A method is provided in one example embodiment and may include receiving, by a Service Capability Exposure Function (SCEF), a request to send data to a user equipment (UE), wherein a context for the UE is not available at the SCEF when the request is received; querying a subscriber database to determine whether the context for the UE is available at the subscriber database; and sending the data for the UE to a Mobility Management Entity (MME) by the SCEF using an interface directly interconnecting the MME and the SCEF based on a determination that the context for the UE is available at the subscriber database.