Local selected IP Traffic Offload Reducing traffic congestion within the mobile core network

Selected Internet Protocol (IP) Traffic Offload (SIPTO) is a feature defined in the 3GPP standards. In this paper we propose a Converged Gateway (CGW) which enables the SIPTO functionality to be performed locally, before data reaches the edge of the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network. This feature relieves the EPC from high-bandwidth flows that could otherwise cause significant congestion. This local SIPTO functionality within the CGW identifies the IP Flow type, applies a local user policy rule (optionally provisioned from the mobile core network), and then executes the offloading.