Patent ID: 8238378

Claim:
A method comprising: generating a first traffic stream of digital packets for transmission into a shared-communications channel, wherein said first traffic stream is the only privileged traffic stream contending for access to said shared-communications channel, and wherein said first traffic stream comprises at least one voice frame of an emergency call; selecting a first back-off delay for said voice frame of an emergency call from a first back-off contention window; transmitting the voice frame of an emergency call into a shared-communications channel at said first back-off delay; detecting a collision on said shared-communications channel during the transmission of said voice frame of an emergency call; selecting a second back-off delay for said voice frame of an emergency call from a second back-off contention window, said second back-off delay smaller than said first back-off delay in order to provide said voice frame of an emergency call priority over other data on said shared-communications channel; and re-transmitting said voice frame of an emergency call into said shared-communications channel at said second back-off delay to provide said voice frame of an emergency call with priority over other traffic on the channel.