1. A method of processing data in a communication system, comprising: encoding a sequence of data bits in accordance with a convolutional code to generate a packet comprising a sequence of code bits of a first size; appending padding to the packet to extend the packet to a second size; interleaving, using a processor, the sequence of code bits in accordance with an interleaving scheme for the second size to generate a sequence of interleaved code bits, wherein the interleaving the sequence of code bits comprises interleaving the sequence of code bits in accordance with a bit-reversal interleaving scheme for the second size that is a power of two; forming a packet of interleaved data with the sequence of interleaved code bits; and deleting a portion of the sequence of interleaved code bits to generate an output packet.