Rivada Networks

Rivada Networks is a US-based communications technology business with offices in the US and Ireland. The name Rivada is derived from the acronym, "Radio Interoperable Voice and Data Applications." [1]The company specialises in the provision of wireless and interoperable telecommunications systems to public safety agencies and other emergency/disaster response agencies including the National Guard, US Coastguard, and Customs and Border Protection. The firm has pioneered the development of technologies designed to enable public safety agencies to fund and operate their own dedicated mobile communications networks.[2] Rivada Networks was founded on July 6, 2004 [3] and its current CEO and chairman is Irish businessman and Libertas Institute founder Declan Ganley.[4]

Related Companies

Rivada Networks is part of a joint venture with Port Graham Development Corporation called Rivada Port Graham Solutions.[5] In April 2012, Rivada Port Graham Solutions was one of 30 prime contractors awarded a contract on the US Secret Service's $3 billion Tactical Communications (TACCOM) contract for the US Department of Homeland Security. Contractors received contracts in one or multiple technical categories, and each indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract has a 2-year base and three 1-year options. Some of the technical categories on the contract include portable/mobile radios, control/base stations, software, upgrades, repeaters, routers, comparator systems, engineering, design, installations, maintenance, frequency managers, spectrum managers and test equipment.[6][7]

Spectrum Patents

In September, 2012 Rivada Networks announced that it had secured three new patents in the USA for technologies that have the potential to improve cellular communication networks and public safety communications capabilities. According to the press release, these patents cover the following methods and technologies.[8]

U.S. Patent No. 8,275,349: "Method and System for Providing Tiered Priority Access to Communication Network Resources" provides emergency response personnel with Tiered Priority Access to cellular communication networks in times of high call volume. This technology will provide public safety personnel absolute priority access to cellular networks during emergencies when increased communication traffic stresses networks.[9]

U.S. Patent No. 8,279,786: "Methods and Systems for Dynamic Spectrum Arbitrage" covers methods that enable government, police, fire and rescue spectrum owners to dynamically 'auction' available surplus radio frequency spectrum to commercial (e.g., cellular), telecommunications and broadband networks.[10]

U.S. Patent No. 8,280,344: "Dynamic Telephone Directory for Wireless Handsets" provides customized contact lists and phone directors for emergency response personnel. This technology will provide public safety personnel with on-phone directories to enable them to reach on-scene and remote leaders, as well as coordinating agencies and resources through their cellular telephones and wireless devices.[11]

Rivada has many more patents in the area of telecommunications, a full list of which can be found here.

Rivada's patented Dynamic Spectrum Arbitrage and Tiered Priority Access (DSATPA) technologies have received recognition as a possible solution to the issue of funding FirstNet's public safety network.[12] According to Rivada CEO Declan Ganley, DSATPA allows unused spectrum to be leased to secondary users through a competitive auction in real-time, with the ability to designate tiered priority access levels to public safety users and to secondary users based on price. When FirstNet users need additional network capacity, secondary users will either be passed to carrier networks or dropped from the network if capacity is not available. The premise of leasing FirstNet spectrum using DSATPA is that it would generate the additional funding needed to build and maintain the FirstNet network while allowing public safety users priority network usage.[13]

References


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