Abstract: A system leveraging the authentication control plane of a communications network to influence the associated Network Service header (NSH) values on a per subscriber packet basis; thus presenting a subscriber aware service chain header on which influences the processing of virtualized network function (VNF). This system implements vendor specific attributes (VSA) within the authentication provider platform to create an association of subscriber identity which may include MAC address, MAC and IP address as a tuple, circuit identifier string, realm based authentication data, IMSI, in part or in addition to leveraging DHCP Relay information sub options that may be present, which when processed inherit one or multiple vendor specific attributes from the authentication platform.

Abstract: A method for providing functionality to customer premises equipment including detecting one or more customer premises connected to a wide area network (WAN), wherein each customer premises includes a plurality of customer premises equipment (CPE) devices, a local area network (LAN) connecting each of the CPE devices, and an external network communications device for connecting the LAN to the WAN; virtualizing each CPE device from each customer premises to define a plurality of vCPE devices; and providing functionality to the CPE devices via respective vCPE devices. A system for implementing the method is also disclosed.