Patent ID: 8824314

Claim:
A method of monitoring downlink communication at an access terminal within a wireless communications system, comprising: monitoring data on a first downlink channel of a first network at least with a primary antenna of the access terminal, the data associated with an active communication session in which the access terminal is participating; periodically monitoring messaging information on a downlink channel of a second network with a secondary antenna of the access terminal, the primary antenna having a higher sensitivity than the secondary antenna; maintaining an exclusive allocation of the primary antenna to the first network so long as the access terminal continues participation in the active communication session irrespective of whether or not a quality level of the periodically monitored messaging information on the downlink channel of the second network falls below a threshold; determining that the access terminal has ended participation in the active communication session; and ending the exclusive allocation, in response to the determination, by permitting re-allocation of the primary antenna to the second network to assist in the periodically monitoring if the quality level of the periodically monitored messaging information on the downlink channel of the second network falls below the threshold.