In a system and method of determining bandwidth requirements of an intermediate network between a first network and a second network, determining data throughput characteristics of each of a plurality of carriers in communication with the intermediate network, determining a load balancing efficiency metric based on the determined carrier data throughput characteristics, estimating a multiplexing factor based on the load balancing efficiency metric and a total number of the plurality of carriers, and determining an actual bandwidth requirement of the intermediate network based on the multiplexing factor and a theoretical maximum bandwidth of the intermediate network.