An autonomous network has a plurality of autonomous terminals, equipped with at least one programmable transceiver, and which are embodied to independently identify frequency ranges provided for a communication link and used to reconfigure the programmable transceiver thereof. One or more technical system states of the network, with which a specific operation of the network is described, is defined. One or more sets of rules are defined for the autonomous terminal, one rule comprising authorized operational states and/or configurations of the autonomous terminals. The effects of the actual operation state and/or configurations of the autonomous terminals on the actual system state of the network is monitored. The sets of rules and/or definition of new rules, which comprise actual operational states or configurations of the autonomous terminals, is adapted when the actual system state of the network differs from the defined system state of the network.