Patent ID: 9363744
Filing Date: 2016-06-07
CPC Classification: H04L,H04W

Claim Text:
1. A network device comprising: a port for interfacing with mobile radio network control entities to receive signaling messages; a port for interfacing with at least one core network control node pool; a processor coupled to said port for interfacing with mobile radio network control entities and said port for interfacing with at least one core network control node pool; and memory coupled to said processor and storing programs to provide ingress functions, egress functions and map functions, wherein the map functions cause the processor to maintain a map associating user equipment devices with a specific node in a core network control node pool, wherein the ingress functions cause the processor to examine received signaling messages for information to determine the appropriate at least one core network control node pool, to maintain such determination in the map, and to forward the received signaling messages to proper egress functions, and wherein the egress functions are provided for each at least one core network control node pool and cause the processor to load balance the nodes in said at least one core network control node pool, to forward received signaling messages to a node in a core network control node pool, and to provide the specific node for the user equipment device to the map.