Maintenance of high-speed channels by inserting channel maintenance data in a mobile data network to avoid channel type switching

A method for processing data packets in a mobile data network that includes a radio access network coupled to a core network, the method comprising the steps of:

• (A) a plurality of antennas sending and receiving network messages between user equipment and a plurality of basestations in the radio access network, each basestation communicating with a corresponding one of the plurality of antennas;
• (B) a first service mechanism in the radio access network that performs the steps of:
• defining an existing first data path in the radio access network for non-broken out data;
• defining a second data path for broken out data;
• identifying first data received from a corresponding basestation as data to be broken out;
• sending the first data on the second data path;
• and
• forwarding other data that is not broken out on the first data path;
• performing a first service for network messages in the radio access network based on the first data;
• and
• injecting a first plurality of channel maintenance data packets into an uplink data stream in the radio access network;
• (C) a second service mechanism in the core network that performs the steps of:
• monitoring network messages in the core network;
• and
• providing a second service for the network messages in the mobile data network;
• and
• injecting a second plurality of channel maintenance data packets into a downlink data stream in the core network.