A Radio Access Network node implements a radio air interface for delivering communications with User Equipments (UEs).
The functions of the RAN node are split between a Central Unit (CU) and Distributed Units (DUs).
The CU is disaggregated into a CU-CP (CU-Control Plane) entity and into a first CU-UP (CU-User Plane) entity, both entities being connected to a core network, and into at least one second CU-UP entity, connected to the CU-CP entity and to at least one DU.
User data associated with a specific application is transferred between the specific application executed by one or more UEs and a specific application server hosted by a MEC platform, via a given second CU-UP entity, without passing through any core network entity or function.
In a claim, the air interface is a cellular base-station-to-device air interface or a cellular device-to-device air interface.