A wireless communication system (20) includes a capacity allocation module (35) that adjusts an allocation of an authorized total capacity among a plurality of base stations (22, 24, 26). A disclosed example includes determining a peak capacity requirement for a plurality of base stations at any given time. An authorized capacity corresponds to the peak requirement for the plurality of base stations. The disclosed example includes adjusting an allocation of the authorized total capacity among the plurality of base stations to meet different traffic requirements at each of the base stations at different times.