Patent ID: 7869393

Claim:
A method for use in a wireless communications network, comprising: receiving, by a particular control node, a message from a mobile station to activate a connection, wherein the mobile station is wirelessly connected to a radio access network; in response to the message, the particular control node selecting one of plural data functions residing in one or more access gateway nodes that interface the control node to an external data network, wherein the plural data functions are control node data functions that are separated from corresponding control node control functions in respective plural control nodes that include the particular control node, and wherein each of the one or more access gateway nodes includes at least one of the plural data functions in addition to a control plane and a data plane of the corresponding access gateway node; and the control node sending commands to the selected data function to establish a session between the control node and the selected data function and to establish a data path between the radio access network and the selected data function, wherein the data path does not pass through the control node.