Patent ID: 8422424

Claim:
A method of operating a backhaul link termination system, wherein a wireless communication network is served by a plurality of network paths between network control nodes and base stations and wherein the network paths each include a plurality of backhaul links, the method comprising: receiving architecture information that individually associates the backhaul links with the network paths; receiving communication loading data and cost data for each of the backhaul links, wherein the loading data comprises the optimal loading level for each of the network paths and an indication of whether each of the backhaul links is overloaded or under loaded based on threshold values; and processing the architecture information, the loading data, and the cost data to identify a set of the backhaul links for termination, wherein processing the cost data comprises identifying ones of the backhaul links that cost less to terminate than to maintain through a lease time period and by identifying the backhaul links that can be terminated without overloading the remaining backhaul links in the associated network path.