A method and apparatus for controlling transmit power levels of a plurality of different data streams transmitted from at least one base station to a mobile station in a mobile radio communication system. The first and second data streams are transmitted from the base station and received at the mobile station. A stream of power control commands is formed at the mobile station in accordance with either the first or second received data stream. A power control signal is formed at the mobile station from the first stream of power control commands and transmitted to the base station. A received stream of power control commands is formed from the received power control signal at the base station, and the transmit power levels of the first and second data streams from the base station are controlled in accordance with the received stream of power control commands. Additional streams of power control commands can also be generated at the mobile station where one or both of the first and second data streams are simultaneously transmitted to the mobile station from further base stations, and these additional streams of power control commands can be interleaved to form an interleaved power control signal that is sent to all the base stations transmitting the first and second data streams to the mobile station and used for controlling the transmit power of the first and second data streams from such base stations.