Patent ID: 8649284

Claim:
A method implemented at a base station in a wireless network, the method comprising: measuring a total transmission power associated with calls in a cell of the wireless network, wherein the calls include answered and unanswered calls that originated in the cell; if the total transmission power exceeds a first power threshold, implementing congestion control measures at the base station to reduce the total transmission power below the first power threshold, wherein implementing a congestion control measure on a call includes at least one of muting a downlink voice path of that call, decreasing a data rate of that call, and disconnecting that call, wherein implementing said congestion control measures comprises prioritizing the unanswered calls lower than the answered calls with respect to said congestion control measures, said implementing comprising at least one of: iteratively selecting an unanswered call and disconnecting that call until either all of the unanswered calls are disconnected or the total transmission power falls below the first power threshold; and iteratively selecting an unanswered call whose downlink voice path is not muted and muting that downlink voice path, until either the downlink voice paths of all of the unanswered calls are muted or the total transmission power falls below the first power threshold; and if the total transmission power does not exceed the first power threshold, refraining from implementing said congestion control measures at the base station.