A system and method for inter-cell interference mitigation in FDM systems is provided. The system provides for increased efficiency with load metric data generated per subband for both serving and neighboring non-serving cells. The system robustly provides for sharing load metric date per subband through a backhaul channel as well as directly from cell to adjacent cell. Furthermore, a UE based communication system allows UE reduction of assigned load controls based on directly reading a neighboring cells' load metrics. The system thus robustly handles various cell types (e.g. synchronous or asynchronous) and a variety of UE capabilities while providing increased efficiency in managing inter-cell interference.