A communications network includes a set of user terminals to which communication services are provided by means of a set of service areas identified by cells with respective associated cell serving stations, each serving station having certain output transmission power and service capacity values. The cells are divided into pixels and the user terminals communicate within the cells on respective uplinks and downlinks. The services have respective service quality levels associated on the uplinks and downlinks, while the serving stations have respective power limits related to the maximum power that can be delivered by the radio station globally toward all served terminals and to the power that can be delivered for every individual connection toward an individual terminal. The network under examination is planned by determining each of the service areas as joint uplink/downlink service area composed of the set of pixels in which the respective service is guaranteed by complying with the associated quality requirements on both links (uplinks and downlinks) and verifying the compliance with the above limits on the maximum power that can be delivered by the radio station both globally toward all served terminals and by individual connection toward an individual terminal.