The present technology provides a method and apparatus for managing communications in a wireless communication system. The method and apparatus evaluate one or more network traffic levels, each network traffic level associated with a respective network sector, and submit access-configuration messages in one or more network sectors when the evaluated network traffic level of a particular network sector has a predetermined relation to the traffic threshold for that particular network sector. The access-configuration messages are configured to shift one or more of wireless devices into one or more predetermined operational conditions. The present technology further provides corresponding wireless devices.