Tiered wireless, multi-modal access system and method

An auto-reconfigurable, multi-modal portable access device for providing desired communication services by accessing wirelessly a telecommunication system via one of a plurality of wireless wide band gateways using a conventional cellular protocol and by communicating wirelessly with other access devices using a low power type protocol wherein each of the other access devices is similarly auto-reconfigurable, multi-modal and portable and is capable of accessing wirelessly the communication system via one of the plurality of wireless wide band gateways using a conventional cellular protocol and is capable of communicating wirelessly with the other auto-reconfigurable, multi-modal portable access devices using a low power type protocol;

• said portable access device comprising:
• a memory unit for storing a first protocol program data set adapted to implement the conventional cellular protocol and a second protocol program data set adapted to implement the low power type protocol;
• a frequency and protocol agile transceiver circuit configured to access the wireless wide band gateways and the other auto-reconfigurable multi-modal portable access devices in response to first and second command signals, respectively;
• and
• an access device controller, coupled with said memory unit and said frequency and protocol agile transceiver circuit, for providing a first command signal to said frequency and protocol agile transceiver circuit to cause said frequency and protocol agile transceiver circuit to access one of the wide band gateways using the conventional cellular protocol by implementing the first protocol program data set retrieved from said memory unit and for providing a second command signal to the frequency and protocol agile transceiver circuit to access wirelessly one or more of the other auto-reconfigurable, multi-modal, portable access devices to form an ad hoc grouping of said access devices using the low power type protocol by implementing the second protocol program data set retrieved from said memory unit whereby a desired communication service may be acquired while making the most efficient use of scarce radio spectrum and maximizing the overall communication capability of the telecommunication system.