Abstract: Systems and methods are provided that allow inter-working between communication networks for the delivery of service to mobile nodes. A gateway is provided that communicates with a femto cell to extend service to an area that otherwise does not receive coverage from a service provider. The femto cell is a small scale base station used to provide coverage over a small area (such as a home or business), and connect to a home or enterprise network. The femto cell provides service for a mobile node and a gateway permits communication over a broadband network. The gateway integrates the mobile nodes connecting via a femto cell into the service provider's network. The gateway also allows provisioning of services and applications, control of service levels, and provides seamless handoffs to marco base stations and other types of access technologies such as Wi-Fi.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided that allow inter-working between communication networks for the delivery of service to mobile nodes. A gateway is provided that communicates with a femto cell to extend service to an area that otherwise does not receive coverage from a service provider. The femto cell is a small scale base station used to provide coverage over a small area (such as a home or business), and connect to a home or enterprise network. The femto cell provides service for a mobile node and a gateway permits communication over a broadband network. The gateway integrates the mobile nodes connecting via a femto cell into the service provider's network. The gateway also allows provisioning of services and applications, control of service levels, and provides seamless handoffs to macro base stations and other types of access technologies such as Wi-Fi.

Abstract: Systems and methods for intercepting and redirecting requests are provided. More particularly, certain information is identified in a packet and the packet is redirected to a specified server. The information that is redirected may be bound for a server in a network that a mobile node is currently visiting, and it is advantageous to fulfill the request in another network instead. The request is redirected to the other network; however, the response to the request may be modified changing the source address and other information so that the response appears to have originated from the server in the visited network to which the mobile node sent the request. Load balancing may also be incorporated when redirecting requests from one or more mobile nodes.

Abstract: Systems and methods for bridging packet flows to bypass call legs and/or tunnels are provided. A tunnel initiator, which can be an access gateway, a foreign agent, and a mobility anchor point, for example, provides a bypass for certain packets that have a destination serviced by the same tunnel initiator. The bridge allows the packets to bypass a backhaul loop and reduces latency and frees bandwidth for other purposes in the network. The bridging can be implemented in a tunnel initiator for mobile to mobile packet flows, mobile to land line packet flows, and land line to mobile packet flows. Route optimization can also be provided in certain embodiments.

Abstract: A system and method for providing services to packet flows in a communication network. The services include enhanced charging, stateful firewalls, traffic performance optimization (TPO) and advanced services such as content differentiated charging, per-subscriber stateful firewalls, and VPNs, for example. A gateway can be used to route each packet flow through the services on a per-subscriber basis by inspecting accounting messages and checking subscriber profiles prior to setting up a new packet flow session. By directing the packet flow through the services requested latency can be reduced as well as the need to have equipment for each session regardless of whether the service is provided to the packet flow. The services can be provided in-line as well.

Abstract: A selection mechanism and a selection process are disclosed that provide the selection of a network device based on defined criteria to allow efficient use of the network and load balancing. In one embodiment, a method is disclosed that includes receiving an initial attachment at a gateway including an identifier of a radio attachment point, obtaining a name for the radio attachment point based on the identifier, accessing a list of names of packet data network gateways (PGWs) that can serve the initial attachment to provide a network connection, comparing the name for the radio attachment point with the list of names of the PGWs to determine at least one PGW that provides a closest match to the name for the radio attachment point, and selecting at least one PGW that provides the closest match to establish the network connection.

Abstract: Systems and methods for improved inter-technology handovers between wireless networks are disclosed, in which a source radio access network operates on a first technology and a target radio access network operates on a second technology, and both radio access networks are managed at a single packet serving gateway. A foreign agent receives a mobile subscriber identifier during a handover of a mobile device from the source radio access network to the target radio access network and sends the mobile subscriber identifier to the packet serving gateway, and the packet serving gateway locates at least one process instance running on the packet serving gateway that is routing existing packet flows to the mobile device based on the mobile subscriber identifier. The packet serving gateway then transfers control of the at least one process to a control process.

Abstract: Systems and methods for bridging packet flows to bypass call legs and/or tunnels are provided. A tunnel initiator, which can be an access gateway, a foreign agent, and a mobility anchor point, for example, provides a bypass for certain packets that have a destination serviced by the same tunnel initiator. The bridge allows the packets to bypass a backhaul loop and reduces latency and frees bandwidth for other purposes in the network. The bridging can be implemented in a tunnel initiator for mobile to mobile packet flows, mobile to land line packet flows, and land line to mobile packet flows. Route optimization can also be provided in certain embodiments.

Abstract: A system and method for providing services to packet flows in a communication network. The services include enhanced charging, stateful firewalls, traffic performance optimization (TPO) and advanced services such as content differentiated charging, per-subscriber stateful firewalls, and VPNs, for example. A gateway can be used to route each packet flow through the services on a per-subscriber basis by inspecting accounting messages and checking subscriber profiles prior to setting up a new packet flow session. By directing the packet flow through the services requested latency can be reduced as well as the need to have equipment for each session regardless of whether the service is provided to the packet flow. The services can be provided in-line as well.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed that provide self management of network devices in a communication network. These management abilities allow a network device to perform functions, for example, that improve resource distribution, allow for maintenance and upgrades, and provide session management and policy enforcement in a coherent and organized fashion. In a self organizing network (SON), some network devices can be configured to provide self-configuration and self-optimizing capabilities to provide the ability to automate certain operations and management functions and system management functions. The SON incorporates self-configuration, self-optimization, monitoring, and operation management to allow the network devices to be inserted into the network and operate with little to no human intervention.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided to allow detection of the load conditions on network devices. The load detection can occur using a mobility management device to track establishment of sessions and attempts at session establishment to determine the loading conditions on various network devices. This information can then be used by a selection logic to determine which devices are selected to send session establishment messaging for new session establishment requests. This can provide quicker setup times as highly loaded network devices or network devices experiences other failures are selected less until conditions are back to normal.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided that allow network resources to be shared across geographical distances. This can be achieved by changing the resources available for establishing and handling call or data session processing in an area. A mobility management device can alone or in combination with a DNS server change the size or the resource pool available in some embodiments. The change in resources can be dynamic according to certain predefined conditions or can be setup beforehand to account for daily demand. This sharing of resources can allow more efficient usage of resources available across a geographic region, rather than needed to over-provision each region to account for peak demands.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing operations and management functions at a gateway in a communications network are disclosed. These management abilities allow the gateway to perform functions that improve resource distribution, allow for maintenance and upgrades, and provide session management and policy enforcement at the gateway. In some embodiments, a serving gateway (SGW) initiates a bearer or session change and subsequently sends a bearer request message to a mobility management entity (MME). In other embodiments, an SGW may exchange information with an MME, a second SGW or a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) using a private extension to an echo message. In other embodiments, an SGW may feature a command line interface that can be used to instruct the SGW to not accept new calls or sessions, or to take itself out of service.

Abstract: Location reporting in long term evolution (LTE) wireless networks is provided. Systems and methods are disclosed to provide support of location reporting and messaging at a mobility management entity (MME) to allow location updates to serving gateways (SGWs) and packet data network gateways (PGWs), and for the SGWs and PGWs to activate and de-activate location reporting. The MME also supports detection and communication with the LTE radio access network to provide location reporting back to the communication network. The MME and the accompanying messaging can provide location reporting including enhanced cell global identity (ECGI) and tracking area identity (TAI) information.

Abstract: Systems and methods for call localization are provided. The call localization can be provided in a radio access network by detecting a call flow between mobile node such as user equipment (UE) served by the same radio access network device. For example, a gateway can detect a call localization opportunity and the call can be localized with an evolved nodeB (eNB). The method provides for efficient routing, reporting of billing information, lawful monitoring, and mobility if one or both user equipment leave the common eNB.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to systems and methods for paging devices in a communication network. A network device providing mobility management through control messaging can be assigned a number of cell sites in a tracking area. The network device such as a mobility management entity (MME) can use a criteria or heuristic based implementation to provide a hierarchy for contacting a mobile device with a page. The criteria or heuristic based implementation can page a subset of the total number of cell sites in a tracking area and expand the subset after unsuccessful attempts to page the mobile device. The implementation can also be tailored to offer a range of options for page requests received by a network device, which can be based on such things as the application sending the page request.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for providing service redundancy among devices in a communication network. The devices can be, for example, a mobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (SGW), a PDN gateway (P-GW), a call session control function (CSCF), a SGSN, a GGSN, or any other device implemented on a chassis. The redundancy includes a geographic redundancy where the devices are remotely located from one another to prevent a service outage. The devices can provide redundancy to multiple other devices, such that one device serves as a backup to multiple other devices. The information used to provide service to a mobile node such as user equipment can be backed up on the redundancy device and the device can advertise the same routing information to the network so the network is unaware of any change.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed that provide accounting in an access gateway of a communication network. Logic can be implemented in an access gateway to provide accounting in an access gateway when the data is tunneled or encapsulated by a protocol when passing through the access gateway. The access gateway can perform inspections on the data to determine what portions of the data are user payload data and be included in a count and what portions of the data can be ignored, such as control packets and overhead information on the packet. The logic can also be deployed in next generation networks, such as long-term evolution, to provide accounting at the access gateway in some situations.

Abstract: A network system for communicating with mobile nodes has multiple gateways that can operate with each using a different access technology. In an IPv6 system, the access gateways each provide an interface identifier to the mobile nodes using the same one or more keys and hash so that different the same interface identifier regardless of the access technology used. The access gateways can have multiple options for using keys and/or hashes to provide an interface identifier such that the method for determining the interface identifier is configurable.

Abstract: The functionalities of one or more of a mobility management entity (MME), serving gateway (SGW), and packet data network gateway (PGW) can be provided in a single device on the network. In the access gateway different functional elements are implemented as services and they can be configured on the same device. For example, the SGW and PGW can be configured on the same device. When user equipment UE connects from a home network, it is possible for the MME to choose the same SGW and PGW. This combined SGW and PGW can implement a single session for the UE, thereby capable of providing a savings in resources, allowing additional capacity, and allowing reduced latency and increased throughput because fewer hops are made on the network. This session acts as a SGW on the ingress side and a PGW on the egress side of the access gateway.