Patent ID: 7929974

Claim:
In a radio access network (RAN) that defines a plurality of wireless coverage areas for serving a plurality of mobile nodes, each mobile node requesting a forward-link data rate for data transmission and receiving data at an actual forward-link data rate, a computerized method comprising: (a) for each wireless coverage area, a computing device: determining an average of actual forward-link data rates, determining an average requested forward-link data rate, and determining a radio-frequency-(RF)-link utilization by applying an algorithm comprising dividing the determined average actual forward-link data rate by the determined average requested forward-link data rate; and (b) managing carrier frequencies, wherein managing carrier frequencies comprises scheduling an addition of at least one carrier frequency to at least one wireless coverage area based at least in part on the at least one determined RF-link utilization for the at least one wireless coverage area, wherein the average of the actual forward-link data rates is an average determined over a first period of time, wherein the average requested forward-link data rate is an average determined over a second period of time, and wherein the first period of time differs in duration from the second period of time.