Method of determining characteristics of access classes in wireless communication systems

A method for implementation in an access network of a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

• mapping, at the access network, a plurality of priority levels to a plurality of access classes, each access class being associated with at least one parameter used by access terminals to access the wireless communication system via the access network;
• determining said at least one parameter associated with said each access class, wherein determining said at least one parameter associated with said each access class comprises:
• determining a plurality of access vectors containing a plurality of values of said at least one access parameters;
• and
• selecting at least one of the plurality of access vectors based on at least one of a current system loading and a priority associated with the access class;
• and
• transmitting, from the access network to a first access terminal, information indicating the mapping of the plurality of priority levels to the plurality of access classes in response to receiving a request to establish a communication session between the first access terminal and the access network.