Patent ID: 8233449

Claim:
A method for resource allocation in a shared wireless network that comprises a radio access network, a plurality of local Quality of Service (QoS) managers serving a plurality of subscribers, a shared wireless network QoS manager that manages resource allocations between the plurality of local QoS managers, and a plurality of cells for providing wireless resources to respective ones of the plurality of subscribers connected to the radio access network, the method comprising, at the shared wireless network QoS manager: receiving an aggregation of current cell usage estimations representing a measure of a part of the wireless resources being used by the plurality of subscribers in the plurality of cells for each QoS service class in a plurality of QoS service classes, wherein the aggregation of current cell usage estimations are received from multiple ones of the local QoS managers; receiving an aggregation of cell load level indicators representing at least one of a measure of congestion and an amount of traffic in the plurality of cells for each QoS service class in the plurality of QoS service classes; receiving an aggregation of additional resources needed for each QoS service class in the plurality of QoS service classes, wherein the aggregation of additional resources needed is received from multiple ones of the local QoS managers for the plurality of cells; determining from the aggregations of current cell usage estimations, cell load level indicators, and additional resources needed, a total capacity for each cell that is needed to satisfy a total resource need for each cell for all the local QoS managers; and comparing the total capacity need to a maximum capacity for each cell, and based on the comparison determining and communicating to each local QoS manager a percentage of total resource need for the local QoS manager that is granted for each cell.