Rivada Networks receives patent to enable public-safety preemption on commercial networks

Similarly, public-safety personnel could use the same technique to call someone that only has access to a commercial network—for example, an off-duty officer, a government official, or a critical-infrastructure representative—to collect key information that can help provide situational awareness and enable better decisions to be made during emergencies, Smith said.

Reversing these call patterns theoretically could be possible, but Smith acknowledged that establishing an authorization process while in queue—before gaining access to the network—would present a significant technical challenge that may not be overcome.

Rivada Networks has received considerable attention in recent years for its patented Dynamic Spectrum Arbitrage (DSA)/TPA technology, which the company has proposed as a method to ensure that first responders automatically have access to FirstNet whenever they need it while also allowing FirstNet to monetize its unused bandwidth capacity to make the proposed nationwide broadband system financially viable.

However, Rivada Networks also has earned patents for other public-safety-related technologies, including a peer-to-peer method to help locate firefighters and other personnel.