Patent ID: 11924926
Assignee: PARALLEL WIRELESS, INC.
Field: Digital communication (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 5:
6. A method for 4G and 5G core interworking, comprising:
providing a gateway, the gateway comprising: a virtual 4G core providing for 4G networks a plurality of virtualized 4G network functions, a virtual 5G core providing for 5G networks a plurality of virtualized 5G network functions, an interface to a core network, an interface to a 4G Radio Access Network (RAN), and an interface to a 5G RAN;
interworking, by the gateway, 4G to 5G such that a 5G RAN works with a 4G core;
interworking using an Interworking Function (IWF), the IWF including a shared IWF data store for 4G and 5G signaling;
interworking signaling between the 5G RAN and the core network by causing the shared IWF data store to emit data based on data received from the 5G RAN and interworked to 4G RAN parameters; and
performing inter-RAT handovers using the virtual 5G core to send information to a 4G evolved packet core (EPC).