Method for determining the number of user equipments in a geographic area of an access network of a public land mobile network, wherein the access network comprises at least one base transceiver station, wherein a plurality of user equipments in the geographic area receive control signals (201, 202) from the base transceiver station, wherein the method comprises the following steps: -- in a first step, the base transceiver station detects a first group of user equipments entering the geographic area and a second group of user equipments leaving the geographic area, wherein a previous number of user equipments corresponds to the number of user equipments in the geographic area prior to or at the beginning of the first step and wherein during the first step, an identity information element is sent to the base transceiver station by each user equipment in the first group of user equipments, -- in a second step, a current number of user equipments in the geographic area is updated based on the previous number of user equipments in the geographic area and based on both the number of user equipments in the first group as well as the number of user equipments in the second group, wherein the current number of user equipments in the geographic area is updated in the second step dependent on the identity information elements sent by the user equipments of the first group of user equipments, wherein the base transceiver station and a further base transceiver station of a further geographic area of the access network of the public land mobile network exchange data such that: -- regarding the first group of user equipments at least part of the identity information elements relating to these user equipments are sent to the further base transceiver station and/or -- regarding the second group of user equipments at least part of the identity information elements relating to these user equipments are received from the further base transceiver station. -- in a first step, the base transceiver station detects a first group of user equipments entering the geographic area and a second group of user equipments leaving the geographic area, wherein a previous number of user equipments corresponds to the number of user equipments in the geographic area prior to or at the beginning of the first step and wherein during the first step, an identity information element is sent to the base transceiver station by each user equipment in the first group of user equipments, -- in a second step, a current number of user equipments in the geographic area is updated based on the previous number of user equipments in the geographic area and based on both the number of user equipments in the first group as well as the number of user equipments in the second group, wherein the current number of user equipments in the geographic area is updated in the second step dependent on the identity information elements sent by the user equipments of the first group of user equipments, wherein the base transceiver station and a further base transceiver station of a further geographic area of the access network of the public land mobile network exchange data such that: -- regarding the first group of user equipments at least part of the identity information elements relating to these user equipments are sent to the further base transceiver station and/or -- regarding the second group of user equipments at least part of the identity information elements relating to these user equipments are received from the further base transceiver station.