Techniques are provided that allow power control and/or hand off operations to be performed in a wireless network in a manner that can enhance overall network throughput. In at least one embodiment, signal to noise ratio (SNR) and a signal to interference ratio (SIR) are obtained for a first mobile device within a wireless network. The SNR and SIR are then used to perform power control in the network (e.g., for the first mobile device). The SNR and SIR may also be used to facilitate hand off operations. In one approach, it may be determined whether the SNR and the SIR are each high or low, based on comparison with predetermined threshold values, in order to make a power control decision.