Method for protecting a mobile communication network from performance impacts, wherein the mobile communication network comprises an access network and a core network, the access network comprising a plurality of radio cells and a plurality of base station entities, and the core network comprising a plurality of network nodes of the mobile communication network, wherein a user equipment is located in a radio cell of the plurality of radio cells, the radio cell being served by a base station entity of the plurality of base station entities, wherein the user equipment is able to be either in an idle state or in an activated state, wherein downlink data packets are transmitted from the mobile communication network to the user equipment as their destination, the downlink data packets being transported involving at least one network node of the core network and at least the base station entity, wherein uplink data packets are transmitted from the user equipment as their source to the mobile communication network, the uplink data packets being transported involving at least the base station entity and at least one network node of the core network, wherein the user equipment - as the destination of the downlink data packet and as the source of the uplink data packets - is represented by a specific IP-address or a specific range of IP-addresses, wherein the core network comprises a filter element, the filter element -- either providing a forwarding functionality, to the user equipment, of downlink data packets directed to the specific IP-address or to the specific range of IP-addresses of the user equipment, -- or providing an alternative treatment functionality of downlink data packets directed to the specific IP-address or to the specific range of IP-addresses of the user equipment, characterized in that the application of the forwarding versus the alternative treatment functionality of the filter element is dependent on load conditions of the mobile communication network at a reception time of the downlink data packets at the core network, wherein at a given load condition of the mobile communication network a downlink data packet, incoming to the core network, receives the alternative treatment by the core network, and in case of a particular downlink data packet incoming to the core network at the given load condition and directed to the specific IP-address or to the specific range of IP-addresses of the user equipment -, said particular downlink data packet is forwarded to the user equipment if: -- the filter element comprises an information that the user equipment is in the activated state, and if at least one of the following conditions are met: -- a preceding downlink data packet, preceding the particular downlink data packet in time and being directed to the specific IP-address or to the specific range of IP-addresses of the user equipment, has been forwarded to the user equipment, wherein the preceding downlink data packet precedes the particular downlink data packet by less than a predetermined first time interval, -- a preceding uplink data packet, preceding the particular downlink data packet in time and being originating from the specific IP-address or from the specific range of IP-addresses of the user equipment, has been received, by the filter element, from the user equipment, wherein the preceding uplink data packet precedes the particular downlink data packet by less than a predetermined second time interval. -- either providing a forwarding functionality, to the user equipment, of downlink data packets directed to the specific IP-address or to the specific range of IP-addresses of the user equipment, -- or providing an alternative treatment functionality of downlink data packets directed to the specific IP-address or to the specific range of IP-addresses of the user equipment, -- the filter element comprises an information that the user equipment is in the activated state, and if at least one of the following conditions are met: -- a preceding downlink data packet, preceding the particular downlink data packet in time and being directed to the specific IP-address or to the specific range of IP-addresses of the user equipment, has been forwarded to the user equipment, wherein the preceding downlink data packet precedes the particular downlink data packet by less than a predetermined first time interval, -- a preceding uplink data packet, preceding the particular downlink data packet in time and being originating from the specific IP-address or from the specific range of IP-addresses of the user equipment, has been received, by the filter element, from the user equipment, wherein the preceding uplink data packet precedes the particular downlink data packet by less than a predetermined second time interval.