Patent ID: 7107037

Claim:
In a wireless network having a plurality of channel elements at a cell site, said channel elements comprising a first group of channel elements of a first type and a second group of channel elements of a second type, said second group capable of handling calls of a first type for which the channel elements of the first group are not capable of handling, said first and second groups of channel elements both capable of handling calls of a second type, a method of managing said channel elements of said first and second groups comprising: reserving a portion of said channel elements of said second group for calls of said first type, and wherein said calls of said first type are preferentially referred to said reserved portion of said channel elements in said second group, and further wherein unreserved channel elements of said second group are available for handling said calls of said second type, and wherein the availability of said channel elements in said second group for handling calls of said first type is improved by virtue of said reservation of said channel elements and the preferential referral of said calls of said first type to said channel elements.