Cellular identifier optimizations

A method for a cellular telecommunications network includes selecting a plurality of cells, retrieving neighbor lists for the plurality of cells, determining neighbor collisions from the neighbor lists, and changing an identifier for a first cell of the plurality of cells based on a portion of the neighbor collisions that are associated with the first cell. A collision may occur when a same non-unique identifier appears within a certain number of neighbor relationships, such as a neighbor of a neighbor or a neighbor of a neighbor of a neighbor.