A wireless communication system (100) and method for providing high speed uplink packet access from user equipment (128, 130) to a base station (114, 116, 118, 120). Each of the user equipment (128, 130) and the base station (114, 116, 118, 120) includes a transmitter (1106, 1206), a receiver (1104, 1204), and a controller (1108, 1208) coupled to the transmitter and the receiver. Data packets are transmitted from the user equipment (128, 130) to the base station (114, 116, 118, 120). Control information, corresponding to the data packets, is transmitted from the base station (114, 116, 118, 120) to the user equipment (128, 130). The control information includes an absolute grant channel indicator and/or channelization code(s) assigned to the user equipment (128, 130). The controller (1108) of the user equipment (128, 130) is configured to minimize a number of channelization code per scheduling active set cell to be monitored by the user equipment based on the absolute grant channel indicator and/or to utilize the channelization code(s) in response to handoff and/or entering an active channel state.