Method ( 300 j) for managing, at macro node side of a cellular network comprising said macro node and at least one small node ( S i) associated therewith, data transmission on a sub-frame basis, the method comprising: based on channel quality information from user equipments associated with the macro node, grouping ( 205 M,305) said user equipments into a first group ( G N, M) of user equipments that can be served at a macro node first transmission power and a second group ( G F, M) of user equipments that have to be served at a macro node second transmission power higher than the macro node first transmission power, determining (220 M,325) a sub-frames pattern ( SP j) comprising - a number of no-transmission sub-frames ( N ABS,no) wherein data transmission is prevented at the macro node side, - a number of limited-transmission sub-frames ( N ABS,,lim) wherein data transmission is allowed at the macro node side at only the macro node first transmission power, and - a number of normal-transmission sub-frames ( N non-ABS) wherein data transmission is allowed at the macro node side at the macro node second transmission power, and serving user equipments of said first ( G N,M) and second ( G F,M) groups of user equipments associated with the macro node according to the sub-frames pattern ( SP j), communicating the sub-frames pattern ( SP j) to the at least one small node ( S i), characterized in that said determining (220 M,325) being based on power consumptions ( P ABS,P non-ABS) of the macro node, on data traffic associated with the macro node, and on minimum numbers of no-transmission ( R ABS-no) and limited-transmission ( R ABS-lim) sub-frames requested by the at least one small node ( S i) according to data traffic and interference conditions thereof. based on channel quality information from user equipments associated with the macro node, grouping ( 205 M,305) said user equipments into a first group ( G N, M) of user equipments that can be served at a macro node first transmission power and a second group ( G F, M) of user equipments that have to be served at a macro node second transmission power higher than the macro node first transmission power, determining (220 M,325) a sub-frames pattern ( SP j) comprising - a number of no-transmission sub-frames ( N ABS,no) wherein data transmission is prevented at the macro node side, - a number of limited-transmission sub-frames ( N ABS,,lim) wherein data transmission is allowed at the macro node side at only the macro node first transmission power, and - a number of normal-transmission sub-frames ( N non-ABS) wherein data transmission is allowed at the macro node side at the macro node second transmission power, and - a number of no-transmission sub-frames ( N ABS,no) wherein data transmission is prevented at the macro node side, - a number of limited-transmission sub-frames ( N ABS,,lim) wherein data transmission is allowed at the macro node side at only the macro node first transmission power, and - a number of normal-transmission sub-frames ( N non-ABS) wherein data transmission is allowed at the macro node side at the macro node second transmission power, and serving user equipments of said first ( G N,M) and second ( G F,M) groups of user equipments associated with the macro node according to the sub-frames pattern ( SP j), communicating the sub-frames pattern ( SP j) to the at least one small node ( S i), characterized in that said determining (220 M,325) being based on power consumptions ( P ABS,P non-ABS) of the macro node, on data traffic associated with the macro node, and on minimum numbers of no-transmission ( R ABS-no) and limited-transmission ( R ABS-lim) sub-frames requested by the at least one small node ( S i) according to data traffic and interference conditions thereof.