Abstract: A transmit power load balancing technique in accordance with the present invention is used to increase the overall communication capacity of a radio communications system without incurring substantial, additional control signaling. An overloaded connection in a first cell serviced by a radio network is detected, and a second nearby cell which is not overloaded is identified. For a radio user node that has a connection with the radio network, radio transmission from the first overloaded cell is prevented or at least avoided in the downlink direction from the radio network to the radio user node. Instead, a radio transmission associated with that connection is established or otherwise permitted from the second cell in the downlink direction to the radio user node. In a preferred, non-limiting, example embodiment, the prevented or avoided downlink radio transmission is a traffic transmission.

Abstract: First and second pools of resource units are configured using a structure having plural levels including first and second level resource units. A relationship is established between ones of the two pools of resource units. A request is made for a resource that requires a resource unit from both of the first and second resource unit pools. A single allocation procedure is employed to allocate resource units from both pools. If one of the resource units is available in one pool, the relationship ensures that a required corresponding resource unit in another pool is also available.