Patent ID: 8654686
Filing Date: 2014-02-18
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method of establishing a group communication session at an application server, comprising: receiving, from an originating wireless subscriber device, a request to initiate the group communication session over a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) with a communication group that includes three or more group members; announcing the group communication session to the communication group; obtaining location information associated with the originating wireless subscriber device and a first set of wireless subscriber devices from the communication group, the first set of wireless subscriber devices corresponding to group members that accepted the announcement of the group communication session; determining, based on the obtained location information, that the group communication session between the originating wireless subscriber device and the first set of wireless subscriber devices can be supported via a first Personal Area Network (PAN); and transitioning, based on the determination, the group communication session to a PAN-based group communication session, wherein at least a portion of media exchanged during the group communication session occurs via the first PAN.