A responder endpoint establishes a reverse direction communication channel from the responder to an initiator. To that end, the responder endpoint receives a reverse direction grant indicator and determines when primary data is not ready to be sent to the initiator. In response, the responder transmits to the initiator, within a predetermined response time for establishing the reverse direction communication channel, a continuation frame comprising a continuation indicator that indicates that reverse direction communication channel should persist. In one implementation, the continuation frame includes at least one control field including the continuation indicator, but no data payload field.