Patent ID: 9591460
Date: 2017-03-07
CPC Classifications: H04W

Claim:
1. A method for dynamically controlling access priority to a wireless network for a plurality of subscriber devices for members of a group call, comprising: transmitting, on a broadcast/multicast interface, a priority group list indicating a priority state of at least one communications group of subscriber devices, wherein the at least one communications group of subscriber devices comprises a group of subscribers that participate in one or more group calls among the group of subscribers; updating the priority group list when a group call among the at least one communications group of subscriber devices is being initiated, wherein a subscriber device belonging to the at least one communications group of subscriber devices does not perform channel access barring procedures when at least one group identifier of the priority group list matches at least one group identifier of a list of group identifiers of the subscriber device; and subsequent to the group call among the at least one communications group of subscriber devices being initiated and in response to completion of a group call setup including bearer assignment for each subscriber device in the at least one communications group of subscriber devices, further updating the priority group list to indicate that channel access is available to subscriber devices not included in the at least one communications group of subscriber devices.