Patent ID: 8565217

Claim:
A method of operating a first access node assembly, the method comprising: generating a data packet; selecting out of a plurality of radio link protocol modules of the first access node assembly a first radio link protocol module associated with an application of the first access node assembly if said data packet was generated by said application or a second radio link protocol module associated with an inter-route tunneling protocol module of the first access node assembly if said data packet was generated by said inter-route tunneling protocol module; processing by the selected radio link protocol module the data packet to generate a RLP packet; sending the generated radio link protocol packet to a stream protocol packet means configured to generate a stream protocol packet including a stream protocol packet header including a value identifying the radio link protocol packet to be communicated to an access terminal, in a payload of said stream protocol packet, as one of a tunneled radio link protocol packet if said radio link protocol packet was generated by the second radio link protocol module associated with the inter-route tunneling protocol module and a non-tunneled radio link protocol packet if said radio link protocol packet was generated by the first radio link protocol module associated with the application; and communicating the generated stream protocol packet over an air interface to said access terminal.