A method for offloading communications of a first base station, the method comprising: determining that a first user equipment "UE" and a second UE are candidates for direct communications, wherein the step of determining is executed by the first base station by determining whether said first UE and said second UE are communicating and are within a threshold distance of each other; notifying, by the first base station, the first UE and the second UE that the first UE and the second UE are candidates for direct communications based on the determining; receiving, by the first base station, a report from both the first UE and the second UE informing that the first UE and the second UE are able to engage in direct communications with each other; and allocating, by the first base station, at least one physical resource block "PRB" of an uplink channel to direct communications between the first UE and the second UE, wherein: the second UE is served by a second base station, the second base station determines that the second UE is at an edge of a geographic area bordering a geographic area served by the first base station and transmits measurement information related to said determination to the first base station, the first base station determines that the first UE is at an edge of a geographic area bordering a geographic area served by the second base station, and the determining that the first UE and the second UE are within a threshold distance is based on at least the measurement information transmitted by the second base station to the first base station. determining that a first user equipment "UE" and a second UE are candidates for direct communications, wherein the step of determining is executed by the first base station by determining whether said first UE and said second UE are communicating and are within a threshold distance of each other; notifying, by the first base station, the first UE and the second UE that the first UE and the second UE are candidates for direct communications based on the determining; receiving, by the first base station, a report from both the first UE and the second UE informing that the first UE and the second UE are able to engage in direct communications with each other; and allocating, by the first base station, at least one physical resource block "PRB" of an uplink channel to direct communications between the first UE and the second UE, wherein: the second UE is served by a second base station, the second base station determines that the second UE is at an edge of a geographic area bordering a geographic area served by the first base station and transmits measurement information related to said determination to the first base station, the first base station determines that the first UE is at an edge of a geographic area bordering a geographic area served by the second base station, and the determining that the first UE and the second UE are within a threshold distance is based on at least the measurement information transmitted by the second base station to the first base station. the second UE is served by a second base station, the second base station determines that the second UE is at an edge of a geographic area bordering a geographic area served by the first base station and transmits measurement information related to said determination to the first base station, the first base station determines that the first UE is at an edge of a geographic area bordering a geographic area served by the second base station, and the determining that the first UE and the second UE are within a threshold distance is based on at least the measurement information transmitted by the second base station to the first base station.