A wireless communication system having base stations and remotely located terminal units. The base stations and the remotely located terminal units communicate data over operational wireless communication links assigned to respective sub-channels having tiles separated by frequency and time. Detectors for analyzing extraneous received signals in unassigned tiles of the communication links discriminate between a first type of extraneous signals detected in unassigned tiles of one sub-frame and also detected in other unassigned tiles, and a second type of extraneous signals detected in the unassigned tiles but not detected in other unassigned tiles. The reaction of the base stations is different based on the type of extraneous signals.