Flexible channel allocation for a cellular system based on a hybrid of measurement-based dynamic channel assignment and a reuse-distance criterion algorithm

In a cellular system, channels are assigned for new calls using a flexible channel allocation algorithm that is a hybrid of a measurement-based dynamic channel assignment (MBDCA) algorithm and a reuse-distance criterion algorithm, such as a cost-function-based DCA (CFBDCA). In one embodiment, the MBDCA algorithm is implemented at each cell site in the cellular system and generates a list of candidate channels for each new call. The list is transmitted to the mobile switching center (MSC), which implements the CFBDCA algorithm to select a particular channel from the list of candidate channels for the new call.