Abstract: A communication system comprises a remote optimization server and a central optimization server adapted to communicate with each via a backhaul network. The central optimization server communicates with core network elements for data delivery. The servers provide access to local data servers, manage backhaul links, perform data caching, and optimize transmission of data that needs to be back-hauled in order to reduce data transfer via the backhaul network in a manner which is transparent to users and to core network elements. The servers perform compression and protocol optimization. The remote optimization server comprises a HTTP accelerator which uses client and server side optimization functions to retrieve a bundle of resources associated with a request for base HTML, and maintains a set of persistent connections over which all HTTP traffic is carried.