Patent ID: 8631135

Claim:
A method for use in an access server, wherein the access server is connected to a plurality of network termination (NT) points and at least one service provider (SP), and each of the plurality of NT points is associated with at least one customer premises equipment (CPE), the method comprising: multiplexing user data destined to the at least one CPE; communicating the multiplexed user data destined to the at least one CPE from the access server to a respective one of the plurality of NT points over a single permanent virtual connection; receiving user data originating from the at least one CPE from the respective one of the plurality of NT points over the single permanent virtual connection, wherein a tunneling protocol between the respective one of the plurality of NT points and the access server combines sessions and signaling from the at least one CPE into a single tunnel; and routing the user data originating from the at least one CPE to at least one SP selected from the at least one SP using an integrated signaling protocol between the at least one CPE and the access server based on a SP indication received from the at least one CPE.