A method for processing an Internet Protocol, IP, packet at a router that supports signaling between switches of a circuit switched network, comprising: receiving Internet Protocol, IP, routing data that indicates an association between a network link and an IP address for a node in a signaling network including a plurality of signaling nodes; receiving an ingress IP data packet; determining (430, 432, 434) whether conditions are satisfied for locally processing at the router a signaling payload within the ingress IP data packet, wherein the signaling payload is a Signaling System 7, SS7, payload and supports at least one of a physical circuit and a virtual circuit persistently established between a calling node and called node, wherein determining whether conditions are satisfied for locally processing at the router the signaling payload further comprises: determining whether an IP destination in an IP header portion of the ingress IP data packet matches an IP address of the router; determining whether a next protocol field in the IP header indicates a Stream Control Transport Protocol, SCTP; and determining whether data in an SCTP port field in the SCTP header indicates an SCTP port that matches a port in a list of open local SCTP ports; if it is determined that the conditions are satisfied for locally processing at the router the signaling payload, then locally processing (450, 460) at the router the signaling payload without sending the signaling payload over a network link to a different node in the signaling network; and if it is determined that the conditions are not satisfied for locally processing at the router the signaling payload, then routing the ingress IP data packet based on the IP routing data and ingress header data in the IP header portion of the ingress IP data packet. receiving Internet Protocol, IP, routing data that indicates an association between a network link and an IP address for a node in a signaling network including a plurality of signaling nodes; receiving an ingress IP data packet; determining (430, 432, 434) whether conditions are satisfied for locally processing at the router a signaling payload within the ingress IP data packet, wherein the signaling payload is a Signaling System 7, SS7, payload and supports at least one of a physical circuit and a virtual circuit persistently established between a calling node and called node, wherein determining whether conditions are satisfied for locally processing at the router the signaling payload further comprises: determining whether an IP destination in an IP header portion of the determining whether an IP destination in an IP header portion of the ingress IP data packet matches an IP address of the router; determining whether a next protocol field in the IP header indicates a Stream Control Transport Protocol, SCTP; and determining whether data in an SCTP port field in the SCTP header indicates an SCTP port that matches a port in a list of open local SCTP ports; if it is determined that the conditions are satisfied for locally processing at the router the signaling payload, then locally processing (450, 460) at the router the signaling payload without sending the signaling payload over a network link to a different node in the signaling network; and if it is determined that the conditions are not satisfied for locally processing at the router the signaling payload, then routing the ingress IP data packet based on the IP routing data and ingress header data in the IP header portion of the ingress IP data packet.