Patent ID: 8423035

Claim:
A method for dynamically allocating capacity to uplinks and downlinks in a communication network, the method comprising: grouping base stations of the communication network into groups, wherein each of the base stations communicates over an uplink and a downlink with communication devices; and for each of the groups: receiving a first indication of utilization of the uplink for each of the base stations of the group; receiving a second indication of utilization of the downlink for each of the base stations of the group; determining a capacity allocation between the uplinks and the downlinks of the base stations of the group based on the first and second indications for each of the base stations of the group to synchronize a timing and a capacity of each of the uplinks of the base stations of the group to begin and end together, and to synchronize a timing and a capacity of each of the downlinks of the base stations of the group to begin and end together, wherein determining the capacity allocation between the uplinks and the downlinks of the base stations of the group further comprises eliminating statistical outliers of the first and second indications of utilization before calculating the first and second weighted averages; calculating a first weighted average of the first indications of utilization of the uplinks for the base stations in the group; calculating a second weighted average of the second indications of utilization of the downlinks for the base stations in the group; and generating the capacity allocation between the uplinks and the downlinks of the base stations of the group based upon the first and second weighted average; employing the capacity allocation for each of the base stations of the group, and regrouping the base stations into second groups in response to operational data of the communication network.