Patent ID: 7813736

Claim:
A network management system (NMS) that manages operations of a communication system including a mobile telephone switching office (MTSO) coupled to a plurality of wireless base terminals (WBTs) by way of a corresponding plurality of network elements, comprising a network configuration element that identifies for each of the plurality of WBTs a resultant communication path to the MTSO according to a plurality of performance characteristics calculated from alternative communication paths connecting combinations of the WBTs to the MTSO, wherein the network configuration element arranges portions of the plurality of WBTs into a corresponding plurality of groups, wherein the plurality of groups has first and second groups sharing at least one WBT, and wherein the network configuration element selects for the at least one WBT shared by the first and second groups its resultant communication path to the MTSO according to performance characteristics corresponding to differential delays calculated for alternative communication paths associated with combinations of WBTs in the first and second groups.