Methods and apparatus for data traffic offloading at a router

A router, physically separated from a gateway, comprising:

• an interface that is configured to provide communication with a base station, the gateway, and an Internet, to receive a first packet from the base station and transmit the first packet to the gateway, and further configured to receive a second packet from the gateway and transmit the second packet to the base station;
• a module that is configured to:
• receive a discovery message from the gateway,
• send, to the gateway, an offload query message including an indication that the router serves packets selected by the gateway to be offloaded,
• receive an offloading instruction message from the gateway, the offloading instruction message including an identification of the selected packets to be offloaded to the Internet,
• inspect the first packet to determine that an identification of the first packet matches the identification of the selected packets in the offloading instruction message,
• de-capsulate the first packet,
• translate a network address in the de-capsulated first packet, and
• offload the de-capsulated and network-address-translated first packet to the Internet.

Logic encoded on one or more non-transitory tangible media for execution and when executed operable to cause an apparatus to:

• receive a discovery message from a gateway;
• send an offload query message including an indication that the apparatus serves data packets selected by the gateway to be offloaded;
• receive an offloading instruction message from the gateway, wherein the offloading instruction message includes an identification of the selected packets to be offloaded to an Internet;
• inspect a first packet to determine that an identification of the first packet matches the identification of the selected packets in the offloading instruction message;
• de-capsulate the first packet;
• translate a network address in the de-capsulated first packet;
• and
• offload the de-capsulated and network-address-translated first packet to the Internet.