Explicit congestion notification (ECN) data that is utilized in a core portion of a cellular communication network has known issues associated with a first use scenario and an infrequent use scenario. A probe comprising probe data and a data structure for storing certain ECN data can be transmitted in order to mitigate these issues. Transmitting the probe in response to a communication session being established with a device of a network can mitigate the first use issue. Transmitting the probe in response to expiration of a probe timer in connection with a network traffic idle period can mitigate the infrequent use scenario.