The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for a wireless communication between at least one mobile station and a base station in a cellular system. The method comprises providing a desired spreading in time and frequency domains to transmit data using at least two carriers in a transmission on an uplink to the base station. Either the base station may provide an indication to the mobile station to enable the desired spreading, or alternatively, the mobile station may request it. A spread-spectrum cellular system may enable a mobile station to provide a two-dimensional spreading, which distributes spreading in time and frequency directions. A single two-dimensional spreading code or at least two one-dimensional spreading codes may provide a two-dimensional spreading. In this way, in an uplink transmission using a multi-carrier, code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) protocol, by varying the data portions being spread in time and frequency domains a joint spreading may result. The joint spreading may distribute spreading codes in the time and frequency directions to distribute the spreading in a transmission. When using the MC-CDMA protocol, a mobile station may select one or more spreading formats in an uplink transmission that may increase the success rate of the packet transmission. Moreover, use of a particular spreading format in a flexible manner may reduce the packet delay and suppress intra-cell interference.