A method for operating synchronous HARQ between a transmitting station and a receiving station in a TDD communication system, includes configuring a plurality of HARQ processes at the transmitting station, and transmitting a data burst in a first subframe to the receiving station via one of the plurality of HARQ processes and using a frame structure including a plurality of regions of subframes. The method also includes receiving a second subframe transmitted from the receiving station and containing a HARQ feedback indicative of whether the data burst was correctly received at the receiving station. Further, the method includes determining whether the HARQ feedback is an acknowledgement (ACK) or a negative acknowledgement (NACK), and retransmitting, via the one of the plurality of HARQ processes, the data burst in a third subframe to the receiving station if it is determined that the HARQ feedback is a NACK. A total number of plurality of HARQ processes is determined based on a total number of uplink subframes between the first subframe and the third subframe.