System and Method for Providing Mobile Wireless Data Network Connectivity Via Vehicle-Installed Small Cell

A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer executable instructions facilitating managing in-vehicle small cell gateway (IV-SCG) connections with a mobile wireless device supporting multiple data communications data paths to a broadband network data resource, the computer-executable instructions facilitating performing the steps of:

• registering, by a home IV-SCG, a mobile wireless device co-located with a vehicle containing the home IV-SCG;
• maintaining, by the home IV-SCG, a neighboring SCG list identifying a set of neighboring SCG nodes, wherein each one of the set of neighboring SCG nodes is a potential candidate for establishing a connection with the home IV-SCG forming a link along a data communications path between the home IV-SCG and the broadband network data resource;
• detecting, for an existing session between the home IV-SCG and a mobile wireless device using a current data communications path between the home IV-SCG and the broadband network data resource, a triggering condition causing the home IV-SCG to seek out an alternative data communications path for the current data communications path, wherein the alternative data communications path between the home IV-SCG and the broadband network data resource includes a link between the home IV-SCG and one of the set of neighboring SCG nodes;
• selecting, by the home IV-SCG from the neighboring SCG list, a partner neighboring SCG, through which the alternative communications path passes, based upon a handover criterion, wherein the handover criterion is based upon at least a capacity of individual ones of the set of neighboring SCG nodes to support current data communication requirements of the mobile wireless device registered with the home IV-SCG;
• and
• initiating building, by the home IV-SCG in response to the selecting, the alternative data communications path including a link between the home IV-SCG and the selected partner neighboring SCG.

A home in-vehicle small cell gateway (IV-SCG) node, for managing IV-SCG connections with a mobile wireless device supporting multiple data communications data paths to a broadband network data resource, the home IV-SCG node comprising:

• a mobile wireless interface;
• a processor;
• and
• a non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions facilitating performing, by the home-IV SCG the steps of:
• registering, by a home IV-SCG, a mobile wireless device co-located with a vehicle containing the home IV-SCG;
• maintaining, by the home IV-SCG, a neighboring SCG list identifying a set of neighboring SCG nodes, wherein each one of the set of neighboring SCG nodes is a potential candidate for establishing a connection with the home IV-SCG forming a link along a data communications path between the home IV-SCG and the broadband network data resource;
• detecting, for an existing session between the home IV-SCG and a mobile wireless device using a current data communications path between the home IV-SCG and the broadband network data resource, a triggering condition causing the home IV-SCG to seek out an alternative data communications path for the current data communications path, wherein the alternative data communications path between the home IV-SCG and the broadband network data resource includes a link between the home IV-SCG and one of the set of neighboring SCG nodes;
• selecting, by the home IV-SCG from the neighboring SCG list, a partner neighboring SCG, through which the alternative communications path passes, based upon a handover criterion, wherein the handover criterion is based upon at least a capacity of individual ones of the set of neighboring SCG nodes to support current data communication requirements of the mobile wireless device registered with the home IV-SCG;
• and
• initiating building, by the home IV-SCG in response to the selecting, the alternative data communications path including a link between the home IV-SCG and the selected partner neighboring SCG.