System and method using local wireless network for group communications

1. A method for communicating group call information, the method comprising;

establishing a group call communication session between a wireless communication infrastructure and a plurality of communication units;

identifying, among said plurality of communication units in said group call communication session, a master communication unit and at least one slave communication unit capable of communication with said master communication unit via a local wireless communication protocol;

communicating a slave status notification to said wireless communication infrastructure using a long range wireless communication protocol, said slave status notification comprising an identifier for said at least one slave communication unit;

communicating, during said group call communication session, group call information from the wireless communication infrastructure to the master communication unit, and exclusive of communication to said at least one slave communication unit, using said long range wireless communication protocol;

redistributing the group call information from the master communication unit to the at least one slave communication unit using said local wireless communication protocol;

communicating a termination notification from said at least one slave communication unit to said wireless communication infrastructure when said at least one slave communication unit is not capable of communication with said master communication unit via said local wireless communication protocol, said termination notification comprising an identifier for said at least one slave communication unit; and

subsequent to said communicating said termination notification, continuing to communicate said group call information, using said long range communication protocol, from said wireless communication infrastructure to the at least one slave communication unit that corresponds to said identifier.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said identifying comprises determining that said master communication unit and said at least one slave communication unit are capable of communicating via said local wireless communication protocol based on geographic location information.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2 , further comprising:

communicating said termination notification from said at least one slave communication unit to said wireless communication infrastructure via said long range wireless communication protocol.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising forming an ad hoc local wireless communication network between the master communication unit and the at least one slave communication unit.

5. A method in accordance with claim 4 further comprising confirming that the master communication unit and the at least one slave communication units unit are authorized to communicate using the ad hoc local wireless communication network.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the plurality of communication units comprise land mobile radios.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the plurality of communication units comprise cellular communication devices.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the plurality of communication units are configured to communicate in a communication system providing only single stream data communications to each of the plurality of communication units during a group call.

9. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the local wireless communication protocol is one of a Bluetooth protocol and a wireless local area network (WLAN) communication protocol.

10. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the plurality of communication units are within a single communication cell.

11. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said at least one slave communication unit communicates said slave status notification to said wireless communication infrastructure via said long range wireless communication protocol, exclusive of said short-range wireless communication protocol.

12. A method in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising:

maintaining, in said wireless communication infrastructure, a list of slave communication units in said group call communication session;

receiving said slave status notification comprising said identifier; and

in response to said receiving, updating said list to include said identifier.

13. A wireless communication system comprising:

a plurality of mobile communication units each configured to communicate on a group call and communicate using a local wireless protocol, said plurality of mobile communication units comprising a master communication unit and at least one slave communication unit;

a wireless communication infrastructure including a controller configured to establish a group call communication session with said plurality of mobile communication units using a long range wireless communication protocol, to receive a slave status notification comprising an identifier for said at least one slave communication unit, and to use said group call communication session to communicate group call information to the master communication unit during the group call, and exclusive of communication to said at least one slave communication unit, using said long range wireless communication protocol;

wherein the master communication unit is configured to communicate the group call information received from the controller during said group call communication session, to the at least one slave communication unit using the local wireless protocol;

wherein said at least one slave communication unit is configured to communicate a termination notification from said at least one slave communication unit to said wireless communication infrastructure when said at least one slave communication unit is not capable of communication with said master communication unit via said local wireless communication protocol, said termination notification comprising an identifier for said at least one slave communication unit; and

wherein the wireless communication infrastructure is configured to continue to communicate said group call information to the at least one slave communication unit that corresponds to said identifier subsequent to receiving said termination notification, and using said long range communication protocol.

14. A wireless communication system in accordance with claim 13 wherein the local wireless protocol comprises one of a Bluetooth protocol and a wireless local area network (WLAN) communication protocol.

15. A wireless communication system in accordance with claim 13 wherein the plurality of mobile communication units are within a single communication cell.

16. A wireless communication system in accordance with claim 15 wherein each of the plurality of mobile communication units is configured to determine whether it is within a predetermined range of another one of said plurality of mobile communication units.

17. A wireless communication system in accordance with claim 13 wherein the plurality of mobile communication units are configured to communicate using one of a land mobile radio protocol and a cellular protocol.

18. A wireless communication system in accordance with claim 17 wherein the land mobile radio protocol comprises an Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) protocol.

19. A wireless communication system in accordance with claim 13 wherein the plurality of mobile communication units comprise one of land mobile radios and cellular telephone handsets.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions thereon configured to instruct a processor to:

establish a group call communication session between a wireless communication infrastructure and a plurality of mobile communication units comprising a master communication unit and at least one slave communication unit, using a long range wireless communication protocol;

receive a slave status notification comprising an identifier for said at least one slave communication unit;

facilitate communication, during said group call communication session, of group call information from the wireless communication infrastructure to said master communication unit, and exclusive of communication to said at least one slave communication unit, using said long range wireless communication protocol;

facilitate redistribution of the group call information from the master communication unit to the at least one slave communication unit using said local wireless communication protocol;

receive a termination notification from said at least one slave communication unit using said wireless communication infrastructure when said at least one slave communication unit is not capable of communication with said master communication unit via said local wireless communication protocol, said termination notification comprising an identifier for said at least one slave communication unit; and

subsequent to receiving said termination notification, facilitating continued communication of said group call information, using said long range communication protocol, from said wireless communication infrastructure to the at least one slave communication unit that corresponds to said identifier.