Data gateway selection for wireless user equipment (UE) handover

A wireless communication network to handover a wireless User Equipment (UE), the wireless communication network comprising:

• a Fifth Generation (5G) access node configured to wirelessly exchange user data with the wireless UE and exchange the user data with a 5G User Plane Function (UPF);
• the 5G UPF configured to exchange the user data with the 5G access node and exchange the user data with another data communication system;
• a 5G Core (5GC) configured to identify a handover of the wireless UE from the 5G access node to a Long Term Evolution (LTE) access node, and in response, to select an LTE Gateway Identifier (GW ID) for an LTE gateway (LTE GW) comprising a System Evolution Architecture Gateway User Plane (SAE GW-U) and an SAE GW Control Plane (SAE GW-C), wherein the LTE GW is physically co-located with the 5G UPF, select an SAE GW-U identifier (SAE GW-U ID) for the SAE GW-U that is co-located with the 5G UPF, and transfer handover signaling indicating the LTE GW ID and an LTE access node ID to an LTE Mobility Management Entity (MME);
• the LTE MME configured to receive the network signaling indicating the LTE GW ID and the LTE access node ID, and in response, transfer access signaling to the LTE access node and transfer session signaling to the LTE gateway without accessing a Domain Name System (DNS) to identify the LTE gateway;
• the LTE access node configured to wirelessly exchange additional user data with the wireless UE and exchange the additional user data with the LTE GW in response to the access signaling;
• and
• the LTE gateway configured to exchange the additional user data with the LTE access node and exchange the additional user data with the other data communication network in response to the session signaling.