Patent ID: 8644273

Claim:
A method of operating a cellular network having femtocells, the method comprising: receiving, by a processing device, a registration request from a least one of the femtocells; obtaining, by the processing device, information relating to at least: (i) the operating environment of the at least one femtocell; and (ii) the current operational state of the network; and based at least in part on the information, enabling a plurality of operating modes, the enabling of the plurality of the operating modes causing the at least one femtocell to select only one of the plurality of operating modes, the selection based on: evaluating the information relating to the current operating state of the network to determine the level of loading or congestion within the network; and where the loading or congestion within the network is determined to be sufficiently high, causing the at least one femtocell to assume a partly autonomous operating mode, the partly autonomous operating mode allowing for the at least one femtocell to operate with only intermittent communication with the network; and wherein the plurality of operating modes comprise varying levels of active network supervision.