center and Interworking Function. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first encoded facsimile data is one-dimensionally coded using a Modified Huffman (MH) encoding technique, and the second encoded facsimile data is two-dimensionally coded using a Modified Modified Read (MMR) encoding technique. Further steps are performed by the receiving station, and include receiving the second encoded facsimile data, detecting the second encoded facsimile data, converting the second encoded facsimile data back to first encoded facsimile data, and forwarding the first encoded facsimile data to the destination facsimile device.