A data communication network controls the amounts of virtual network elements it uses. A control system processes user data packets from multiple wireless base stations to determine amounts of user data packet tunnels for a plurality of Quality-of-Service (QoS) levels. The control system processes the amounts of the user data packet tunnels for the QoS levels to identify a target amount of virtual packet gateways to serve the user data packet tunnels. A virtual network element system implements the target amount of the virtual packet gateways to serve the user data packet tunnels at the QoS levels with the virtual packet gateways.