CONTROLLING IP FLOWS TO BYPASS A PACKET DATA NETWORK GATEWAY

A network element can include a proxy element that is configured to receive a request from a source node to establish a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection from a first network address of the source node through a Packet Data Network Gateway (PDN GW) to a destination node for an IP flow. The proxy element applies an IP flow offloading policy function to determine that the requested TCP connection for the IP flow should bypass the PDN GW. The proxy element responds to the determination by communicating to the destination node a request for TCP connection with a second network address substituted for the first network address of the source node to establish the TCP connection for the IP flow from the source node to the destination node through a broadband network without passing through the PDN GW.