Power control for communications systems utilizing high speed shared channels

A system, components, and methods provide controlled transmit power in a wireless communication system using both dedicated and shared channels. A network device preferably has a receiver for receiving UL user data from the WTRU on the UL DCH and at least one UL SCH and a processor for calculating target metrics for the UL DCH based on the reception of signals transmitted by a WTRU on a UL DCH associated with a UL SCH that can be used by WTRU. A shared channel-targeted metric generator is provided which is configured to output a respective UL SCH targeted metric derived from each calculated UL DCH targeted metric. Each WTRU preferably has a processor configured to calculate UL DCH power adjustments for an LTL DCH associated with a UL DCH as a function of the UL DCH targeted metrics calculated by the network device based on the reception of signals sent by the WTRU on the UL DCH and UL SCH power adjustments for the associated UL SCH as a function of the respective UL SCH targeted metrics output from the shared channel targeted metric generator. The target metrics are preferably target signal to interference ratio (SIR).