Patent ID: 7315744

Claim:
A system for improving efficiency of a wireless communications network employing a plurality of frequencies per cell comprising: first means for monitoring a network load associated with each of said plurality of frequencies and providing corresponding status values in response thereto; second means for comparing said status values to a predetermined criterion and providing an indication in response thereto when one or more of said status values meet said criterion; third means for redistributing said network load in accordance with said indication, the third means including determining which mobile stations are within an inner coverage area of a cell based on whether round trip delays (RTD) of the mobile stations are less than a threshold, and initiating handoff of at least one mobile station that meets a predetermined handoff criterion within the inner coverage area to a different frequency on the cell, wherein said predetermined handoff criterion comprises said at least one mobile station being serviced by a frequency with a predetermined status value, said at least one mobile station comprising a single pilot signal in an active set and said at least one mobile station comprising an RTD that is less than an RTD threshold; and fourth means for ranking said plurality of frequencies, wherein the ranking of a particular frequency is determined by the number of additional frequencies that overlap the particular frequency.