A network selection method and user equipment

Abstract

The present invention discloses a network selection method, a user equipment (UE), a chip, a computer-readable storage medium, a computer program product and a computer program. The method comprises: selecting a PLMN to be accessed from at least one detected candidate PLMN according to the priorities of at least two public land mobile networks PLMNs; wherein, among the priorities of the at least two PLMNs, the priority of the PLMN corresponding to a first type of network is higher than the priority of the PLMN corresponding to a second type of network; and the first type of network is a network of a newer generation or multiple generations than the second type of network.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of information processing technology, and in particular to a network selection method, a user equipment (UE, User Equipment), a chip, a computer-readable storage medium, a computer program product and a computer program. Background Art

[0002] When selecting a public land mobile network (PLMN), the selection is based on the PLMN selection priority order. Usually, the home public land mobile network (HPLMN) and the highest priority equivalent home public land mobile network (EHPLMN) list are considered first, and the type of access network under the PLMN is not considered. In the current 5G deployment scenario, there is the possibility of multiple operators jointly networking. For example: Operator 1 deploys a 5G network in an area. When the UE of another operator 2 with a roaming agreement moves to the 5G network coverage of the area, the UE may not give priority to the 5G network provided by operator 1 in the area, and thus the communication efficiency or communication quality of the UE cannot be guaranteed. Summary of the invention

[0003] To solve the above technical problems, embodiments of the present invention provide a network selection method, a UE, a chip, a computer-readable storage medium, a computer program product, and a computer program.

[0004] In a first aspect, a network selection method is provided, which is applied to a user equipment UE, including:

[0005] Selecting a PLMN to be accessed from at least one detected candidate PLMN according to the priorities of at least two PLMNs;

[0006] Among the priorities of the at least two PLMNs, the priority of the PLMN corresponding to the first type of network is higher than the priority of the PLMN corresponding to the second type of network; the first type of network is a network of a newer generation or multiple generations than the second type of network.

[0007] In a second aspect, a UE is provided, including:

[0008] a processing unit, selecting a PLMN to be accessed from at least one detected candidate PLMN according to the priorities of at least two public land mobile networks PLMN;

[0009] Among the priorities of the at least two PLMNs, the priority of the PLMN corresponding to the first type of network is higher than the priority of the PLMN corresponding to the second type of network; the first type of network is a network of a newer generation or multiple generations than the second type of network.

[0010] In a third aspect, a UE is provided, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to execute the method in the first aspect or its implementation manners.

[0011] In a fourth aspect, a chip is provided for implementing the methods in the above-mentioned implementation modes.

[0012] Specifically, the chip includes: a processor, which is used to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes a method as described in any one of the first and third aspects or their respective implementations.

[0013] In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided for storing a computer program, wherein the computer program enables a computer to execute the method in any one of the first aspect and the third aspect or any of their implementations.

[0014] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising computer program instructions, which enable a computer to execute the method in any one of the first to second aspects or their respective implementations.

[0015] In a seventh aspect, a computer program is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method in the first aspect or its various implementations.

[0016] By adopting the above solution, the priority of the PLMN corresponding to the first type of network can be controlled to be higher than the priority of the PLMN corresponding to the second type of network, so that the UE can choose to access the PLMN corresponding to the first type of network as much as possible. In this way, the communication efficiency and communication quality of the UE are guaranteed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 ;

[0018] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a network selection method flow provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of IMSI composition provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 4A schematic diagram of the UE structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 6 is a schematic block diagram of a chip provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In order to enable a more detailed understanding of the features and technical contents of the embodiments of the present invention, the implementation of the embodiments of the present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The attached drawings are for reference only and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention.

[0025] The following will describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0026] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: Global System of Mobile communication (GSM) system, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication system or 5G system, etc.

[0027] For example, the communication system 100 used in the embodiment of the present application can be as follows: Figure 1 As shown. The communication system 100 may include a network device 110, which may be a device that communicates with UE120 (or referred to as a communication terminal or terminal). The network device 110 may provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area, and may communicate with a UE located in the coverage area. Optionally, the network device 110 may be a network device (Base TransceiverStation, BTS) in a GSM system or a CDMA system, or a network device (NodeB, NB) in a WCDMA system, or an evolved network device (Evolutional Node B, eNB or eNodeB) in an LTE system, or a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (Cloud Radio Access Network, CRAN), or the network device may be a mobile switching center, a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a hub, a switch, a bridge, a router, a network side device in a 5G network, or a network device in a future evolved public land mobile network (Public Land Mobile Network, PLMN), etc.

[0028] The communication system 100 also includes at least one UE 120 located within the coverage of the network device 110. As used herein, "UE" includes but is not limited to connecting via a wired line, such as via a Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN), a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), a digital cable, a direct cable connection; and / or another data connection / network; and / or via a wireless interface, such as, for a cellular network, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a digital television network such as a DVB-H network, a satellite network, an AM-FM broadcast transmitter; and / or a device of another UE configured to receive / send communication signals; and / or an Internet of Things (IoT) device. A UE configured to communicate via a wireless interface may be referred to as a "wireless communication terminal", "wireless terminal" or "mobile terminal".

[0029] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably in this article. The term "and / or" in this article is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0030] In order to enable a more detailed understanding of the features and technical contents of the embodiments of the present invention, the implementation of the embodiments of the present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The attached drawings are for reference only and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention.

[0031] The embodiment of the present invention provides a network selection method, which is applied to UE, such as Figure 2 As shown, including:

[0032] Step 21: Selecting a PLMN to be accessed from at least one detected candidate PLMN according to the priorities of at least two public land mobile networks (PLMNs);

[0033] Among the priorities of the at least two PLMNs, the priority of the PLMN corresponding to the first type of network is higher than the priority of the PLMN corresponding to the second type of network; the first type of network is a network of a newer generation or multiple generations than the second type of network.

[0034] The first type of network can be a 5G network, and correspondingly, the second type of network can be a 4G network, a 3G network, etc.; the second type of network can also be one or more, for example, it can be a second type of network in a visited location and a second type of network in a home location, which can be understood as a second type of network corresponding to the visited location PLMN and a second type of network corresponding to the home location PLMN, respectively.

[0035] The above takes the 5G network as an example of the first type of network. In fact, with the discovery of communication technology, newer networks may appear. In this case, the first type of network can be understood as the latest network, such as the 6G network, etc. Correspondingly, when the first type of network is the 6G network, the second type of network can be at least one of the 5G and 4G networks.

[0036] The solution provided in this embodiment may include:

[0037] Detect surrounding cells or surrounding networks to obtain corresponding system information; then the non-access stratum (NAS) of the chip in the UE triggers the access layer to read the system information of surrounding cells, and obtains the PLMN ID of the surrounding cells from the system information as the candidate PLMN. The access layer then reports at least one detected candidate PLMN ID to the NAS layer; the NAS layer selects a PLMN from multiple PLMNs based on the priority of the PLMN.

[0038] In addition, the scenario in which the UE executes the solution provided by this embodiment may be that the UE selects a PLMN of the network after just being powered on or entering an idle state.

[0039] When the UE executes the selection of the PLMN corresponding to the network, it needs to be based on a certain priority order. The priority order can be determined by reading at least one of the following files from the SIM card: "HPLMN Selector with AccessTechnology" (i.e., access technology associated with HPLMN), "User Controlled PLMN Selector with AccessTechnology" (access technology associated with user-controlled PLMN selection), "Forbidden PLMNs" (forbidden PLMN), "Equivalent HPLMN" (equivalent HPLMN), "Operator controlled PLMN Selector with AccessTechnology" (access technology associated with operator-controlled PLMN selection).

[0040] The NAS layer follows the following sequence when selecting a PLMN:

[0041] When the EHPLMN is not configured, the selection is made based on the HPLMN, or when the highest priority of the EHPLMN is configured, the PLMN selection is made based on the EHPLMN;

[0042] That is to say, one situation is: HPLMN is the first priority, EHPLMN is the second priority, and the first priority is selected higher than the second priority; wherein, EHPLMN may include identifiers of multiple PLMNs, and accordingly, there are corresponding priorities for multiple PLMN identifiers in EHPLMN.

[0043] There is another situation that the EHPLMN may include the HPLMN. In this case, the PLMN selection can be performed only according to the priority in the EHPLMN. It should be pointed out that the priority of the HPLMN in the EHPLMN is also the highest priority.

[0044] Then, the access technology selection is performed according to the access technology list associated with the PLMN selection controlled by the user and / or the operator in the SIM card.

[0045] The next sequence may be to select a PLMN with good signal quality and its associated access technology.

[0046] like Figure 3 In one embodiment, the HPLMN is the mobile country code MCC+mobile network code MNC in the IMSI.

[0047] In addition, the SIM card of the UE also contains a HPLMN Selector with Access Technology (i.e., a list of access technologies associated with the HPLMN). An example is shown in the following table, where the higher the priority, the higher the priority:

[0048]

[0049] Based on the above description, the present embodiment is described in various scenarios as follows:

[0050] Scenario 1:

[0051] A new PLMN identifier is set for the first-category network provided by different operators, and the original identifier of the PLMN corresponding to the second-category network is retained. For example, an operator sets the PLMN identifier 1 for the 5G network, and other operators may set the PLMN identifiers 2 and 3 for the 5G network. The PLMN set for the 5G network can serve users of this network, or only roaming users, or both this network and roaming users; the original identifiers 4, 5, and 6 may be retained for the 4G network. This scenario configures the parameters or lists related to the PLMN priority to give priority to the PLMN corresponding to the first-category network. To achieve the above priority, this scenario adopts the following configuration method:

[0052] Determining priorities of at least two PLMNs based on a home public land mobile network HPLMN and an equivalent home public land mobile network EHPLMN list;

[0053] Among them, the PLMNs included in the HPLMN are of the first priority, and the PLMNs included in the EHPLMN list are of the second priority; the second priority is lower than the first priority.

[0054] The method may further include: taking a PLMN included in an associated access technology list controlled by a user or an operator as a third priority;

[0055] The second priority is lower than the first priority, and the third priority is lower than the second priority.

[0056] It should be understood at this time that the EHPLMN list may include the HPLMN, so similarly, the identifier of the PLMN corresponding to the HPLMN in the EHPLMN list is also the first priority, and other PLMN identifiers are the second priority.

[0057] Furthermore, there may be multiple other PLMN identifiers of the EHPLMN, that is, multiple other PLMN identifiers in the second priority also have sub-priorities. Similarly, the list of associated access technologies controlled by the user or operator may also include multiple PLMN identifiers and their associated access technologies, and multiple PLMNs therein are also set with sub-priorities.

[0058] That is to say, the UE first selects according to the HPLMN, and when there is no matching PLMN identifier, it selects from the EHPLMN list according to its existing sub-priority; if there is no matching PLMN identifier in the EHPLMN list, it selects according to the PLMN and its corresponding sub-priority included in the associated access technology list controlled by the user or operator.

[0059] In addition, the PLMN to be accessed can usually be selected based on the aforementioned priority order, but if it is not selected, a PLMN with the best signal quality can be selected as the PLMN to be accessed based on the signal quality of the currently detected PLMN.

[0060] The HPLMN includes: an identifier of a first PLMN corresponding to the first type of network. For example, HPLMN=PLMN1 is set. PLMN1 can be understood as an identifier of a home PLMN.

[0061] The access technology list associated with the HPLMN includes one of the following:

[0062] Empty set or non-existent;

[0063] In a non-standalone NSA network, the first access network corresponding to the first type of network;

[0064] In an independent networking SA network, it corresponds to the second access network of the first type of network.

[0065] For example, assuming that the identifier of the first PLMN of the first type of network is PLMN 1, that is, the identifier of the home PLMN, then in the NSA network, fill in PLMN 1+E-UTRAN, if in the SA network, fill in PLMN 1+NG-RAN.

[0066] The EHPLMN list includes one of the following:

[0067] Empty or non-existent; for example, EHPLMN = empty set or unmatched;

[0068] An identifier of a second PLMN corresponding to the first type of network; for example, the second PLMN may be a visited PLMN, and a visited PLMN identifier is PLMN2, then EHPLMN=PLMN 2;

[0069] The priority of the identifier of the second PLMN corresponding to the first type network is higher than the identifier of the third PLMN corresponding to the second type network; for example, the PLMN identifier of the visited location is PLMN2, and the identifier of a PLMN corresponding to the second type network is PLMN4, then EHPLMN=PLMN 2->PLMN-4 can be set.

[0070] Further, based on a user-controlled or operator-controlled associated access technology (User or Operator Controlled PLMN Selector with Access Technology) list, priorities of at least two PLMNs are determined; wherein the PLMN corresponding to the user-controlled or operator-controlled associated access technology list is a third priority, and the third priority is lower than the second priority;

[0071] The list of associated access technologies controlled by the user or the operator includes one of the following:

[0072] The first access network or the second access network associated with the identifier of the second PLMN corresponding to the first type of network has a higher priority than the first access network associated with the identifier of the third PLMN corresponding to the second type of network; this configuration may correspond to the situation where the aforementioned EHPLMN list is set to be empty or does not exist, that is, when the EHPLMN list does not exist, the selection may be made based on the identifier of the PLMN configured in the associated access technology list controlled by the user or the operator and its corresponding access technology;

[0073] The identifier of the third PLMN corresponding to the second type of network is associated with the first access network; this configuration corresponds to the case where the identifier of the visited PLMN corresponding to the first type of network is set in the EHPLMN list, that is, when the EHPLMN is only configured with the identifier of the visited PLMN of the first type of network, if the PLMN is not detected, the identifier of the PLMN configured in the associated access technology list controlled by the user or the operator and its corresponding access technology are used to perform PLMN selection;

[0074] The access technology associated with the identifier of other PLMN; wherein the other PLMN is a PLMN other than the first PLMN, the second PLMN and the third PLMN. This corresponds to the situation where the priority of the identifier of the visited PLMN corresponding to the first type of network in the EHPLMN list is higher than the identifier of the home PLMN corresponding to the second type of network, that is, when a suitable PLMN is not selected according to the configuration of this EHPLMN, the identifier of other PLMN configured in the associated access technology list controlled by the user or the operator and its associated access technology are used to select the PLMN.

[0075] For example, assuming that the identifier of a visited PLMN corresponding to the first type of network is PLMN2, the identifier of a visited PLMN corresponding to the second type of network is PLMN 4, the first access network is E-UTRAN, and the second access network is NG-RAN:

[0076] Then the first access network or the second access network associated with the identifier of the second PLMN corresponding to the first type of network has a higher priority than the first access network associated with the identifier of the third PLMN corresponding to the second type of network, which can be expressed as: PLMN 2+E-UTRAN / PLMN 2+NG-RAN->PLMN 4+E-UTRAN;

[0077] The association of the identifier of the third PLMN corresponding to the second type of network with the first access network may be expressed as: PLMN 4+E-UTRAN.

[0078] When the UE moves, when the EHPLMN is only configured with the identifier of the visited PLMN of the first type of network, and the identifier of the home PLMN corresponding to the second type of network is associated with the first access network, service continuity can be better guaranteed, because the equivalent PLMN assumes that there is an interface between networks, and the UE registration context can be transferred. When the UE moves to the equivalent PLMN, there is no need to initiate an initial registration.

[0079] It should also be pointed out in this scenario that it has been described above that the first PLMN set for the 5G network, that is, corresponding to the first type of network, can serve the UE of this network, or only serve the roaming UE, or serve the UE of this network and roaming UE.

[0080] When the 5G network, that is, the first PLMN corresponding to the first type of network setting, only serves roaming UEs and does not serve the UEs of this network, the identifier of the third PLMN corresponding to the second type of network is still set in the UE. In this case, the PLMN selection can be performed according to the configuration in the access technology list associated with the HPLMN, because the technology list associated with the HPLMN contains the first access network or the second access network of the first type of network (that is, 5G). In addition, in this case, the priority of the third PLMN corresponding to the second type of network in the EHPLMN list and the associated access technology list controlled by the user or operator is lower. In this way, it is also ensured that this type of UE can still access the PLMN corresponding to the first type of network.

[0081] Scenario 2

[0082] Operators use the old PLMN ID and do not need to issue new cards to 5G users. That is, each operator still uses the current PLMN ID. For example, the current PLMN IDs of the three major operators are 4, 5, and 6. In this way, each operator does not need to issue new cards to users.

[0083] In this scenario, in order to keep the UE selecting the first type of network, this scenario will use the RAT priority as a reference, for example, to determine the priority of the PLMN based on the PLMN selection list of the first type of network and the PLMN selection list of the second type of network; wherein the priority of the PLMN selection list of the first type of network is higher than the PLMN selection list of the second type of network.

[0084] That is to say, when performing PLMN selection, the PLMN list of the first type of network may be used to perform PLMN selection first, and if no PLMN is selected, the PLMN list of the second type of network may be used to perform PLMN selection.

[0085] At this time, the existing PLMN selection order may be reused, that is, the order included in the PLMN list of the second type of network may be the same as the PLMN selection order in the prior art.

[0086] In the NAS scenario, because the access technology is E-UTRAN, it is indistinguishable from the ordinary LTE network, and the UE needs to know whether the cell belongs to the NSA network or the LTE network through the system information of the cell. Here, NSA and SA are uniformly referred to as 5G access technologies, that is, they can be used as the first type of network or the access technology of the first type of network, and LTE is a 4G access technology, that is, it can be understood as the second type of network or the access technology of the second type of network.

[0087] The configuration of this scenario can be as follows:

[0088] The PLMN selection list for the first type of network is a PLMN selection list with RAT=5G as the entry, which specifically includes:

[0089] The PLMN selection list of the first type of network includes: HPLMN; the identifier of the first PLMN included in the HPLMN is; for example, HPLMN=PLMN 4;

[0090] The access technology list associated with the HPLMN is set to be empty or does not exist.

[0091] The EHPLMN list included in the PLMN selection list of the first type of network; wherein the PLMNs included in the EHPLMN list are of the second sub-priority; and the second sub-priority is lower than the first sub-priority.

[0092] The EHPLMN list in the PLMN selection list of the first type of network is empty or does not exist;

[0093] Alternatively, the identifier of the visited PLMN included in the EHPLMN list in the PLMN selection list of the first type of network is used as the second sub-priority; wherein the second sub-priority is lower than the first sub-priority. For example, the identifier of the visited PLMN is 5, which can be expressed as EHPLMN=PLMN 5.

[0094] The PLMN selection list of the first type of network further includes: a list of associated access technologies controlled by a user or an operator; the PLMN included in the list of associated access technologies controlled by the user or the operator is a third sub-priority; the third sub-priority is lower than the second sub-priority;

[0095] The list of associated access technologies controlled by the user or the operator includes one of the following:

[0096] The priority of the first access network or the second access network associated with the identifier of the visited PLMN is higher than the first access network associated with the identifier of the home PLMN; corresponding to the processing method when the EHPLMN list in the PLMN selection list of the aforementioned first type of network is empty or does not exist;

[0097] The identifier of the home PLMN is associated with the first access network; and corresponds to the processing method of the second sub-priority level with the identifier of the visited PLMN included in the EHPLMN list in the PLMN selection list of the aforementioned first type of network.

[0098] For example, the home PLMN is identified as 4, and the visited PLMN is identified as 5.

[0099] The priority of the first access network or the second access network associated with the identifier of the visited PLMN is higher than the first access network associated with the identifier of the home PLMN, which can be expressed as PLMN 5+E-UTRAN or PLMN 5+NG-RAN>PLMN 4+E-UTRAN;

[0100] The identifier of the home PLMN associated with the first access network may be expressed as PLMN 4+E-UTRAN.

[0101] In the above scenario, when the UE moves, the associated access technology list controlled by the user or operator is associated with the first access network with the identifier of the home PLMN, and the identifier of the visited PLMN contained in the EHPLMN list in the PLMN selection list of the first type of network is used as the configuration method of the second sub-priority, which can better ensure business continuity, because the equivalent PLMN assumes that there is an interface between networks, and the UE registration context can be transferred. When the UE moves to the equivalent PLMN, there is no need to initiate an initial registration.

[0102] The HPLMN and the access technology list associated with the HPLMN included in the PLMN selection list of the second type of network;

[0103] The HPLMN includes an identifier of the first PLMN; and the access technology list associated with the HPLMN is set to be empty or non-existent.

[0104] That is to say, when the second type of network is 4G, the UE side can save a PLMN selection list with RAT=4G as the index:

[0105] Among them, HPLMN=PLMN 4 (i.e., the identifier of the home PLMN) may be set;

[0106] HPLMN selector with access technology is empty or not matched.

[0107] Scenario 3

[0108] In this scenario, the operator uses the old PLMN ID and does not need to issue new cards to 5G users. That is, each operator still uses the current PLMN ID. For example, the existing PLMN IDs of the three major operators are 4, 5, and 6. In this way, each operator does not need to issue new cards to users. For example, the operator configures the data file for users with 5G contracts as follows. Here, the operator with PLMN 4 is taken as an example. In order for the UE to always select the 5G network, the priority PLMN 4+5G->PLMN 5+5G->PLMN 4+4G is required.

[0109] In the NAS scenario, because the access technology is E-UTRAN, it is indistinguishable from the ordinary LTE network, and the UE needs to know whether the cell belongs to the NSA network or the LTE network through the system information of the cell. In this scenario, NSA and SA are uniformly referred to as the access technology of the first type of network, such as 5G access technology, and LTE is the access technology of the second type of network, such as 4G access technology.

[0110] In this scenario, the PLMN corresponding to the HPLMN is taken as the first priority;

[0111] taking the PLMN included in the EHPLMN list as a second priority;

[0112] The second priority is lower than the first priority.

[0113] It should be understood at this time that the EHPLMN list may include the HPLMN, so similarly, the identifier of the PLMN corresponding to the HPLMN in the EHPLMN list is also the first priority, and other PLMN identifiers are the second priority.

[0114] Furthermore, there may be multiple other PLMN identifiers of the EHPLMN, that is, multiple other PLMN identifiers in the second priority also have sub-priorities.

[0115] The HPLMN includes an identifier of a first PLMN. The first PLMN may be a home PLMN. For example, if the identifier of the home PLMN is 4, then HPLMN = PLMN 4;

[0116] The HPLMN-associated access technology list includes: the first PLMN identifier is associated with the first type of network access technology. That is, in the HPLMN selector with access technology, fill in PLMN 4+5G. It should be noted that PLMN 4+4G cannot appear here.

[0117] Set the EHPLMN list to empty or non-existent.

[0118] Alternatively, the priority corresponding to the PLMN identifier included in the EHPLMN list is the same as the access technology list associated with the HPLMN. The priority in the EHPLMN list and the access technology list associated with the HPLMN may be set to be the same, or the access technology list associated with the HPLMN may be directly used as the EHPLMN list.

[0119] Alternatively, the EHPLMN list is associated with a list of access technologies associated with the EHPLMN;

[0120] The access technology list associated with the EHPLMN includes: the access technology associated with the first type of network with the identifier of the second PLMN. That is to say, the same access technology list associated with the HPLMN is no longer used, but a new EHPLMNselector with access technology list is added, in which the PLMN identifier of the visited location and the corresponding access technology are set, for example, PLMN 5+5G. At this time, in order to prevent the UE of PLMN 4 from selecting the 4G network of PLMN 5, PLMN 5+4G needs to not appear;

[0121] The PLMN included in the access technology list associated with the operator control is taken as the third priority; the third priority is lower than the second priority;

[0122] The list of access technologies associated with the operator control includes one of the following:

[0123] The identifier of the second PLMN is associated with the access technology of the first type of network, and the identifier of the first PLMN is associated with the access technology of the second type of network, and the priority of the access technology associated with the identifier of the second PLMN to the first type of network is higher than the access technology associated with the identifier of the first PLMN to the second type of network; for example, it can be expressed as PLMN 5+5G->PLMN 4+4G;

[0124] The first PLMN identifier is associated with the access technology of the second type of network; it can be expressed as PLMN 4+4G.

[0125] The aforementioned list of associated access technologies controlled by the operator may also include multiple PLMN identities and their associated access technologies, wherein the multiple PLMNs are also set with sub-priorities.

[0126] That is to say, the UE first selects according to the HPLMN. When there is no matching PLMN identifier, it selects from the EHPLMN list according to its existing sub-priority. If there is no matching PLMN identifier in the EHPLMN list, it selects according to the PLMN and its corresponding sub-priority included in the associated access technology list controlled by the operator.

[0127] In addition, the PLMN to be accessed can usually be selected based on the aforementioned priority order, but if it is not selected, a PLMN with the best signal quality can be selected as the PLMN to be accessed based on the signal quality of the currently detected PLMN.

[0128] It should be noted that when the aforementioned EHPLMN set is empty or does not exist, the associated access technology controlled by the corresponding operator may be the association of the visited PLMN identifier with the first type of network, and the association of the home PLMN identifier with the second type of network, and the association of the visited PLMN identifier with the first type of network has a higher priority than the association of the home PLMN identifier with the second type of network;

[0129] In addition, the aforementioned EHPLMN adopts the priority in the access technology list associated with the HPLMN; or, establishes the access technology list associated with the EHPLMN, in which the identifier of the visited PLMN is set to be associated with the first type of network, and the priority is the highest. In both cases, the associated access technology controlled by the operator is set to be associated with the second type of network with the identifier of the home PLMN. This configuration method can ensure business continuity, because the equivalent PLMN assumes that there is an interface between networks, and UE registration context transfer can be performed. When the UE moves to the equivalent PLMN, there is no need to initiate initial registration.

[0130] It can be seen that by adopting the above solution, the priority of the PLMN corresponding to the first type of network can be controlled to be higher than the priority of the PLMN corresponding to the second type of network, so that the UE can choose to access the PLMN corresponding to the first type of network as much as possible. In this way, the communication efficiency and communication quality of the UE are guaranteed.

[0131] An embodiment of the present invention provides a UE, such as Figure 4 As shown, including:

[0132] The processing unit 31 selects a public land mobile network (PLMN) to be accessed from at least one detected candidate PLMN according to the priorities of at least two PLMNs;

[0133] Among the priorities of the at least two PLMNs, the priority of the PLMN corresponding to the first type of network is higher than the priority of the PLMN corresponding to the second type of network; the first type of network is a network of a newer generation or multiple generations than the second type of network.

[0134] The first type of network can be a 5G network, and correspondingly, the second type of network can be a 4G network, a 3G network, etc.; the second type of network can also be one or more, for example, it can be a second type of network in a visited location and a second type of network in a home location, which can be understood as a second type of network corresponding to the visited location PLMN and a second type of network corresponding to the home location PLMN, respectively.

[0135] The present embodiment is described below in various scenarios:

[0136] Scenario 1:

[0137] A new PLMN identifier is set for the first-class network provided by different operators, and the original identifier of the PLMN corresponding to the second-class network is retained. For example, an operator sets the PLMN identifier 1 for the 5G network, and other operators may set the PLMN identifiers 2 and 3 for the 5G network; the original identifiers 4, 5, and 6 may be retained for the 4G network. This scenario configures the parameters or lists related to the PLMN priority to give priority to the PLMN corresponding to the first-class network. To achieve the above priority, this scenario adopts the following configuration method:

[0138] The processing unit 31 determines the priority of at least two PLMNs based on the home public land mobile network HPLMN and the equivalent home public land mobile network EHPLMN list;

[0139] Among them, the PLMNs included in the HPLMN are of the first priority, and the PLMNs included in the EHPLMN list are of the second priority; the second priority is lower than the first priority.

[0140] The processing unit 31 may further include: taking the PLMN included in the associated access technology list controlled by the user or the operator as the third priority;

[0141] The second priority is lower than the first priority, and the third priority is lower than the second priority.

[0142] It should be understood at this time that the EHPLMN list may include the HPLMN, so similarly, the identifier of the PLMN corresponding to the HPLMN in the EHPLMN list is also the first priority, and other PLMN identifiers are the second priority.

[0143] Furthermore, there may be multiple other PLMN identifiers of the EHPLMN, that is, multiple other PLMN identifiers in the second priority also have sub-priorities. Similarly, the list of associated access technologies controlled by the user or operator may also include multiple PLMN identifiers and their associated access technologies, and multiple PLMNs therein are also set with sub-priorities.

[0144] In addition, the PLMN to be accessed can usually be selected based on the aforementioned priority order, but if it is not selected, a PLMN with the best signal quality can be selected as the PLMN to be accessed based on the signal quality of the currently detected PLMN.

[0145] The HPLMN includes: an identifier of a first PLMN corresponding to the first type of network. For example, HPLMN=PLMN1 is set. PLMN1 can be understood as an identifier of a home PLMN.

[0146] The access technology list associated with the HPLMN includes one of the following:

[0147] Empty set or non-existent;

[0148] In a non-standalone NSA network, the first access network corresponding to the first type of network;

[0149] In an independent networking SA network, it corresponds to the second access network of the first type of network.

[0150] The EHPLMN list includes one of the following:

[0151] Empty or non-existent; for example, EHPLMN = empty set or unmatched;

[0152] An identifier of a second PLMN corresponding to the first type of network; for example, the second PLMN may be a visited PLMN, and a visited PLMN identifier is PLMN2, then EHPLMN=PLMN 2;

[0153] The priority of the identifier of the second PLMN corresponding to the first type network is higher than the identifier of the third PLMN corresponding to the second type network; for example, the PLMN identifier of the visited location is PLMN2, and the identifier of a PLMN corresponding to the second type network is PLMN4, then EHPLMN=PLMN 2->PLMN-4 can be set.

[0154] Further, based on a user-controlled or operator-controlled associated access technology (User or Operator Controlled PLMN Selector with Access Technology) list, priorities of at least two PLMNs are determined; wherein the PLMN corresponding to the user-controlled or operator-controlled associated access technology list is a third priority, and the third priority is lower than the second priority;

[0155] The list of associated access technologies controlled by the user or the operator includes one of the following:

[0156] The first access network or the second access network associated with the identifier of the second PLMN corresponding to the first type of network has a higher priority than the first access network associated with the identifier of the third PLMN corresponding to the second type of network; this configuration may correspond to the situation where the aforementioned EHPLMN list is set to be empty or does not exist, that is, when the EHPLMN list does not exist, the selection may be made based on the identifier of the PLMN configured in the associated access technology list controlled by the user or the operator and its corresponding access technology;

[0157] The identifier of the third PLMN corresponding to the second type of network is associated with the first access network; this configuration corresponds to the case where the identifier of the visited PLMN corresponding to the first type of network is set in the EHPLMN list, that is, when the EHPLMN is only configured with the identifier of the visited PLMN of the first type of network, if the PLMN is not detected, the identifier of the PLMN configured in the associated access technology list controlled by the user or the operator and its corresponding access technology are used to perform PLMN selection;

[0158] The access technology associated with the identifier of other PLMN; wherein the other PLMN is a PLMN other than the first PLMN, the second PLMN and the third PLMN. This corresponds to the situation where the priority of the identifier of the visited PLMN corresponding to the first type of network in the EHPLMN list is higher than the identifier of the home PLMN corresponding to the second type of network, that is, when a suitable PLMN is not selected according to the configuration of this EHPLMN, the identifier of other PLMN configured in the associated access technology list controlled by the user or the operator and its associated access technology are used to select the PLMN.

[0159] For example, assuming that the identifier of a visited PLMN corresponding to the first type of network is PLMN2, the identifier of a visited PLMN corresponding to the second type of network is PLMN 4, the first access network is E-UTRAN, and the second access network is NG-RAN:

[0160] Then the first access network or the second access network associated with the identifier of the second PLMN corresponding to the first type of network has a higher priority than the first access network associated with the identifier of the third PLMN corresponding to the second type of network, which can be expressed as: PLMN 2+E-UTRAN / PLMN 2+NG-RAN->PLMN 4+E-UTRAN;

[0161] The association of the identifier of the third PLMN corresponding to the second type of network with the first access network may be expressed as: PLMN 4+E-UTRAN.

[0162] Scenario 2

[0163] Operators use the old PLMN ID and do not need to issue new cards to 5G users. That is, each operator still uses the current PLMN ID. For example, the current PLMN IDs of the three major operators are 4, 5, and 6. In this way, each operator does not need to issue new cards to users.

[0164] In this scenario, in order to keep the UE selecting the first type of network, this scenario will arrange the RAT priority reference, for example, the processing unit 31 determines the priority of the PLMN based on the PLMN selection list of the first type of network and the PLMN selection list of the second type of network; wherein the priority of the PLMN selection list of the first type of network is higher than the PLMN selection list of the second type of network.

[0165] The configuration of this scenario can be as follows:

[0166] The PLMN selection list for the first type of network is a PLMN selection list with RAT=5G as the entry, which specifically includes:

[0167] The PLMN selection list of the first type of network includes: HPLMN; the identifier of the first PLMN included in the HPLMN is; for example, HPLMN=PLMN 4;

[0168] The access technology list associated with the HPLMN is set to be empty or does not exist.

[0169] The EHPLMN list included in the PLMN selection list of the first type of network; wherein the PLMNs included in the EHPLMN list are of the second sub-priority; and the second sub-priority is lower than the first sub-priority.

[0170] The EHPLMN list in the PLMN selection list of the first type of network is empty or does not exist;

[0171] Alternatively, the identifier of the visited PLMN included in the EHPLMN list in the PLMN selection list of the first type of network is used as the second sub-priority; wherein the second sub-priority is lower than the first sub-priority. For example, the identifier of the visited PLMN is 5, which can be expressed as EHPLMN=PLMN 5.

[0172] The PLMN selection list of the first type of network further includes: a list of associated access technologies controlled by a user or an operator; the PLMN included in the list of associated access technologies controlled by the user or the operator is a third sub-priority; the third sub-priority is lower than the second sub-priority;

[0173] The list of associated access technologies controlled by the user or the operator includes one of the following:

[0174] The priority of the first access network or the second access network associated with the identifier of the visited PLMN is higher than the first access network associated with the identifier of the home PLMN; corresponding to the processing method when the EHPLMN list in the PLMN selection list of the aforementioned first type of network is empty or does not exist;

[0175] The identifier of the home PLMN is associated with the first access network; and corresponds to the processing method of the second sub-priority level with the identifier of the visited PLMN included in the EHPLMN list in the PLMN selection list of the aforementioned first type of network.

[0176] The HPLMN included in the PLMN selection list of the second type of network;

[0177] The HPLMN includes an identifier of the first PLMN; and the access technology list associated with the HPLMN is set to be empty or non-existent.

[0178] Scenario 3

[0179] In this scenario, the operator uses the old PLMN ID and does not need to issue new cards to 5G users. That is, each operator still uses the current PLMN ID. For example, the existing PLMN IDs of the three major operators are 4, 5, and 6. In this way, each operator does not need to issue new cards to users. For example, the operator configures the data file for users with 5G contracts as follows. Here, the operator with PLMN 4 is taken as an example. In order for the UE to always select the 5G network, the priority PLMN 4+5G->PLMN 5+5G->PLMN 4+4G is required.

[0180] In the NAS scenario, because the access technology is E-UTRAN, it is indistinguishable from the ordinary LTE network, and the UE needs to know whether the cell belongs to the NSA network or the LTE network through the system information of the cell. In this scenario, NSA and SA are uniformly referred to as the access technology of the first type of network, such as 5G access technology, and LTE is the access technology of the second type of network, such as 4G access technology.

[0181] In this scenario, the processing unit 31 takes the PLMN corresponding to the HPLMN as the first priority;

[0182] taking the PLMN included in the EHPLMN list as a second priority;

[0183] The second priority is lower than the first priority.

[0184] It should be understood at this time that the EHPLMN list may include the HPLMN, so similarly, the identifier of the PLMN corresponding to the HPLMN in the EHPLMN list is also the first priority, and other PLMN identifiers are the second priority.

[0185] Furthermore, there may be multiple other PLMN identifiers of the EHPLMN, that is, multiple other PLMN identifiers in the second priority also have sub-priorities.

[0186] The HPLMN includes an identifier of a first PLMN. The first PLMN may be a home PLMN. For example, if the identifier of the home PLMN is 4, then HPLMN = PLMN 4;

[0187] The HPLMN-associated access technology list includes: the first PLMN identifier is associated with the first type of network access technology. That is, in the HPLMN selector with access technology, fill in PLMN 4+5G. It should be noted that PLMN 4+4G cannot appear here.

[0188] Set the EHPLMN list to empty or non-existent.

[0189] Alternatively, the priority corresponding to the PLMN identifier included in the EHPLMN list is the same as the access technology list associated with the HPLMN. The priority in the EHPLMN list and the access technology list associated with the HPLMN may be set to be the same, or the HPLMN may be directly used as the EHPLMN list.

[0190] Or,

[0191] The EHPLMN list is associated with a list of access technologies associated with the EHPLMN;

[0192] The access technology list associated with the EHPLMN includes: the access technology associated with the first type of network with the identifier of the second PLMN. That is to say, the same access technology list associated with the HPLMN is no longer used, but a new EHPLMNselector with access technology list is added, in which the PLMN identifier of the visited location and the corresponding access technology are set, for example, PLMN 5+5G can be selected. At this time, in order to prevent the UE of PLMN 4 from selecting the 4G network of PLMN 5, PLMN 5+4G needs not to appear;

[0193] The PLMN included in the access technology list associated with the operator control is taken as the third priority; the third priority is lower than the second priority;

[0194] The list of access technologies associated with the operator control includes one of the following:

[0195] The identifier of the second PLMN is associated with the access technology of the first type of network, and the identifier of the first PLMN is associated with the access technology of the second type of network, and the priority of the access technology associated with the identifier of the second PLMN to the first type of network is higher than the access technology associated with the identifier of the first PLMN to the second type of network; for example, it can be expressed as PLMN 5+5G->PLMN 4+4G;

[0196] The first PLMN identifier is associated with the access technology of the second type of network; it can be expressed as PLMN 4+4G.

[0197] The aforementioned list of associated access technologies controlled by the operator may also include multiple PLMN identities and their associated access technologies, wherein the multiple PLMNs are also set with sub-priorities.

[0198] It should be noted that when the aforementioned EHPLMN set is empty or does not exist, the associated access technology controlled by the corresponding operator may be the association of the visited PLMN identifier with the first type of network, and the association of the home PLMN identifier with the second type of network, and the association of the visited PLMN identifier with the first type of network has a higher priority than the association of the home PLMN identifier with the second type of network;

[0199] In addition, the aforementioned EHPLMN adopts the priority in the access technology list associated with the HPLMN; or, establishes the access technology list associated with the EHPLMN, in which the identifier of the visited PLMN is set to be associated with the first type of network, and the priority is the highest. In both cases, the associated access technology controlled by the operator is set to be associated with the second type of network with the identifier of the home PLMN. This configuration method can ensure business continuity, because the equivalent PLMN assumes that there is an interface between networks, and UE registration context transfer can be performed. When the UE moves to the equivalent PLMN, there is no need to initiate initial registration.

[0200] It can be seen that by adopting the above solution, the priority of the PLMN corresponding to the first type of network can be controlled to be higher than the priority of the PLMN corresponding to the second type of network, so that the UE can choose to access the PLMN corresponding to the first type of network as much as possible. In this way, the communication efficiency and communication quality of the UE are guaranteed.

[0201] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 600 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The communication device in this embodiment may specifically be the network device or terminal device in the aforementioned embodiments. Figure 5 The communication device 600 shown includes a processor 610. The processor 610 can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0202] Optionally, Figure 5 As shown, the communication device 600 may further include a memory 620. The processor 610 may call and run a computer program from the memory 620 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0203] The memory 620 may be a separate device independent of the processor 610 , or may be integrated into the processor 610 .

[0204] Alternatively, if Figure 5 As shown, the communication device 600 may further include a transceiver 630, and the processor 610 may control the transceiver 630 to communicate with other devices, specifically, may send information or data to other devices, or receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0205] The transceiver 630 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 630 may further include an antenna, and the number of the antennas may be one or more.

[0206] Optionally, the communication device 600 may specifically be a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the communication device 600 may implement corresponding processes implemented by the network device in various methods according to an embodiment of the present invention, which will not be described in detail for the sake of brevity.

[0207] Optionally, the communication device 600 may specifically be a terminal device or a network device of an embodiment of the present invention, and the communication device 600 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the mobile terminal / terminal device in each method of the embodiment of the present invention, which will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0208] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 The chip 700 shown includes a processor 710, which can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0209] Alternatively, if Figure 6 As shown, the chip 700 may further include a memory 720. The processor 710 may call and run a computer program from the memory 720 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0210] The memory 720 may be a separate device independent of the processor 710 , or may be integrated into the processor 710 .

[0211] Optionally, the chip 700 may further include an input interface 730. The processor 710 may control the input interface 730 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0212] Optionally, the chip 700 may further include an output interface 740. The processor 710 may control the output interface 740 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0213] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the network device in the embodiment of the present invention, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in each method of the embodiment of the present invention, which will not be described here for the sake of brevity.

[0214] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiment of the present invention can also be called a system-level chip, a system chip, a chip system or a system-on-chip chip, etc.

[0215] It should be understood that the processor of the embodiment of the present invention may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by the hardware integrated logic circuit in the processor or the instruction in the form of software. The above processor can be a general processor, a digital signal processor (Digital Signal Processor, DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (Application Specific Integrated Circuit, ASIC), a field programmable gate array (Field Programmable Gate Array, FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components. The methods, steps and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented or executed. The general processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention can be directly embodied as a hardware decoding processor to perform, or the hardware and software modules in the decoding processor can be combined to perform. The software module can be located in a mature storage medium in the field such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0216] It can be understood that the memory in the embodiment of the present invention can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can 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 can be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as 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 RAM bus random access memory (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0217] It should be understood that the above-mentioned memory is exemplary but not restrictive. For example, the memory in the embodiment of the present invention may also be static random access memory (static RAM, SRAM), dynamic random access memory (dynamic RAM, DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (synchronous DRAM, SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (double data rate SDRAM, DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (enhanced SDRAM, ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (synch link DRAM, SLDRAM) and direct memory bus random access memory (Direct Rambus RAM, DR RAM), etc. That is to say, the memory in the embodiment of the present invention is intended to include but not limited to these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0218] Figure 78 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system 800 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 As shown, the communication system 800 includes a terminal device 810 and a network device 820 .

[0219] Among them, the terminal device 810 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the UE in the above method, and the network device 820 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the network device in the above method. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0220] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program.

[0221] Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the network device or terminal device in the embodiments of the present invention, and the computer program enables the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present invention. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0222] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions.

[0223] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the network device or terminal device in the embodiments of the present invention, and the computer program instructions enable the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present invention. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0224] An embodiment of the present invention also provides a computer program.

[0225] Optionally, the computer program may be applied to a network device or a terminal device in an embodiment of the present invention. When the computer program runs on a computer, the computer executes the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in each method of the embodiment of the present invention. For the sake of brevity, they are not described here.

[0226] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of the present invention.

[0227] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0228] In the several embodiments provided by the present invention, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, 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. Another point is that 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.

[0229] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0230] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present invention may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0231] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, or the part that contributes to the prior art or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in each embodiment of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0232] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A network selection method, applied to a user equipment UE, comprising: Selecting a PLMN to be accessed from at least one detected candidate PLMN according to the priorities of at least two public land mobile networks PLMN; Among the priorities of the at least two PLMNs, the priority of the PLMN corresponding to the first type of network is higher than the priority of the PLMN corresponding to the second type of network; the first type of network is a network of a newer generation or multiple generations than the second type of network; The method further comprises: Determining priorities of at least two PLMNs based on a home public land mobile network HPLMN and an equivalent home public land mobile network EHPLMN list; The PLMNs included in the HPLMN are of the first priority, and the PLMNs included in the EHPLMN list are of the second priority; the second priority is lower than the first priority; the HPLMN includes: an identifier of a first PLMN corresponding to a first type of network; The access technology list associated with the HPLMN includes one of the following: an empty set or non-existent; a first access network corresponding to the first type of network in a non-standalone (NSA) network; a second access network corresponding to the first type of network in an independent (SA) network; The first access network is an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network E-UTRAN; The second access network is the fifth generation wireless communication network radio access network NG-RAN.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The EHPLMN list includes one of the following: is empty or does not exist; an identifier of a second PLMN corresponding to the first type of network; The priority of the identifier of the second PLMN corresponding to the first type of network is higher than the identifier of the third PLMN corresponding to the second type of network.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The method further comprises: Determine the priorities of at least two PLMNs based on the associated access technology list controlled by the user or the operator; wherein the PLMN corresponding to the associated access technology list controlled by the user or the operator is a third priority, and the third priority is lower than the second priority; Among them, the list of associated access technologies controlled by users or operators includes one of the following: a first access network or a second access network associated with the identifier of the second PLMN corresponding to the first category network, having a higher priority than the first access network associated with the identifier of the third PLMN corresponding to the second category network; a first access network associated with the identifier of the third PLMN corresponding to the second category network; access technologies associated with the identifiers of other PLMNs; wherein the other PLMNs are PLMNs other than the first PLMN, the second PLMN and the third PLMN.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The method further comprises: Determining the priority of the PLMN based on the PLMN selection list of the first type of network and the PLMN selection list of the second type of network; The priority of the PLMN selection list of the first type of network is higher than that of the PLMN selection list of the second type of network.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein: The PLMN selection list of the first type of network includes: HPLMN; the identifier of the first PLMN included in the HPLMN is the first sub-priority.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The access technology list associated with the HPLMN is empty or does not exist.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The PLMN selection list of the first type of network further includes an EHPLMN list; wherein the PLMNs included in the EHPLMN list are of the second sub-priority; and the second sub-priority is lower than the first sub-priority; The EHPLMN list is empty or does not exist; or the EHPLMN list includes an identifier of a second PLMN.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The PLMN selection list of the first type of network further includes: a list of associated access technologies controlled by a user or an operator; the PLMN included in the list of associated access technologies controlled by the user or the operator is a third sub-priority; the third sub-priority is lower than the second sub-priority; The list of associated access technologies controlled by the user or the operator includes one of the following: The priority of the first access network or the second access network associated with the identifier of the first PLMN is higher than the first access network associated with the identifier of the second PLMN; The identifier of the first PLMN is associated with the first access network.

9. The method according to claim 4, wherein: The PLMN selection list of the second type of network includes the HPLMN and the access technology list associated with the HPLMN; The HPLMN includes an identifier of the first PLMN; and the access technology list associated with the HPLMN is set to be empty or non-existent.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The access technology list associated with the HPLMN includes: The identifier of the first PLMN is associated with the access technology of the first type of network.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The EHPLMN list is set to empty or does not exist.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The priorities corresponding to the identifiers of the PLMNs included in the EHPLMN list are the same as the access technology list associated with the HPLMN.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The EHPLMN list is associated with the access technology list associated with the EHPLMN; The access technology list associated with the EHPLMN includes: the access technology of the first type of network associated with the identifier of the second PLMN.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The method further comprises: The PLMN included in the access technology list associated with the operator control is taken as the third priority; the third priority is lower than the second priority; The list of access technologies associated with the operator control includes one of the following: The identifier of the second PLMN is associated with the access technology of the first type of network, and the identifier of the first PLMN is associated with the access technology of the second type of network, and the priority of the access technology associated with the identifier of the second PLMN to the first type of network is higher than the access technology associated with the identifier of the first PLMN to the second type of network; The first PLMN identifier is associated with an access technology of the second type of network.

15. A UE, comprising: A processing unit, selecting a PLMN to be accessed from at least one detected candidate PLMN according to the priorities of at least two public land mobile networks PLMN; Among the priorities of the at least two PLMNs, the priority of the PLMN corresponding to the first type of network is higher than the priority of the PLMN corresponding to the second type of network; the first type of network is a network of a newer generation or multiple generations than the second type of network; The processing unit, Determining priorities of at least two PLMNs based on a home public land mobile network HPLMN and an equivalent home public land mobile network EHPLMN list; The PLMNs included in the HPLMN are of the first priority, and the PLMNs included in the EHPLMN list are of the second priority; the second priority is lower than the first priority; the HPLMN includes: an identifier of a first PLMN corresponding to a first type of network; The access technology list associated with the HPLMN includes one of the following: an empty set or non-existent; a first access network corresponding to the first type of network in a non-standalone (NSA) network; a second access network corresponding to the first type of network in an independent (SA) network; The first access network is an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network E-UTRAN; The second access network is the fifth generation wireless communication network radio access network NG-RAN.

16. The UE according to claim 15, wherein: The EHPLMN list includes one of the following: is empty or does not exist; an identifier of a second PLMN corresponding to the first type of network; The priority of the identifier of the second PLMN corresponding to the first type of network is higher than the identifier of the third PLMN corresponding to the second type of network.

17. The UE according to claim 16, wherein: The processing unit, Determine the priorities of at least two PLMNs based on the associated access technology list controlled by the user or the operator; wherein the PLMN corresponding to the associated access technology list controlled by the user or the operator is a third priority, and the third priority is lower than the second priority; Among them, the list of associated access technologies controlled by users or operators includes one of the following: a first access network or a second access network associated with the identifier of the second PLMN corresponding to the first category network, having a higher priority than the first access network associated with the identifier of the third PLMN corresponding to the second category network; a first access network associated with the identifier of the third PLMN corresponding to the second category network; access technologies associated with the identifiers of other PLMNs; wherein the other PLMNs are PLMNs other than the first PLMN, the second PLMN and the third PLMN.

18. The UE according to claim 15, wherein: The processing unit, Determining the priority of the PLMN based on the PLMN selection list of the first type of network and the PLMN selection list of the second type of network; The priority of the PLMN selection list of the first type of network is higher than that of the PLMN selection list of the second type of network.

19. The UE according to claim 18, wherein: The PLMN selection list of the first type of network includes: HPLMN; the identifier of the first PLMN included in the HPLMN is the first sub-priority.

20. The UE according to claim 19, wherein: The access technology list associated with the HPLMN is empty or does not exist.

21. The UE according to claim 19, wherein: The PLMN selection list of the first type of network includes an EHPLMN list; wherein the PLMNs included in the EHPLMN list are of the second sub-priority; and the second sub-priority is lower than the first sub-priority; The EHPLMN list is empty or does not exist; or the EHPLMN list includes an identifier of a second PLMN.

22. The UE according to claim 21, wherein: The PLMN selection list of the first type of network further includes: a list of associated access technologies controlled by a user or an operator; the PLMN included in the list of associated access technologies controlled by the user or the operator is a third sub-priority; the third sub-priority is lower than the second sub-priority; Among them, the list of associated access technologies controlled by users or operators includes one of the following: the priority of the first access network or the second access network associated with the identifier of the first PLMN is higher than the first access network associated with the identifier of the second PLMN; the identifier of the first PLMN is associated with the first access network.

23. The UE according to claim 18, wherein: The PLMN selection list of the second type of network includes the HPLMN and the access technology list associated with the HPLMN; The HPLMN includes an identifier of the first PLMN; and the access technology list associated with the HPLMN is set to be empty or non-existent.

24. The UE according to claim 15, wherein: The access technology list associated with the HPLMN includes: The identifier of the first PLMN is associated with the access technology of the first type of network.

25. The UE according to claim 24, wherein: The EHPLMN list is set to empty or does not exist.

26. The UE according to claim 24, wherein: The priorities corresponding to the PLMN identifiers included in the EHPLMN list are the same as the access technology list associated with the HPLMN.

27. The UE according to claim 24, wherein: The EHPLMN list is associated with the access technology list associated with the EHPLMN; The access technology list associated with the EHPLMN includes: the access technology of the first type of network associated with the identifier of the second PLMN.

28. The UE according to claim 25, wherein: The processing unit, The PLMN included in the access technology list associated with the operator control is taken as the third priority; the third priority is lower than the second priority; Among them, the list of access technologies associated with the operator control includes one of the following: the identifier of the second PLMN is associated with the access technology of the first type of network, and the identifier of the first PLMN is associated with the access technology of the second type of network, and the priority of the access technology associated with the first type of network by the identifier of the second PLMN is higher than the access technology associated with the second type of network by the identifier of the first PLMN; the access technology of the first PLMN identifier is associated with the second type of network.

29. A UE, comprising: a processor and a memory for storing a computer program capable of being executed on the processor, The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to perform the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 14.

30. A chip, comprising: A processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes a method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14.

31. A computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium being used to store a computer program, the computer program causing a computer to execute the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

Images