Patent ID: 8359066

Claim:
A method for providing land mobile radio (LMR) services using a cellular data network, the method comprising: selecting, by an LMR radio unit, one of an LMR communication module and a cellular data network communication module for facilitating communication of LMR content therefrom to an LMR base station; if said LMR communication module is selected, then generating, by a common LMR application module, said LMR content formatted in accordance with an LMR application layer protocol format, said common LMR application module included within said LMR communication module and said cellular data network communication module, configuring said LMR content for communication via an LMR network using an LMR transport module of said LMR communication module, and communicating said LMR content from an LMR transmitter of said LMR communication module to said LMR base station via said LMR network using an LMR network transport protocol; and if said cellular data network communication module is selected, then generating, by said common LMR application module, said LMR content formatted in accordance with said LMR application layer protocol format, encapsulating, by an LMR encapsulation module of said cellular data network communication module, the LMR content using an Internet Protocol (IP) packet switched header in accordance with an IP layer, said encapsulating exclusive of any LMR transport layer between an LMR application layer protocol and said IP layer; communicating the LMR content from a cellular radio module of said cellular data network communication module to said LMR base station via a cellular data network using at least one cellular network transport protocol and without conversion of the LMR content from said LMR application layer protocol format to a cellular application layer protocol format.