Paging offline state terminals

A mobile communications network for transmitting data to and receiving data from one or more communications terminals, the mobile communications network comprising:

• a radio network part including a plurality of base stations arranged to transmit data to and receive data from the one or more communications terminals via a radio access interface;
• a core network part including
• at least one packet data network gateway arranged to route data to and receive data from the base stations of the radio network part, and
• a mobility manager arranged to track a location of the one or more communications terminals within the mobile communications network for routing data to or receiving data from the one or more communications terminals via the radio network part in accordance with context information which is stored for each of the one or more communications terminals;
• and
• a virtual mobility manager configured to receive an indication from a communications terminal that the communications terminal is entering an offline state, the communications terminal being from among the one or more communications terminals, wherein
• the mobility manager is configured to transmit, to the virtual mobility manager when the communications terminal has entered the offline state, the context information of the communications terminal with a first unique identifier associated with the communication terminal, and
• the virtual mobility manager is further configured to
• generate a second unique identifier and communicate the second unique identifier to the communications terminal, and
• store at least part of the context information of the communications terminal with the second unique identifier when the communications terminal enters the offline state so that when a triggering event occurs when the communications terminal is in the offline state, the virtual mobility manager pages the communications terminal in the offline state so that a communications bearer establishes with the communications terminal using the stored context information, for communicating data after the communications terminal has moved to an attached state.

An infrastructure equipment, comprising:

• circuitry configured to form part of a mobile communications network which communicates data to or from one or more communications terminals, the mobile communications network comprising a radio network part, a core network part, and a virtual mobility manager, the radio network part having a plurality of base stations arranged to transmit data to and receive data from the one or more communications terminals via a radio access interface, and the core network part including at least one packet data network gateway arranged to route data to and receive data from the base stations of the radio network part and a mobility manager arranged to track a location of the one or more communications terminals within the mobile communications network for routing data to or receiving data from the one or more communications terminals via the radio network part in accordance with context information which is stored for each of the one or more communications terminals, wherein
• the virtual mobility manager is configured to receive an indication from a communications terminal that the communications terminal is entering an offline state, the communications terminal being from among the one or more communications terminals,
• the mobility manager is configured to transmit, to the virtual mobility manager when the communications terminal has entered the offline state, the context information of the communications terminal with a first unique identifier associated with the communication terminal, and
• the virtual mobility manager is further configured to
• generate a second unique identifier and communicate the second unique identifier to the communications terminal, and
• store at least part of the context information of the communications terminal with the second unique identifier when the communications terminal enters the offline state so that when a triggering event occurs when the communications terminal is in the offline state, the virtual mobility manager pages the communications terminal in the offline state so that a communications bearer establishes with the communications terminal using the stored context information, for communicating data after the communications terminal has moved to an attached state.

A system comprising a mobile communications network which communicates data to or from one or more communications terminals, the mobile communications network including a radio network part and a core network part, the radio network part having a plurality of base stations arranged to transmit data to and receive data from the one or more communications terminals via a radio access interface, and the core network part having at least one packet data network gateway arranged to route data to and receive data from the base stations of the radio network part and a mobility manager, the mobility manager being configured to track a location of the one or more communications terminals within the mobile communications network for routing data to or receiving data from the one or more communications terminals via the radio network part in accordance with context information which is stored for each of the one or more communications terminals, wherein

• the mobile communications network includes a virtual mobility manager configured to receive an indication from a communications terminal that the communications terminal is entering an offline state, the communications terminal being from among the one or more communications terminals,
• the mobility manager is configured to
• detect when the communications terminal has entered the offline state, and
• transmit, to the virtual mobility manager when the communications terminal has entered the offline state, the context information of the communications terminal with a first unique identifier associated with the communication terminal, and
• the virtual mobility manager is further configured to
• generate a second unique identifier and communicate the second unique identifier to the communications terminal, and
• store at least part of the context information of the communications terminal with the second unique identifier when the communications terminal enters the offline state so that when a triggering event occurs when the communications terminal is in the offline state, the virtual mobility manager pages the communications terminal in the offline state so that a communications bearer establishes with the communications terminal using the stored context information, for communicating data after the communications terminal has moved to an attached state.

A method of transmitting data to and receiving data from a mobile communications network, the mobile communications network including a radio network part, a core network part, and a virtual mobility manager, the radio network part having a plurality of base stations arranged to transmit data to and receive data from one or more communications terminals via a radio access interface, and the core network part having at least one packet data network gateway arranged to route data to and receive data from the base stations of the radio network part and a mobility manager arranged to track a location of the one or more communications terminals within the mobile communications network for routing data to or receiving data from the one or more communications terminals via the radio network part in accordance with context information which is stored for each of the one or more communications terminals, the method comprising:

• receiving, by the virtual mobility manager, an indication from a communications terminal that the communications terminal is entering an offline state, the communications terminal being from among the one or more communications terminals;
• transmitting, by the mobility manager to the virtual mobility manager when the communications terminal has entered the offline state, the context information of the communications terminal with a first unique identifier associated with the communication terminal;
• generating, by the virtual mobility manager, a second unique identifier and communicating the second unique identifier to the communications terminal;
• and
• storing, by the virtual mobility manager, at least part of the context information of the communications terminal with the second unique identifier when the communications terminal enters the offline state so that when a triggering event occurs when the communications terminal is in the offline state, the virtual mobility manager pages the communications terminal in the offline state so that a communications bearer establishes with the communications terminal using the stored context information, for communicating data after the communications terminal has moved to an attached state.