Patent ID: 8472968

Claim:
A method implemented in a first cellular base station located within a cell, the method comprising: measuring, at the first cellular base station, signal-to-noise ratios of uplink signals received from multiple mobile devices to identify that interference for the multiple mobile devices exceeds a threshold amount when the signal-to-noise ratios are less than an interference threshold, the multiple mobile devices being managed by the first cellular base station; and in response to the signal-to-noise ratios being less than the interference threshold for at least a particular amount of time, determining, by array processing the uplink signals received from the multiple mobile devices, a direction from the first cellular base station to the multiple mobile devices in the cell, determining, based on the direction to the multiple mobile devices and a cell topology of a cellular communications system that includes the first cellular base station, a neighboring cell generating the interference for the multiple mobile devices, and communicating a request, from the first cellular base station to a second cellular base station managing the neighboring cell, effective to cause the second base station to reduce the interference for the multiple mobile devices.