Carrier-grade NAT Patent by ZTE Corporation

ChangeBridge: EPO Bulletin - Networking (H04L)

Published March 25th, 2026

Detected April 1st, 2026

Summary

The European Patent Office published patent application EP4117251A1 by ZTE Corporation on March 25, 2026. The patent covers methods, apparatus, and systems for realizing carrier-grade network address translation (CGNAT), invented by Guangping Huang and Yong Chen. Designated states include all EU member states plus other EPC contracting states.

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What changed

The EPO published European Patent Application EP4117251A1 titled 'Method, Apparatus and System for Realizing Carrier Grade Network Address Translation' filed by ZTE Corporation. The invention relates to H04L 61/2514 classification and covers technical implementations of carrier-grade NAT technology used by internet service providers to manage IPv4 address exhaustion. No regulatory obligations or compliance requirements are created by this patent publication.

Patent publications are informational notices with no immediate action required by regulated entities. Technology companies and telecommunications firms developing NAT solutions may wish to review the patent claims to assess potential licensing implications or Freedom to Operate considerations for their own CGNAT implementations.

Source document (simplified)

← EPO Patent Bulletin

METHOD, APPARATUS AND SYSTEM FOR REALIZING CARRIER GRADE NETWORK ADDRESS TRANSLATION

Publication EP4117251A1 Kind: A1 Mar 25, 2026

Applicants

ZTE Corporation

Inventors

HUANG, Guangping, CHEN, Yong

IPC Classifications

H04L 61/2514 20220101AFI20240125BHEP

Designated States

AL, AT, BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, LI, LT, LU, LV, MC, MK, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SI, SK, SM, TR

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