Gateway coordinating multiple small cell radio access networks

A method of coordinating radio access networks (RANs), comprising:

• aggregating communications interfaces between a plurality of RANs and a packet core network through the gateway, a plurality of radio nodes (RNs) in each of the plurality of RANs communicatively coupled to the gateway and to user equipment (UE) devices associated with the plurality of RNs in each of the plurality of RANs;
• controlling and coordinating, with the gateway, mobility of the UE devices within and among the plurality of RANs;
• acting, with the gateway, as a virtual enhanced NodeB (eNB) to the packet core network to hide the aggregated communications interfaces from the packet core network, and
• conducting a hand-in or hand-out event between a macro cell and one of the plurality of access controller instances without signaling the packet core network;
• wherein at least two RANs of the plurality of RANs operate in accordance with different protocols.

A method of coordinating radio access networks (RANs), comprising:

• aggregating, with a gateway comprising a plurality of access controller instances, communications interfaces between a plurality of RANs and a packet core network through the gateway, a plurality of radio nodes (RNs) in each of the plurality of RANs communicatively coupled to the gateway and to user equipment (UE) devices associated with the plurality of RNs in each of the plurality of RANs;
• controlling with the gateway, mobility of the UE devices within and among the plurality of RANs;
• acting, with the gateway, as a virtual enhanced NodeB (eNB) to the packet core network to hide the aggregated communications interfaces from the packet core network;
• and
• reducing call setup times by combining a plurality of control plane messages between one RN of the plurality of RNs and a service node (SN) instance to which the one RN is respectively assigned.