A load balancing method for a cell in a wireless network, the method comprising: determining when the cell is overloaded; determining whether the cell is in a hold state; maintaining a current mitigation state for the cell when the cell is determined to be in a hold state; determining whether traffic has decreased for the cell since a previous time and whether mitigation was applied to the cell at the previous time; applying a hold state to the cell when the traffic is determined to have decreased and the mitigation is determined to have been applied; determining whether performance has decreased by a predetermined level for the cell when the cell is not in the hold state; and applying mitigation to the cell when performance has decreased by at least the predetermined level; wherein the steps of determining whether the cell is in a hold state, applying a hold state, determining whether performance has decreased, and applying mitigation are implemented by processing a finite state machine at a predetermined interval by: updating a first table that includes information for a plurality of cells that are being mitigated; updating a second table that only includes information for a plurality of cells that have failed a performance criteria in a previous predetermined interval. comparing the first table to the second table; and when information for a first cell is present in the second table but not the first table, adding the information for the first cell to the first table; wherein determining whether the performance has decreased by a predetermined level for the cell when the cell is not in the hold state is performed by determining whether information for the cell is present in the second table. determining when the cell is overloaded; determining whether the cell is in a hold state; maintaining a current mitigation state for the cell when the cell is determined to be in a hold state; determining whether traffic has decreased for the cell since a previous time and whether mitigation was applied to the cell at the previous time; applying a hold state to the cell when the traffic is determined to have decreased and the mitigation is determined to have been applied; determining whether performance has decreased by a predetermined level for the cell when the cell is not in the hold state; and applying mitigation to the cell when performance has decreased by at least the predetermined level; wherein the steps of determining whether the cell is in a hold state, applying a hold state, determining whether performance has decreased, and applying mitigation are implemented by processing a finite state machine at a predetermined interval by: updating a first table that includes information for a plurality of cells that are being mitigated; updating a second table that only includes information for a plurality of cells that have failed a performance criteria in a previous predetermined interval. comparing the first table to the second table; and when information for a first cell is present in the second table but not the first table, adding the information for the first cell to the first table; wherein determining whether the performance has decreased by a predetermined level for the cell when the cell is not in the hold state is performed by determining whether information for the cell is present in the second table. updating a first table that includes information for a plurality of cells that are being mitigated; updating a second table that only includes information for a plurality of cells that have failed a performance criteria in a previous predetermined interval. comparing the first table to the second table; and when information for a first cell is present in the second table but not the first table, adding the information for the first cell to the first table; wherein determining whether the performance has decreased by a predetermined level for the cell when the cell is not in the hold state is performed by determining whether information for the cell is present in the second table.