Push based services in a mobile data network with data breakout at the edge

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 one of the plurality of basestations that performs the steps of:
• 1) defining an existing first data path in the radio access network for non-broken out data;
• 2) defining a second data path for broken out data;
• 3) identifying first data received from a corresponding basestation as data to be broken out;
• 4) sending the first data on the second data path, wherein sending the first data on the second data path comprises a PDP context with a user equipment (UE);
• 5) forwarding other data that is not broken out on the first data path;
• 6) placing the PDP context with the UE into a preserved state;
• 7) receiving from a push based data service in the mobile data network for the UE with the PDP context in the preserved state;
• 8) determining that the push data is for the UE in the preserved state;
• 9) triggering a mobile data network paging procedure in the core network to establish a data bearer to download the push data to the user equipment in the idle state;
• 10) downloading the push data to the user equipment on the data bearer;
• 11) wherein the step of placing the PDP context that is broken out into a preserved state comprises:
• a) establishing a PDP context with a UE and breaking out at the first mechanism;
• b) placing the broken out PDP context into a preserved state;
• releasing a radio resource control connection for the PDP context;
• c) deleting the PDP context;
• and
• d) maintaining a network address translation (NATed) internet protocol (IP) address;
• 12) wherein the first service mechanism further comprises an Iub data offload gateway (Iub DOGW), and wherein the step of triggering the mobile data network paging procedure in the core network to establish a data bearer comprises:
• e) forwarding the receive push data to a gateway general packet radio service support node (GGSN) after replacing the NATed address with the original GGSN provided UE IP address;
• f) buffering push data until an “Initiate Data Flow Indication” from the Iub DOGW arrives;
• g) the UE establishing a radio resource control (RRC) connection between itself and a radio network controller (RNC);
• h) the UE sending a “Service Request” message to the core network and upon establishment of a signaling connection and the receipt of the a “Service Request” message the Iub DOGW registers the UE with the first service mechanism;
• i) establishing a radio bearer in the network for this PDP context;
• j) sending the original NATed IP address allocated by the Iub DOGW to the Iub DOGW for this PDP context;
• k) correlating the original NATed IP address with the UE and new radio bearer connection;
• l) sending “Initiate Data Flow Indication” to the push mechanism at the first mechanism;
• and
• m) downloading push data to the UE on the radio bearer.