Dynamic spectrum broker sharing public safety and commercial
This technology allows commercial mobile devices to borrow unused spectrum and network capacity from public safety networks (like those used by police and fire departments) when those resources are idle. A traffic management system identifies which commercial data requests are delay-tolerant — such as background app updates or file syncs — and routes them through the public safety network instead of the congested commercial network. This offloads non-urgent traffic from commercial carriers while making productive use of expensive, often underutilized public safety spectrum. The system ensures that public safety communications always take priority, so commercial use only fills in the gaps.
What you could build
A network resource broker embedded in carrier or FirstNet infrastructure that dynamically offloads delay-tolerant commercial traffic onto idle public safety spectrum; mobile carriers, public safety network operators, and municipalities managing shared spectrum would be the buyers.
Who in Virginia should care
Northern Virginia's dense concentration of federal agencies, defense contractors, and telecom infrastructure firms — particularly those working on FirstNet and public safety broadband — makes this directly relevant.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Thomas Charles CLANCY III, Ashwin AMANNA
- Granted
- January 10, 2017
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 9544778
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.