Method for allocating coverage area identifiers among nearby base stations

A method of causing a first femtocell to use a base station identifier, the method comprising:

• determining that a first wireless coverage provided by a first femtocell overlaps a second wireless coverage provided by a macro base station;
• identifying a second femtocell among a plurality of femtocells that each provide a respective wireless coverage that overlaps the second wireless coverage, wherein the identifying is based at least in part on an evaluation of which femtocell in the plurality has a lowest likelihood of handover with the macro base station;
• and
• based at least in part on the determining and the identifying, causing the first femtocell to use the same base station identifier as the second femtocell.

A method of configuring a first base station to broadcast a coverage area identifier, the method comprising:

• determining that coverage provided by the first base station overlaps with coverage provided by a second base station;
• of a plurality of third base stations that also provide coverage overlapping the coverage provided by the second base station, identifying one or more third base stations having an extent of handover with the determined second base station that is below a threshold extent of handover;
• based at least in part on the determining and the identifying, selecting, as the coverage area identifier to be assigned to the first base station, a coverage area identifier that is also assigned to a particular one of the one or more identified third base stations;
• and
• configuring the first base station to use the selected coverage area identifier.