Abstract: In one aspect of the teachings herein, a controlling gateway and an associated radio access point are configured for operation in a radio access network and use a radio protocol stack that is split on the network side between the gateway and the access point, for conveying radio bearer traffic going between the radio access network and a wireless device. According to methods and apparatuses disclosed, the radio protocol entities affected by the stack split communicate using Internet Protocol, IP, sessions. Advantageously, the radio bearer traffic conveyed over the split stack maps to different IP sessions in dependence on any one or more of network capabilities, various isolation or privacy requirements associated with the device and/or traffic, the types of data being conveyed, the types of radio bearers involved, and the involved Radio Link Control, RLC, operating modes.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for exchanging network connection access technology information amongst nodes in a communication network. An access point such as a router can include an indication of the access technology used for its network connection in a message for the end-user network device (e.g LTE). The network device can connect to the router using a different access technology (e.g. WLAN) for its local connection, nut exploits the router's network access technology information received to determine the own behaviour (e.g. stop applications or software updates).

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for exchanging network connection access technology information amongst nodes in a communication network. An access point device such as a router can include an indication of the access technology used for its network connection in a local network advertisement message. A network device can connect to the router using one type of access technology, but use the router's network access technology type to determine its operating information.

Abstract: A base station and wireless device, as well as corresponding methods, for Information Centric Networking (ICN) based communications with radio bearers, to provide a means for using ICN bearers in parallel with standard Packet Data Network (PDN) bearers.

Abstract: In one aspect of the teachings herein, a radio node provides a local loopback mode of operation in at least some operational instances, in which it loops “local” traffic between wireless devices operating within a local radio cell or cells, rather than forwarding such traffic along to a controlling gateway for handling. The wireless devices operating within the cell(s) and involved in the loopback operation switch over from symmetric encryption that involves the controlling gateway as a secure endpoint for their traffic, to asymmetric or public-private key pair encryption. The radio node uses a correspondingly derived loopback encryption key to enable security on the loopback traffic flow between the involved local devices. Use of the loopback encryption key means that the radio node need not know or otherwise have access to the symmetric encryption keys used by the involved devices and the controlling gateway for “normal” non-loopback operation.

Abstract: A method for providing a parser by a network node, which includes a table defining a plurality of rules and a plurality of match fields required for extraction from an incoming data packet header in order to apply each of the respective rules is described. The method comprises determining at least one occurrence in the table of a first match field that requires extraction; and determining a parser for use in accordance with the at least one determined occurrence of the first match field. Furthermore, the step of determining at least one occurrence of the first match field comprises initializing a counter associated with the first match field and incrementing the counter for each of the plurality of rules that requires extraction of the first match field. And the step of determining a parser comprises determining the parser for use in accordance with the counter. A network node for carrying this method is also described.

Abstract: Example embodiments presented herein are directed towards a Connected Vehicle Small Cell Gateway (CVSC GW) and a backhaul user equipment, as well as corresponding methods therein, for providing a multiple operator radio access in-vehicle split femtocell in a wireless communications network.

Abstract: In one aspect of the teachings herein, a controlling gateway and an associated radio access point are configured for operation in a radio access network and use a radio protocol stack that is split on the network side between the gateway and the access point, for conveying radio bearer traffic going between the radio access network and a wireless device. According to methods and apparatuses disclosed, the radio protocol entities affected by the stack split communicate using Internet Protocol, IP, sessions. Advantageously, the radio bearer traffic conveyed over the split stack maps to different IP sessions in dependence on any one or more of network capabilities, various isolation or privacy requirements associated with the device and/or traffic, the types of data being conveyed, the types of radio bearers involved, and the involved Radio Link Control, RLC, operating modes.

Abstract: In one aspect of the teachings herein, a radio node provides a local loopback mode of operation in at least some operational instances, in which it loops “local” traffic between wireless devices operating within a local radio cell or cells, rather than forwarding such traffic along to a controlling gateway for handling. The wireless devices operating within the cell(s) and involved in the loopback operation switch over from symmetric encryption that involves the controlling gateway as a secure endpoint for their traffic, to asymmetric or public-private key pair encryption. The radio node uses a correspondingly derived loopback encryption key to enable security on the loopback traffic flow between the involved local devices. Use of the loopback encryption key means that the radio node need not know or otherwise have access to the symmetric encryption keys used by the involved devices and the controlling gateway for “normal” non-loopback operation.

Abstract: The present invention faces the issue of coordinating the policy control for a hybrid access gateway, HAG, and a hybrid customer premises equipment, HCPE, which may access a core network through a fixed network and a mobile network. The present invention provides for a method of controlling these policies and basically comprising: transmitting, from a policy server to a configuration server, configuration data to obtain a first policy to be applied at the HCPE to trigger traffic distribution at the HCPE; obtaining at the configuration server, and by using the received configuration data, the first policy to be applied at the HCPE; installing, from the configuration server to the HCPE, the first policy to trigger traffic distribution at the HCPE; and installing, from the policy server to the HAG, a second policy to be applied at the HAG to trigger traffic distribution at the HAG.

Abstract: A system and method for steering traffic through a set of services is provided. A service path or service chain is assigned to a received packet based on a classification of the packet and correlation of the packet with a traffic flow. A new service chain identifier can be created if no such correlation exists. A next service type and a particular instance of the next service type can be determined in accordance with the service chain identifier. A next destination for the traffic can be set in accordance with the instance of the next service.

Abstract: An edge node of an Access/Network Service Provider (ANP) network tracks the delivery into the ANP network of content from Contzzent Providers (CP), and generates accounting sessions with an accounting server. The edge node is provisioned with the IP addresses of known CP servers. A content delivery session, characterized by a CP IP address and a content identifier, such as a Differentiated Service Code Point (DSCP) value, is started upon the source IP address of a packet matching a known CP, and a packet count is incremented for each subsequent packet from the CP with the same content identifier. An accounting session is initiated with an accounting server when the content delivery session is started, and the accounting session is terminated, with the packet count for the session, upon a time-out since the last packet received. Multiple content delivery sessions may be ongoing simultaneously.

Abstract: A system and method for steering traffic through a set of services is provided. A service path or service chain is assigned to a received packet based on a classification of the packet and correlation of the packet with a traffic flow. A new service chain identifier can be created if no such correlation exists. A next service type and a particular instance of the next service type can be determined in accordance with the service chain identifier. A next destination for the traffic can be set in accordance with the instance of the next service.

Abstract: A system and method for steering traffic through a set of services is provided. A service path or service chain is assigned to a received packet based on a classification of the packet and correlation of the packet with a traffic flow. A new service chain identifier can be created if no such correlation exists. A next service type and a particular instance of the next service type can be determined in accordance with the service chain identifier. A next destination for the traffic can be set in accordance with the instance of the next service.

Abstract: A base station and wireless device, as well as corresponding methods, for Information Centric Networking (ICN) based communications with radio bearers, to provide a means for using ICN bearers in parallel with standard Packet Data Network (PDN) bearers.

Abstract: In one aspect, the teachings herein provide point-to-point communication between all the virtual machines (VMs) belonging to the same tenant in a cloud-based virtual network environment without using any intermediate routing functions, and while providing full virtualization at the L2 and L3 levels. That is, the approach preserves completely isolated address spaces for each tenant at both L2 and L3 levels and supports multiple subnets for each tenant, and thereby allows tenants to define their own virtual networks without requiring the addition of expensive centralized routing and without requiring inter-subnet communications for the same tenant to traverse sub-optimal paths, as happens with software-based routers implemented in one of the VMs belonging to the tenant.

Abstract: A method of enhancing Quality of Experience (QoE) associated with an application flow for an end-user in a communication network comprises: receiving a packet belonging to the application flow, the packet comprising QoE information determined based on previous packets exchanged within the application flow; decoding the QoE information from the received packet; and adjusting a QoS mechanism for the packet, based on the decoded QoE information for enhancing the QoE of the application flow. A network node for carrying out this method is disclosed. Also, a method for relaying QoE associated with an application flow for an end-user in a communication network comprises: receiving packets belonging to the application flow; calculating QoE information based on the received packets; and sending the calculated QoE information back to the communication network, the QoE information being included in a packet belonging to the application flow. A network node for carrying out this method is disclosed.

Abstract: A system and method for virtualizing a flow switch to be used by application providers in a cloud computing environment is provided. An application provider's packet handling rules are received by a cloud management system. The rules are translated from the application provider's overlay topology to the underlay data center topology. The underlay network elements involved in the received rules can be identified. A translated rule can be decomposed into a plurality of rule portions which are transmitted to the appropriate underlay network elements.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes methods and apparatus for differentiating subscriber devices of a subscriber hidden by a network address translation device and enables traffic flow steering on a per device basis rather than a per subscriber basis. Identification of subscriber devices is achieved by assigning a reserved set of external ports to each subscriber device. Different service paths can be defined for different subscriber devices to provide a subscriber with a different experience for each subscriber device of the subscriber.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes methods and apparatus for differentiating subscriber devices of a subscriber hidden by a network address translation device and enables traffic flow steering on a per device basis rather than a per subscriber basis. Identification of subscriber devices is achieved by assigning a reserved set of external ports to each subscriber device. Different service paths can be defined for different subscriber devices to provide a subscriber with a different experience for each subscriber device of the subscriber.