Patent ID: 8559941

Claim:
A method for processing data packets in a mobile data network that includes a radio access network coupled to a core network, the method comprising the steps of: (A) providing a plurality of antennas sending and receiving network messages between user equipment and a plurality of basestations in the radio access network, each basestation communicating with a corresponding one of the plurality of antennas; (B) providing a first service mechanism in the radio access network that performs the steps of: defining an existing first data path in the radio access network for non-broken out data; defining a second data path for broken out data; identifying first data received from a corresponding basestation as data to be broken out; sending the first data on the second data path; and forwarding other data that is not broken out on the first data path; performing a first service for network messages in the radio access network based on the first data; and injecting a first plurality of channel maintenance data packets into an uplink data stream in the radio access network on a network tunnel; (C) providing a second service mechanism in the core network that performs the steps of: monitoring network messages in the core network; and providing a second service for the network messages in the mobile data network; and injecting a second plurality of channel maintenance data packets into a downlink data stream in the core network on the network tunnel; (D) providing an edge cache mechanism that performs the steps of: indicating when a cache miss occurs; and in response to the cache miss, receiving data corresponding to the cache miss on the network tunnel without regard to a need for channel maintenance data packets.