Method for aggregating data traffic over an access domain and nodes therefor

A method for performing aggregation of data traffic over an access domain, the access domain carrying data traffic between a plurality of service providers domains and user domains, the method comprising steps of:

• establishing a plurality of service agents in an access edge node, each of the service agents corresponding to one of the service provider domains, and maintaining and controlling a Virtual Local Area Network per service provider domain over the access domain;
• upon reception at the access edge node of a service request related message, the service request related message identifying one of the service provider domains and one of the user domains, determining whether one of the established service agents corresponds to the required service provider domain, and if one of the established service agents corresponds to the identified service provider domain:
• creating at the access edge node a service binding for the received service request related message, the service binding including identity of the corresponding service agent, identified user domain information and access domain transport primitives;
• informing an access node responsible for providing access to the identified user domains to the access domain of the creating of the service binding;
• and
• aggregating data traffic between the identified user domain and the identified service provider in accordance with the created service binding.

An access node for aggregating data traffic over an access domain, the access domain carrying data traffic between user domains and service provider domains, the access node comprising:

• an input/output for receiving data traffic from the user domains and for forwarding data traffic received from the user domains over the access domain;
• an aggregator that stores information on existing service bindings over the access domain, the information including for each service binding an identification of the service binding, identity of a user domain, with an identity of a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) over the access domain corresponding to a service provider domain, wherein the access node maintains and controls a VLAN per service provider domain;
• and
• a controller for determining, upon receipt of data traffic from one of the user domains whether that data traffic corresponds to one of the existing service bindings by comparing user domain identity in the aggregator, and if the user domain identity correspond to one of the existing service binding, informing the input/output to aggregate that received data traffic over the access domain in accordance with the corresponding service binding.