Patent ID: 9723642
Date: 2017-08-01
CPC Classifications: H04L,H04W

Claim:
1. A method comprising: receiving, by a mobility management entity server comprising a processor and a memory, a first request for release of a resource associated with a communication device, the first request being received from a network node; storing, by the mobility management entity server in the memory, tunnel identification information for a downlink tunnel associated with the communication device and the network node; providing, by the mobility management entity server to a serving gateway, a second request responsive to the first request; marking, by the mobility management entity server, the tunnel identification information as inactive responsive to the first request, wherein the providing of the second request to the serving gateway causes the serving gateway to store the tunnel identification information, and wherein the storing of the tunnel identification information continues after the marking; and maintaining the downlink tunnel when marked as active or inactive by not tearing down the downlink tunnel when not in use, wherein the downlink tunnel is part of a path of network nodes.