Systems and methods are described for providing application and content awareness for self-optimizing networks. A computerized method includes receiving at a mobile gateway a session request from a mobile device, establishing a session between the mobile device and the mobile gateway, receiving a request from the mobile device at the mobile gateway to access a remote resource, establishing a connection between the mobile device and the remote resource via the mobile gateway, detecting application and content information of a service data flow of the connection, and sending the application and content information of the service data flow to a network server for network optimization.