Predictive routing for mobility

1. A communications method, comprising:

receiving, by a map-server, a list of route locator (RLOC) addresses;

storing, by the map-server, the list of RLOC addresses in a memory of the map-server;

receiving, by the map-server from a first network element, a request for a location of a user device, the request related to transmitting a packet to the user device; and

transmitting, by the map-server to the first network element, a plurality of user locations based on the list of RLOC addresses, the plurality of user locations identifying a destination of the packet to be sent by a second network element when the packet is received by the second network element.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the list of RLOC addresses is received from the user device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the list of RLOC addresses is received from a third party entity.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first network element is an ingress tunnel router (ITR).

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second network element is a Re-encapsulating Tunnel Router (RTR) implemented on a Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW).

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second network element is an ingress/egress router (xTR) implemented on a Service Gateway (S-GW).

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the list of RLOC addresses is stored using a Locator/Identification Separation Protocol (LISP) canonical address format (LCAF) encoded replication list entry type.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the list of RLOC addresses is stored by the map-server along with an End Point Identifier Address (EID) and current RLOC addresses of the user device.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, by the map-server from the second network element, a request for a location of a Locator/Identification Separation Protocol (LISP) site storing the packet prior to receiving the request for the location of the user device.

10. A communications method, comprising:

receiving, by a router, a request for a packet from a user device;

requesting, by the router, a location of the packet from a first network element;

requesting, by the router, the packet from a second network element following receipt of the location from the first network element;

receiving, by the router, the packet and a plurality of locations from the second network element, wherein the plurality of locations are based on a list of route locator (RLOC) addresses stored at the first network element; and

replicating, by the router, the packet and sending a copy to each of the plurality of locations.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the router is a Re-encapsulating Tunnel Router (RTR) implemented on a Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW), wherein the first network element is a map-server (MS), and wherein the method is utilized in an identification-oriented network.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the second network element is an ingress tunnel router (ITR) at a Locator/Identification Separation Protocol (LISP) site.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein one or more of the plurality of locations represent an ingress/egress router (xTR) implemented on a Service Gateway (S-GW).

14. A map server, comprising:

a non-transitory memory storage comprising instructions; and

one or more processors in communication with the memory storage, wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to perform the steps of:

receiving a list of route locator (RLOC) addresses;

storing the list of RLOC addresses;

receiving, from a first network element, a request for a location of a user device, the request related to transmitting a packet to the user device; and

transmitting, to the first network element, a plurality of user locations based on the list of RLOCs, the plurality of user locations identifying a destination of the packet to be sent by a second network element when the packet is received by the second network element.

15. The map server of claim 14 , wherein the list of RLOC addresses is received from the user device or a third party entity.

16. The map server of claim 14 , wherein the first network element is an ingress tunnel router (ITR); and

wherein the second network element is a Re-encapsulating Tunnel Router (RTR) implemented on a Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW) or an ingress/egress router (xTR) implemented on a Service Gateway (S-GW).

17. The map server of claim 14 , wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to further perform the step of:

receiving, from the second network element, a request for a location of a Locator/Identification Separation Protocol (LISP) site storing the packet prior to receiving the request for the location of the user device.

18. A router, comprising:

a non-transitory memory storage comprising instructions; and

one or more processors in communication with the memory storage, wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to perform the steps of:

receiving a request for a packet from a user device;

requesting a location of the packet from a first network element;

requesting the packet from a second network element following receipt of the location from the first network element;

receiving the packet and a plurality of locations from the second network element, wherein the plurality of locations are based on a list of route locator (RLOC) addresses stored at the first network element; and

replicating the packet and sending a copy to each of the plurality of locations.

19. The router of claim 18 , wherein the router is a Re-encapsulating Tunnel Router (RTR) implemented on a Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW), wherein the first network element is a map-server (MS).

20. The router of claim 18 , wherein the second network element is an ingress tunnel router (ITR) at a Locator/Identification Separation Protocol (LISP) site.