Patent ID: 8331224

Claim:
A method in a network that includes a device provided in a pool of other devices, the method comprising: estimating, by the device, a load on the device based on static and dynamic load information associated with the device; providing, by the device, the estimated load to the other devices in the pool; estimating, by the device and based on the estimated load, a weight of the device in the pool; detecting, by the device, a load imbalance in the pool based on the estimated weight and weights associated with the other devices in the pool; determining, by the device and based on the estimated load, a number of subscribers to offload from the device; determining, by the device and based on the estimated weight and the weights associated with the other devices, to which of the other devices to offload the determined number of subscribers; and offloading, by the device and to address the load imbalance, the determined number of subscribers to the determined other devices in the pool, where the dynamic load information includes one or more of: a number of active calls associated with the device, a number of active sessions associated with the device, or a number of tracking area u date (TAU) procedures associated with the device.