Communication method, device and system

Abstract

Provided are a communication method, device and system, the method comprising: a second network element receiving a first request message from a first network element in a first network, sending a second request message to a third network element in a second network according to the first request message, receiving a first response message from the third network element, and sending a second response message to the first network element according to the first response message. Wherein the first request message is used for requesting establishment of a connection between the terminal device and a second network, the second network is used for providing a service for the terminal device, and the connection between the terminal device and the second network is used for the terminal device and the second network to transmit data of the service through the first network. Through the method, the second network can autonomously control and manage connection establishment between the terminal equipment and the second network, so that the deployment and maintenance complexity of the second network is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication method, device and system. Background Art

[0002] As the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) network develops from business-oriented (2B) to consumer-oriented (2C), technologies such as slicing, multi-access edge computing (MEC), and local area data network (LADN) have emerged, supporting the deployment of subnets in designated location areas (such as enterprises, campuses, shopping malls, parks, etc.) and providing customized subnet services for users in the area.

[0003] However, when slicing, MEC, and LADN technologies are used to deploy subnets, the authority of terminal devices to establish connections with subnets is controlled by the public land mobile network (PLMN), which makes the deployment and maintenance of subnets very complicated. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus and system to achieve autonomous management of the subnet terminal device and the connection establishment between the subnet, thereby reducing the complexity of subnet deployment and maintenance.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which may be executed by a second network element, or may be executed by a chip or circuit of the second network element, which is not limited in the present application. For ease of description, the following description is given by taking the execution by the second network element as an example.

[0006] The method includes: receiving a first request message from a first network element in a first network, sending a second request message to a third network element in a second network according to the first request message, receiving a first response message from the third network element, and sending a second response message to the first network element according to the first response message.

[0007] Exemplarily, the first network is a large network operator network, such as a PLMN, which can also be called a large network or a public network; the second network is a subnet, which can also be called a private network or a dedicated network. The first network element is a control plane network element in the large network operator network, such as a session management network element or a mobility management network element. The second network element can be used to serve or manage the second network, and can also be used to forward messages between the first network and the second network. For example, the second network element is a sub-network agent (SNA) network element, which is used to serve or manage one or more subnets. The third network element is a control plane network element in the subnet, for example, the third network element is a subnet session management network element.

[0008] The first request message may be used to request establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network, or may be used to request access of the terminal device to the second network.

[0009] The second network is used to provide services for the terminal device. The services provided by the second network for the terminal device can be called subnet services.

[0010] The connection between the terminal device and the second network can be called a subnet connection of the terminal device, which is used for the terminal device and the second network to transmit data of the service through the first network.

[0011] The second request message may be used to request establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network, or may be used to request access of the terminal device to the second network.

[0012] The first response message is used to indicate whether to accept the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network; the second response message is used to indicate whether to accept the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network.

[0013] Exemplarily, the sending of the second response message to the first network element according to the first response message may be that, when the first response message is used to indicate acceptance of the connection establishment, the second network element sends the second response message to the first network element, and the second response message is used to indicate acceptance of the connection establishment. In this implementation, the first response message and the second response message may also be used to indicate successful establishment of a subnet connection of a terminal device, to indicate acceptance of an access request of a terminal device, to indicate successful access of a terminal device, or to indicate acceptance of establishment of a subnet connection of a terminal device.

[0014] Exemplarily, the sending of the second response message to the first network element according to the first response message may also be that, when the first response message is used to indicate that the connection establishment is not accepted, the second network element sends the second response message to the first network element, and the second response message is used to indicate that the connection establishment is not accepted. In this implementation, the first response message and the second response message may also be used to reject the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network, to indicate that the establishment of the connection between the terminal device and the second network has failed, to indicate the rejection of the access request of the terminal device, to indicate the access failure of the terminal device, or to indicate the rejection of the establishment of a subnet connection of the terminal device.

[0015] According to the solution provided in the present application, the second network element sends a message to the third network element in the second network for requesting the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network, so that the third network element determines whether to accept the connection establishment, thereby realizing the second network (i.e., subnet)'s autonomous control over the connection establishment and reducing the complexity of subnet deployment and maintenance.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first request message includes identification information of the terminal device, and sending the second request message to the third network element according to the first request message may be sending the second request message to the third network element when the user information of the second network includes the identification information of the terminal device. The user information of the second network includes identification information of one or more terminal devices that are allowed to establish a connection with the second network, or in other words, the user information of the second network includes identification information of one or more terminal devices that have signed a contract with the second network.

[0017] Exemplarily, the second network element obtains user information of the second network and determines whether the user information of the second network includes identification information of the terminal device. For example, the second network element obtains user information of the second network from a fourth network element. The fourth network element may be a subnet tenant subscription function network element.

[0018] When the user information of the second network includes the identification information of the terminal device, the second network element sends a second request message to the third network element, which can avoid the terminal device that is not allowed to establish a connection with the second network or the terminal device that has not signed a contract with the second network from initiating a connection establishment request to the third network element, thereby avoiding unnecessary signaling overhead, improving the utilization of transmission resources, reducing the processing complexity of the third network element, and realizing the management and control of the subnet connection establishment by the second network element.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, when the user information of the second network includes the identification information of the terminal device, the method further includes: obtaining the subscription data of the second network. For example, the second network element receives the subscription data of the second network from the fourth network element. In this way, the second network element can be prevented from unnecessarily obtaining the subscription data of the second network, thereby improving resource utilization and reducing signaling overhead.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, sending the second request message to the third network element in the second network according to the first request message may be, when the first request message and the subscription data of the second network meet the first condition, sending the second request message to the third network element, wherein the first condition includes one or more of the following conditions:

[0021] (1) When the first request message includes identification information of the first network and the subscription data of the second network includes identification information of one or more networks, the identification information of the one or more networks includes the identification information of the first network;

[0022] (2) When the first request message includes information indicating the location of the terminal device and the subscription data of the second network includes the service range of the second network, the service range of the second network includes the location of the terminal device.

[0023] Among them, the subscription data of the second network includes the identifiers of one or more networks, which may indicate that the terminal device can access the second network through the one or more networks, or may indicate that the terminal device whose service operator network is the one or more networks can access the second network.

[0024] In this way, the second network element manages and controls the subnet connection establishment request of the terminal device, and sends the second request message to the third network element only when the first condition is met. This can avoid the terminal device that does not meet the requirements initiating a connection establishment request to the third network element, thereby avoiding unnecessary signaling overhead.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, before sending the second request message to the third network element in the second network according to the first request message, the method further includes: obtaining the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network; and determining that the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network is less than the maximum number of terminal devices that are allowed to access the second network at the same time. In this way, the load of the second network can be avoided from being too high, thereby ensuring the network performance of the second network.

[0026] For example, the second network element receives the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network from the fourth network element. The fourth network element is used to maintain the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network, and the fourth network element may be a subnet tenant subscription function network element.

[0027] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, when the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network is less than the maximum number of terminal devices that are allowed to access the second network at the same time, the method further includes: sending a message for requesting to update the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network to a fourth network element, and the fourth network element is used to maintain the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network. In this way, it can be ensured that the fourth network element updates the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network in a timely manner.

[0028] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, before sending the second request message to the third network element in the second network according to the first request message, the method also includes: determining that the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network is updated successfully.

[0029] For example, the second network element receives an update response message from the fourth network element, where the update response message is used to indicate that the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network has been updated successfully.

[0030] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the second response message includes a quality of service parameter corresponding to a subnet connection of the terminal device, and the quality of service parameter of the subnet connection is determined based on at least one of the following: a quality of service parameter of the terminal device or a quality of service parameter of the second network.

[0031] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first response message includes the service quality parameters of the terminal device, and the subscription data of the second network includes the service quality parameters of the second network; when the service quality parameters of the terminal device and the service quality parameters of the second network meet the second condition, the service quality parameters of the subnet connection are the service quality parameters of the terminal device; or, when the service quality parameters of the terminal device and the service quality parameters of the second network do not meet the second condition, the service quality parameters of the subnet connection are the service quality parameters of the second network.

[0032] The second condition includes one or more of the following conditions:

[0033] 1) The quality of service level in the quality of service parameters of the terminal device is less than or equal to the quality of service level in the quality of service parameters of the second network;

[0034] 2) The maximum bandwidth in the quality of service parameters of the terminal device is less than or equal to the maximum bandwidth in the quality of service parameters of the second network.

[0035] In the above scheme, the second network element combines the service quality parameters of the terminal device and the service quality parameters of the second network to better determine the service quality parameters corresponding to the subnet connection of the terminal device, and can meet the service quality requirements of the terminal device as much as possible while complying with the service quality that the second network can provide.

[0036] Optionally, when the service quality parameters of the terminal device and the service quality parameters of the second network do not meet the second condition, the second network element sends a second response message to the first network element, and the second response message is used to indicate that the subnet connection establishment of the terminal device is not accepted.

[0037] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second response message includes a charging identifier, where the charging identifier is used to indicate that the wireless resources of the first network are charged, and the wireless resources of the first network are used to forward service data for the second network.

[0038] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second response message includes wireless resource information, and the wireless resource information is used to indicate wireless resources in the first network used to forward data of the service between the terminal device and the second network. That is, the wireless resources are used by the first network to support the connection between the terminal device and the second network, and the wireless resources are used by the first network to forward subnet service data between the terminal device and the second network.

[0039] The wireless resource message may be determined based on subscription data of the second network. For example, the wireless resource message is determined based on wireless resource reservation information of the first network.

[0040] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first request message includes first tunnel information, and the first tunnel information is used to send downlink data of the service to a first user plane network element in the first network.

[0041] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second request message includes the first tunnel information.

[0042] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first response message includes second tunnel information, and the second tunnel information is used to send uplink data of the service to a second user plane network element in the second network.

[0043] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second response message includes second tunnel information.

[0044] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, before sending the second request message to a third network element in the second network according to the first request message, the method further includes: acquiring address information of the third network element.

[0045] Exemplarily, the second network element obtains the address information of the third network element from locally maintained data, or the second network element receives the address information of the third network element from a fourth network element, or the second network element receives the address information of the third network element sent by a domain name server (DNS).

[0046] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a third network element, or can also be executed by a chip or circuit of the third network element, which is not limited in the present application. For ease of description, the following description is given by taking the execution by the third network element as an example.

[0047] The method includes: receiving a second request message from a second network element, the second request message is used to request the establishment of a connection between a terminal device and a second network, the second network is used to provide a service for the terminal device, and the connection between the terminal device and the second network is used for the terminal device and the second network to transmit data of the service through the first network; determining whether to accept the establishment of the connection between the terminal device and the second network based on the second request message and the contract data of the terminal device; and sending a first response message to the second network element, the first response message is used to indicate whether to accept the establishment of the connection between the terminal device and the second network.

[0048] The second request message may also be used to request that the terminal device access the second network.

[0049] Exemplarily, the first network is a large network operator network, such as a PLMN, which can also be called a large network or a public network; the second network is a subnet, which can also be called a private network or a dedicated network. The first network element is a control plane network element in the large network operator network, such as a session management network element or a mobility management network element. The second network element can be used to serve or manage the second network, and can also be used to forward messages between the first network and the second network. For example, the second network element is a sub-network agent (SNA) network element, which is used to serve or manage one or more subnets. The third network element is a control plane network element in the subnet, for example, the third network element is a subnet session management network element.

[0050] The service provided by the second network to the terminal device may be referred to as a subnet service, and the connection between the terminal device and the second network may be referred to as a subnet connection of the terminal device.

[0051] Exemplarily, when the third network element determines to accept the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network, a first response message is sent to the second network element. The first response message can be used to indicate the acceptance of the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network, to indicate that a subnet connection of the terminal device is successfully established, to indicate the acceptance of an access request from the terminal device, to indicate that access of the terminal device is successful, or to indicate the acceptance of the establishment of a subnet connection of the terminal device.

[0052] Exemplarily, when the third network element determines that it does not accept the connection establishment between the terminal device and the second network, it sends a first response message to the second network element. The first response message can be used to indicate the rejection of the connection establishment between the terminal device and the second network, to indicate the failure of the connection establishment between the terminal device and the second network, to indicate the rejection of the access request of the terminal device, to indicate the access failure of the terminal device, or to indicate the rejection of the subnet connection establishment of the terminal device.

[0053] According to the solution provided in the present application, the third network element determines whether to accept the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network based on the second request message and the contract data of the terminal device, so that the second network (i.e., the subnet) can realize autonomous control and management of the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network, thereby reducing the complexity of deploying and maintaining the second network.

[0054] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the contract data of the terminal device is the contract data created when the terminal device signs a contract with the second network. It should be understood that the contract data of the terminal device can also be updated after creation. Alternatively, the contract data of the terminal device is default contract data, which can also be referred to as default contract data. For example, when the terminal device has not yet signed a contract with the second network, the contract data of the terminal device is the default contract data, and the third network element determines whether to accept the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network based on the second request message and the default contract data.

[0055] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, determining whether to accept establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network according to the second request message and subscription data of the terminal device includes:

[0056] If the second request message and the subscription data of the terminal device satisfy the third condition, determine to accept the establishment of the connection between the terminal device and the second network; or, if the second request message and the subscription data of the terminal device do not satisfy the third condition, determine not to accept the establishment of the connection between the terminal device and the second network.

[0057] The third condition includes one or more of the following conditions:

[0058] 1) when the second request message includes information indicating the location of the terminal device, and the subscription data of the terminal device includes information indicating one or more geographical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access, the one or more geographical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access include the location of the terminal device;

[0059] 2) When the second request message includes information indicating the logical area that the terminal device requests to access, and the subscription data of the terminal device includes information indicating one or more logical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access, the one or more logical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access include the logical area that the terminal device requests to access.

[0060] This can prevent the terminal device from accessing a geographical area and / or a logical area that the terminal device is not allowed to access, thereby ensuring the security of the second network and enabling the second network to autonomously manage the access rights of the terminal device.

[0061] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first response message is used to indicate acceptance of establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network. Before sending the first response message to the second network element, the method further includes: determining that authentication of the terminal device is not required.

[0062] Exemplarily, when one or more of the following conditions are met, the third network element determines that it is not necessary to authenticate the terminal device:

[0063] 1) The contract data of the terminal device includes information indicating that the terminal device does not need to be authenticated;

[0064] 2) The second request message includes identification information allocated by the first network to the terminal device, and the identification information is credible.

[0065] For example, the second request message includes information indicating that the identification information is credible, and the third network element determines that the identification information is credible based on the information. For another example, the third network element determines that the identification information is credible based on the identification information of the terminal device being located at a specific position in the second request message.

[0066] In the above solution, the third network element does not need to authenticate the terminal device, which can reduce the processing complexity of the third network element and improve the efficiency of establishing the connection between the terminal device and the second network.

[0067] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first response message is used to indicate the establishment of a connection between the receiving terminal device and the second network. Before sending the first response message to the second network element, the method also includes: successfully authenticating the terminal device.

[0068] Exemplarily, the contract data of the terminal device includes authentication information of the terminal device. The third network element authenticates the terminal device based on the authentication information. If the authentication is successful, the third network element sends a first response message to the second network element. The first response message is used to indicate the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network.

[0069] In the above scheme, after the third network element successfully authenticates the terminal device, it accepts the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network, which can prevent illegal terminal devices from accessing the second network and improve network security.

[0070] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first response message includes a quality of service parameter of the terminal device, and the quality of service parameter of the terminal device is used to determine a quality of service parameter corresponding to a connection between the terminal device and the second network.

[0071] Exemplarily, the third network element determines the service quality parameters of the terminal device according to the subscription data of the terminal device, and sends the service quality parameters of the terminal device to the second network element by carrying them in the first response message.

[0072] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, before determining whether to accept the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network according to the second request message and the subscription data of the terminal device, the method further includes: obtaining the subscription data of the terminal device. For example, the third network element sends a message for requesting the subscription data of the terminal device to a fifth network element in the second network, and the fifth network element is used to manage the subscription data of the terminal device that has signed a contract with the second network; the third network element receives the subscription data of the terminal device from the fifth network element.

[0073] Among them, the fifth network element can be a subnet subscription and policy management network element, and the fifth network element is used to manage the subscription data of the subscribed users of the second network and also to manage the default subscription data.

[0074] Optionally, the third network element may obtain all the contract data of the terminal device at one time, or may obtain different contents in the contract data of the terminal device separately. For example, the third network element first obtains the authentication content in the contract data of the terminal device, such as the authentication indication information and / or the authentication information, and when it is confirmed that the terminal device does not need to be authenticated, or the terminal device is successfully authenticated according to the authentication indication information and / or the authentication information, it further obtains other contents in the contract data of the terminal device to determine whether the third condition is met.

[0075] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first response message includes second tunnel information, and the second tunnel information is used to send uplink data of the service to a second user plane network element in the second network.

[0076] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, before sending a first response message to the second network element based on the second request message and the subscription data of the terminal device, the method also includes: sending indication information to the second user plane network element, the indication information being used to instruct the second user plane network element to allocate tunnel information for the connection; and receiving second tunnel information from the second user plane network element.

[0077] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, first tunnel information is sent to a second user plane network element in the second network, and the first tunnel information is used to send downlink data of the service to a first user plane network element in the first network.

[0078] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first network element, or can also be executed by a chip or circuit of the first network element, which is not limited in this application. For ease of description, the following description is taken as an example of execution by the first network element.

[0079] The method comprises: receiving a message from a terminal device for requesting the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and a second network, the second network being used to provide services for the terminal device, and the connection between the terminal device and the second network being used for the terminal device and the second network to transmit data of the service through the first network; sending a first request message to a second network element, the first request message being used to request the establishment of the connection; receiving a message from the second network element being used to indicate acceptance of the establishment of the connection; sending a third request message to an access network device in the first network, the third request message being used to request allocation of wireless resources for the connection, the wireless resources being used to forward data of the service between the terminal device and the second network.

[0080] Exemplarily, the first network is a large network operator network, such as PLMN, which can also be called a large network or a public network; the second network is a subnet, which can also be called a private network or a dedicated network. The first network element is a control plane network element in the large network operator network, such as a session management network element or a mobility management network element. The second network element can be used to serve or manage the second network, and can also be used to forward messages between the first network and the second network. For example, the second network element is a sub-network agent (SNA) network element, which is used to serve or manage one or more subnets.

[0081] The first request message may also be used to request the terminal device to access the second network. The message used to request the terminal device to establish a connection with the second network may be referred to as a connection establishment request message.

[0082] Exemplarily, the third network element sends a second request message to the second network element when triggered by the first request message.

[0083] Optionally, the connection establishment request message and the first request message include one or more of the following information: identification information of the terminal device, identification information of the second network, information indicating one or more logical areas to which the terminal device requests access, and information indicating the location of the terminal device.

[0084] Among them, the identification information of the terminal device may include the first identification information assigned to the terminal device by the first network. For example, the first network element receives the first identification information from the terminal device, such as a connection establishment request message includes the first identification information. For another example, the first network element obtains the first identification information from the subscription data of the terminal device. In this implementation, the first identification information can be considered to be credible. The first network element can send the first identification information received from the terminal device and the first identification information obtained from the subscription data of the terminal device through different positions of the first request message, so that the second network element can confirm whether the first identification information is credible according to the position of the first identification in the first request message. The first network element may also carry information indicating whether the first identification information is credible in the first request message, so that the second network element can confirm whether the first identification information is credible according to the information.

[0085] The identification information of the terminal device may also include second identification information allocated by the second network to the terminal device, that is, the subnet subscription identification of the terminal device.

[0086] The identification information of the second network is used to indicate the second network, and the first network element and the second network element can determine that the network requested by the terminal device to access is the second network based on the identification information of the second network.

[0087] The one or more logical areas that the terminal device requests to access may be referred to as target logical areas, and the information used to indicate the target logical areas may be identification information of the target logical areas. Exemplarily, the connection establishment request message and the first request message include a first container, and the first container includes information used to indicate the target logical area.

[0088] The information used to indicate the location of the terminal device may be user location information (ULI) of the terminal device, or an identifier of a cell where the terminal device is currently located or a tracking area identity (TAI).

[0089] In conjunction with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, before sending the first request message to the second network element, the method further includes: obtaining address information of the second network element. In this implementation, sending the first request message to the second network element includes: sending the first request message to the second network element according to the address information of the second network element.

[0090] Exemplarily, the first network element receives address information of the second network element from a network function repository function (NRF) network element or a DNS.

[0091] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the third request message includes a quality of service parameter corresponding to the connection between the terminal device and the second network, and the quality of service parameter is determined by the quality of service parameter of the terminal device and / or the quality of service parameter of the second network.

[0092] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the third request message includes wireless resource information, and the wireless resource information is used to determine the wireless resource.

[0093] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the first request message includes first tunnel information, and the first tunnel information is used to send downlink data of the service to a first user plane network element in the first network.

[0094] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, before sending the first request message to the second network element, the method also includes: sending indication information to the first user plane network element for instructing the first user plane network element to allocate downlink tunnel information for the connection; and receiving first tunnel information from the first user plane network element.

[0095] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the third request message includes third tunnel information, and the third tunnel information is used to send uplink data of the service to the first user plane network element in the first network.

[0096] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, before the first network element sends a third request message to the access network device, the method also includes: sending indication information to the first user plane network element for instructing the first user plane network element to allocate uplink tunnel information for the connection; and receiving third tunnel information from the first user plane network element.

[0097] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the method further includes: receiving fourth tunnel information from an access network device, where the fourth tunnel information is used to send downlink data of the service to the access network device.

[0098] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the third request message includes indication information for instructing the access network device to allocate tunnel information for the connection; receiving fourth tunnel information from the access network device includes: receiving a message from the access network device for responding to the third request message, the message including fourth tunnel information.

[0099] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes one or more functional units, such as a transceiver unit and a processing unit. Among them: the transceiver unit is used to receive a first request message from a first network element in a first network, the first request message is used to request the establishment of a connection between a terminal device and a second network, the second network is used to provide a service for the terminal device, and the connection between the terminal device and the second network is used for the terminal device and the second network to transmit data of the service through the first network; the processing unit is used to send a second request message to a third network element in the second network through the transceiver unit according to the first request message, the second request message is used to request the establishment of the connection; the transceiver unit is also used to receive a first response message from the third network element, the first response message is used to indicate whether to accept the establishment of the connection; the processing unit is also used to send a second response message to the first network element through the transceiver unit according to the first response message, the second response message is used to indicate whether to accept the establishment of the connection.

[0100] The transceiver unit can perform the reception and transmission processing in the aforementioned first aspect and any one of its implementations, and the processing unit can perform other processing except reception and transmission in the aforementioned first aspect and any one of its implementations.

[0101] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes one or more functional units, such as a transceiver unit and a processing unit. Among them: the transceiver unit is used to receive a second request message from a second network element, the second request message is used to request the establishment of a connection between a terminal device and a second network, the second network is used to provide a service for the terminal device, and the connection between the terminal device and the second network is used for the terminal device and the second network to transmit data of the service through the first network; the processing unit is used to determine whether to accept the connection establishment according to the second request message and the contract data of the terminal device; the transceiver unit is also used to send a first response message to the second network element, and the first response message is used to indicate whether to accept the connection establishment.

[0102] The transceiver unit may perform the reception and transmission processing in the aforementioned second aspect and any one of its implementations, and the processing unit of the communication device may perform other processing except reception and transmission in the aforementioned second aspect and any one of its implementations.

[0103] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes one or more functional units, such as a transceiver unit and a processing unit. Among them: the transceiver unit is used to receive a message from a terminal device for requesting the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and a second network, the second network is used to provide a service for the terminal device, and the connection between the terminal device and the second network is used for the terminal device and the second network to transmit data of the service through the first network; the transceiver unit is also used to send a first request message to the second network element, the first request message is used to request the establishment of the connection; the transceiver unit is also used to receive a message from the second network element for indicating acceptance of the establishment of the connection; the transceiver unit is also used to send a third request message to an access network device in the first network, the third request message is used to request allocation of wireless resources for the connection, and the wireless resources are used to forward data of the service between the terminal device and the second network.

[0104] The transceiver unit may perform the reception and transmission processing in the aforementioned third aspect and any one of its implementations, and the processing unit of the communication device may perform other processing except reception and transmission in the aforementioned third aspect and any one of its implementations.

[0105] In the seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor, the processor being coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, and the processor being used to call and run the computer program from the memory, so that the device executes the methods in the above-mentioned first to third aspects and any one of their implementations.

[0106] Optionally, the number of the processors is one or more, and the number of the memories is one or more.

[0107] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0108] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or code, and when the computer program or code is run on a computer, the computer executes the method in the above-mentioned first to third aspects and any one of their implementations.

[0109] In a ninth aspect, a chip is provided, comprising a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor reads instructions stored in a memory through the communication interface, and is used to execute the methods in the first to third aspects above and any one of their implementations.

[0110] Optionally, as an implementation method, the chip may also include a memory, in which instructions are stored, and the processor is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory. When the instructions are executed, the processor is used to execute the methods in the above-mentioned first to third aspects and any one of their implementation methods.

[0111] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: a computer program code, when the computer program code is run on the computer, the method in the above-mentioned first to third aspects and any one of their implementations is executed.

[0112] In the eleventh aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising: a second network element and a third network element, the second network element being used to execute the method in the above-mentioned first aspect and any possible implementation manner thereof, and the third network element being used to execute the method in the above-mentioned second aspect and any possible implementation manner thereof.

[0113] Optionally, the communication system includes a first network element, and the first network element is used to execute the method in the above-mentioned third aspect and any one of its implementation methods.

[0114] In a twelfth aspect, a communication method is provided, including: a second network element receives a first request message from a first network element in a first network, the first request message being used to request establishment of a connection between a terminal device and a second network, the second network being used to provide services for the terminal device, and the connection between the terminal device and the second network being used for the terminal device and the second network to transmit data of the service through the first network; the second network element sends a second request message to a third network element in the second network according to the first request message, the second request message being used to request establishment of the connection; the third network element receives a second request message from the second network element, and determines whether to accept establishment of the connection according to the second request message and the contract data of the terminal device; the third network element sends a first response message to the second network element, the first response message being used to indicate whether establishment of the connection is accepted; the second network element receives a first response message from the third network element, and sends a second response message to the first network element according to the first response message, the second response message being used to indicate whether establishment of the connection is accepted.

[0115] In combination with the twelfth aspect, in certain implementations of the twelfth aspect, the first request message includes identification information of the terminal device, and the second network element sends a second request message to a third network element in the second network based on the first request message, including: when the user information of the second network includes the identification information of the terminal device, the second network element sends the second request message to the third network element; wherein the user information of the second network includes identification information of one or more terminal devices allowed to establish a connection with the second network.

[0116] In combination with the twelfth aspect, in some implementations of the twelfth aspect, the second network element sends a second request message to a third network element in the second network according to the first request message, including: when the first request message and the subscription data of the second network meet the first condition, the second network element sends the second request message to the third network element, wherein the first condition includes one or more of the following conditions:

[0117] (1) When the first request message includes identification information of the first network and the subscription data of the second network includes identification information of one or more networks, the identification information of the one or more networks includes the identification information of the first network;

[0118] (2) When the first request message includes information indicating the location of the terminal device and the subscription data of the second network includes the service range of the second network, the service range of the second network includes the location of the terminal device.

[0119] In combination with the twelfth aspect, in certain implementations of the twelfth aspect, before the second network element sends a second request message to a third network element in the second network based on the first request message, the method also includes: the second network element obtains the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network; the second network element determines that the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network is less than the maximum number of terminal devices allowed to simultaneously access the second network.

[0120] In combination with the twelfth aspect, in certain implementations of the twelfth aspect, when the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network is less than the maximum number of terminal devices allowed to simultaneously access the second network, the method further includes: the second network element sends a message to the fourth network element for requesting an update of the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network, and the fourth network element is used to maintain the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network.

[0121] In combination with the twelfth aspect, in certain implementations of the twelfth aspect, before the second network element sends a second request message to a third network element in the second network based on the first request message, the method also includes: the second network element determines that the number of terminal devices that have connected to the second network is updated successfully.

[0122] In combination with the twelfth aspect, in certain implementations of the twelfth aspect, the second response message includes a quality of service parameter of the connection, and the quality of service parameter of the connection is determined based on at least one of the following: a quality of service parameter of the terminal device and a quality of service parameter of the second network.

[0123] In combination with the twelfth aspect, in some implementations of the twelfth aspect, the third network element determines whether to accept the connection establishment according to the second request message and the subscription data of the terminal device, including:

[0124] When the second request message and the subscription data of the terminal device meet the third condition, the third network element determines to accept the connection establishment; or, when the second request message and the subscription data of the terminal device do not meet the third condition, the third network element determines not to accept the connection establishment.

[0125] The third condition includes one or more of the following conditions:

[0126] 1) when the second request message includes information indicating the location of the terminal device, and the subscription data of the terminal device includes information indicating one or more geographical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access, the one or more geographical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access include the location of the terminal device;

[0127] 2) When the second request message includes information indicating the logical area that the terminal device requests to access, and the subscription data of the terminal device includes information indicating one or more logical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access, the one or more logical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access include the logical area that the terminal device requests to access.

[0128] In combination with the twelfth aspect, in certain implementations of the twelfth aspect, the first response message is used to indicate acceptance of the connection establishment, and before the third network element sends the first response message to the second network element, the method also includes: the third network element determines that authentication of the terminal device is not required, or the third network element successfully authenticates the terminal device.

[0129] The beneficial effects of the above-mentioned fourth to twelfth aspects and any one of their implementation methods can be referred to the relevant descriptions in the first to third aspects and their implementation methods, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0130] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a network architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0131] Figure 2 It is a flow chart of a communication method 200 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0132] Figure 3 This is an example diagram of a method for updating the number of terminal devices that have accessed a second network provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0133] Figure 4 It is a flowchart of another data transmission method 400 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0134] Figure 5 It is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0135] Figure 6 It is a schematic block diagram of another communication device 2000 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0136] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of a chip system 3000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0137] The technical solution provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: new radio (NR) system, long term evolution (LTE) system, frequency division duplex (FDD) system, time division duplex (TDD) system, etc. The technical solution provided in this application can also be applied to device to device (D2D) communication, vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine to machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), and Internet of things (IoT) communication system or other communication systems.

[0138] In the above communication system, the part operated by the operator may be referred to as a public land mobile network (PLMN), which is used to provide land mobile communication services. Among them, PLMN may also be referred to as an operator network, a large network, a public network, etc., and the operator operating the PLMN may be referred to as a large network operator. The PLMN described in the embodiment of the present application may specifically be a network that meets the requirements of the third generation partnership project (3GPP) standards, referred to as a 3GPP network. The 3GPP network includes but is not limited to the fifth generation (5th-generation, 5G) mobile communication network, the fourth generation (4th-generation, 4G) mobile communication network, and other future communication networks, such as the sixth generation (6th-generation, 6G) mobile communication network, etc.

[0139] As 3GPP networks develop from being oriented to business (2B) to being oriented to consumers (2C), a series of emerging technologies have emerged to support the deployment of networks in designated location areas (such as enterprises, campuses, shopping malls, parks, etc.), provide customized services to users in the area, and realize the continuous expansion of 3GPP network application scenarios. Among them, the network serving users in the designated location area can be called a sub-network, the designated area can be called a sub-network place, users who access the subnet in the sub-network place can be called sub-network users, and the owner of the sub-network place can be called a sub-network tenant. The subnet can also be called a private network, a dedicated network, etc., which is not limited in this application.

[0140] In the prior art, large network operators can use shared large network resources to deploy subnets in subnet locations based on technologies such as slicing, multi-access edge computing (MEC), and local area data network (LADN). After the subnet tenant signs a contract with the large network operator, the subnet can be used to provide services to subnet users. However, in this case, the subnet cannot autonomously control the access rights of subnet users to the subnet, and usually requires the unified data management (UDM) network element or policy control function (PCF) network element in the large network to add, modify or delete the access rights of subnet users. Taking slicing technology as an example, the contract data of subnet users is managed by the UDM network element of the large network. After the slice corresponding to the subnet is added to the contract data, the subnet user can access the subnet; further, when the subnet users have different locations, the contract data of these subnet users are managed by the UDM network elements of the large networks in different locations, which requires modifying the UDM network elements of the large networks in different locations separately. This makes the deployment and maintenance of subnets very complicated, limiting the development of subnet scenarios.

[0141] In view of this, the present application provides a communication method, device and system to enable the subnet to autonomously manage the authority of terminal devices to access the subnet, thereby reducing the complexity and cost of subnet deployment and maintenance.

[0142] Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture 100 applicable to an embodiment of the present application. The network architecture 100 includes an operator network 110, a subnet domain 120, a subnet operator domain 130 and a terminal device 140.

[0143] The operator network 110 is a network deployed by a large network operator, including a (radio) access network ((R)AN) 111 and a core network (CN).

[0144] Among them, (R)AN 111 may include one or more access network elements or access network devices. The access network device is a node or device that connects the terminal device 140 to the wireless network. The access network device can also be called a wireless access network device or an access network device. (R)AN can be regarded as a subnetwork of the operator network, and is an implementation system between the service node and the terminal device in the operator network. To access the operator network, the terminal device first passes through the (R)AN, and then can be connected to the service node of the operator network through the (R)AN. The access network device in the embodiment of the present application is a device that provides wireless communication functions for terminal devices, and may also be referred to as a network device. The (R)AN device includes but is not limited to: the next generation node base station (gNB) in the 5G system, the evolved node B (eNB) in the long term evolution (LTE), the radio network controller (RNC), the node B (NB), the base station controller (BSC), the base transceiver station (BTS), the home base station (for example, home evolved node B, or home node B, HNB), the base band unit (BBU), the transmission point (TRP), the transmitting point (TP), the small base station device, the mobile switching center, or the network equipment in the future network, etc. The access network equipment may also be a module or unit that performs the functions of a base station, such as a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU); in a possible network structure, the CU may be used to support communications under protocols such as radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), and service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU may be used to support communications under radio link control (RLC) layer protocols, media access control (MAC) layer protocols, and physical layer protocols. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form used by the access network equipment.In systems using different wireless access technologies, the names of devices with access network device functions may be different. For the convenience of description, in all embodiments of the present application, the above-mentioned devices that provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices are collectively referred to as access network devices or RAN or AN for short. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific types of access network devices.

[0145] The CN part of the operator network 110 may include network elements such as a global session management (G-SM) network element 112, a global user plane (G-UP) network element 113, a global mobility management (G-MM) network element 114, and a subscription function network element 115. Among them, the G-SM network element 112, the G-MM network element 114, and the subscription function network element 115 may be referred to as control plane network elements of the operator network 110, and the G-UP network element 113 may be referred to as a user plane network element of the operator network 110. The network elements of the CN part are briefly described below.

[0146] 1. The G-SM network element 112 can be used to establish and manage the connection or session between the terminal device and the subnet, and can also be used to count and supervise the operator network resources used by the terminal device to access the subnet, such as the usage of network resources, the usage time of network resources, etc. Exemplarily, the G-SM network element 112 can be a session management function (SMF) network element in the 5G network.

[0147] 2. The G-UP network element 113 can be used to allocate tunnel information for the connection between the terminal device and the subnet, forward subnet service data packets between the terminal device and the subnet, collect subnet-related billing information, etc. The operator network 110 may include one or more G-UP network elements. Figure 1 The operator network 110 includes a G-UP network element 113 for exemplary description. For example, the G-UP network element 113 may be a user plane function (UPF) network element in a 5G network.

[0148] 3. The G-MM network element 114 may be used to authenticate and authorize the access of the terminal device, and may also be used to manage the mobility of the terminal device. Exemplarily, the G-MM network element 114 may be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element in a 5G network.

[0149] 4. The contract function network element 115 can be used to store the contract data of the contracted users in the operator network 110, such as the subscriber permanent identifier (SUPI) of the contracted users, the generic public subscription identifier (GPSI) of the contracted users, and other information, and can also be used to provide other network elements in the CN with the function of storing and obtaining contract data. Exemplarily, the contract function network element 115 can be a unified data management function (UDM) network element or a unified data repository function (UDR) network element in the 5G network, and can also integrate the functions of the UDM network element and the UDR network element.

[0150] Optionally, the CN part may also include network exposure function (NEF) network elements, network function repository function (NRF) network elements, policy control function (PCF) network elements, application function (AF) network elements, authentication server function (AUSF) network elements and other network elements. For the specific functions of the above network elements, please refer to the detailed introduction in the 5G communication system, which will not be repeated here. In the embodiment of the present application, network elements may also be collectively referred to as network functions (NF).

[0151] The subnet domain 120 covers a subnet location and provides subnet services for subnet users within the subnet location. The subnet domain 120 may include one or more of the following network elements: a subnet subscription and policy management (SSPM) network element 121, a subnet user plane (UP) network element 122, a subnet session management (SM) network element 123, or a subnet service node 124. Among them, the SSPM network element 121 and the subnet SM network element 123 may be referred to as control plane network elements of the subnet domain 120, and the subnet UP network element 122 may be referred to as a user plane network element of the subnet domain 120. The above network elements may be deployed in a subnet location, on a subnet operator's cloud, or on a public cloud leased by a subnet operator or a subnet tenant, and this application does not limit this. The network elements included in the subnet domain 120 are briefly described below.

[0152] 1. The SSPM network element 121 can be used to manage the contract data in the sub-network domain 120, such as the contract data and default contract data of the terminal devices that have signed a contract with the sub-network domain 120. It can also be used to manage the user information of the sub-network domain 120, such as the identification information of the terminal devices that are allowed to access the sub-network domain 120.

[0153] 2. The subnet UP network element 122 may be used to allocate tunnel information for the connection between the terminal device and the subnet domain 120 , and to forward user plane data between the terminal device and the subnet service node 124 within the subnet domain 120 .

[0154] 3. The subnet SM network element 123 can be used to manage the access rights of the terminal device to the subnet domain 120, and can also be used to establish and manage the session or connection between the terminal device and the subnet domain 120, such as establishing, maintaining and deleting the session or connection. The session or connection is a channel for transmitting subnet service data between the terminal device and the subnet domain 120.

[0155] 4. The subnet service node 124 may be a server for providing subnet services to terminal devices, such as a web server.

[0156] The subnet operator domain 130 is a network deployed by a subnet operator, which may include one or more subnet domains and provide subnets for one or more subnet tenants. Figure 1 In the example, the subnet operator domain 130 includes the subnet domain 120 and the subnet domain 120-1. It should be noted that the large network operator and the subnet operator may be the same or different, and this application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0157] The sub-network operator domain 130 may include one or more of the following network elements: a sub-network agent (SNA) network element 131 and a sub-network tenant subscription function network element 132 .

[0158] 1. The SNA network element 131 is a control plane network element in the subnet operator domain 130, and may also be referred to as a subnet operator domain controller. The SNA network element 131 may be used to manage one or more subnet domains included in the subnet operator domain 130, may also be used to manage the rights of terminal devices to access the one or more subnet domains, and may also serve as a signaling gateway to forward signaling between the operator network 110 and the one or more subnet domains.

[0159] 2. The subnet tenant subscription function network element 132 may be used to store or maintain subscription information of one or more subnet domains included in the subnet operator domain 130 .

[0160] It should be noted that the subnet domain 120 and the subnet operator domain 130 may also include other network elements, and this application does not limit this. The functions of the above-mentioned network elements / devices can be completed by an independent network element / device, or by several network elements / devices. The above-mentioned network elements or functions can be physical entities in hardware devices, or software instances running on dedicated hardware, or virtualized functions instantiated on a shared platform (for example, a cloud platform). In simple terms, a network element can be implemented by hardware or by software. The above-mentioned network elements can be independent devices or integrated into the same device to implement different functions. This application does not limit the specific form of the above-mentioned network elements.

[0161] It should also be noted that the above naming is only defined to facilitate the distinction between different functions and should not constitute any limitation to this application. This application does not exclude the possibility of adopting other names. For example, in a 6G network, some or all of the above network elements may use the terminology in 5G, or other names may be used. For another example, a G-SM network element may also be called an operator network session management network element, a G-UP network element may also be called an operator network user plane network element, and a G-MM network element may also be called an operator network mobility management network element.

[0162] The terminal device 140 is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to the user. The terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE). The terminal device in the present application is a device with wireless transceiver function, which can communicate with one or more CN devices via an access network device (or may also be referred to as an access device). The terminal device may also be referred to as an access terminal, terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, user agent or user device, etc. The terminal device may be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it may also be deployed on the water surface (such as a ship, etc.); it may also be deployed in the air (such as an airplane, a balloon and a satellite, etc.). The terminal device may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a smart phone, a mobile phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), etc. Alternatively, the terminal device may also be a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a drone device or an Internet of Things, a terminal in the Internet of Vehicles, a 5G network and any form of terminal in the future network, a relay user device or a terminal in the future evolved 6G network, etc. Among them, the relay user device may be, for example, a 5G residential gateway (RG). For example, the terminal device may be a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in unmanned driving, a wireless terminal in telemedicine, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, etc. The terminal device here refers to a 3GPP terminal. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the type or type of the terminal device. For ease of explanation, the present application will be described later using UE as an example to refer to the terminal device.

[0163] When the terminal device 140 needs to use the subnet service provided by the subnet domain 120, the terminal device 140 can access the subnet domain 120 through the operator network 110 and establish a connection with the subnet domain 120, that is, establish a connection with the subnet service node 124 in the subnet domain 120 that provides the subnet service. The connection can also be called a session or a tunnel, which is used for the terminal device 140 to interact with the subnet domain 120 through the operator network 110 to perform service data exchange, that is, the terminal device 140 can interact with the subnet service node 124 in the subnet domain 120 through the connection. The connection between the terminal device 140 and the subnet domain 120 can also be called a subnet connection of the terminal device 140.

[0164] Exemplarily, for uplink data sent by the terminal device 140 to the subnet service node of the subnet domain 120, the terminal device 140 may first send the data to the G-UP network element 113 via the (R)AN 111, and then the G-UP network element 113 may send the data to the subnet UP network element 122, and then the subnet UP network element 122 may send the data to the subnet service node 124, thereby completing the transmission of the uplink data. Similarly, for downlink data sent by the subnet service node of the subnet domain 120 to the terminal device 140, the subnet service node 124 may send the data to the terminal device 140 via the subnet UP network element 122, the G-UP network element 113, and the (R)AN 111 in sequence.

[0165] Figure 2 2 is a flow chart of a communication method 200 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 As shown, the communication method 200 can be executed by a terminal device, an access network device and a first network element, a second network element, and a third network element in the second network, or by a module and / or device (for example, a chip or an integrated circuit, etc.) with corresponding functions installed in the above-mentioned terminal device, access network device, first network element, second network element, and third network element, which is not limited in this application. For the convenience of description, the following description is based on the terminal device, access network device, first network element, second network element, and third network element as the execution subject, and the part not described in detail can refer to the existing protocol.

[0166] The communication method 200 is applicable to Figure 1 The network architecture 100 is shown. For example, Figure 2 The terminal device in Figure 1 The terminal device 140 in the first network is Figure 1 The operator network 110 in the access network device is (R)AN 111, the first network element is a control plane network element in the operator network 110, for example, the first network element is a G-SM network element 112 or a G-MM network element 114; the second network element is Figure 1The SNA network element 131 in the second network is Figure 1 In the subnet domain 120, the third network element is a control plane network element in the subnet domain 120, for example, the third network element is the subnet SM network element 123.

[0167] like Figure 2 As shown, the communication method 200 includes the following steps.

[0168] S210. The terminal device sends a message to the first network element in the first network for requesting establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network. Correspondingly, the first network element receives a message from the terminal device for requesting establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network.

[0169] Among them, the message used to request the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network can be called a connection establishment request message, a session establishment request message, or a subnet access request message. This application does not impose any restrictions on this. The following description will be given using the connection establishment request message as an example.

[0170] The connection establishment request message may also be used to request access to the second network, or to request establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network. The connection establishment request message may trigger the first network element to establish a connection between the terminal device and the second network, that is, after receiving the connection establishment request message, the first network element starts to establish a connection between the terminal device and the second network, for example, after receiving the connection establishment request message, the first network element sends a second request message to the second network element.

[0171] For example, when the terminal device needs to use the service provided by the second network, the terminal device sends a connection establishment request message to the first network element. The service provided by the second network to the terminal device can be called a subnet service. The connection between the terminal device and the second network can be called a subnet connection of the terminal device, which is used for the terminal device and the second network to transmit data of the subnet service through the first network.

[0172] The first network may be referred to as a service operator network of the terminal device, or may be referred to as an operator network providing services to the terminal device.

[0173] Optionally, the terminal device can send a connection establishment request message directly to the first network element, or send a connection establishment request message to the first network element through other devices or network elements. For example, the terminal device can send a connection establishment request message to the first network element through an access network device in the first network.

[0174] Optionally, the connection establishment request message includes identification information of the terminal device, and the identification information of the terminal device is used to identify the terminal device, so that the first network element can recognize the identity of the terminal device based on the identification information of the terminal device and determine that the terminal device initiating the connection establishment is the terminal device indicated by the identification information.

[0175] The identification information of the terminal device includes at least one of the following information: the first identification information of the terminal device or the second identification information of the terminal device. The first identification information of the terminal device is an identification assigned to the terminal device by the first network, such as when the terminal device and the first network sign a contract, the first network assigns the first identification information to the terminal device. The first identification information of the terminal device may be a mobile station international integrated services digital network number (MSISDN). The second identification information of the terminal device is an identification assigned to the terminal device by the second network, such as when the terminal device and the second network sign a contract, the second network assigns the second identification information to the terminal device. The second identification information of the terminal device may also be referred to as the subnet contract identification of the terminal device.

[0176] Optionally, the connection establishment request message includes identification information of the second network, where the identification information is used to identify the second network. The first network element may determine that the network that the terminal device requests to access is the second network based on the identification information of the second network.

[0177] Optionally, the connection establishment request message includes information for indicating one or more logical areas that the terminal device requests to access, and the one or more logical areas that the terminal device requests to access are referred to as target logical areas hereinafter. For example, the connection establishment request message includes identification information of the target logical area.

[0178] The second network may include multiple logical areas, different logical areas may allow different terminal devices to access, and the same terminal device may access one or more logical areas. For example, according to different network security levels, the enterprise campus network may be divided into a green zone, a red zone, and a visitor zone. All employees of the enterprise may access the green zone, but only employees with specific permissions may access the red zone, and non-enterprise employees may only access the visitor zone.

[0179] Exemplarily, the connection establishment request message includes a first container, and the first container includes information for indicating the target logical area. The first container will be transparently transmitted to the third network element in the second network, that is, after receiving the first container, the network element or device other than the third network element will not parse the content of the first container, so as to prevent other network elements / devices from tampering with the information and improve the security of information transmission.

[0180] S220. The first network element sends a first request message to the second network element. Correspondingly, the second network element receives the first request message from the first network element.

[0181] For example, the first network element sends a first request message to the second network element in response to a connection establishment request message from the terminal device. That is, the first network element sends the first request message to the second network element under the triggering of the connection establishment request message.

[0182] The second network element is used to manage the second network, or in other words, the second network element serves the second network, and the second network element is used to forward messages between the first network and the second network. Figure 1 A control plane network element (such as SNA network element 131) in the subnet operator domain 130. In this implementation, the second network element is used to manage one or more subnet domains included in the subnet operator domain 130, including the subnet domain 120 (i.e., the second network); that is, the second network element serves one or more subnet domains included in the subnet operator domain 130, and the second network element is used to forward messages between the operator network 110 and the one or more subnet domains included in the subnet operator domain 130.

[0183] The first request message may be used to request establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network, or may be used to request access of the terminal device to the second network.

[0184] The first request message may include identification information of the terminal device, and the identification information of the terminal device includes at least one of the following information: first identification information of the terminal device or second identification information of the terminal device.

[0185] For example, the first network element carries the first identification information and / or the second identification information in the connection establishment request message in the first request message and sends it to the second network element.

[0186] For another example, the first network element obtains the first identification information of the terminal device from the subscription data of the terminal device, and sends the first identification information to the second network element in the first request message. Figure 1 The subscription function network element 115 in the network sends a message for requesting the subscription data of the terminal device, and receives the subscription data of the terminal device from the UDM network element, including the first identification information of the terminal device.

[0187] Optionally, the first network element determines whether to obtain the first identification information of the terminal device from the subscription data of the terminal device according to the identification information of the second network. Exemplarily, the first network element maintains a list, the list including the identification information of one or more subnets, when the list includes the identification information of the second network, the first network element obtains the first identification information of the terminal device from the subscription data of the terminal device. The list can be dynamically updated, for example, when the first network element receives indication information from the second network, the indication information is used to indicate that the first network is required to authenticate the terminal device requesting access to the second network, the first network element adds the identification information of the second network to the list. It can also be understood that after receiving the indication information from the second network, the first network element receives a connection establishment request message from the terminal device, the first network element authenticates the terminal device, and if the authentication is successful, the first identification information of the terminal device is obtained from the subscription data of the terminal device, and the obtained first identification information is carried in the first request message and sent to the second network element.

[0188] Under this implementation method, the second network element can consider that the first identification information of the terminal device is credible. That is, when the first identification information in the first request message is obtained by the first network element from the contract data of the terminal device, the second network element believes that the first network element has authenticated the terminal device and the authentication is successful. Therefore, the second network element does not need to authenticate the terminal device again, which can reduce the processing complexity of the second network element and improve the efficiency of the terminal device accessing the second network element.

[0189] The second network element can obtain whether the first identification information in the first request message is credible in different ways. Exemplarily, the second network element determines whether the first identification information is credible according to the position of the first identification information in the first request message. For example, when the first identification information is obtained by the first network element from the connection establishment request message, the first network element places the first identification information in the first position in the first request message and sends it to the second network element; when the first identification information is obtained by the first network element from the contract data of the terminal device, the first network element places the first identification information in the second position in the first request message and sends it to the second network element, so that the second network element can determine whether the first identification information is credible according to the second position of the first identification information in the first request message. Exemplarily, the second network element can determine whether the first identification information is credible according to the indication information in the first request message. For example, when the first request message includes indication information for indicating that the first identification information is credible, the second network element determines that the first identification information is credible; when the first request message does not include indication information for indicating that the first identification information is credible, the second network element considers that the first identification information is uncredible; for another example, the indication information is a bit, when the first identification information is obtained by the first network element from a connection establishment request message, the first network element sets the value of the bit to a first value (such as 0); when the first identification information is obtained by the first network element from the contract data of the terminal device, the first network element sets the value of the bit to a second value (such as 1), so that the second network element can determine that the first identification information is credible based on the value of the bit being the second value.

[0190] Optionally, the first request message includes identification information of the second network. For example, the first network element carries the identification information of the second network in the connection establishment request message in the first request message and sends it to the second network element. The second network element can determine that the network requested by the terminal device to access is the second network based on the identification information of the second network.

[0191] Optionally, the first request message includes location information of the terminal device, which is used to indicate the current location of the terminal device, such as user location information (ULI) of the terminal device, or an identifier of a cell or a tracking area identity (TAI) where the terminal device is currently located.

[0192] Optionally, the first request message includes identification information of an operator network serving the terminal device, that is, identification information of the first network, which may also be referred to as identification information of a serving PLMN (serving PLMN) of the terminal device.

[0193] Optionally, the first request message includes information for indicating a target logical area of ​​the terminal device, such as identification information of the target logical area. Exemplarily, when the connection establishment request message includes identification information of the target logical area, the first request message includes the identification information of the target logical area. For example, the first request message includes the first container in the connection establishment request message.

[0194] Before the first network element sends the first request message to the second network element, the communication method 200 may further include: the first network element obtains address information of the second network element, and in this implementation, the first network element sends the first request message to the second network element according to the address information of the second network element. The address information of the second network element is used to communicate with the second network element, for example, the address information of the second network element may be an Internet protocol (IP) address of the second network element.

[0195] Illustratively, the first network element may adopt the following method 2.1 or method 2.2 to obtain the address information of the second network element.

[0196] Mode 2.1: The first network element receives address information of the second network element from the NRF network element in the first network.

[0197] For example, the second network element sends the identification information of the network served or managed by the second network element and the address information of the second network element to the NRF network element, wherein the network served or managed by the second network element includes the second network. For another example, the second network element sends the address information of the second network element and the identification information of the subnet domain in the subnet operator domain (i.e., the subnet operator domain 130) where the second network element is located to the NRF network element, including the identification information of the second network. That is, the second network element registers the identification information of the second network and the address information of the second network element to the NRF network element.

[0198] Correspondingly, the NRF network element receives the identification information of the second network and the address information of the second network element from the second network element. Further, the NRF network element can save the correspondence between the identification information of the second network and the address information of the second network element.

[0199] After receiving the identification information of the second network in the connection establishment request message, the first network element sends a first query message to the NRF network element, and the first query message includes the identification information of the second network. The first query message is used to query the address information of the second network element corresponding to the second network, that is, the first query message is used to query the address information of the second network element serving the second network, that is, the first query message is used to query the address information of the second network element in the subnet operator domain to which the second network belongs.

[0200] Correspondingly, the NRF network element receives the first query message from the first network element, and searches for the address information of the second network element according to the first query message. For example, the NRF network element queries the above-mentioned correspondence stored locally according to the identification information of the second network in the first query message, determines the address information of the second network element corresponding to the identification information of the second network, and sends the address information of the second network element to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the address information of the second network element from the NRF network element.

[0201] Mode 2.2: The first network element receives address information of the second network element from a domain name server (DNS).

[0202] For example, the second network element generates a first fully qualified domain name (FQDN) according to the identification information of the second network, and sends the first FQDN and the address information of the second network element to the DNS, that is, registers the first FQDN and the address information of the second network element to the DNS. Figure 1 In the network architecture shown, the subnet operator domain 130 also includes a network element #1 for operating, managing, and maintaining the subnet operator domain 130. The specific functions of the network element #1 can refer to the operation, administration, and maintenance (OAM) network element in the 5G network. The network element #1 generates a first FQDN according to the identification information of the second network, or the network element #1 receives the first FQDN from the second network element, and then the network element #1 sends the first FQDN and the address information of the second network element to the DNS.

[0203] Correspondingly, the DNS receives the first FQDN and the address information of the second network element sent by the second network element or network element #1. Further, the DNS can save the corresponding relationship between the address information of the second network element and the first FQDN.

[0204] After receiving the identification information of the second network in the connection establishment request message, the first network element generates a first FQDN according to the identification information of the second network, wherein the first network element generates the first FQDN in the same manner as the second network element or network element #1. The first network element sends a first query message to the DNS, the first query message including the first FQDN.

[0205] Correspondingly, the DNS receives the first query message from the first network element, determines the address information of the second network element corresponding to the first FQDN according to the first FQDN in the first query message and the above correspondence relationship stored locally, and sends the address information of the second network element to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the address information of the second network element from the DNS network element.

[0206] It should be noted that the first network element may also obtain the address information of the second network element in other ways, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0207] Optionally, the first request message includes first tunnel information. The first tunnel information is used for transmitting subnet service data of the terminal device, that is, the first tunnel information is used to transmit the first user plane network element (such as Figure 1 The G-UP network element 113 in the second network sends downlink data of the subnet service, for example, the second user plane network element in the second network (such as Figure 1 The subnet UP network element 122 in the network can send the subnet service data of the terminal device to the first user plane network element according to the first tunnel information.

[0208] The first tunnel information may be allocated by the first user plane network element for the connection between the terminal device and the second network. For example, after the first network element receives the connection establishment request message from the terminal device, the communication method 200 further includes the following steps S221 and S222 (not shown in the figure):

[0209] S221. The first network element sends indication information #1 to the first user plane network element. Correspondingly, the first user plane network element receives indication information #1 from the first network element.

[0210] Indication information #1 can be used to instruct the first user plane network element to allocate tunnel information for the subnet connection of the terminal device. In other words, indication information #1 triggers the first user plane network element to allocate tunnel information for the subnet connection of the terminal device.

[0211] Before the first network element sends indication information #1 to the first user plane network element, the first network element may also select a first user plane network element from one or more user plane network elements included in the first network to support the subnet connection of the terminal device, that is, to forward subnet service data between the terminal device and the second network.

[0212] S222. In response to indication information #1, the first user plane network element sends first tunnel information allocated for the subnet connection of the terminal device to the first network element.

[0213] For example, under the triggering of indication information #1, the first user plane network element allocates first tunnel information for the subnet connection of the terminal device and sends the first tunnel information to the first network element.

[0214] Correspondingly, the first network element receives the first tunnel information from the first user plane network element, and sends the first tunnel information to the second network element by carrying it in the first request message.

[0215] S230. The second network element sends a second request message to a third network element in the second network according to the first request message. Correspondingly, the third network element receives the second request message from the second network element.

[0216] Exemplarily, when condition #1 is met, the second network element sends a second request message to a third network element in the second network, that is, when condition #1 is met, the second network element allows the terminal device to access the second network, and then sends a second request message to the third network element in the second network. At this point, it can be considered that the terminal device accesses the second network through the second network element.

[0217] Among them, condition #1 includes one or more of the following conditions 3.1-3.3.

[0218] Condition 3.1: When the first request message includes identification information of the terminal device, the user information of the second network includes identification information of the terminal device, wherein the user information of the second network includes identification information of one or more terminal devices that are allowed to establish a connection with the second network. The identification information of the terminal device may be the first identification information of the terminal device or the second identification information of the terminal device.

[0219] Condition 3.2: The first request message and the subscription data of the second network meet the first condition, where the first condition may include one or more of the following conditions:

[0220] (1) When the first request message includes identification information of the first network and the subscription data of the second network includes a service operator network list, the service operator network list includes the identification information of the first network;

[0221] (2) When the first request message includes the location of the terminal device and the subscription data of the second network includes the service range of the second network, the service range of the second network includes the location of the terminal device.

[0222] Condition 3.3: The subscription data of the second network includes the maximum number of terminal devices M allowed to simultaneously access the second network, the number of terminal devices X that have accessed the second network is less than the maximum number of terminal devices M allowed to simultaneously access the second network, and X and M are non-negative integers.

[0223] The following is an example of how the second network element determines whether conditions 3.1-3.3 are met.

[0224] Before the second network element determines condition 3.1, the communication method 200 may further include: the second network element obtains user information of the second network. For example, the second network element may obtain user information of the second network through the following steps S231 and S232 (not shown in the figure):

[0225] S231. The second network element sends a query message #1 to the fourth network element. The query message #1 is used to query or request user information of the second network. Correspondingly, the fourth network element receives the query message #1 from the second network element.

[0226] Optionally, query message #1 includes identification information of the second network.

[0227] For example, the second network element determines that the network that the terminal device requests to access is the second network based on the identification information of the second network in the first request message, and then sends a query message #1 to the fourth network element.

[0228] S232. In response to the query message #1, the fourth network element sends the user information of the second network to the second network element. Correspondingly, the second network element receives the user information of the second network from the fourth network element.

[0229] For example, the fourth network element determines, based on the identification information of the second network in the query message #1, that the user information corresponding to the identification information of the second network is the user information of the second network, or determines that the user information containing the identification information of the second network is the user information of the second network, and then sends the user information of the second network to the second network element.

[0230] The user information of the second network includes identification information of one or more terminal devices that are allowed to establish a connection with the second network. It can also be understood that the one or more terminal devices are terminal devices that have signed a contract with the second network element, and the one or more terminal devices are contracted users of the second network element.

[0231] After receiving the user information of the second network from the fourth network element, the second network element determines whether condition 3.1 is satisfied.

[0232] Before the fourth network element sends the user information of the second network to the second network element, the communication method 200 may further include: the fifth network element in the second network sends the user information of the second network to the fourth network element, and correspondingly, the fourth network element receives the user information of the second network from the fifth network element. Figure 1 SSPM network element 121 in.

[0233] For example, the fifth network element maintains user information of the second network. After the terminal device signs a contract with the second network element, the fifth network element adds identification information of the terminal device to the user information of the second network and sends the user information of the second network to the fourth network element.

[0234] The fifth network element may directly send the user information of the second network to the fourth network element, or may indirectly send the user information of the second network to the fourth network element through other network elements, and this embodiment of the present application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0235] For another example, the fourth network element sends user information of the second network to the second network element, and the user information of the second network is used to indicate that all terminal devices are allowed to access the second network. After the second network element receives the user information of the second network from the fourth network element, it can determine that all terminal devices are allowed to access the second network. In this implementation, condition 3.1 can be replaced by condition 3.1a: all terminal devices are allowed to access the second network, that is, the second network allows unsigned terminal devices to access the second network.

[0236] Before the second network element determines condition 3.2, the communication method 200 further includes: the second network element obtains the subscription data of the second network.

[0237] The subscription data of the second network may include one or more of the following information.

[0238] (1) Identification information of the second network, used to identify the second network.

[0239] (2) The service scope of the second network, which may also be referred to as the coverage or service area of ​​the second network, is used to indicate the geographical area served by the second network, the cell served by the second network, or the tracking area served by the second network.

[0240] (3) The maximum number of terminal devices allowed to simultaneously access the second network may also be referred to as the maximum number of terminal devices supported by the second network, the maximum number of terminal devices that the second network can simultaneously serve, or the maximum number of terminal devices that can simultaneously maintain connection with the second network.

[0241] (4) Quality of service (QoS) parameters of the second network, used to determine the QoS parameters of the connection between the terminal device and the second network. The subscription data of the second network may include one or more sets of QoS parameters, where a set of QoS parameters may also be understood as a QoS profile.

[0242] Among them, a service quality profile may include one or more of the following parameters: information used to indicate the service quality level (such as 5G QoS indicator (5G QoS identifier, 5QI) or QoS class identifier (QoS class identifier, QCI)), scheduling priority, maximum bandwidth, guaranteed bandwidth, packet delay budget (packet delay budget, PDB), maximum allowed burst, allocation and retention priority (allocation and retention priority, ARP), etc. The specific meanings of the above parameters can be referred to the 3GPP standard and will not be repeated here.

[0243] (5) The service operator list may include identification information of one or more major network operators. When the identification information of a major network operator is included in the list, the terminal device can access the second network through the network of the major network operator; or when the identification information of the service operator of the terminal device is included in the list, the terminal device can access the second network.

[0244] The service operator list can also be replaced by a service operator network list, including identification information of one or more operator networks (such as PLMN identifier (ID)). When the identification information of the operator network is included in the list, the terminal device can access the second network through the operator network; or, when the identification information of the service operator network of the terminal device is included in the list, the terminal device can access the second network.

[0245] The service operator / service operator network of the terminal device is an operator / operator network that provides services for the terminal device.

[0246] (6) Radio resource reservation information of one or more operator networks. The one or more operator networks are deployed by operators in the service operator list, or the one or more operator networks are included in the service operator network list. The radio resource reservation information of the operator network is used to indicate the radio resources reserved by the operator network for the second network, and the radio resources can be used by the operator network to forward subnet service data between the terminal device and the second network.

[0247] Exemplarily, the wireless resource reservation information may include one or more of the following: a) information used to indicate time domain resources in the operator network; b) information used to indicate frequency domain resources in the operator network; c) information used to indicate wireless resource blocks in the operator network; d) information used to indicate wireless data bearers of access network equipment in the operator network.

[0248] (7) The total contracted bandwidth of the second network is used to indicate the maximum bandwidth that can be used by all terminal devices accessing the second network.

[0249] The contract data of the second network may be created when the subnet tenant and the subnet operator sign a contract for the lease of the second network. It should be understood that the contract data of the second network may be dynamically updated after creation. The contract data of the second network may be managed and maintained by the fourth network element, wherein the fourth network element may be Figure 1 In the subnet tenant subscription function network element 132. In this implementation, the second network element obtains the subscription data of the second network by the second network element receiving the subscription data of the second network from the fourth network element. For example, the second network element may receive the subscription data of the second network from the fourth network element using a method similar to the above steps S231 and S232.

[0250] Before judging the above condition 3.3, the communication method 200 may further include: the second network element obtains the number X of terminal devices that have accessed the second network.

[0251] In one implementation, the second network element receives X from the fourth network element, and determines whether X is less than M. The second network element may receive X from the fourth network element in any of the following ways 3.1-3.3, and the second network element may also receive X from the fourth network element in other ways, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0252] Mode 3.1: The second network element sends a query message #2 to the fourth network element, and the query message #2 is used to query or request X. The query message #2 may include identification information of the second network. Correspondingly, the fourth network element receives the query message #2 from the second network element, determines X according to the query message #2, and sends X to the second network element. In this way, the second network element can obtain the latest X by querying the fourth network element.

[0253] Mode 3.2: The fourth network element periodically sends X to the second network element. For example, the second network element sends a subscription request message #1 to the fourth network element, and the subscription request message #1 is used to request to subscribe to X, or the subscription request message #1 is used to request to periodically push X. Correspondingly, the fourth network element receives the subscription request message #1 from the second network element, and periodically sends X to the second network element according to the subscription request message #1. In this way, the second network element can periodically obtain X without querying the fourth network element, which can reduce the processing complexity of the second network element.

[0254] Mode 3.3: The fourth network element sends X to the second network element when X is updated. For example, the second network element sends a subscription request message #2 to the fourth network element, and the subscription request message #2 is used to request to subscribe to X, or the subscription request message #2 is used to request to send X when X is updated. Correspondingly, the fourth network element receives the subscription request message #2 from the second network element, and sends the updated X to the second network element according to the subscription request message #2 when X is updated. In this way, the second network element can obtain the latest X without querying the fourth network element, which can reduce the processing complexity of the second network element.

[0255] In another implementation, the second network element is Figure 1The SNA network element 131 (referred to as SNA network element #1) in the subnet operator domain 130 also includes another SNA network element (referred to as SNA network element #2). SNA network element #1 locally records the number X1 of terminal devices that have accessed the second network through SNA network element #1. For example, SNA #1 sets a counter, which is used to record the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network through SNA network element #1, and the initial value of the counter is X1=0. In the case where SNA network element #1 allows the terminal device to access the second network, SNA network element #1 updates the value of the counter to X1=X1+1. Similarly, SNA network element #2 locally records the number X2 of terminal devices that have accessed the second network through SNA network element #2. SNA network element #1 receives X2 from SNA network element #2. For example, SNA network element #1 receives X2 from SNA network element #2 by methods similar to the above methods 3.1 to 3.3. For example, after receiving the first request message, SNA network element #1 sends a message for requesting X2 to SNA network element #2, so that SNA network element #2 sends X2 to SNA network element #1. Correspondingly, SNA network element #1 receives X2 from SNA network element #2, adds X2 to the locally recorded X1, and obtains X=X1+X2. It should be understood that the subnet operator domain 130 can also include more SNA network elements, and SNA network element #1 can obtain X by a similar method, which will not be repeated here.

[0256] After the second network element obtains X, it can determine whether X is less than M, that is, whether condition 3.3 is satisfied. Optionally, when X is equal to or greater than M, the second network element directly determines that condition 3.3 is not satisfied, and thus does not send the second request message to the third network element, or the second network element selects one or more terminal devices from the terminal devices that have accessed the second network, and disconnects the one or more terminal devices from the second network, so that X is less than M.

[0257] For example, the user information of the second network includes identification information and corresponding priorities of one or more terminal devices that are allowed to establish a connection with the second network. After the second network element receives the first request message for requesting to establish a connection between the terminal device #1 and the second network, if X is equal to or greater than M, the second network element selects one or more terminal devices with a lower priority than the terminal device #1 according to the user information of the second network. Then, the second network element sends information for indicating to disconnect the connection with the second network to the one or more terminal devices, or the second network element sends information for indicating to disconnect the connection between the one or more terminal devices and the second network to the third network element, so that X is less than M. It should be understood that the embodiment of the present application does not limit how the second network element selects the terminal device to disconnect from the second network. For example, the second network element can also determine whether to disconnect the connection between the terminal device and the second network according to factors such as the connection duration between the terminal device and the second network and the data transmission load. It should also be understood that the second network element can trigger the fourth network element or the third network element to select one or more terminal devices from the terminal devices that have accessed the second network, and disconnect the connection between the one or more terminal devices and the second network. The embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0258] Optionally, when the second network element determines that X is less than M, the second network element sends an update request message to the fourth network element, where the update request message is used to request to update X. In this implementation, condition 3.3 can be replaced by: when X is less than M, and X is updated successfully.

[0259] Correspondingly, the fourth network element receives the update request message from the second network element, and updates X according to the update request message, for example, the fourth network element updates X to X+1. Optionally, the fourth network element updates X according to the update request message when the updated X is less than or equal to M. That is, before the fourth network element updates X according to the update request message, it determines whether the updated X is less than or equal to M if X is updated. For example, the fourth network element updates X to X+1 when X+1 is less than or equal to M, and does not update X when X+1 is greater than M.

[0260] Optionally, the fourth network element sends an update response message to the second network element to indicate the result of updating X. For example, when the fourth network element completes the update of X (such as when X+1 is less than or equal to M), the update response message is used to indicate that the update is completed or the update is successful; or, when the fourth network element does not update X (such as when X+1 is greater than M), the update response message is used to indicate that the update failed or the update was rejected, and the update response message may also include a reason value, such as the reason value is that the maximum number of terminal devices allowed to access the second network simultaneously is exceeded.

[0261] Correspondingly, the second network element receives the update response message from the fourth network element, determines whether X is updated successfully according to the update response message, and then determines whether to send the second request message to the third network element.

[0262] When the second network element sends an update request message to the fourth network element and does not receive an update response message from the fourth network element within a specified time period, the second network element may assume that the update has failed and does not send the second request message to the third network element. For example, the second network element starts a timer after sending an update request message to the fourth network element. When the timer times out, the second network element has not received an update response message from the fourth network element, and the second network element assumes that the update has failed. The value of the timer may be specified by the protocol, negotiated by the second network element and the fourth network element, or configured by the system, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0263] Alternatively, when the second network element sends an update request message to the fourth network element and does not receive an update response message from the fourth network element within a specified time period, the second network element may assume that the update is successful. The specific implementation method can refer to the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0264] The second network element determines whether to send a second request message to the third network element according to the X update result to avoid conflicts. Figure 3 As shown, the second network element is Figure 1 In the example of SNA network element 131 (denoted as SNA network element #1), subnet operator domain 130 further includes another SNA network element (denoted as SNA network element #2), the fourth network element is subnet tenant contract function network element 132, X=4, M=5, after SNA network element #1 receives the message for requesting to connect terminal device #1 to the second network, it sends a query message #2 to subnet tenant contract function network element 132 to request X. Subnet tenant contract function network element 132 sends X=4 to SNA network element #1, SNA network element #1 determines that X is less than M, and sends an update request message to subnet tenant contract function network element 132. Subnet tenant contract function network element 132 updates X to X=5 according to the update request message, and sends an update response message to SNA network element #1 to indicate that X is successfully updated. Then SNA network element #1 can send a second request message to the third network element to advance the process of connecting terminal device #1 to the second network.

[0265] Similarly, after receiving the message for requesting that the terminal device #2 be connected to the second network, the SNA network element #2 sends a query message #2' to the subnet tenant contract function network element 132 to request X. When the subnet tenant contract function network element 132 receives the query message #2' before receiving the update request message from the SNA network element #1, the subnet tenant contract function network element 132 will send X=4 to the SNA network element #2. The SNA network element #2 determines that X is less than M, and also sends an update request message to the subnet tenant contract function network element 132. At this time, the subnet tenant contract function network element 132 has updated X to X=5 according to the update request message from the SNA network element #1, and X+1 is greater than M, so the subnet tenant contract function network element 132 will send a message to the SNA network element #2 to indicate that the update of X has failed, so that the SNA network element #2 will not allow the terminal device #2 to connect to the second network. This can prevent the number of terminal devices simultaneously accessing the second network from exceeding the maximum number of terminal devices supported by the second network after both terminal device #1 and terminal device #2 access the second network, thereby reducing the possibility of network congestion and ensuring network performance.

[0266] Optionally, the above condition 3.3 can be replaced by condition 3.3a: the number Y of terminal devices that have accessed the second network through the second network element is less than the maximum number N of terminal devices allowed to access the second network through the second network element, where Y and N are non-negative integers. In this implementation, the communication method 200 may also include: the second network element obtains the maximum number N of terminal devices allowed to access the second network through the second network element.

[0267] For example, the fourth network element sends N to the second network element, and correspondingly, the second network element receives N from the fourth network element, where N can be determined based on the maximum number M of terminal devices allowed to simultaneously access the second network in the subscription data of the second network.

[0268] The following takes the second network element as Figure 1 Taking the SNA network element 131 (denoted as SNA network element #1) in the subnet operator domain 130, the subnet operator domain 130 also includes another SNA network element (denoted as SNA network element #2), and the fourth network element is the subnet tenant signing function network element 132 as an example, the implementation method of the second network element judging whether condition 3.3a is met is exemplified.

[0269] Subnet tenant signing function network element 132 sends first quota information to SNA network element #1, and the first quota information is used to indicate that the maximum number of terminal devices allowed to access the second network through SNA network element #1 is N; similarly, subnet tenant signing function network element 132 sends second quota information to SNA network element #2, and the second quota information is used to indicate that the maximum number of terminal devices allowed to access the second network through SNA network element #2 is N', where N and N' are non-negative integers, and the sum of N and N' is less than or equal to M.

[0270] SNA network element #1 locally records the number Y of terminal devices accessing the second network through SNA network element #1. For example, after initial instantiation or after receiving the first quota information, SNA #1 sets the initial value Y=0 of the counter, and the counter is used to record the number of terminal devices accessing the second network through SNA network element #1. When SNA network element #1 allows the terminal device to access the second network, SNA network element #1 updates the value of the counter to Y=Y+1.

[0271] When SNA network element #1 determines whether condition 3.3a is satisfied, SNA network element #1 queries the locally recorded Y value to determine whether Y is less than N. When Y is less than N, SNA network element #1 determines that condition 3.3a is satisfied; when Y is equal to or greater than N, SNA network element #1 determines that condition 3.3a is not satisfied.

[0272] Optionally, when Y is equal to or greater than N, SNA network element #1 may also send a message for requesting an increase in quota to the subnet tenant signing function network element 132. The message for requesting an increase in quota may include the requested increase in quota n. When the message for requesting an increase in quota does not include the requested increase in quota n, it may indicate that the requested increase in quota is 1.

[0273] Correspondingly, subnet tenant signing function network element 132 receives a message from SNA network element #1 requesting a quota increase, and based on the message, sends a response message to SNA network element #1, where the response message indicates that the quota increase is successful, or the response message indicates a refusal to increase the quota or a failure to increase the quota.

[0274] For example, when N+n+N' is less than or equal to M, the subnet tenant contracting function network element 132 sends a response message to the SNA network element #1 to indicate that the quota increase is successful. Optionally, the response message includes the increased quota number n. For another example, when N+n+N' is greater than M, the subnet tenant contracting function network element 132 sends a response message to the SNA network element #1 to indicate that the quota increase is rejected or the quota increase fails. For another example, when N+n'+N' is less than or equal to M, regardless of whether N+n+N' is greater than M, the subnet tenant contracting function network element 132 may send a response message including the increased quota number n' to the SNA network element #1. The response message is used to indicate that the quota number that the SNA network element #1 can increase is n'.

[0275] Next, SNA network element #1 receives a response message from subnet tenant subscription function network element 132, and determines whether condition 3.3a is satisfied according to the response message.

[0276] For example, when the response message is used to indicate a rejection of quota increase or a failure to increase the quota, SNA network element #1 determines that condition 3.3a is not satisfied. When the response message is used to indicate a successful quota increase, SNA network element #1 determines that condition 3.3a is satisfied. When the response message includes an increased quota number n (or n'), SNA network element #1 may update N=N+n (or N=N+n').

[0277] When condition #1 includes multiple conditions in the above-mentioned condition 3.1 (or condition 3.1a), condition 3.2, and condition 3.3 (or condition 3.3a), the embodiment of the present application does not limit the order in which the second network element judges the multiple conditions. For example, the second network element first obtains the user information of the second network, judges condition 3.1 (or condition 3.1a), and when condition 3.1 (or condition 3.1a) is met, obtains the subscription data of the second network, and judges condition 3.2 and / or condition 3.3. For another example, the second network element first judges condition 3.3a, and when condition 3.3a is met, obtains the user information of the second network and the subscription data of the second network, and judges condition 3.1 (or condition 3.1a) and / or condition 3.2. In this way, the second network element can avoid unnecessarily obtaining the user information of the second network and / or the subscription data of the second network, thereby reducing signaling overhead and improving resource utilization.

[0278] The user information of the second network and the subscription data of the second network can be carried in the same message and sent to the second network element, or can be carried in different messages and sent to the second network element, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. Optionally, the subscription data of the second network includes the user information of the second network, so that the second network element can simultaneously obtain the user information of the second network and the subscription data of the second network, thereby improving the efficiency of information transmission and simplifying the process. In this implementation method, when the user information of the second network in the subscription data of the second network is default, it can indicate that all terminal devices are allowed to access the second network, that is, the second network allows unsigned terminal devices to access the second network. At this time, the second network element can consider that condition 3.1a is met.

[0279] The number X of terminal devices that have accessed the second network and the user information of the second network can be carried in the same message and sent to the second network element, or carried in different messages and sent to the second network element, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. For example, the above-mentioned query message #1 and query message #2 can be a request message, that is, the second network element simultaneously requests the user information and X of the second network from the fourth network element, and the fourth network element sends the user information and X of the second network to the second network element through the same message. Similarly, the number X of terminal devices that have accessed the second network and the subscription data of the second network can be carried in the same message and sent to the second network element, or carried in different messages and sent to the second network element, which will not be repeated here.

[0280] In another implementation, the second network element receives information for indicating that the terminal device is allowed to access the second network, and then sends a second request message to the third network element. Exemplarily, the second network element receives information for indicating that the terminal device is allowed to access the second network from the fourth network element. For example, after receiving the first request message, the second network element forwards the information in the first request message (such as the identification information of the terminal device, the identification information of the second network, the location information of the terminal device, the identification information of the first network, etc.) to the fourth network element. Correspondingly, the fourth network element receives the information in the first request message from the second network element, and determines whether to allow the terminal device to access the second network according to the information. The fourth network element can determine whether to allow the terminal device to access the second network according to the above condition #1, or determine whether to allow the terminal device to access the second network according to other conditions or local configuration. In the case of determining that the terminal device is allowed to access the second network (such as satisfying condition #1), the fourth network element sends information for indicating that the terminal device is allowed to access the second network to the second network element. In the case of determining that the terminal device is not allowed to access the second network (such as not satisfying condition #1), the fourth network element can send information for indicating that the terminal device is not allowed to access the second network or refuses to access the second network to the second network. The implementation method for the fourth network element to determine whether to allow the terminal device to access the second network according to condition #1 can refer to the above description of the second network element judgment condition #1, which will not be repeated here.

[0281] Optionally, before the second network element sends the second request message to the third network element in the second network according to the first request message, the communication method 200 further includes: the second network element obtains the address information of the third network element. Exemplarily, the second network element may obtain the address information of the third network element in one of the following methods 3.4-3.7.

[0282] Mode 3.4: The second network element obtains the address information of the third network element from locally maintained data.

[0283] For example, the second network element locally stores the correspondence between the identification information of the second network and the address information of the third network element, and the second network element determines the address information of the third network element according to the identification information of the second network in the first request message and the above correspondence.

[0284] Mode 3.5: The second network element receives address information of the third network element from the fourth network element.

[0285] For example, the second network element receives subscription data of the second network from the fourth network element, and the subscription data of the second network includes address information of the third network element.

[0286] For another example, the fourth network element sends the subscription data of the second network and the address information of the third network element to the second network element in response to the message sent by the second network element to request the subscription data of the second network. The address information of the third network element and the subscription data of the second network can be included in the same message or in different messages.

[0287] For another example, before the second network element sends the second request message to the third network element, the second network element sends a message for requesting the address information of the third network element to the fourth network element, and the message may include the identification information of the second network. Correspondingly, the fourth network element receives the message for requesting the address information of the third network element from the second network element, and obtains the address information of the third network element from the locally maintained data according to the message, for example, according to the identification information of the second network in the message, and sends the address information of the third network element to the second network element.

[0288] Mode 3.6: The second network element receives the address information of the third network element sent by network element #2.

[0289] For example, Figure 1 The subnet operator domain 130 also includes a network element #2, which can be used to maintain real-time information of network functions and services in the subnet operator domain 130. For specific functions, please refer to the NRF network element in the 5G system, which will not be repeated here.

[0290] For example, the third network element or network element #1 sends the address information of the third network element and the identification information of the second network to network element #2. Correspondingly, network element #2 receives the identification information of the second network and the address information of the third network element from the third network element or network element #1. Further, network element #2 can save the corresponding relationship between the identification information of the second network and the address information of the third network element. Among them, network element #1 is used to operate, manage and maintain the subnet operator domain 130. The specific function of network element #1 can refer to the OAM network element in the 5G network.

[0291] Before the second network element sends the second request message to the third network element, the second network element sends a message for querying the address information of the third network element to network element #2, and the message includes the identification information of the second network. Correspondingly, network element #2 receives the message for querying the address information of the third network element from the second network element, determines the corresponding address information of the third network element according to the identification information of the second network in the message, and sends the address information of the third network element to the second network element.

[0292] Mode 3.7: The second network element receives the address information of the third network element sent by the DNS.

[0293] For example, the third network element or network element #1 generates a second FQDN according to the identification information of the second network, and sends the second FQDN and the address information of the third network element to the DNS, that is, registers the second FQDN and the address information of the third network element to the DNS. Correspondingly, the DNS receives the second FQDN and the address information of the third network element sent by the third network element. Further, the DNS can also save the correspondence between the address information of the third network element and the second FQDN.

[0294] Before the second network element sends a second request message to the third network element, the second network element generates a second FQDN based on the identification information of the second network, and sends a message to the DNS for querying the address information of the third network element, wherein the message includes the second FQDN, wherein the second network element generates the second FQDN in the same manner as the third network element generates the second FQDN.

[0295] Correspondingly, the DNS receives a message for querying the address information of the third network element from the second network element, and determines the address information of the third network element according to the second FQDN in the message, for example, according to the second FQDN in the message and the above correspondence relationship stored locally, determines the address information of the third network element corresponding to the second FQDN. Then, the DNS sends the address information of the third network element to the second network element.

[0296] The second request message may be used to request that the terminal device access the second network, or may be used to request establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network, that is, may be used to request establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network.

[0297] Optionally, the second request message includes identification information of the terminal device. The identification information of the terminal device may be first identification information of the terminal device or second identification information of the terminal device.

[0298] Optionally, the second request message includes the location information of the terminal device. Exemplarily, when the first request message includes the location information of the terminal device, the second network element carries the location information of the terminal device in the second request message and sends it to the third network element.

[0299] Optionally, the second request message includes identification information of the service PLMN of the terminal device, that is, identification information of the first network. For example, the identification information of the first network may be carried in the first request message, or may be obtained by the second network element according to the source address of the first request message.

[0300] When the location information of the terminal device is the identifier of the cell where the terminal device is currently located or TAI, since the cell identifier and TAI identifier are unique within the PLMN, the third network element can combine the location information of the terminal device and the identifier information of the first network to uniquely determine the current location of the terminal device.

[0301] Optionally, the second request message includes information for indicating a target logical area of ​​the terminal device, such as identification information of the target logical area. Exemplarily, when the first request message includes identification information of the target logical area, the second request message includes identification information of the target logical area. For example, the second request message includes the first container in the first request message.

[0302] When the first request message includes the first tunnel information allocated by the first user plane network element for the subnet connection of the terminal device, the second request message also includes the first tunnel information. For example, the second network element carries the first tunnel information in the first request message in the second request message and sends it to the third network element.

[0303] Optionally, when the second network element does not meet condition #1, the communication method 200 further includes the following steps S233 and S234 (not shown in the figure):

[0304] S233. The second network element sends a response message #1 to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives a response message #1 from the second network element.

[0305] The response message #1 is used to indicate that the terminal device is denied access to the second network, to indicate that the terminal device fails to access the second network, or to indicate that the connection establishment between the terminal device and the second network fails. Optionally, the response message #1 includes a reason value, which is used to indicate the reason for denying the terminal device access to the second network.

[0306] S234. In response to response message #1, the first network element sends a connection establishment response message to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the connection establishment response message from the first network element.

[0307] The connection establishment response message is used to indicate that the terminal device is denied access to the second network, to indicate that the terminal device fails to access the second network, or to indicate that the connection establishment between the terminal device and the second network fails. The terminal device can determine that the request to access the second network is denied based on the connection establishment response message. Optionally, the connection establishment response message includes a reason value, which is used to indicate the reason for denying the terminal device access to the second network. For example, the first network element carries the reason value in the response message #1 in the connection establishment response message and sends it to the terminal device.

[0308] S240. The third network element determines whether to accept the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network according to the second request message and the subscription data of the terminal device.

[0309] The contract data of the terminal device may be contract data created when the terminal device signs a contract with the second network. It should be understood that the contract data of the terminal device may be dynamically updated after creation. The contract data of the terminal device may also be default contract data.

[0310] Before the third network element determines whether to accept the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network according to the second request message and the subscription data of the terminal device, the communication method 200 may further include: the third network element obtains the subscription data of the terminal device.

[0311] For example, the third network element receives the subscription data of the terminal device from the fifth network element. The fifth network element may be Figure 1 The SSPM network element 121 in the second network is used to maintain user subscription data of the second network, including subscription data of terminal devices that have signed a contract with the second network, and / or default subscription data. For example, when the second network allows unsigned terminal devices to access the second network, the fifth network element maintains the default subscription data.

[0312] Exemplarily, the third network element sends a query message #3 to the fifth network element, the query message #3 is used to query or request the contract data of the terminal device, and optionally, the query message #3 includes the identification information of the terminal device. Correspondingly, the fifth network element receives the query message #3, obtains the contract data of the terminal device according to the query message #3, and sends the contract data of the terminal device to the third network element.

[0313] In one implementation, the terminal device has signed a contract with the second network, and the fifth network element maintains the contract data created when the terminal device signed the contract with the second network. The fifth network element determines, based on the identification information of the terminal device in the query message #3, that the contract data corresponding to the identification information of the terminal device is the contract data of the terminal device, or determines that the contract data including the identification information of the terminal device is the contract data of the terminal device.

[0314] In another implementation, the fifth network element sends the default contract data to the third network element according to the identification information of the terminal device in the query message #3. For example, the fifth network element determines that the terminal device and the second network are not subscribed, and then sends the default contract data to the third network element. The fifth network element may determine that the terminal device and the second network are not subscribed when the contract data corresponding to the identification information of the terminal device is not found, or the contract data containing the identification information of the terminal device is not found. Correspondingly, the third network element receives the default contract data sent by the fifth network element and uses the default contract data as the contract data of the terminal device.

[0315] The contract data of the terminal device includes any one or more of the following information.

[0316] (1) Identification information of the terminal device: used to identify the terminal device, which can be the first identification information of the terminal device or the second identification information of the terminal device. It should be noted that the default subscription data does not include the identification of the terminal device.

[0317] (2) Authentication indication information: used to indicate whether the second network needs to authenticate the terminal device.

[0318] (3) Authentication information: including information related to the authentication of the terminal device, such as the authentication key used to authenticate the terminal device, the authentication method (such as extensible authentication protocol authentication and key agreement (EAP AKA), certificate-based authentication), etc. It should be noted that when the authentication indication information indicates that the second network needs to authenticate the terminal device, the contract data of the terminal device may also include authentication information. When the authentication indication information indicates that the second network does not need to authenticate the terminal device, the contract data of the terminal device does not include authentication information. It should also be noted that when the second network needs to authenticate the terminal device, the contract data of the terminal device may only include authentication information, but not authentication indication information. That is, the third network element may determine that the terminal device needs to be authenticated based on the fact that the contract data of the terminal device includes authentication information. The authentication information in the default contract data does not include an authentication key, and the authentication method may be certificate-based authentication.

[0319] (4) Access permission information: used to indicate the subnet areas that terminal devices are allowed and / or prohibited from accessing.

[0320] The access authority information may include logical area restriction information for indicating a logical area to which the terminal device is allowed to access, and / or the logical area restriction information is used to indicate a logical area to which the terminal device is prohibited from accessing.

[0321] The following is an exemplary description of the representation of the logical area restriction information.

[0322] Example 4.1: The logical area restriction information includes an identifier corresponding to a logical area to which the terminal device is allowed to access, and / or the logical area restriction information includes an identifier corresponding to a logical area to which the terminal device is prohibited to access.

[0323] Example 4.2, logical area restriction information includes the identifier of each logical area of ​​the second network, and indication information corresponding to the identifier of each logical area, the indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to access the corresponding logical area, and optionally, the indication information is a bit, when the bit value is a first value (such as 1), it indicates that the terminal device is allowed to access the corresponding logical area, when the bit value is a second value (such as 0), it indicates that the terminal device is prohibited from accessing the corresponding logical area. Exemplarily, Table 1 is the logical area restriction information of the terminal device 140, indicating that the terminal device 140 is allowed to access the logical areas #a and #c, and is prohibited from accessing the logical area #b.

[0324] Table 1

[0325] Logical area identification Instructions #a Allow / 1 #b Prohibited / 0 #c Allow / 1

[0326] Example 4.3: The second network includes multiple logical areas of different levels, each level of logical areas includes one or more logical areas, and the logical area restriction information is used to indicate the level of logical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access, or the logical area restriction information is used to indicate the highest level / lowest level of logical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access.

[0327] For example, the second network includes logical area #a, logical area #b, and logical area #c, wherein the level of logical area #a is 1, the level of logical area #b is 2, and the level of logical area #c is 3. When the logical area restriction information indicates that the level of the logical area that the terminal device is allowed to access is 1, the terminal device is allowed to access logical area #a, and the terminal device is prohibited from accessing logical area #b and logical area #c. When the logical area restriction information indicates that the highest level of the logical area that the terminal device is allowed to access is 2, the terminal device is allowed to access logical area #a and logical area #b, and the terminal device is not allowed to access logical area #c.

[0328] The access permission information may also include subnet geographical area restriction information. The coverage of the second network may include multiple subnet geographical areas, different subnet geographical areas may allow different terminal devices to access, and the same terminal device may access one or more subnet geographical areas. The above geographical area may be a cell or a tracking area.

[0329] The subnet geographic area restriction information is used to indicate one or more subnet geographic areas that the terminal device is allowed to access, and / or the logical area restriction information is used to indicate one or more subnet geographic areas that the terminal device is prohibited from accessing. For examples of subnet geographic area restriction information, reference can be made to the description of logical area restriction information, which will not be repeated here.

[0330] It should be understood that the access permission information may include both the logical area restriction information and the subnet geographic area restriction information. For example, the logical area restriction information indicates that the logical area that the terminal device is allowed to access is the green zone, and the subnet geographic area restriction information indicates that the subnet geographic area that the terminal device is allowed to access is the gymnasium, then the terminal device can access the green zone of the network covering the gymnasium.

[0331] (5) QoS parameters of the terminal device: The subscription data of the terminal device may include one or more groups of QoS parameters, each group of QoS parameters including but not limited to one or more of the information used to indicate the QoS level (such as 5QI or QCI), scheduling priority, maximum allowed bandwidth, preemption priority, etc. The specific introduction of the above QoS parameters can refer to the existing protocols and will not be repeated here. The above set of QoS parameters can be referred to as a QoS profile, and the subscription data of the terminal device may include the identifier of the one or more QoS profiles.

[0332] The third network element determines whether to accept the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network by: when condition #2 is met, the third network element determines to accept the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network, that is, the third network element determines to accept the terminal device to access the second network; when condition #2 is not met, the third network element determines not to accept the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network, that is, the third network element determines to deny the terminal device access to the second network.

[0333] Among them, condition #2 includes one or more of the following conditions 4.1 and 4.2.

[0334] Condition 4.1: The second request message and the subscription data of the terminal device meet the third condition, wherein the third condition includes one or more of the following conditions.

[0335] Condition 4.1.1 , the second request message includes the location of the terminal device, the subscription data of the terminal device includes information for indicating one or more geographical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access, and the one or more geographical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access include the location of the terminal device.

[0336] For example, the second request message includes the location information of the terminal device, and the subscription data of the terminal device includes subnet geographic area restriction information, where the subnet geographic area restriction information is used to indicate one or more subnet geographic areas that the terminal device is allowed to access. The third network element determines, based on the location information of the terminal device and the subnet geographic area restriction information, that the current location of the terminal device belongs to the geographic area that the terminal device is allowed to access.

[0337] The above condition 4.1.1 can also be replaced by that the second request message includes the location of the terminal device, and the subscription data of the terminal device includes information for indicating one or more geographical areas that the terminal device is prohibited from accessing, and the one or more geographical areas that the terminal device is prohibited from accessing do not include the location of the terminal device.

[0338] Condition 4.1.2 , the second request message includes information for indicating the logical area to which the terminal device requests access, the subscription data of the terminal device includes information for indicating one or more logical areas in the second network that the terminal device is allowed to access, and the one or more logical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access include the logical area to which the terminal device requests access.

[0339] For example, the second request message includes information for indicating a target logical area of ​​the terminal device, and the subscription data of the terminal device includes logical area restriction information, where the logical area restriction information is used to indicate one or more logical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access. The third network element determines that the target logical area of ​​the terminal device belongs to a logical area that the terminal device is allowed to access.

[0340] The above condition 4.1.2 can also be replaced by that the second request message includes information for indicating the logical area to which the terminal device requests access, and the subscription data of the terminal device includes information for indicating one or more logical areas in the second network that are prohibited for the terminal device to access, and the one or more logical areas that are prohibited for the terminal device to access do not include the logical area to which the terminal device requests access.

[0341] Condition 4.2: There is no need to authenticate the terminal device, or the terminal device is successfully authenticated.

[0342] For example, the third network element determines whether the terminal device needs to be authenticated, and if it is determined that the terminal device needs to be authenticated, authenticates the terminal device.

[0343] Exemplarily, when any of the following conditions 4.2.1-4.2.3 is met, the third network element determines that the terminal device does not need to be authenticated, and when none of the following conditions 4.2.1-4.2.3 is met, the third network element determines that the terminal device needs to be authenticated.

[0344] Condition 4.2.1 , the contract data of the terminal device includes authentication indication information, and the authentication indication information indicates that the terminal device does not need to be authenticated; or, the contract data of the terminal device does not include authentication indication information indicating that the terminal device needs to be authenticated; or, the contract data of the terminal device does not include authentication information;

[0345] Condition 4.2.2, the second request message includes the first identification information of the terminal device, and the first identification information is credible;

[0346] The implementation manner in which the third network element determines that the first identification information of the terminal device is credible can refer to the description in step S220, which will not be repeated here;

[0347] Condition 4.2.3 , the second network does not need to authenticate any terminal device requesting to access the second network.

[0348] Optionally, when the contract data of the terminal device includes authentication information, the third network element authenticates the terminal device according to the authentication information. Exemplarily, the third network element authenticates the terminal device according to the authentication key in the authentication information and the authentication method indicated by the authentication information.

[0349] The third network element can obtain all the contract data of the terminal device at one time, or can obtain different contents in the contract data of the terminal device separately. For example, the third network element first obtains the authentication content in the contract data of the terminal device, such as authentication indication information and / or authentication information, and determines whether condition 4.2 is met. If not, the third network element determines that the connection establishment between the terminal device and the second network is not accepted. If it is met, the third network element further obtains other contents in the contract data of the terminal device, such as access authority information, and determines whether condition 4.1 is met. This can prevent the third network element from obtaining unnecessary contract data content.

[0350] S250. The third network element sends a first response message to the second network element, where the first response message is used to indicate whether to accept the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network.

[0351] For example, when the third network element determines to accept the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network, the third network element sends a first response message to the second network element. The first response message is used to indicate the acceptance of the connection establishment. It should be understood that the first response message can also be used to indicate successful connection establishment, to indicate acceptance of the access request of the terminal device, to indicate successful access of the terminal device, or to indicate the establishment of a subnet connection of the acceptance terminal device.

[0352] For another example, when the third network element determines that it does not accept the connection establishment between the terminal device and the second network, the third network element sends a first response message to the second network element. The first response message is used to indicate the rejection of the connection establishment. It should be understood that the first response message can also be used to indicate the failure of the connection establishment, to indicate the rejection of the access request of the terminal device, to indicate the failure of the terminal device to access, or to indicate the rejection of the subnet connection establishment of the terminal device.

[0353] Optionally, when the third network element determines to accept the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network, the first response message includes one or more of the following information: information indicating the logical area to which the terminal device is allowed to access, second tunnel information, or QoS parameters of the terminal device. For example, when condition #2 includes condition 4.1.2, and the second request message and the subscription data of the terminal device do not meet condition 4.1.2, the third network element determines the logical area to which the terminal device is allowed to access based on the logical area restriction information in the subscription data of the terminal device, and carries the identifier of the determined logical area in the first response message.

[0354] Optionally, when the subscription data of the terminal device includes logical area restriction information, and the second request message does not include information for indicating the target logical area of ​​the terminal device, the third network element may determine the logical area that the terminal device is allowed to access based on the logical area restriction information, and carry the identifier of the determined logical area in the first response message.

[0355] For example, the first response message includes a second container, and the second container includes information for indicating a logical area that the terminal device is allowed to access, such as an identifier of the logical area that the terminal device is allowed to access. The second container will be transparently transmitted to the terminal device, that is, after receiving the second container, a network element or device other than the terminal device will not parse the content of the second container.

[0356] The second tunnel information is used for subnet service data transmission of the terminal device, that is, the second tunnel information is used to send uplink data of the subnet service to the second user plane network element, and the first user plane network element can send the subnet service data to the second user plane network element according to the second tunnel information.

[0357] The second tunnel information may be a second user plane network element in the second network (such as Figure 1 The subnet UP network element 122 in the subnet is allocated for the subnet connection of the terminal device. Exemplarily, before the third network element sends the first response message to the second network element, the communication method 200 also includes: the third network element sends indication information #2 to the second user plane network element, and correspondingly, the second user plane network element receives the indication information #2 from the third network element.

[0358] Among them, indication information #2 can be used to indicate the allocation of tunnel information for the subnet connection of the terminal device, or indication information #2 can be used to request the establishment of a subnet connection of the terminal device.

[0359] Alternatively, when the second request message includes the first tunnel information, the third network element may send the first tunnel information to the second network element. The second user plane network element may allocate the second tunnel information to the subnet connection of the terminal device according to the first tunnel information, that is, the second user plane network element may determine that a subnet connection needs to be established for the terminal device according to the received first tunnel information, and then allocate the second tunnel information to the subnet connection of the terminal device. Optionally, the third network element simultaneously sends the first tunnel information and indication information #2 to the second network element.

[0360] Optionally, before the third network element sends indication information #2 and / or the first tunnel information to the second user plane network element, the third network element may select a second user plane network element from one or more user plane network elements in the second network to support the subnet connection of the terminal device, and forward the subnet service data between the terminal device and the subnet service node. For example, the third network element may select the second user plane network element based on one or more of the logical area to which the terminal device is allowed to access and the current location of the terminal device. For another example, the third network element is locally configured with a correspondence between the logical area and the user plane network element in the second network. Based on the correspondence, the third network element selects the second user plane network element corresponding to the logical area to which the terminal device is allowed to access to support the subnet connection of the terminal device.

[0361] The QoS parameters of the terminal device are used to determine the service quality parameters corresponding to the subnet connection of the terminal device. For example, the third network element determines the QoS parameters of the terminal device based on the contract data of the terminal device, and sends the QoS parameters of the terminal device to the second network element through the first response message. Among them, the QoS parameters of the terminal device may include QoS level, maximum bandwidth, preemption priority, etc.

[0362] It should be understood that when the first response message includes information for indicating the logical area to which the terminal device is allowed to access, the second tunnel information, and one or more of the first QoS parameters, the first response message may indicate acceptance of the connection establishment, that is, when the second network element receives the first response message, and the first response message includes information for indicating the logical area to which the terminal device is allowed to access, the second tunnel information, and one or more of the first QoS parameters, the second network element may determine that the third network element accepts the connection establishment.

[0363] Optionally, the communication method 200 also includes: the third network element sends one or more of the data packet filter, forwarding rule, and QoS rule corresponding to the subnet connection of the terminal device to the second user plane network element.

[0364] The data packet filter is used to map the subnet service data sent by the subnet service node to the QoS flow, so that the second user plane network element can send the subnet service data to the first user plane network element through the QoS flow. The forwarding rules may include rules for processing the subnet service data sent by the subnet service node to the terminal device, such as adding a QoS flow identifier. The QoS rules can be used to control the QoS of the subnet connection of the terminal device, such as controlling the maximum uplink and downlink bandwidth of the connection.

[0365] Exemplarily, the third network element may determine the data packet filter and forwarding rules based on the access permission information in the contract data of the terminal device. For example, when the access permission information indicates that the terminal device is not allowed to access the logical area #a, the data packet filter includes one or more addresses corresponding to the logical area #a, and the forwarding rule corresponding to the data packet filter indicates to discard the data packet, then when the second user-plane network element receives a subnet service data packet from the terminal device, the second user-plane network element determines that the destination address of the subnet service data packet belongs to the address corresponding to the logical area #a according to the data packet filter, then according to the instruction of the forwarding rule corresponding to the data packet filter, the subnet service data packet is discarded, thereby preventing the terminal device from accessing the logical area #a.

[0366] S260: The second network element sends a second response message to the first network element according to the first response message, wherein the second response message is used to indicate whether to accept the connection establishment. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the second response message from the second network element.

[0367] For example, in the case where the first response message is used to indicate the rejection of connection establishment, the second response message is used to indicate the rejection of connection establishment. It should be understood that the second response message can also be used to indicate the failure of connection establishment, to indicate the rejection of the access request of the terminal device, to indicate the failure of terminal device access, or to indicate the rejection of the subnet connection establishment of the terminal device. The embodiments of the present application do not impose any restrictions on this.

[0368] For example, when the first response message is used to indicate the acceptance of connection establishment, the second response message is used to indicate the acceptance of connection establishment. It should be understood that the second response message can also be used to indicate successful connection establishment, to indicate acceptance of an access request from a terminal device, to indicate successful access of a terminal device, or to indicate the establishment of a subnet connection of an acceptance terminal device. The embodiments of the present application do not impose any restrictions on this.

[0369] Optionally, the second response message includes QoS parameters corresponding to the subnet connection of the terminal device, and the QoS parameters are determined based on at least one of the following: QoS parameters of the terminal device or QoS parameters of the second network.

[0370] For example, the subscription data of the second network includes the QoS parameters of the second network, and the second network element determines the QoS parameters corresponding to the subnet connection of the terminal device according to the QoS parameters of the second network.

[0371] For another example, the first response message includes the QoS parameters of the terminal device, and the subscription data of the second network includes the QoS parameters of the second network. When the QoS parameters of the terminal device and the QoS parameters of the second network meet the second condition, the QoS parameters corresponding to the subnet connection of the terminal device are the QoS parameters of the terminal device; or, when the QoS parameters of the terminal device and the QoS parameters of the second network do not meet the second condition, the QoS parameters corresponding to the subnet connection of the terminal device are the QoS parameters of the second network.

[0372] The second condition includes one or more of the following conditions:

[0373] (1) The QoS level in the QoS parameters of the terminal device is less than or equal to the QoS level in the QoS parameters of the second network;

[0374] (2) The maximum bandwidth in the QoS parameters of the terminal device is less than or equal to the maximum bandwidth in the QoS parameters of the second network.

[0375] For the sake of clarity and brevity, the QoS parameters of the terminal device in the first response message are referred to as first QoS parameters, and the QoS parameters of the second network in the subscription data of the second network are referred to as second QoS parameters. It should be understood that when the subscription data of the second network includes one or more groups of second QoS parameters, if the first QoS parameter and at least one group of second QoS parameters meet the second condition, the second network element can use the first QoS parameter as the QoS parameter corresponding to the subnet connection of the terminal device. If the first QoS parameter and all the second QoS parameters do not meet the second condition, the second network element can determine the QoS parameter corresponding to the subnet connection of the terminal device based on the first QoS parameter and the one or more groups of second QoS parameters. For example, if condition (2) in the second condition is not met, the second network element selects the group with the largest maximum bandwidth value from the multiple groups of second QoS parameters as the QoS parameter corresponding to the subnet connection of the terminal device.

[0376] Alternatively, when the first QoS parameter does not match any of the second QoS parameters, the second network element may also send a second response message indicating a connection establishment failure to the first network element.

[0377] It should be understood that when the second response message includes the service quality parameters corresponding to the subnet connection of the terminal device, the second response message may indicate acceptance of the connection establishment. That is, when the first network element receives the service quality parameters corresponding to the subnet connection of the terminal device, the first network element determines that the connection establishment of the terminal device is successful.

[0378] When the second response message indicates acceptance of the connection establishment, the second response message may also include one or more of wireless resource information, identification information of the second network element, a billing identifier, information indicating the logical area to which the terminal device is allowed to access, and second tunnel information.

[0379] Among them, the wireless resource information is used to indicate the wireless resources in the first network used to forward subnet service data between the terminal device and the second network, that is, the wireless resources are used by the first network to support the connection between the terminal device and the second network, that is, the wireless resources are used by the first network to forward subnet service data between the terminal device and the second network.

[0380] Exemplarily, the wireless resource includes a wireless resource for accessing the terminal device and the first network (such as Figure 1 One or more data radio bearers (DRBs) for transmitting subnet service data on the air interface between the (R)AN 111) in the access network. For example, for downlink subnet service data sent by the second network to the terminal device, after the access network device receives the subnet service data, it maps the subnet service data to the one or more DRBs, and sends the subnet service data to the terminal device through the one or more DRBs. Correspondingly, for uplink subnet service data sent by the terminal device to the second network, the terminal device maps the subnet service data to the one or more DRBs, and sends the subnet service data to the access network device through the one or more DRBs.

[0381] The wireless resource message may be determined based on subscription data of the second network. For example, the wireless resource message is determined based on wireless resource reservation information of the first network.

[0382] Exemplarily, the second network element determines the wireless resource reservation information of the first network from the subscription data of the second network based on the identification information of the first network, and then determines the wireless resource information based on the wireless resource reservation information. The second network element can determine whether the subnet connection of the terminal device uses the resources indicated by the wireless resource reservation information based on the first QoS parameter or the second QoS parameter. Exemplarily, when the QoS level in the first QoS parameter or the second QoS parameter is greater than a preset threshold, the second network element determines that the subnet connection of the terminal device can use all or part of the wireless resources indicated by the wireless resource reservation information, and then carries the wireless resource information corresponding to all or part of the wireless resources in the second response message. Among them, the preset threshold can be specified by the protocol or configured by the system, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0383] The charging identifier is used to indicate charging of the wireless resources of the first network, and the wireless resources of the first network are used to forward service data for the second network, that is, used for the second network to exchange service data with one or more terminal devices through the first network. Exemplarily, the charging identifier has two possible values. When the charging identifier takes the first value, it indicates that charging is required, and when the charging identifier takes the second value, it indicates that charging is not required.

[0384] Optionally, the second response message includes information for indicating a logical area to which the terminal device is allowed to access. For example, the second network element carries the second container in the first response message in the second response message and sends it to the first network element.

[0385] Optionally, the second response message includes the second tunnel information. For example, the second network element carries the second tunnel information in the first response message in the second response message and sends it to the first network element.

[0386] S270. The first network element sends a third request message to an access network device in the first network. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the third request message from the first network element.

[0387] For example, when the second response message indicates that the connection establishment is accepted, the first network element sends a third request message to the access network device. The first network element can send the third request message directly to the access network device, or indirectly to the access network device through other network elements. For example, the first network element can send the third request message to the access network device through the AMF network element.

[0388] The third request message is used to request allocation of wireless resources for the subnet connection of the terminal device, and the wireless resources are used to forward subnet service data between the terminal device and the second network.

[0389] Optionally, the third request message includes the QoS parameter corresponding to the subnet connection of the terminal device. For example, the first network element carries the first QoS parameter or the second QoS parameter in the second response message in the third request message and sends it to the access network device.

[0390] Optionally, the third request message includes wireless resource information. For example, the first network element carries the wireless resource information in the second response message in the third request message and sends it to the access network device. For another example, the first network element maps the wireless resource information in the second response message to an internal identifier of the first network, and sends the mapped internal identifier to the access network device.

[0391] Optionally, the third request message includes third tunnel information, and the third tunnel information is used for subnet service data transmission of the terminal device, that is, the third tunnel information is used to send uplink data of the subnet service to the first user plane network element, and the access network device can send the subnet service data of the terminal device to the first user plane network element according to the third tunnel information.

[0392] The third tunnel information may be allocated by the first user plane network element for the subnet connection of the terminal device. In this implementation, before the first network element sends the third request message to the access network device, the communication method 200 further includes:

[0393] S261. The first network element sends second tunnel information to the first user plane network element. Correspondingly, the first user plane network element receives the second tunnel information from the first network element.

[0394] S262. The first user plane network element sends the third tunnel information allocated by the first user plane network element to the subnet connection of the terminal device to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the third tunnel information from the first user plane network element.

[0395] For example, after receiving the second tunnel information, the first user plane network element allocates the third tunnel information to the subnet connection of the terminal device and sends the allocated third tunnel information to the first network element.

[0396] For another example, in step S261, the first network element also sends indication information to the first user plane network element, and the indication information is used to indicate the allocation of tunnel information for the subnet connection of the terminal device, or it can be said that the indication information is used to request the allocation of tunnel information for the subnet connection of the terminal device. Correspondingly, the first user plane network element receives the indication information from the first network element, and allocates the third tunnel information for the subnet connection of the terminal device according to the indication information, and sends the allocated third tunnel information to the first network element.

[0397] Optionally, the third request message also includes a third response message sent to the terminal device. For example, the third response message is a non-access stratum (NAS) message. The access network device does not parse the third response message and directly transmits the third response message to the terminal device.

[0398] The third response message may be used to indicate acceptance of the access request of the terminal device, to indicate successful access of the terminal device to the second network, to indicate successful establishment of a connection, or to indicate establishment of a subnet connection of the terminal device.

[0399] In the case where the third response message includes information for indicating the logical area that the terminal device is allowed to access, the third response message also includes the information for indicating the logical area that the terminal device is allowed to access. For example, the first network element obtains the second container from the second response message and includes the second container in the third response message.

[0400] Optionally, when the second response message is used to indicate rejection of connection establishment, the first network element sends a message indicating access failure to the terminal device. For example, the first network element may send a message indicating access failure to the terminal device through the access network device.

[0401] S280. The access network device sends a fourth response message to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives a fourth response message from the access network device, where the fourth response message includes fourth tunnel information.

[0402] Among them, the fourth tunnel information is used for subnet service data transmission of the terminal device, that is, for sending downlink data of the subnet service to the access network device. The first user-side network element can send the subnet service data of the terminal device to the access network device according to the fourth tunnel information.

[0403] The fourth tunnel information may be tunnel information allocated by the access network device to the subnet connection of the terminal device. For example, the access network device allocates the fourth tunnel information to the subnet connection of the terminal device according to the third request message, or in other words, under the triggering of the third request message.

[0404] The access network device can send the fourth tunnel information directly to the first network element, or can send the fourth tunnel information to the first network element indirectly through other network elements. For example, the access network device can send the fourth tunnel information to the first network element through the AMF network element.

[0405] The communication method 200 may further include: the access network device and the terminal device establish wireless resources for a subnet connection of the terminal device.

[0406] For example, the access network device allocates wireless resources to the subnet connection of the terminal device according to the third request message. For example, when the third request message includes wireless resource information, the access network device may allocate wireless resources to the subnet connection of the terminal device according to the wireless resource information. For example, the access network device may allocate the wireless resources indicated by the wireless resource information to the subnet connection of the terminal device, and subsequently use the wireless resources to transmit the subnet service data of the terminal device. For another example, when the third request message includes the first QoS parameter or the second QoS parameter, the access network device may allocate wireless resources to the subnet connection of the terminal device according to the first QoS parameter or the second QoS parameter. The access network device may also allocate wireless resources to the subnet connection of the terminal device in combination with the first QoS parameter or the second QoS parameter and the wireless resource information.

[0407] In this implementation, the access network device can also establish the wireless resource with the terminal device, such as establishing the wireless resource for the subnet connection of the terminal device through radio resource control (RRC) connection reconfiguration between the access network device and the terminal device. The specific process can refer to the existing protocol and will not be repeated here.

[0408] The embodiment of the present application does not limit the execution order of the access network device sending the fourth response message to the first network element and the access network device establishing the wireless resource with the terminal device. Exemplarily, the access network device can send the fourth response message to the first network element after the wireless resource between the access network device and the terminal device is established. In this implementation, the fourth response message can also be used to indicate that the wireless resource between the access network device and the terminal device is established.

[0409] In the case where the third request message includes a third response message, the communication method 200 further includes: the access network device sends the third response message to the terminal device, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the third response message from the access network device. The terminal device can confirm successful access to the second network according to the third response message, that is, confirm that the connection with the second network is successfully established, and then can exchange subnet service data with the second network.

[0410] Optionally, the access network device may send a third response message to the terminal device during the process of establishing wireless resources for subnet connection with the terminal device.

[0411] Through the above steps, the terminal device successfully accesses the second network, that is, the connection between the terminal device and the second network is successfully established. The following is an exemplary description of the subnet service data transmission process between the terminal device and the second network.

[0412] When the uplink subnet service data reaches the terminal device, the terminal device sends the subnet service data to the access network device through the wireless resources established between the terminal device and the access network device. The access network device sends the subnet service data to the first user plane network element according to the third tunnel information. The first user plane network element then sends the subnet service data to the second user plane network element according to the second tunnel information. Finally, the second user plane network element sends the subnet service data to the subnet service node, thereby completing the transmission of the uplink subnet service data.

[0413] Similarly, after the second user plane network element receives the downlink subnet service data from the subnet service node, it sends the subnet service data to the first user plane network element according to the first tunnel information. The first user plane network element then sends the subnet service data to the access network device according to the fourth tunnel information. The access network device then sends the subnet service data to the terminal device through the wireless resources established between the access network device and the terminal device, thereby completing the transmission of the downlink subnet service data.

[0414] According to the above communication method 200 provided in the embodiment of the present application, the third network element in the second network determines whether to accept the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network based on the subscription data of the terminal device, so that the second network can autonomously manage the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network, reducing the complexity of deploying and maintaining the second network. In some implementations, the second network includes a fourth network element for managing the subscription data of the terminal device, that is, the subscription data of the terminal device can be stored in the second network instead of the first network, and the third network element can directly obtain the subscription data of the terminal device from the fourth network element, thereby realizing autonomous management of the subnet connection. Furthermore, the second network element can also control and manage the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and the second network, which can reduce unnecessary signaling overhead while reducing the processing complexity of the third network element and improve resource utilization.

[0415] In addition, in the existing subnets deployed based on technologies such as slicing, MEC, LADN, and standalone non-public network (SNPN), only terminal devices that have signed a contract with the subnet or terminal devices with a subscriber identity module (SIM) card of the subnet can access the subnet, which limits the application scenarios of the subnet. The network architecture 100 and the communication method 200 provided in the embodiment of the present application can expand the scope of terminal devices accessing the second network. For example, in some implementations, terminal devices that have not signed a contract with the second network can also access the second network. In other implementations, the contract data of the second network includes the identification information of the service operator of the terminal device, and the terminal device can access the second network, which can expand the application scenarios of the subnet and promote the development and promotion of the subnet.

[0416] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a flow chart of another communication method 400 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication method 400 can be regarded as Figure 2 A specific implementation of the communication method 200 shown in FIG. 4 is a communication method 400 using a terminal device as Figure 1Taking the terminal device 140 in FIG. 1 , the access network device is (R)AN 111, the first network is the operator network 110, the first network element is the G-SM network element 112, the second network element is the SNA network element 131, the second network is the subnet domain 120, and the third network element is the subnet SM network element 123 as an example, the specific implementation of the communication method 200 is exemplarily described. It should be understood that the communication method 400 and the communication method 200 may have the same or similar technical means, and the relevant description in the above communication method 200 is also applicable to the communication method 400, and the content described in the communication method 200 will not be repeated in the communication method 400.

[0417] like Figure 4 As shown, the communication method 400 includes the following steps.

[0418] S401 . The terminal device 140 sends a connection establishment request message to the G-SM network element 112 . Correspondingly, the G-SM network element 112 receives the connection establishment request message from the terminal device 140 .

[0419] The connection establishment request message is used to request the establishment of a connection between the terminal device 140 and the sub-network domain 120, that is, the connection establishment request message is used to request access to the sub-network domain 120. The connection between the terminal device 140 and the sub-network domain 120 is referred to as the sub-network connection of the terminal device 140 hereinafter.

[0420] For example, when the terminal device 140 needs to use the subnet service provided by the subnet domain 120, the terminal device 140 sends a connection establishment request message to the G-SM network element 112 to initiate the establishment of a subnet connection, so that the terminal device 140 can interact with the subnet domain 120 through the subnet connection to exchange data related to the subnet service.

[0421] The connection establishment request message includes the identification information of the terminal device 140 and the identification information of the subnet domain 120, so that the G-SM network element 112 can know through the connection establishment request message that the terminal device initiating the connection establishment is the terminal device 140, and the target network that the terminal device 140 requests to access is the subnet domain 120.

[0422] Optionally, the connection establishment request message includes information indicating a target logical area of ​​the terminal device, such as an identifier of a logical area to which one or more terminal devices request access. The terminal device may send information indicating a target logical area of ​​the terminal device to the G-SM network element 112 via a container, thereby improving security.

[0423] S403 : The SNA network element 131 determines whether to allow the terminal device 140 to access the subnetwork domain 120 .

[0424] For example, SNA network element 131 determines whether to allow terminal device 140 to access subnetwork domain 120 according to whether condition #1 is satisfied. The specific implementation of SNA network element 131 determining whether condition #1 is satisfied can refer to step S230, which will not be described in detail here.

[0425] When condition #1 is not satisfied, the SNA network element 131 determines that the terminal device 140 is not allowed to access the sub-network domain 120, and the communication method 400 further includes the following steps S404 and S405.

[0426] S404. The SNA network element 131 sends a response message #1 to the G-SM network element 112. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the response message #1 from the second network element.

[0427] S405 . In response to the response message # 1 , the G-SM network element 112 sends a connection establishment response message to the terminal device 140 . Correspondingly, the terminal device 140 receives the connection establishment response message from the G-SM network element 112 .

[0428] Among them, the response message #1 and the connection establishment response message are used to indicate that the terminal device 140 is denied access to the sub-network domain 120. Optionally, the response message #1 and the connection establishment response message include a reason value, which is used to indicate the reason for denying the terminal device 140 access to the sub-network domain 120. For a detailed description of the response message #1 and the connection establishment response message, refer to steps S233 and S234.

[0429] When condition #1 is satisfied, the SNA network element 131 determines to allow the terminal device 140 to access the sub-network domain 120, and the communication method 400 further includes the following steps S406-S412.

[0430] S402 . The G-SM network element 112 sends a request message # 1 to the SNA network element 131 . Correspondingly, the SNA network element 131 receives the request message # 1 from the G-SM network element 112 .

[0431] For example, request message #1 may be the first request message in the communication method 200 .

[0432] Optionally, before the G-SM network element 112 sends the request message #1 to the SNA network element 131, the G-SM network element 112 obtains the address information of the SNA network element 131, such as the IP address of the SNA network element 131. In this way, the G-SM network element 112 can send the request message #1 to the SNA network element 131 according to the address information of the SNA network element 131. For example, the G-SM network element 112 receives the address information of the SNA network element 131 from the DNS or the NRF network element in the operator network 110. For specific implementation methods, please refer to Method 2.1 and Method 2.2, which will not be described in detail here.

[0433] Optionally, before the G-SM network element 112 sends the request message #1 to the SNA network element 131, the G-SM network element 112 receives from the G-UP network element 113 the first tunnel information allocated by the G-UP network element 113 for the data transmission of the terminal device, and carries the first tunnel information in the request message #1 and sends it to the SNA network element 131. For the specific process of the G-SM network element 112 receiving the first tunnel information from the G-UP network element 113, refer to steps S221 and S222.

[0434] S406 . The SNA network element 131 sends a request message # 2 to the subnet SM network element 123 . Correspondingly, the subnet SM network element 123 receives the request message # 2 from the SNA network element 131 .

[0435] Optionally, before the SNA network element 131 sends the request message #2 to the subnet SM network element 123, the SNA network element 131 obtains the address information of the subnet SM network element 123. For example, the SNA network element 131 may obtain the address information of the subnet SM network element 123 in any one of the ways 3.4-3.7.

[0436] Request message #2 may include identification information of the terminal device 140, location information of the terminal device 140, identification information of the operator network 110, information for indicating the target logical area of ​​the terminal device, and one or more of the first tunnel information. For a specific description, please refer to step S230, which will not be repeated here.

[0437] S407 . The subnet SM network element 123 determines whether to allow the terminal device 140 to access the subnet domain 120 , and sends a response message # 2 to the SNA network element 131 .

[0438] For example, the subnet SM network element 123 determines whether to allow the terminal device 140 to access the subnet domain 120 based on whether condition #2 is met. When condition #2 is met, the subnet SM network element 123 determines that the terminal device 140 is allowed to access the subnet domain 120, and sends a response message #2 to the SNA network element 131, and the response message #2 is used to indicate that the subnet connection establishment of the terminal device is accepted. When condition #2 is not met, the subnet SM network element 123 determines that the terminal device 140 is not allowed to access the subnet domain 120, and sends a response message #2 to the SNA network element 131, and the response message #2 is used to indicate that the subnet connection establishment of the terminal device is rejected. The specific implementation method of the subnet SM network element 123 determining whether condition #2 is met can refer to step S240. Response message #2 can be the first response message in the communication method 200.

[0439] When the subnet SM network element 123 determines that the terminal device 140 is allowed to access the subnet domain 120, the response message #2 may also include information for indicating the logical area to which the terminal device is allowed to access, second tunnel information, and one or more of the first QoS parameters. The specific implementation method may refer to step S240.

[0440] S408 . The SNA network element 131 sends a response message # 3 to the G-SM network element 112 according to the response message # 2 . Correspondingly, the G-SM network element 112 receives the response message # 3 from the SNA network element 131 .

[0441] The response message #3 may be the second response message in the communication method 200. The specific implementation of the SNA network element 131 sending the response message #3 to the G-SM network element 112 according to the response message #2 may refer to step S250.

[0442] In the case where the response message #3 is used to indicate that the terminal device 140 is denied access to the sub-network domain 120, the communication method 400 further includes the following step S409.

[0443] S409 , the G-SM network element 112 sends a connection establishment response message to the terminal device 140 , where the connection establishment response message is used to indicate that the terminal device 140 is denied access to the sub-network domain 120 . Correspondingly, the terminal device 140 receives the connection establishment response message from the G-SM network element 112 .

[0444] For example, the G-SM network element 112 may send a connection establishment response message to the terminal device 140 via the (R)AN 111 .

[0445] In the case where the response message #3 is used to indicate that the terminal device 140 has accessed the sub-network domain 120, the communication method 400 further includes the following steps S410-S412.

[0446] S410 , the G-SM network element 112 sends a request message #3 to the (R)AN 111 , where the request message #3 is used to request the (R)AN 111 to allocate radio resources for the subnet connection of the terminal device 140 . Correspondingly, the (R)AN 111 receives the request message #3 from the G-SM network element 112 .

[0447] S411. (R)AN 111 sends fourth tunnel information to the G-SM network element 112.

[0448] S412 . (R)AN 111 and terminal device 140 establish wireless resources for subnet connection of terminal device 140 .

[0449] The specific implementation of the above steps S410-S412 can refer to steps S260-S270.

[0450] The beneficial effects of the communication method 400 can be referred to the communication method 200 and will not be described in detail here.

[0451] Combination of the above Figures 1 to 4 , describes in detail the communication method side embodiment of the present application, and will be combined with Figures 5 to 7 , describes in detail the communication device side embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment, so the parts not described in detail can refer to the previous method embodiment.

[0452] The embodiment of the present application can divide the functional modules of the device according to the above method example. For example, each functional module can be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. The following is an example of dividing each functional module corresponding to each function.

[0453] Figure 5 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 1000 provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 As shown, the device 1000 may include a transceiver unit 1010 and a processing unit 1020. The transceiver unit 1010 may implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing unit 1020 is used to perform data processing, or in other words, the transceiver unit 1010 is used to perform operations related to receiving and sending, and the processing unit 1020 is used to perform other operations besides receiving and sending. The transceiver unit 1010 may also be called a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0454] In one possible design, the communication device 1000 may correspond to the second network element in the above method embodiment, or a component of the second network element (such as a chip).

[0455] The communication device 1000 can implement steps or processes corresponding to those executed by the second network element in the above method embodiment, wherein the transceiver unit 1010 can be used to execute operations related to the transmission and reception of the second network element in the above method embodiment, and the processing unit 1020 can be used to execute operations related to the internal processing of the second network element in the above method embodiment.

[0456] Exemplarily, the transceiver unit 1010 is used to receive a first request message from a first network element in a first network, the first request message is used to request the establishment of a connection between a terminal device and a second network, the second network is used to provide services for the terminal device, and the connection between the terminal device and the second network is used for the terminal device and the second network to transmit data of the service through the first network; the processing unit 1020 is used to send a second request message to a third network element in the second network through the transceiver unit 1010 according to the first request message, the second request message is used to request the establishment of the connection; the transceiver unit 1010 is also used to receive a first response message from the third network element, the first response message is used to indicate whether to accept the establishment of the connection; the processing unit 1020 is also used to send a second response message to the first network element through the transceiver unit 1010 according to the first response message, the second response message is used to indicate whether to accept the establishment of the connection.

[0457] Wherein, when the device 1000 is used to perform Figure 2 When the method is performed, the transceiver unit 1010 can be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as steps S220, S230, S250, or S260; the processing unit 1020 can be used to execute the internal processing steps in the method.

[0458] Wherein, when the device 1000 is used to perform Figure 4 When performing the method in the method, the transceiver unit 1010 can be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as steps S402, S404, S406, S407, or S408; the processing unit 1020 can be used to execute the internal processing steps in the method, such as step S403.

[0459] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the above steps can be found in the description of the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0460] In another possible design, the communication device 1000 may correspond to the third network element in the above method embodiment, or a component (such as a chip) of the third network element.

[0461] The communication device 1000 can implement steps or processes corresponding to those executed by the third network element in the above method embodiment, wherein the transceiver unit 1010 can be used to execute operations related to the transmission and reception of the third network element in the above method embodiment, and the processing unit 1020 can be used to execute operations related to the internal processing of the third network element in the above method embodiment.

[0462] Exemplarily, the transceiver unit 1010 is used to receive a second request message from a second network element, the second request message is used to request the establishment of a connection between a terminal device and a second network, the second network is used to provide services for the terminal device, and the connection between the terminal device and the second network is used for the terminal device and the second network to transmit data of the service through the first network; the processing unit 1020 is used to determine whether to accept the connection establishment based on the second request message and the contract data of the terminal device; the transceiver unit 1010 is also used to send a first response message to the second network element, and the first response message is used to indicate whether to accept the connection establishment.

[0463] Wherein, when the device 1000 is used to perform Figure 2 When performing the method in the method, the transceiver unit 1010 can be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as step S230 or S250; the processing unit 1020 can be used to execute the internal processing steps in the method, such as step S240.

[0464] Wherein, when the device 1000 is used to perform Figure 4 When the method is performed, the transceiver unit 1010 can be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as step S406 or S407; the processing unit 1020 can be used to execute the internal processing steps in the method, such as step S407.

[0465] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the above steps can be found in the description of the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0466] In another possible design, the communication device 1000 may correspond to the first network element in the above method embodiment, or a component (such as a chip) of the first network element.

[0467] The communication device 1000 can implement steps or processes corresponding to those executed by the first network element in the above method embodiment, wherein the transceiver unit 1010 can be used to execute operations related to the transmission and reception of the first network element in the above method embodiment, and the processing unit 1020 can be used to execute operations related to the internal processing of the first network element in the above method embodiment.

[0468] Exemplarily, the transceiver unit 1010 is used to receive a message from a terminal device for requesting the establishment of a connection between the terminal device and a second network, the second network being used to provide services for the terminal device, and the connection between the terminal device and the second network is used for the terminal device and the second network to transmit data of the service through the first network; the transceiver unit 1010 is also used to send a first request message to the second network element, the first request message is used to request the establishment of the connection; the transceiver unit 1010 is also used to receive a message from the second network element for indicating acceptance of the connection establishment; the transceiver unit 1010 is also used to send a third request message to an access network device in the first network, the third request message is used to request allocation of wireless resources for the connection, the wireless resources are used to forward data of the service between the terminal device and the second network.

[0469] Wherein, when the device 1000 is used to perform Figure 2 When the method is performed, the transceiver unit 1010 can be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as steps S210, S220, S260, S270, or S280; the processing unit 1020 can be used to execute the internal processing steps in the method.

[0470] Wherein, when the device 1000 is used to perform Figure 4 When the method is performed, the transceiver unit 1010 can be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as steps S401, S402, S404, S405, S408, S409, S410, or S411; the processing unit 1020 can be used to execute the internal processing steps in the method.

[0471] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the above steps can be found in the description of the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0472] It should be understood that the device 1000 here is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" here may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (e.g., a shared processor, a proprietary processor, or a group processor, etc.) and a memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, a combined logic circuit, and / or other suitable components that support the described functions. In an optional example, the above-mentioned transceiver unit 1010 may also be a transceiver circuit (e.g., it may include a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit), and the processing unit 1020 may be a processing circuit.

[0473] The device 1000 of each of the above schemes has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the network elements (such as the second network element, the third network element and the first network element) in the above method. This function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing the corresponding software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions; for example, the transceiver module can be replaced by a transceiver (for example, the sending unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as processing modules, can be replaced by processors to respectively perform the transceiver operations and related processing operations in each method embodiment.

[0474] Figure 6 2 is a schematic diagram of another communication device 2000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 2000 includes one or more processors 2010 and one or more memories 2020. The processor 2010 is used to execute a computer program or instruction stored in the memory 2020, or read data / signaling stored in the memory 2020 to execute the method in each method embodiment above. The memory 2020 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The memory 2020 can be integrated with the processor 2010, or can also be separately arranged.

[0475] Alternatively, if Figure 6 As shown, the device 2000 further includes a transceiver 2030, which is used to receive and / or send signals. For example, the processor 2010 is used to control the transceiver 2030 to receive and / or send signals.

[0476] As a solution, the device 2000 is used to implement the operations performed by the second network element in each of the above method embodiments.

[0477] As another solution, the device 2000 is used to implement the operations performed by the third network element in the above method embodiments.

[0478] As another solution, the device 2000 is used to implement the operations performed by the first network element in the above method embodiments.

[0479] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0480] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, RAM includes the following forms: static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0481] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor. It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include but is not limited to these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0482] Figure 7 3 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 3000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The chip system 3000 (or also referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 3010 and an input / output interface 1002 .

[0483] Among them, the logic circuit 3010 can be a processing circuit in the chip system 3000. The logic circuit 3010 can be coupled to the storage unit and call the instructions in the storage unit so that the chip system 3000 can implement the methods and functions of each embodiment of the present application. The input / output interface 3020 can be an input / output circuit in the chip system 3000, outputting information processed by the chip system 3000, or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system 3000 for processing.

[0484] As a solution, the chip system 3000 is used to implement the operations performed by the second network element, the third network element, or the first network element in each method embodiment above. For example, the logic circuit 3010 is used to implement the internal processing related operations performed by the second network element, the third network element, or the first network element in the method embodiment above; the input / output interface 3020 is used to implement the sending and / or receiving related operations performed by the second network element, the third network element, or the first network element in the method embodiment above.

[0485] The explanation of the relevant contents and beneficial effects of any of the above-mentioned devices can be referred to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, which will not be repeated here.

[0486] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0487] The embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, including a second network element and a third network element, wherein the second network element is used to implement the operations performed by the second network element in each of the above method embodiments, and the third network element is used to implement the operations performed by the third network element in each of the above method embodiments. Optionally, the communication system also includes one or more network elements of a first network element, a fourth network element, or a fifth network element, wherein the first network element is used to implement the operations performed by the first network element in each of the above method embodiments, the fourth network element is used to implement the operations performed by the fourth network element in each of the above method embodiments, and the fifth network element is used to implement the operations performed by the fifth network element in each of the above method embodiments.

[0488] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which are stored computer instructions for implementing the methods performed by the second network element, the third network element, or the first network element in the above-mentioned method embodiments. For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the methods performed by the second network element, the third network element, or the first network element in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0489] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. For example, the computer can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website site, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that contains one or more available media integrations. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid state disk (SSD)). For example, the aforementioned available medium includes, but is not limited to, various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0490] In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following explanations are made.

[0491] First, in each embodiment of the present application, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment according to their internal logical relationships.

[0492] Second, in the embodiments of the present application, "multiple" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of the present application, the character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0493] Third, in the embodiments of the present application, "first", "second" and various digital numbers (e.g., #1, #2, etc.) indicate distinctions made for ease of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. For example, to distinguish between different messages, etc., rather than to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the objects described in this way can be interchanged where appropriate so as to be able to describe solutions other than the embodiments of the present application.

[0494] Fourth, in the embodiments of the present application, descriptions such as "when...", "in the case of..." and "if" all mean that the device will make corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances. It does not limit the time, nor does it require the device to have a judgment action when implementing it, nor does it mean that there are other limitations.

[0495] Fifth, in the embodiments of the present application, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or apparatuses.

[0496] Sixth, in the embodiment of the present application, "used for indication" may include being used for direct indication and being used for indirect indication. When describing that a certain indication information is used for indicating A, it may include that the indication information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, and it does not mean that the indication information must carry A.

[0497] The indication method involved in the embodiments of the present application should be understood to include various methods that can enable the party to be indicated to know the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately, and the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different. The present application does not limit the specific sending method.

[0498] The "indication information" in the embodiments of the present application may be an explicit indication, i.e., directly indicated by signaling, or obtained by combining other rules or other parameters or by deduction according to the parameters indicated by the signaling. It may also be an implicit indication, i.e., obtained by combining other rules or other parameters or by deduction according to a rule or relationship. The present application does not make any specific limitation on this.

[0499] Seventh, in the embodiments of the present application, "storage" may refer to storage in one or more memories. The one or more memories may be separately set or integrated in an encoder or decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The one or more memories may also be partially separately set and partially integrated in a decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The type of memory may be any form of storage medium, which is not limited by the present application.

[0500] Eighth, in the embodiments of the present application, "communication" can also be described as "data transmission", "information transmission", "data processing", etc. "Transmission" includes "sending" and "receiving", which is not limited in the present application.

[0501] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to the second network element, including: receiving a first request message from a first network element in a first network, where the first request message is used to request establishment of a connection between a terminal device and a second network, where the second network is used to provide a service for the terminal device, and the connection between the terminal device and the second network is used for the terminal device and the second network to transmit data of the service through the first network; Sending a second request message to a third network element in the second network according to the first request message, where the second request message is used to request establishment of the connection; receiving a first response message from the third network element, where the first response message is used to indicate whether to accept the connection establishment; A second response message is sent to the first network element according to the first response message, where the second response message is used to indicate whether to accept the connection establishment.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first request message includes identification information of the terminal device, and the sending a second request message to a third network element in the second network according to the first request message includes: In a case where the user information of the second network includes the identification information of the terminal device, sending the second request message to the third network element; The user information of the second network includes identification information of one or more terminal devices that are allowed to establish a connection with the second network.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that In a case where the user information of the second network includes identification information of the terminal device, the method further includes: Acquire subscription data of the second network.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The sending a second request message to a third network element in the second network according to the first request message includes: When the first request message and the subscription data of the second network meet a first condition, sending the second request message to the third network element, wherein the first condition includes one or more of the following conditions: (1) when the first request message includes identification information of the first network and the subscription data of the second network includes identification information of one or more networks, the identification information of the one or more networks includes the identification information of the first network; (2) When the first request message includes information indicating the location of the terminal device and the subscription data of the second network includes a service range of the second network, the service range of the second network includes the location of the terminal device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: Before sending the second request message to the third network element in the second network according to the first request message, the method further includes: Acquire the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network; It is determined that the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network is less than the maximum number of terminal devices allowed to simultaneously access the second network.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that In a case where the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network is less than the maximum number of terminal devices allowed to simultaneously access the second network, the method further includes: A message for requesting to update the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network is sent to a fourth network element, and the fourth network element is used to maintain the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that Before sending the second request message to the third network element in the second network according to the first request message, the method further includes: It is determined that the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network is updated successfully.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The second response message includes a quality of service parameter of the connection, where the quality of service parameter of the connection is determined according to at least one of the following: a quality of service parameter of the terminal device or a quality of service parameter of the second network.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The first response message includes the quality of service parameter of the terminal device, and the subscription data of the second network includes the quality of service parameter of the second network; In the case where the quality of service parameter of the terminal device and the quality of service parameter of the second network meet the second condition, the quality of service parameter of the connection is the quality of service parameter of the terminal device; or, In the case where the quality of service parameter of the terminal device and the quality of service parameter of the second network do not satisfy the second condition, the quality of service parameter of the connection is the quality of service parameter of the second network; The second condition includes one or more of the following conditions: The quality of service level in the quality of service parameters of the terminal device is less than or equal to the quality of service level in the quality of service parameters of the second network; The maximum bandwidth in the quality of service parameters of the terminal device is less than or equal to the maximum bandwidth in the quality of service parameters of the second network.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The second response message includes a charging identifier, where the charging identifier is used to indicate charging for wireless resources of the first network, and the wireless resources of the first network are used to forward service data for the second network.

11. A communication method, characterized in that: A third network element applied to the second network includes: receiving a second request message from a second network element, where the second request message is used to request establishment of a connection between a terminal device and the second network, where the second network is used to provide a service for the terminal device, and the connection between the terminal device and the second network is used for the terminal device and the second network to transmit data of the service through the first network; Determining whether to accept the connection establishment according to the second request message and the subscription data of the terminal device; A first response message is sent to the second network element, where the first response message is used to indicate whether to accept the connection establishment.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The contract data of the terminal device is contract data created when the terminal device and the second network sign a contract, or the contract data of the terminal device is default contract data.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The determining whether to accept the connection establishment according to the second request message and the subscription data of the terminal device includes: If the second request message and the subscription data of the terminal device meet a third condition, determining to accept the connection establishment; or, If the second request message and the subscription data of the terminal device do not satisfy a third condition, determining not to accept the connection establishment; The third condition includes one or more of the following conditions: 1) when the second request message includes information indicating the location of the terminal device, and the subscription data of the terminal device includes information indicating one or more geographical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access, the one or more geographical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access include the location of the terminal device; 2) When the second request message includes information indicating the logical area that the terminal device requests to access, and the subscription data of the terminal device includes information indicating one or more logical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access, the one or more logical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access include the logical area that the terminal device requests to access.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that: The first response message is used to indicate acceptance of the connection establishment, and before sending the first response message to the second network element, the method further includes: It is determined that authentication of the terminal device is not required.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The determining that authentication of the terminal device is not required includes: When one or more of the following conditions are met, it is determined that the terminal device does not need to be authenticated: The contract data of the terminal device includes information for indicating that the terminal device does not need to be authenticated; The second request message includes identification information allocated by the first network to the terminal device, and the identification information is credible.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that: The first response message is used to indicate acceptance of the connection establishment, and before sending the first response message to the second network element, the method further includes: The terminal device is successfully authenticated.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The contract data of the terminal device includes authentication information of the terminal device, and the successful authentication of the terminal device includes: The terminal device is successfully authenticated using the authentication information.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, characterized in that: The first response message includes a quality of service parameter of the terminal device, and the quality of service parameter of the terminal device is used to determine a quality of service parameter of the connection.

19. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 18, characterized in that: Before determining whether to accept the connection establishment according to the second request message and the subscription data of the terminal device, the method further includes: Sending a message for requesting the subscription data of the terminal device to a fifth network element in the second network, the fifth network element being used to manage the subscription data of the terminal device subscribed to the second network; Receive the subscription data from the fifth network element.

20. A communication device, characterized in that: include: One or more functional units, wherein the one or more functional units are used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-10, or the one or more functional units are used to execute the method according to any one of claims 11-19.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: include: a processor coupled to the memory; The processor is configured to execute the computer program stored in the memory so that the apparatus executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or so that the apparatus executes the method according to any one of claims 11 to 19.

22. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: include: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program runs on a computer, the computer executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or the computer executes the method according to any one of claims 11 to 19.

23. A communication system, characterized in that: The method comprises a second network element and a third network element, wherein the second network element is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, and the third network element is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 11 to 19.

24. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The second network element receives a first request message from a first network element in the first network, where the first request message is used to request establishment of a connection between a terminal device and a second network, where the second network is used to provide a service for the terminal device, and the connection between the terminal device and the second network is used for the terminal device and the second network to transmit data of the service through the first network; The second network element sends a second request message to a third network element in the second network according to the first request message, where the second request message is used to request establishment of the connection; The third network element receives the second request message from the second network element, and determines whether to accept the connection establishment according to the second request message and the subscription data of the terminal device; The third network element sends a first response message to the second network element, where the first response message is used to indicate whether to accept the connection establishment; The second network element receives the first response message from the third network element, and sends a second response message to the first network element according to the first response message, where the second response message is used to indicate whether to accept the connection establishment.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that The first request message includes identification information of the terminal device, and the second network element sends a second request message to a third network element in the second network according to the first request message, including: In a case where the user information of the second network includes identification information of the terminal device, the second network element sends the second request message to the third network element; The user information of the second network includes identification information of one or more terminal devices that are allowed to establish a connection with the second network.

26. The method according to claim 24 or 25, characterized in that The second network element sending a second request message to a third network element in the second network according to the first request message includes: When the first request message and the subscription data of the second network meet a first condition, the second network element sends the second request message to the third network element, wherein the first condition includes one or more of the following conditions: (1) when the first request message includes identification information of the first network and the subscription data of the second network includes identification information of one or more networks, the identification information of the one or more networks includes the identification information of the first network; (2) When the first request message includes information indicating the location of the terminal device and the subscription data of the second network includes a service range of the second network, the service range of the second network includes the location of the terminal device.

27. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 26, characterized in that: Before the second network element sends a second request message to a third network element in the second network according to the first request message, the method further includes: The second network element obtains the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network; The second network element determines that the number of terminal devices that have accessed the second network is less than the maximum number of terminal devices allowed to simultaneously access the second network.

28. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 27, characterized in that: The second response message includes a quality of service parameter of the connection, where the quality of service parameter of the connection is determined according to at least one of the following: a quality of service parameter of the terminal device and a quality of service parameter of the second network.

29. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 28, characterized in that: The third network element determines whether to accept the connection establishment according to the second request message and the subscription data of the terminal device, including: In a case where the second request message and the subscription data of the terminal device meet a third condition, the third network element determines to accept the connection establishment; or, If the second request message and the subscription data of the terminal device do not satisfy a third condition, the third network element determines not to accept the connection establishment; The third condition includes one or more of the following conditions: 1) when the second request message includes information indicating the location of the terminal device, and the subscription data of the terminal device includes information indicating one or more geographical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access, the one or more geographical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access include the location of the terminal device; 2) When the second request message includes information indicating the logical area that the terminal device requests to access, and the subscription data of the terminal device includes information indicating one or more logical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access, the one or more logical areas that the terminal device is allowed to access include the logical area that the terminal device requests to access.

30. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 29, characterized in that: The first response message is used to indicate acceptance of the connection establishment, and before the third network element sends the first response message to the second network element, the method further includes: The third network element determines that it is not necessary to authenticate the terminal device, or the third network element successfully authenticates the terminal device.

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