Methods, base stations and access terminals for uplink signalling are provided. Resource request channel characteristics such as location in time-frequency, sequence, time slot, are assigned to each access terminal to distinguish their resource requests from the resource requests of other access terminals. Access terminals make requests using a resource request on a resource request channel having the assigned characteristics. The base station can then determine which access terminal transmitted the resource request based on the resource request channel characteristics of the resource request channel upon which the resource request was received. The base station then transmits a response to the request which may for example be a new resource allocation, a default allocation or a renewal of a previous allocation.