A wireless communication system includes a capacity allocation module that adjusts an allocation of an authorized total capacity among a plurality of base stations. By shifting a boosted side carrier to the center of the data bands, and by simultaneously compensating for the effects of polarization mode dispersion, the provided system and method simulate the advantages of homodyne reception using a local oscillator. In response to identifying the winning request, a mask register value corresponding to a requestor of the winning request is updated to disqualify this requestor from further participation in the current round of arbitration. The sparse matrix may also be cofigurable to duplicate the connectivity of a variety of dimensionally different switch matrices by designating a first subset of the multiple ports as row ports and a second subset of the remaining ports as column ports with the added flexibilty of connecting row-to-row andor column-to column. The shifting mechanism is located within the crankcase or transmission case.