Patent ID: 7903625

Claim:
A method carried out in a service-provider network comprising a macro network and a plurality of low-cost internet base stations (LCIBs), the macro network comprising a plurality of macro base transceiver stations (BTSs), the method comprising: selecting one or more LCIBs of the plurality of LCIBs; instructing the one or more selected LCIBs to operate in an unrestricted mode; operating the one or more selected LCIBs in the unrestricted mode for an evaluation period of time, wherein operating a given LCIB in the unrestricted mode comprises the given LCIB permitting communication between the macro network and a mobile node that is not on an authorized list of mobile nodes for the given LCIB during the evaluation period; determining an off-loaded-traffic amount for at least a portion of the macro network during the evaluation period, wherein the off-loaded-traffic amount is associated with the one or more selected LCIBs; instructing the one or more selected LCIBs, including the given LCIB, to operate in a restricted mode after the evaluation period, wherein operating the given LCIB in the restricted mode comprises the given LCIB (i) permitting communication between the macro network and one or more mobile nodes on the authorized list of mobile nodes for the given LCIB and (ii) denying communication between the macro network and any mobile node not on the authorized list of mobile nodes for the given LCIB; and planning the service-provider network based on the off-loaded-traffic amount.