Virtual private networking with mobile communication continuity

A method comprising:

• attaching to a cellular wireless access network with a wireless device;
• receiving an IP address for the wireless device from the cellular wireless access network;
• while the wireless device is attached to the cellular wireless access network and not attached to a non-cellular wireless access network, establishing a higher-laver protocol session with the wireless device that operates over an IP layer;
• subsequent to receiving the IP address from the cellular wireless access network, attaching to the non-cellular wireless access network with the wireless device;
• and
• subsequent to attaching to the non-cellular wireless access network with the wireless device, receiving, with the wireless device, packets for the higher-laver protocol session and destined for the IP address for the wireless device from the non-cellular wireless access network to continue the higher-layer protocol session.

A method comprising:

• peering, with a peering exchange system, to a home service provider network;
• peering, with the peering exchange system, to a visited service provider network;
• and
• extending, with the peering exchange system, a mobile virtual private network (VPN) established by the home service provider network to a visited service provider network;
• receiving, with the peering exchange system, a route associated with the mobile VPN from the visited service provider network, wherein the route specifies a prefix corresponding to an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a wireless device and wherein the route specifies a next hop router;
• and
• advertising the route from the peering exchange system to the home service provider network.

A method comprising:

• establishing, with a network device, an access channel for a wireless device attached to a wireless access network;
• associating, in context information of the network device, the access channel to an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the wireless device;
• receiving, with the network device, a first packet addressed to the IP address of the wireless device;
• based at least on the context information, forwarding the first packet to the wireless device using the access channel;
• receiving, with the network device, a route associated with a mobile virtual private network (VPN), wherein the route specifies a prefix corresponding to the IP address of the wireless device and a next hop router;
• receiving, with the network device, a second packet addressed to the IP address of the wireless device;
• and
• based at least on the route, forwarding the second packet to the next hop router.

A mobile gateway comprising:

• a control unit comprising one or more processors;
• a plurality of interface cards;
• an enhanced Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (E-UTRAN) interface of the control unit that establishes a bearer over a wireless access network and associates, in context information, the bearer to an IP address,
• wherein one of the plurality of interface cards receives a first packet addressed to the IP address of the wireless device;
• a forwarding component that, based at least on the context information, forwards the first packet to the wireless device using the bearer;
• and
• a routing protocol daemon of the control unit that executes a routing protocol to receive a route, wherein the route specifies a prefix corresponding to the IP address of the wireless device and a next hop router,
• wherein one of the plurality of interface cards receives a second packet addressed to the IP address of the wireless device,
• wherein the forwarding component, based at least on the route, forwards the second packet to the next hop router.

A system comprising:

• an autonomous system border router (ASBR) of a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) service provider network;
• a provider edge (PE) router that offers, to wireless devices, connectivity to the service provider network,
• wherein the PE router receives a user identifier and a mobile virtual private network (VPN) identifier from a wireless device, and
• wherein the PE router receives a route target for the mobile VPN;
• a VPN routing and forwarding (VRF) instance of the PE router that is associated with the route target,
• wherein the PE router sends the route target to the ASBR to join the mobile VPN,
• wherein the ASBR receives a route for the route target and associated with the identified VPN from an ASBR of a visited service provider network and forwards the route and a backbone MPLS label to the PE router, wherein the route specifies the ASBR as a next hop router,
• wherein the PE router installs the route and backbone MPLS label to the VRF instance,
• wherein the PE router receives, from the wireless device, a packet matching the route, encapsulates the packet within the backbone MPLS label, and forwards the labeled packet to the ASBR, and
• wherein the ASBR identifies the visited service provider network using the backbone MPLS label and forwards the packet to the ASBR of the visited service provider network.