Patent ID: 7590093

Claim:
In a cluster of wireless coverage areas in which a given wireless coverage area operates on a plurality of carrier frequencies including at least a given overlay carrier frequency F, and in which a plurality of wireless coverage areas are adjacent to the given wireless coverage area, a method of conditioning removal of frequency F from the given wireless coverage area, the method comprising: based on collected handoff data for the given cluster, determining (a) a rate of inbound soft handoffs SHO to frequency F of the given wireless coverage area and (b) a rate of outbound hard handoffs HHO from frequency F of the given wireless coverage area; in accordance with observed results of past carrier frequency removal, (i) predicting a first change in rate of hard handoffs ΔHHO 1 that would result from some of the inbound soft handoffs to frequency F of the given wireless coverage area becoming hard handoffs if frequency F is removed from the given wireless coverage area, and (ii) predicting a second change in rate of hard handoffs ΔHHO 2 that would result from some of the outbound hard handoffs from frequency F of the given wireless coverage area becoming soft handoffs if frequency F is removed from the given wireless coverage area; combining the predicted changes in rates of hard handoffs ΔHHO 1 and ΔHHO 2 to compute a predicted net increase in rate of hard handoffs ΔHHO that would result if frequency F is removed from the given wireless coverage area; and removing frequency F from the given wireless coverage area only if the predicted net increase in rate of hard handoffs is less than a threshold.