METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING HIGHER ORDER MODULATION THAT IS BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE WITH QUATERNARY PHASE SHIFT KEYING(QPSK) OR OFFSET QUATERNARY PHASE SHIFT KEYING (OQPSK)

A method and apparatus for providing an asymmetrical backwards compatible communications signal that is capable of being decoded by QPSK and OQPSK receivers as well as PSK and QAM receivers is provided. The invention comprises a timing error accumulator coupled to a first bit stream. The first bit stream includes content that is common to the QPSK/OQPSK receiver and to the PSK/QAM receiver. A phase error accumulator is coupled to a second bit stream and adjusts the phase of symbols in the second bit stream. A phase and timing error compensator is coupled to the phase error accumulator and the timing error accumulator and adjusts the first and second bit streams received from the phase error accumulator and the timing error accumulator in order to reduce timing and phase errors. A higher order modulator coupled to the phase- and timing error compensator is also provided. The higher order modulator processes the first and second bit streams to provide the asymmetrical backwards compatible signal.