Patent ID: 7274944

Claim:
A method performed by a first wireless cell for assigning channels, the method comprising: designating the antennas of a first wireless cell as belonging to a first group and a second group, wherein each group comprises at least one antenna of the first wireless cell, wherein each one antenna of the first wireless cell belongs to only one group, the first wireless cell comprising at least two antennas that each transmits and receives radio signals within a respective physical sector, wherein the antennas of the first group are positioned in such a way that the physical sectors of the antennas of the first group do not substantially overlap, wherein the antennas of the second group are positioned in such a way that the physical sectors of the antennas of the second group do not substantially overlap, wherein the first group and the second group are positioned in such a way that the physical sector of at least one of the antennas of the first group of the first wireless cell overlaps the physical sector of at least one of the antennas of the second group of the first wireless cell, and wherein the antennas whose physical sectors overlap are assigned different channels, wherein the first wireless cell further comprises a first radio coupled to a first antenna and a second antenna, a second radio coupled to a third antenna and a fourth antenna, and a third radio coupled to a fifth antenna and a sixth antenna, wherein the first, third, and fifth antennas belong to the first group, wherein the second, fourth, and sixth antennas belong to the second group, wherein the physical sector of the second antenna overlaps the physical sectors of the third antenna and the fifth antenna, wherein the physical sector of the fourth antenna overlaps the physical sectors of the first antenna and the fifth antenna, wherein the physical sector of the sixth antenna overlaps the physical sectors of the first antenna and the third antenna; assigning a channel to each one of the antennas of the first group, wherein the first, third, and fifth antennas are assigned channels C 1 , C 2 , and C 3 respectively; and assigning a channel to each one of the antennas of the second group, wherein the second, fourth, and sixth antennas are assigned channels C 1 , C 2 , and C 3 respectively.