Method to optimize almost blank subframe usage in a wireless network

A method to optimize almost blank subframe usage in a wireless network, wherein at least one serving base station provides wireless connectivity to at least one user terminal, said at least one user terminal suffering interference from at least one interfering base station, said method comprising:

• generating, said at least one interfering base station, in order to minimize said interference, an almost blank subframe pattern that said at least one interfering base station knows will not be needed, and sending said almost blank subframe pattern to said at least one serving base station,
• characterized in that the method comprises:
• a) generating, said at least one serving base station a set of preferred almost blank subframes, from said received almost blank subframe pattern, that said at least one serving base station knows will be of use for providing said wireless connectivity, and sending said set of preferred almost blank subframes ordered by a priority of usage to said at least one interfering base station;
• and
• b) using, said at least one interfering base station, in the case of requiring the use of additional subframes for serving its own user terminals, the almost blank subframes indicated as low priority in said received set of preferred almost blank subframes from said at least one serving base station.