The present invention provides a method implemented in a control entity within a wireless communication system. The method includes selecting, at the control entity, a plurality of sectors in response to receiving requests for a multicast service from mobile units located within the plurality of sectors. The method also includes allocating, at the control entity, one or more interlace-multiplex pairs for providing the multicast service to the mobile units within the plurality of sectors. One or more of the interlace-multiplex pairs are allocated based on a priority list that ranks priorities of the plurality of interlace-multiplex pairs according to how many of the plurality of sectors provide the multicast service using the corresponding interlace-multiplex pair. The method also includes establishing a call flow over an air interface to the mobile units using the allocated interlace-multiplex pair(s).