A method of optimizing downlink communications between a base station and mobile stations in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: acquiring user identifiers and quality values for said mobile stations that are associated with registered users of the system, the quality values including positional information or signal-to-noise ratio values associated with the mobile stations; associating modulation and coding scheme, MCS, power values with respective said users in response to respective said quality values; establishing a power pool buffer in a memory of the base station, wherein contents of the power pool buffer represent excess power being used by mobile stations served by the base station; identifying users that have an MCS power value greater than a reference MCS power value as high power users; calculating a power difference for each of said high power users, said power difference being a difference between the quality value associated with said each of said high power users and a reference quality value associated with said reference MCS power value respectively; accumulating in said contents of the power pool buffer, said power differences associated with respective said high power users, by summing said power differences; identifying users that have an MCS power value below said reference MCS power value as low power users; associating increased quality values with at least a portion of said low power users while depleting said contents of the power pool buffer by corresponding amounts until said contents of the power pool buffer is depleted; determining new MCSs for said portion of said low power users based on said increased quality values; and causing control information to be transmitted to said low power users using modulation and coding schemes identified by corresponding said new MCSs at power levels associated with said new MCSs. acquiring user identifiers and quality values for said mobile stations that are associated with registered users of the system, the quality values including positional information or signal-to-noise ratio values associated with the mobile stations; associating modulation and coding scheme, MCS, power values with respective said users in response to respective said quality values; establishing a power pool buffer in a memory of the base station, wherein contents of the power pool buffer represent excess power being used by mobile stations served by the base station; identifying users that have an MCS power value greater than a reference MCS power value as high power users; calculating a power difference for each of said high power users, said power difference being a difference between the quality value associated with said each of said high power users and a reference quality value associated with said reference MCS power value respectively; accumulating in said contents of the power pool buffer, said power differences associated with respective said high power users, by summing said power differences; identifying users that have an MCS power value below said reference MCS power value as low power users; associating increased quality values with at least a portion of said low power users while depleting said contents of the power pool buffer by corresponding amounts until said contents of the power pool buffer is depleted; determining new MCSs for said portion of said low power users based on said increased quality values; and causing control information to be transmitted to said low power users using modulation and coding schemes identified by corresponding said new MCSs at power levels associated with said new MCSs.