Communication method and device based on network slice

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and apparatus based on network slicing, which can improve the success rate of a terminal accessing a network slice, and further improve service performance and user experience. In this method, a network device receives information about a network slice requested by a terminal to access through a first access network device in a first network, determines a network slice allowed for the terminal to access and a registration area, and sends information about the registration area to the terminal. Among them, the information about the network slice requested by the terminal to access includes identification information of a first network slice not supported by a first tracking area, and includes identification information of a second network slice; a second tracking area in the first network supports the first network slice, and the network slice allowed for the terminal to access includes the second network slice; the registration area excludes the tracking areas that support the first network slice and the second network slice, or excludes the tracking areas of the access network devices that support the first network slice and the second network slice.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a communication method and device based on network slicing. Background Art

[0002] Network slicing technology provides isolated network environments for different application scenarios by creating virtual independent logical networks on the same network infrastructure, so that different application scenarios can customize network functions and features according to their own needs, and can effectively guarantee the quality of service (QoS) requirements of different services. Usually, a network slice is identified by a single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI), and the network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) is a collection of a group of S-NSSAI.

[0003] The radio access network (RAN)'s support capability for network slicing is divided into tracking areas (TA) at the granularity. A TA can support one or more network slices, and cells in the same TA can support the same network slice.

[0004] When network slicing is deployed, network slice selection can be performed during the registration process. For example, the core network sends an allowed NSSAI (Allowed NSSAI) to the terminal based on the NSSAI requested by the terminal, the terminal's contract data, and the network slices supported by the TA in which the terminal is currently located. The allowed NSSAI is the NSSAI that the terminal can access.

[0005] However, in actual applications, there may be the following scenario: in a registration process, because the TA where the terminal is currently located does not support a network slice that the terminal wants to access, the terminal will not access the network slice in this registration process. Even if the terminal moves to a TA that supports the network slice later, the terminal may still not be able to access the network slice normally. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and device based on network slicing, which can improve the success rate of terminal access to network slicing, thereby improving service performance and user experience.

[0007] In order to achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] In a first aspect, a communication method based on network slicing is provided. The method can be executed by a network device or by a component of the network device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the network device. This application is illustrated by taking the network device executing the method as an example.

[0009] The method includes: a network device receives information about a network slice that a terminal requests to access through a first access network device in a first network, determines a network slice and a registration area that the terminal is allowed to access, and sends information about the registration area to the terminal. The information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access includes identification information of a first network slice that is not supported by the first tracking area, and includes identification information of a second network slice; the second tracking area in the first network supports the first network slice, and the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access includes the second network slice; the registration area excludes tracking areas that support the first network slice and the second network slice, or excludes tracking areas of access network devices that support the first network slice and the second network slice.

[0010] Based on this solution, when determining the registration area, the network device excludes the tracking area that supports the first network slice and the second network slice, or excludes the tracking area of ​​the access network device that supports the first network slice and the second network slice. Therefore, when the terminal moves within the excluded tracking area, since the registration area of ​​the terminal does not include the tracking area, and the tracking area supports the first network slice, the terminal can re-initiate the registration process and request access to the first network slice, thereby improving the success rate of accessing the first network slice, and thereby improving service performance and user experience.

[0011] In some possible designs, the method also includes: the network device determines a network slice to which the terminal access is denied, wherein the network slice to which the terminal access is denied includes the first network slice.

[0012] Based on this possible design, when determining the registration area, the network device can exclude the tracking area of ​​the network slice that supports denying terminal access, or exclude the tracking area of ​​the access network device that supports denying terminal access to the network slice.

[0013] In a second aspect, a communication method based on network slicing is provided, which can be executed by a network device or by a component of the network device, such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system of the network device. This application takes the network device executing the method as an example for explanation. The method includes: the network device determines a network slice that allows a terminal to access and a network slice that denies the terminal access, and determines a registration area of ​​the terminal based on the network slice that allows the terminal to access and the network slice that denies the terminal access, and sends information about the registration area to the terminal.

[0014] Based on this solution, the network device can determine the registration area of ​​the terminal according to the network slices that the terminal is allowed to access and the network slices that the terminal is denied access to, so as to consider excluding the network slices that support the denied terminal access in the registration area. For example, the registration area excludes the tracking area that supports the network slice that the terminal is denied access to, or the tracking area of ​​the access network device that supports the network slice that the terminal is denied access to. Therefore, when the terminal moves within the excluded tracking area, since the registration area of ​​the terminal does not include the tracking area and the tracking area supports the first network slice, the terminal can re-initiate the registration process and request access to the first network slice, thereby improving the success rate of accessing the first network slice, and thereby improving service performance and user experience.

[0015] In some possible designs, the method further includes: the network device receives information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access through the first access network device in the first network. The information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access includes identification information of the first network slice that is not supported by the first tracking area, and includes identification information of the second network slice that is supported by the first tracking area, and the first tracking area is the tracking area of ​​the first access network device; the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access includes the second network slice, and the network slice that the terminal is denied access to includes the first network slice; the registration area excludes the tracking area that supports the first network slice and the second network slice, or the registration area excludes the tracking area of ​​the access network device that supports the first network slice and the second network slice.

[0016] In combination with the above-mentioned first aspect or second aspect, in some possible designs, the first network slice is a network slice that allows the terminal to access within the first network.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect above, in some possible designs, the method also includes: the network device determines the network slices supported by the tracking area of ​​the first access network device.

[0018] In a third aspect, a communication method based on network slicing is provided, which can be executed by a network device or by a component of the network device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the network device. This application takes the network device executing the method as an example for explanation. The method includes: the network device determines a first network slice, wherein the first network slice does not belong to a network slice that allows terminal access in a first cell, and the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell; when the terminal is switched from the first cell to the second cell, the network device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, and notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0019] In the prior art, the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell, that is, when the terminal initiates a registration process in the first cell, the first network slice cannot be accessed. Since the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell, when the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell, the terminal will not be triggered to perform a re-registration process. Even if the first network slice is available in the second cell, the terminal will not initiate a registration process in the second cell, and thus cannot access the first network slice in the second cell. Based on this solution, when the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell and determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, the network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell. Therefore, if the terminal still wants to access the first network slice, it can initiate a registration process to request access to the first network slice, thereby improving the success rate of accessing the first network slice, thereby improving service performance and user experience.

[0020] In some possible designs, when the second cell belongs to the second access network device, the target access network device is the second access network device; when the second cell belongs to the first access network device, the target access network device is the first access network device. Among them, the first cell belongs to the first access network device, so it can be understood that the second cell belongs to the second access network device (that is, the first cell and the second cell belong to different access network devices) corresponding to the inter-station switching scenario; the second cell belongs to the first access network device (that is, the first cell and the second cell belong to the same access network device) corresponding to the intra-station switching scenario. This also applies to the design of other aspects of the present application, which will not be repeated later. Based on this possible design, the success rate of accessing the first network slice can be improved in the scenarios of intra-station switching or inter-station switching.

[0021] In some possible designs, when the network device is a mobile management device, the network device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, including: the network device queries the context of the target access network device, the context of the target access network device indicates that the tracking area of ​​the target access network device supports the first network slice, wherein the second cell is a cell in the tracking area of ​​the target access network device. Based on this possible design, the network device can determine that the first network slice is available in the second cell through the locally stored context of the target access network device, without interacting with other devices, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0022] In some possible designs, when the network device is a mobile management device, the network device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, including: the network device sends identification information of the first network slice to the target access network device, and learns from the target access network device that the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell.

[0023] In some possible designs, the network device is a mobile management device, and when the second cell belongs to a second access network device, the network device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, including: when the network device receives a path switching request message from the second access network device, determining that the first network slice is available in the second cell; or when the network device receives a switching requirement message from the first access network device, determining that the first network slice is available in the second cell, and the switching requirement message includes an identifier of the second access network device.

[0024] Based on this possible design, the network device can confirm with the target network device whether the terminal can access the first network slice supported by the tracking area of ​​the target access network device, to avoid the situation where the network device supports the first network slice but the terminal cannot access the first network slice in the second cell. In this case, the terminal is notified that the first network slice is available in the second cell, which can improve the success rate of the terminal accessing the first network slice in the second cell.

[0025] In some possible designs, when the network device is a mobile management device, the method also includes: the network device saves identification information of the first network slice; after the network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell, the network device receives indication information from the terminal; and the network device deletes the identification information of the first network slice according to the indication information.

[0026] In some possible designs, when the network device is a mobile management device, the indication information is used to instruct the terminal to no longer request access to the first network slice.

[0027] Based on the above two possible designs, the indication information is used to indicate that when the terminal no longer requests access to the first network slice, the network device deletes the identification information of the first network slice. When the network device subsequently serves the terminal, it may no longer notify the terminal of the cell that can access the first network slice, thereby reducing signaling overhead and reducing resource waste.

[0028] In some possible designs, when the second cell belongs to the second access network device, the network device is the second access network device; or, when the second cell belongs to the first access network device, the network device is the first access network device. Based on this possible design, the success rate of accessing the first network slice can be improved in the scenario of intra-site switching or inter-site switching.

[0029] In some possible designs, when the second cell belongs to the first access network device, the network device determines the first network slice, including: the network device sends information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access to the mobile management device, and the information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access includes identification information of the first network slice; the network device learns from the mobile management device that the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell. That is, the network device can learn from the mobile management device in the registration process that the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell. This also applies to the design of other aspects of the present application, which will not be repeated later.

[0030] In some possible designs, when the second cell belongs to the second access network device, the network device determines the first network slice, including: when the terminal is switched from the first access network device to the second access network device, the network device learns from the mobility management device that the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that allows the terminal to access in the first cell. That is, in the inter-station switching scenario, the network device can learn from the mobility management device that the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that allows the terminal to access in the first cell. This also applies to the design of other aspects of the present application, which will not be repeated later.

[0031] In some possible designs, the network device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, including: the network device determines that the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell.

[0032] In a fourth aspect, a communication method based on network slicing is provided, which can be executed by a network device or by a component of the network device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the network device. This application takes the network device executing the method as an example for explanation. The method includes: the network device determines a first network slice, wherein the first network slice does not belong to a network slice that allows terminal access in a first cell, and the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell; when the terminal is switched from the first cell to the second cell, the network device determines that the first network slice is available in a third cell, and notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the third cell, and the physical coverage of the third cell partially or completely overlaps with the physical coverage of the second cell.

[0033] In the prior art, the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell, that is, when the terminal initiates the registration process in the first cell, the first network slice cannot be accessed. Since the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell, when the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell, the terminal will not be triggered to perform a re-registration process. Even if the first network slice is available in a third cell that is physically co-covered with the second cell, the terminal will not re-initiate the registration process in the second cell, and thus cannot access the first network slice at the location of the second cell. Based on this solution, when the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell and determines that the first network slice is available in the third cell, the terminal is notified that the first network slice is available in the third cell. Therefore, if the terminal still wants to access the first network slice, it can access the first network slice in the third cell, thereby improving the success rate of accessing the first network slice, thereby improving service performance and user experience.

[0034] In some possible designs, when the second cell belongs to the second access network device, the target access network device is the second access network device; when the second cell belongs to the first access network device, the target access network device is the first access network device. Based on this possible design, the success rate of accessing the first network slice can be improved in the scenario of intra-site switching or inter-site switching.

[0035] In some possible designs, when the network device is a mobile management device, the network device determines that the first network slice is available in the third cell, including: the network device queries the context of the target access network device, the context of the target access network device indicates that the tracking area where the third cell is located supports the first network slice, the tracking area where the second cell is located does not support the first network slice, and the second cell and the third cell are cells of the target access network device. Based on this possible design, the network device can determine that the first network slice is available in the third cell through the context of the target access network device stored locally, without interacting with other devices, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0036] In some possible designs, when the network device is a mobile management device, the network device determines that the first network slice is available in a third cell, including: the network device sends identification information of the first network slice to a target access network device, and learns from the target access network device that the terminal can access the first network slice in the third cell.

[0037] Based on this possible design, the network device can confirm with the target network device whether the terminal can access the first network slice supported by the tracking area of ​​the target access network device, to avoid the situation where the target access network device supports the first network slice, but the terminal cannot access the first network slice in the third cell. The network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the third cell, thereby improving the success rate of the terminal accessing the first network slice in the third cell.

[0038] In combination with the third aspect or the fourth aspect above, in some possible designs, when the network device is a mobile management device, the network device determines the first network slice, including: the network device receives information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access through the first cell, and the information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access includes identification information of the first network slice; the network device determines the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access, and learns that the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell.

[0039] In combination with the third aspect or the fourth aspect above, in some possible designs, the first network slice is included in the network slice configured by the terminal in the first network. That is, the network device can perform the above method for the first network slice that is included in the network slice configured by the terminal in the first network, although the first cell does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access. That is to say, regardless of whether the terminal carries the identifier of the first network slice when requesting access to the network slice, since the first network slice is included in the network slice configured by the terminal in the first network, the terminal may want to access the first network slice later. Then, in the case where the terminal wants to access the first network slice, it can access the first network slice in the second cell or the third cell, thereby improving the success rate of accessing the first network slice. This also applies to the design of other aspects of the present application, which will not be repeated later.

[0040] In combination with the third aspect or the fourth aspect above, in some possible designs, the first network slice is included in the network slice that the terminal requests to access in the first cell.

[0041] In combination with the third aspect or the fourth aspect above, in some possible designs, the first cell belongs to the first access network device, and the second cell belongs to the second access network device; or, the first cell and the second cell belong to the first access network device.

[0042] In a fifth aspect, a communication method based on network slicing is provided, which can be executed by a network device or by a component of the network device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the network device. This application takes the network device executing the method as an example for explanation. The method includes: the network device determines a first network slice, wherein the first network slice does not belong to a network slice that allows terminal access in a first cell, and the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell; the network device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell, and sends a cell identifier of the second cell to the terminal.

[0043] In the prior art, the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell, that is, when the terminal initiates the registration process in the first cell, the first network slice cannot be accessed. Since the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell, when the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell, the terminal will not be triggered to perform a re-registration process. Even if the first network slice is available in the second cell, the terminal will not initiate a registration process in the second cell, and thus cannot access the first network slice in the second cell. Based on this solution, when the network device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, it notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell, and sends the cell identifier of the second cell. Therefore, when the terminal still wants to access the first network slice, it can access the second cell and initiate a registration process to request access to the first network slice, thereby improving the success rate of accessing the first network slice, and thereby improving service performance and user experience.

[0044] In some possible designs, the network device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, including: the network device receives the cell identifier of the second cell from the first access network device, wherein the second cell is a neighboring cell of the first cell, and the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell.

[0045] In some possible designs, the network device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, including: the network device receives signal quality information of a neighboring cell of the first cell from a first access network device, where the neighboring cell of the first cell includes the second cell; the network device determines that the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell based on the signal quality information of the second cell.

[0046] In some possible designs, the method also includes: the network device saves identification information of the first network slice; after the network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell, the network device receives indication information from the terminal and deletes the identification information of the first network slice based on the indication information.

[0047] In some possible designs, the indication information is used to indicate that the terminal no longer requests access to the first network slice.

[0048] Based on the above two possible designs, the indication information is used to indicate that when the terminal no longer requests access to the first network slice, the network device deletes the identification information of the first network slice. When the network device subsequently serves the terminal, it may no longer notify the terminal of the cell that can access the first network slice, thereby reducing signaling overhead and reducing resource waste.

[0049] In a sixth aspect, a communication method based on network slicing is provided, which can be executed by a network device or by a component of the network device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the network device. This application takes the network device executing the method as an example for explanation. The method includes: the network device determines a first network slice, wherein the first network slice does not belong to a network slice that allows terminal access in a first cell, and the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell; the network device determines that the first network slice is available in a third cell, notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the third cell, and sends a cell identifier of the third cell to the terminal, wherein the physical coverage of the third cell partially or completely overlaps with the physical coverage of the second cell.

[0050] In the prior art, the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell, that is, when the terminal initiates the registration process in the first cell, the first network slice cannot be accessed. Since the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell, when the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell, the terminal will not be triggered to perform a re-registration process. Even if the first network slice is available in the third cell that is physically co-covered with the second cell, the terminal will not re-initiate the registration process in the second cell, and thus cannot access the first network slice at the location of the second cell. Based on this solution, when the neighboring area of ​​the first cell accessed by the terminal includes the second cell, and there is a third cell that is physically co-covered with the second cell, when the network device determines that the first network slice is available in the third cell, it notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the third cell, and sends the cell identifier of the third cell, so that when the terminal still wants to access the first network slice, it can access the third cell and request access to the first network slice, thereby improving the success rate of accessing the first network slice, thereby improving service performance and user experience.

[0051] In combination with the above-mentioned fifth aspect or sixth aspect, in some possible designs, the first network slice is included in the network slice configured by the terminal in the first network.

[0052] In combination with the fifth or sixth aspect above, in some possible designs, the first network slice is included in the network slice that the terminal requests to access in the first cell.

[0053] In combination with the fifth or sixth aspect above, in some possible designs, the network device determines the first network slice, including: the network device receives information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access through the first cell, and the information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access includes identification information of the first network slice; the network device determines the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access, and learns that the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell.

[0054] In combination with the above-mentioned fifth aspect or sixth aspect, in some possible designs, the method also includes: the network device sends reference frequency information corresponding to the first network slice to the first access network device.

[0055] In the seventh aspect, a communication method based on network slicing is provided, which can be executed by a terminal or by a component of the terminal, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the terminal. This application takes the terminal executing the method as an example for explanation. The method includes: the terminal learns from a network device that a first network slice is available in a second cell, and initiates a registration process for an application corresponding to the first network slice. The first network slice does not belong to a network slice that allows the terminal to access in the first cell, and the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell.

[0056] In the prior art, since the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell, the terminal cannot access the first network slice in the first cell. Since the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell, even if the terminal moves from the first cell to the coverage area of ​​the second cell, the terminal will not re-initiate the registration process, and thus will not request access to the first network slice. Based on this solution, the terminal can learn from the network device that the first network slice is available in the second cell. Therefore, when the application of the terminal corresponds to the first network slice, a registration process can be initiated for the application to request access to the first network slice, thereby improving the success rate of accessing the first network slice, thereby improving service performance and user experience.

[0057] In some possible designs, the first network slice is included in a network slice of the terminal's configuration of the first network.

[0058] In some possible designs, the first network slice is included in the network slice that the terminal requests to access in the first cell.

[0059] In some possible designs, the method also includes: the terminal receives a cell identifier from a network device, where the cell identifier is used for the second cell.

[0060] In some possible designs, the terminal initiates a registration process for the application corresponding to the first network slice, including: the terminal accesses the second cell, and initiates a registration process for the application through the second cell.

[0061] In some possible designs, the terminal initiates a registration process for an application corresponding to the first network slice, including: in response to the terminal context not including a session for the application and not including a routing selection policy for the application, the terminal determines whether the first network slice is the network slice corresponding to the application; when the first network slice is the network slice corresponding to the application, the terminal initiates a registration process for the application.

[0062] In some possible designs, the method further includes: the terminal notifies the network device that the terminal no longer requests access to the first network slice. Based on this possible design, when the terminal notifies the network device that the terminal no longer requests access to the first network slice, the network device may delete the identification information of the first network slice stored by it, and when the network device subsequently serves the terminal, it may no longer notify the terminal of the cell that can access the first network slice, thereby reducing signaling overhead and reducing resource waste.

[0063] In some possible designs, the terminal notifies the network device that the terminal no longer requests access to the first network slice, including: after a first period of time starting from a first moment, the terminal notifies the network device that the terminal no longer requests access to the first network slice, and the first moment is the moment when the terminal learns from the network device that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0064] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the various methods described above. The communication device may be a network device in the first to sixth aspects described above, or a device including the network device, or a device included in the network device, such as a chip; or, the communication device may be a terminal in the seventh aspect described above, or a device including the terminal, or a device included in the terminal, such as a chip. The communication device includes a module, unit, or means corresponding to the implementation of the above method, and the module, unit, or means may be implemented by hardware, software, or by executing the corresponding software implementation by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions.

[0065] In some possible designs, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The transceiver module, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement the sending and / or receiving functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The transceiver module may be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver or a communication interface. The processing module may be used to implement the processing functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof.

[0066] In some possible designs, the transceiver module includes a sending module and a receiving module, which are respectively used to implement the sending and receiving functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation methods thereof.

[0067] Among them, the communication device provided in the eighth aspect is used to execute any one of the above aspects or any possible implementation of any one of the aspects. The specific details can be found in any one of the above aspects or any possible implementation of any one of the aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0068] In the ninth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store computer instructions, and when the processor executes the instructions, the communication device executes the method described in any of the above aspects. The communication device can be the network device in the above-mentioned first to sixth aspects, or a device including the above-mentioned network device, or a device included in the above-mentioned network device, such as a chip; or, the communication device can be the terminal in the above-mentioned seventh aspect, or a device including the above-mentioned terminal, or a device included in the above-mentioned terminal, such as a chip.

[0069] In a tenth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is used to communicate with a module outside the communication device; the processor is used to execute a computer program or instruction so that the communication device executes the method described in any of the above aspects. The communication device can be the network device described in the first to sixth aspects, or a device including the network device, or a device included in the network device, such as a chip; or the communication device can be the terminal described in the seventh aspect, or a device including the terminal, or a device included in the terminal, such as a chip.

[0070] In an eleventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: an interface circuit and a logic circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to obtain input information and / or output output information; the logic circuit is used to execute the method described in any one of the above aspects or any possible implementation of any one of the aspects, and process and / or generate output information according to the input information. The communication device may be the network device described in the first to sixth aspects, or a device including the network device, or a device included in the network device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the terminal described in the seventh aspect, or a device including the terminal, or a device included in the terminal, such as a chip.

[0071] When the communication device is the network device in the first aspect or the second aspect, or a device including the network device, or a device included in the network device:

[0072] In some possible designs, the input information may be: information about a network slice that the terminal requests to access, the information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access includes identification information of a first network slice that is not supported by the first tracking area, and includes identification information of a second network slice. Processing based on the input information may include: determining a network slice that the terminal is allowed to access, or determining a registration area.

[0073] In some possible designs, the output information may be: information of a registration area, wherein the registration area excludes the tracking area supporting the first network slice and the second network slice, or the registration area excludes the tracking area of ​​an access network device supporting the first network slice and the second network slice.

[0074] When the communication device is the network device in the third aspect, or a device including the network device, or a device included in the network device:

[0075] In some possible designs, the output information may be: information used to notify the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0076] In some possible designs, the input information may be: information about a network slice that the terminal requests to access, and the information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access includes identification information of the first network slice. Processing according to the input information may be: determining that the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access, or that the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell.

[0077] In some possible designs, the output information may be: identification information of the first network slice.

[0078] In some possible designs, the input information may be information used by the network device to learn that the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell. Processing according to the input information may be to learn that the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell.

[0079] In some possible designs, the input information may be: a path switching request message. Processing according to the input information may be: determining that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0080] In some possible designs, the input information may be: a switching requirement message. Processing according to the input information may be: determining that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0081] In some possible designs, the input information may be: indication information. Processing according to the input information may be: deleting identification information of the first network slice according to the indication information.

[0082] When the communication device is the network device in the fifth aspect, or a device including the network device, or a device included in the network device:

[0083] In some possible designs, the output information may be: information used to notify the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell, and the cell identifier of the second cell.

[0084] In some possible designs, the input information may be: information about a network slice that the terminal requests to access, and the information about the terminal requesting to access includes identification information of a first network slice. Processing according to the input information may be: determining a network slice that the terminal is allowed to access, and learning that the first network slice does not belong to a network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell.

[0085] In some possible designs, the input information may be: a cell identifier of the second cell. Processing according to the input information may be: determining that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0086] In some possible designs, the input information may be: signal quality information of a neighboring cell of the first cell, where the neighboring cell of the first cell includes the second cell. Processing according to the input information may be: determining, according to the signal quality information of the second cell, that the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell.

[0087] In some possible designs, the output information may be: reference frequency information corresponding to the first network slice.

[0088] In some possible designs, the input information may be: indication information. Processing according to the input information may be: deleting identification information of the first network slice according to the indication information.

[0089] The communication device may be the terminal in the seventh aspect, or a device including the terminal, or a device included in the terminal:

[0090] In some possible designs, the input information may be: information used to obtain information that the first network slice is available in the second cell. Processing according to the input information may be: initiating a registration process for an application corresponding to the first network slice.

[0091] In some possible designs, the input information may be: a cell identifier, where the cell identifier is used for the second cell. Processing according to the input information may be: accessing the second cell.

[0092] In some possible designs, the output information may be: information used to notify the terminal that it no longer requests access to the first network slice.

[0093] In the twelfth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; the processor is used to execute a computer program or instruction stored in a memory so that the communication device performs the method described in any of the above aspects. The memory may be coupled to the processor, or may be independent of the processor. The communication device may be a network device in the above first to sixth aspects, or a device including the above network device, or a device included in the above network device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be a terminal in the above seventh aspect, or a device including the above terminal, or a device included in the above terminal, such as a chip.

[0094] In a thirteenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer-readable storage medium is run on a communication device, the communication device can execute the method described in any one of the above aspects.

[0095] In a fourteenth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a communication device, enables the communication device to execute the method described in any one of the above aspects.

[0096] In a fifteenth aspect, a communication device (for example, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system) is provided, wherein the communication device includes a processor for implementing the functions involved in any of the above aspects.

[0097] In some possible designs, the communication device includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.

[0098] In some possible designs, when the device is a chip system, it can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0099] It can be understood that when the communication device provided in any one of the eighth to fifteenth aspects is a chip, the above-mentioned sending action / function can be understood as output information, and the above-mentioned receiving action / function can be understood as input information.

[0100] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any design method in the eighth to fifteenth aspects can refer to the technical effects brought about by different design methods in the above-mentioned first to seventh aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0101] In the sixteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the network device and terminal described in the above aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0102] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture provided for this application;

[0103] Figure 2A schematic diagram of an application scenario of network slicing provided for this application;

[0104] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of network slicing supported by an access network device provided in this application;

[0105] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the registration process provided for this application;

[0106] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a redirection process provided for this application;

[0107] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of an Xn switching process provided by this application;

[0108] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a N2 switching process provided by this application;

[0109] Figure 8a A schematic diagram of a scenario provided for this application;

[0110] Figure 8b A schematic diagram of a scenario provided for this application;

[0111] Figure 8c A schematic diagram of a scenario provided for this application;

[0112] Figure 9a A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided for this application;

[0113] Figure 9b A schematic diagram of the structure of another communication system provided for this application;

[0114] Fig.9c A schematic diagram of the structure of another communication system provided for this application;

[0115] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided for this application;

[0116] Fig.11 A flowchart of a communication method based on network slicing provided in this application;

[0117] Fig.12 A flowchart of a communication method based on network slicing provided in this application;

[0118] Fig.13 A flowchart of a communication method based on network slicing provided in this application;

[0119] Fig.14 A flowchart of a communication method based on network slicing provided in this application;

[0120] Fig.15 A flowchart of a communication method based on network slicing provided in this application;

[0121] Fig.16 A flowchart of a communication method based on network slicing provided in this application;

[0122] Fig.17 A flowchart of a communication method based on network slicing provided in this application;

[0123] Fig.18 A flowchart of a communication method based on network slicing provided in this application;

[0124] Fig.19 A schematic diagram of an interaction process of a communication method based on network slicing provided in this application;

[0125] Fig. 20 A schematic diagram of an interaction process of a communication method based on network slicing provided in this application;

[0126] Fig.21 A schematic diagram of an interaction process of a communication method based on network slicing provided in this application;

[0127] Fig. 22 A schematic diagram of an interaction process of a communication method based on network slicing provided in this application;

[0128] Fig.23 A schematic diagram of an interaction process of a communication method based on network slicing provided in this application;

[0129] Fig.24 A schematic diagram of an interaction process of a communication method based on network slicing provided in this application;

[0130] Fig.25 A schematic diagram of an interaction process of a communication method based on network slicing provided in this application;

[0131] Fig.26 A schematic diagram of an interaction process of a communication method based on network slicing provided in this application;

[0132] Fig. 27 A schematic diagram of an interaction process of a communication method based on network slicing provided in this application;

[0133] Fig.28 A schematic diagram of an interaction process of a communication method based on network slicing provided in this application;

[0134] Fig.29 A schematic diagram of an interaction process of a communication method based on network slicing provided in this application;

[0135] Fig.30 A schematic diagram of an interaction process of a communication method based on network slicing provided in this application;

[0136] Fig.31 A schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided for this application;

[0137] Fig.32 A schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal provided for this application;

[0138] Fig.33 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0139] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in this application is only a kind of association relationship describing the associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships, 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 addition, in the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" refers to two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, a and b and c, where a, b, c can be single or multiple. In addition, in order to clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish the same items or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art can understand that words such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit the difference.

[0140] It should be noted that, in this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a specific way.

[0141] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief introduction to the related technologies of the present application is given as follows.

[0142] 1. Fifth generation (5G) network architecture:

[0143] The 5G network architecture defined in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) TS 23.501 standard is mainly divided into two parts: access network (AN) and core network.

[0144] The access network may include a radio access network (RAN), which is used to implement functions related to wireless access.

[0145] The core network mainly includes the following key logical network elements: access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, session management function (SMF) network element, user plane function (UPF) network element, policy control function (policycontrol function) network element, unified data management function (UDM) network element. In addition, it can also include authentication server function (AUSF) network element, network slice selection function (NSSF) network element, application function (AF) network element, etc.

[0146] See also Figure 1 , which is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture. The terminal may be a user equipment (UE), such as a mobile phone, an Internet of Things terminal, etc.

[0147] DN is a data network (DN), which is mainly used to provide data transmission services to users, such as Internet protocol (IP) multimedia service (IMS) and the like.

[0148] Access network equipment that provides wireless access to users is deployed in RAN, including but not limited to evolved base stations (NodeB or eNB or e-NodeB, evolutionary Node B), wireless fidelity (WiFi) access points (access points, APs), etc.

[0149] The AMF network element is mainly responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as user location update, user registration network, user switching, etc.

[0150] The SMF network element is mainly responsible for session management in the mobile network, such as session establishment, modification, and release. Specific functions include allocating IP addresses to users and selecting UPFs that provide message forwarding functions.

[0151] The PCF network element is mainly responsible for providing policies to AMF and SMF, such as quality of service (QoS) policy and slice selection policy.

[0152] The UDM network element is mainly responsible for storing user data, such as contract information and authentication / authorization information.

[0153] The AF network element is mainly responsible for providing service requirements to the 3GPP network, such as affecting service routing and interacting with the PCF network element for policy control.

[0154] The UPF network element is mainly responsible for processing user messages, such as forwarding and billing.

[0155] The terminal accesses the DN by establishing a protocol data unit (PDU) session (PDU session) between the terminal to the RAN to the UPF to the DN.

[0156] The AUSF network element is mainly responsible for providing terminal authentication services for the AMF network element.

[0157] The NSSF network element is mainly responsible for selecting network slices to serve the terminal.

[0158] In addition, see Figure 1 , Nx represents the logical interface or service interface between two network elements, which is used for communication between network elements. For example, N1 is the interface between the terminal and the AMF network element; N2 is the interface between the access network device and the AMF network element; N3 is the interface between the access network device and the UPF network element; N9 is the interface between different UPF network elements; N6 is the interface between the UPF network element and the DN; N4 is the interface between the UPF network element and the SMF network element; N11 is the interface between the AMF network element and the SMF network element; N7 is the interface between the SMF network element and the PCF network element; N5 is the interface between the PCF network element and the AF network element; N14 is the interface between different AMF network elements; N15 is the interface between the AMF network element and the PCF network element; N22 is the interface between the NSSF network element and the AMF network element; N12 is the interface between the AUSF network element and the AMF network element; N8 is the interface between the UDM network element and the AMF network element; N13 is the interface between the AUSF network element and the UDM network element.

[0159] 2. Network Slice (or Slice for short):

[0160] In the 5G era, hundreds of billions of IoT devices will be connected to the network. Different types of application scenarios have different demands on the network, and some even conflict with each other. Providing services for different types of application scenarios through a single network will lead to extremely complex network architecture and low network management efficiency and resource utilization efficiency.

[0161] 5G network slicing technology provides isolated network environments for different application scenarios by creating virtual independent logical networks on the same network infrastructure, allowing different application scenarios to customize network functions and features according to their own needs, and can effectively guarantee the QoS requirements of different services.

[0162] The goal of network slicing is to organically combine terminals, access network resources, core network resources, and network operation and maintenance and management systems to provide a complete network that can be independently operated and maintained and isolated from each other for different business scenarios or business types.

[0163] Various scenarios have put forward different requirements for the 3GPP ecosystem: billing, policy, security, mobility, etc. 3GPP emphasizes that network slices should not affect each other. For example, a large number of sudden meter reading services should not affect normal mobile broadband services. In order to meet the diverse needs and isolate between slices, relatively independent management and operation and maintenance of services are required, and tailored business functions and analysis capabilities are provided. Instances of different types of services are deployed on different network slices, and different instances of the same service type can also be deployed on different network slices.

[0164] For example, Figure 2 As shown, enhanced mobile broadband (MBB) slices are used to provide mobile broadband services for handheld terminals, etc.; massive machine type communications (mMTC) slices are used to provide services for a large number of meter reading services; and critical MTC slices are used to provide services for vehicles to everything (V2X) services.

[0165] Specific:

[0166] Network slice: refers to a logical network that can provide specific network capabilities and network characteristics.

[0167] Network Slice instance: refers to a set of network function entities and required resources that constitute a network slice, such as computing, storage, and network resources.

[0168] Single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) can be used as identification information of the network slice to distinguish different network slices.

[0169] Among them, S-NSSAI may include slice type / service type (slice / service type, SST) information, and the SST information is used to describe the expected network slicing behavior, such as the slice type / service type used to describe the network slice, etc., without restriction.

[0170] Exemplarily, the slice type / service type (SST) of the network slice may include: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC), massive Internet of things (MIoT), vehicle to everything (V2X), etc., without limitation.

[0171] Optionally, S-NSSAI also includes slice differentiator (or slice differentiation identifier) ​​(slicedifferentiator, SD) information, which is the supplementary information of SST information and is used to distinguish different network slices with the same SST characteristics. That is, when SST information points to multiple network slices, SD information can assist in corresponding to a unique network slice.

[0172] In addition, a group of S-NSSAI can be identified by network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI), that is, NSSAI is a collection of a group of S-NSSAI.

[0173] Among them, if classified according to different types, NSSAI includes Subscribed NSSAI, Configured NSSAI, Requested NSSAI, Allowed NSSAI, Rejected NSSAI, or Pending NSSAI.

[0174] Exemplary:

[0175] Subscribed NSSAI: The subscribed NSSAI is unique to the home public land mobile network PLMN (HPLMN) and refers to the subscribed NSSAI that the terminal is allowed to access.

[0176] Configured NSSAI: NSSAI of one or more PLMNs defined in the terminal. Configured NSSAI is determined by the serving PLMN based on its own support capabilities for network slicing and the network slices subscribed by the terminal, and then sent to the terminal in the Registration Accept message in the registration process. Configured NSSAI is based on the granularity of PLMN or Stand-alone Non-Public Network (SNPN). Different PLMN or SNPN can correspond to different Configured NSSAI.

[0177] Requested NSSAI: refers to the NSSAI provided by the terminal to the serving PLMN during the registration process. When the terminal has saved the Configured NSSAI corresponding to the serving PLMN, the Requested NSSAI includes the S-NSSAI in the Configured NSSAI corresponding to the serving PLMN; when the terminal does not save the Configured NSSAI corresponding to the serving PLMN, for example, the Configured NSSAI corresponding to the serving PLMN is deleted when the terminal accesses for the first time or due to restart, the Requested NSSAI may include the S-NSSAI in the default Configured NSSAI, which is configured by the HPLMN. In this scenario, the Requested NSSAI may include the S-NSSAI that does not belong to the Configured NSSAI corresponding to the serving PLMN.

[0178] Allowed NSSAI: refers to the NSSAI provided by the serving PLMN in, for example, the registration process, indicating the network slice of the serving PLMN that the terminal is allowed to access in the current registration area (RA) in the network slice corresponding to the RequestedNSSAI.

[0179] Rejected NSSAI: refers to the NSSAI provided by the serving PLMN in, for example, the registration process, indicating that the network slice corresponding to the RequestedNSSAI does not allow the terminal to access the network slice in the current RA.

[0180] The network slices corresponding to Rejected NSSAI can be divided into the following two categories: one is the network slices that are not allowed to be accessed within the current RA but can be accessed within the serving PLMN; the other is the network slices that are not allowed to be accessed within the entire serving PLMN.

[0181] Pending NSSAI: NSSAI provided by the serving PLMN during the registration process, indicating the S-NSSAI for which network slice-specific authentication and authorization procedures are yet to be performed. For details, please refer to the definition in the 3GPP 23.501 standard and will not be repeated here.

[0182] 3. Access network support for network slicing:

[0183] RAN's support capability for network slicing is divided based on the granularity of tracking area (TA). A TA can support one or more network slices. Cells in the same TA support the same network slices, and a cell supports only one frequency band.

[0184] Exemplarily, it is assumed that a certain access network device supports frequency (FR) 1 (FR1) and frequency 2 (FR2). Since each cell only supports one frequency band, FR1 and FR2 are frequencies supported by different cells. For example, FR1 is the frequency supported by cell 1, and FR2 is the frequency supported by cell 2. Further, it is assumed that cell 1 supports network slice 1 (corresponding to S-NSSAI 1) and cell 2 supports network slice 2 (corresponding to S-NSSAI 2). Since cells in the same TA support the same network slice, cell 1 and cell 2 are cells in different TAs.

[0185] That is to say, Figure 3As shown, cell 1 in TA1 supports network slice 1 on FR1, and cell 2 in TA2 supports network slice 2 on FR2. In addition, it should be noted that the physical coverage of cell 1 and cell 2 overlaps in whole or in part.

[0186] The AMF network element's perception of the network slices supported by the RAN is also based on the TA granularity. The access network device can report the S-NSSAI supported by each TA to the AMF network element when establishing or updating the N2 connection with the AMF network element.

[0187] Exemplarily, the access network device can report the TAs it supports in the TA support list (supported TA list) information element; and report the S-NSSAI supported by each TA in each PLMN or SNPN in the tracking area identity (TAI) slice support list (TAI slicesupport list) information element.

[0188] 4. Slice selection:

[0189] When network slicing is deployed, network slice selection can be performed during the registration process. For example, when registering, the terminal requests the network slice it wants to access, and the core network feeds back the Allowed NSSAI that the terminal can access to the terminal. When the terminal subsequently transmits services, it selects S-NSSAI from the Allowed NSSAI and uses the network slice corresponding to the S-NSSAI to establish a session.

[0190] See also Figure 4 , which is part of the registration process related to slice selection, and specifically includes the following steps:

[0191] S401: A terminal sends a registration request to an access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the registration request from the terminal.

[0192] The registration request includes the NSSAI requested by the terminal, namely, Requested NSSAI.

[0193] S402, the access network device forwards the NSSAI requested by the terminal to the initial AMF network element (initial AMF). Correspondingly, the initial AMF network element receives the NSSAI requested by the terminal forwarded by the access network device.

[0194] Among them, the access network equipment can forward the NSSAI requested by the terminal to the initial AMF network element through the N2 message.

[0195] S403. The initial AMF network element initiates a request to the UDM network element to obtain the subscribed NSSAI of the terminal.

[0196] S404. When the initial AMF network element cannot determine the Allowed NSSAI of the terminal, it requests slice selection from the NSSF network element and sends the NSSAI requested by the terminal, the NSSAI subscribed by the terminal, and the location information of the terminal to the NSSF network element.

[0197] S405. The NSSF network element replies the terminal's Allowed NSSAI to the initial AMF network element.

[0198] In addition, if it is necessary to switch the AMF network element, the NSSF network element also replies to the initial AMF network element with the target AMF set (or list) and the identifier (ID) of the network repository function (NRF) network element corresponding to the target AMF network element.

[0199] S406. If the AMF network element needs to be switched, the initial AMF network element queries the corresponding NFR network element for the information of the target AMF network element based on the NFR ID replied by the NSSF network element.

[0200] S407. The initial AMF network element sends an AMF relocation request to the target AMF network element. The AMF relocation request includes the Allowed NSSAI of the terminal replied by the NSSF network element.

[0201] As a possible implementation method, the initial AMF network element can send an AMF relocation request to the target AMF network element through the interface between AMF network elements, as shown in S407a.

[0202] As another possible implementation method, the initial AMF network element can also forward the AMF relocation request to the target AMF network element through the access network device.

[0203] For example, as shown in S407b, the initial AMF network element sends an AMF relocation request to the access network device. The AMF relocation request includes not only the Allowed NSSAI of the terminal replied by the NSSF network element, but also the information of the target AMF network element. After receiving the AMF relocation request from the initial AMF network element, the access network device forwards the AMF relocation request to the target AMF network element according to the information of the target AMF network element included therein.

[0204] S408. The target AMF network element sends the terminal's Allowed NSSAI to the access network device.

[0205] S409: The access network device feeds back the Allowed NSSAI of the terminal and the terminal route selection policy (UEroute selection policy, URSP) to the terminal.

[0206] Among them, URSP is generated by PCF during the registration process.

[0207] At this point, the terminal can know the network slices that can be accessed later and their corresponding URSPs when transmitting services.

[0208] In addition, according to the current 23.502 protocol, the triggering scenarios of the registration process mainly include: (1) the initial registration of the terminal to the core network; (2) the mobile registration update caused by the terminal moving to a TA outside the registration area (RA); (3) the registration update caused by the change of terminal capabilities; (4) the periodic registration update of the terminal in the inactive state; (5) emergency registration. In other words, the terminal can select the network slice in the above five scenarios. In other words, in the prior art, in scenarios other than the above five scenarios, the terminal will not initiate the registration process.

[0209] 5. Redirection:

[0210] This application mainly introduces the process of a terminal initiating a registration request in a cell in TA1 of an access network device. When TA1 does not support the network slice requested by the terminal and TA2 of the access network device supports the network slice requested by the terminal, the terminal is redirected from the cell in TA1 to the cell in TA2. Figure 5 , mainly includes the following steps:

[0211] S501, the terminal sends a registration request to the AMF network element through the access network device. Correspondingly, the AMF network element receives the registration request from the terminal through the access network device.

[0212] Among them, the terminal sends a registration request to the AMF network element through the access network device, including: the terminal sends a registration request to the AMF network element through cell 1 of the access network device, and cell 1 is a cell in TA1 of the access network device.

[0213] The registration request includes the NSSAI requested by the terminal, namely, Requested NSSAI.

[0214] S502, the AMF network element and the NSSAI network element perform network slice selection and determine the Allowed NSSAI of the terminal. For details, please refer to the above steps S402 to S405, which will not be repeated here.

[0215] Take the example that the first S-NSSAI included in the Requested NSSAI does not belong to the Allowed NSSAI, that is, the network slice corresponding to the first S-NSSAI does not belong to the network slice that the serving PLMN allows the terminal to access in TA1, or in other words, TA1 does not support the network slice corresponding to the first S-NSSAI. In other words, when the terminal sends a registration request to the AMF network element through cell 1 of the access network device, the first S-NSSAI belongs to the Rejected NSSAI.

[0216] In addition, in addition to the Allowed NSSAI, at least one of the Rejected NSSAI and the Configured NSSAI of the terminal is determined.

[0217] S503. The AMF network element sends an N2 message to the access network device, which includes the Allowed NSSAI of the terminal.

[0218] Furthermore, it may also include at least one of Rejected NSSAI and Configured NSSAI.

[0219] S504: The access network device sends a Registration Accept message to the terminal, which includes the Allowed NSSAI of the terminal.

[0220] Furthermore, it may also include at least one of Rejected NSSAI and Configured NSSAI.

[0221] S505. The access network device determines the access frequency of the terminal based on the information obtained from the AMF network element.

[0222] For example, if a certain S-NSSAI included in the Requested NSSAI is not supported by the current TA, the AMF network element will provide the access network device with Rejected NSSAI in addition to the Allowed NSSAI and Configured NSSAI, so that the access network device can redirect or steer the terminal to the access frequency that supports the S-NSSAI. After receiving the Rejected NSSAI from the AMF network element, the access network device can perform step S505 to determine the access frequency of the terminal, thereby determining the frequency of the neighboring area.

[0223] S506. The access network device sends a radio resource control (RRC) connection release (RRC connection release) message to the terminal, which includes the neighboring cell frequency, the identifier of the network slice supported by the neighboring cell, and the cell reselection priority of the neighboring cell.

[0224] S507: The terminal executes RRC connection release to enter the RRC idle state, and performs cell reselection according to the cell reselection priority configured by the access network device.

[0225] Take the example that the terminal accesses cell 2 in TA2 through cell reselection, TA2 does not belong to the RA where the TA is located, and TA2 supports the network slice corresponding to the first S-NSSAI.

[0226] S508. The terminal re-initiates the registration process and sends a registration request to the AMF network element through cell 2 of the access network device.

[0227] The registration request may include the first S-NSSAI.

[0228] S509: Same as step S502.

[0229] S510, the AMF network element sends a Registration Accept message to the terminal through the cell 2 of the access network device, which includes the Allowed NSSAI of the terminal, and the Allowed NSSAI may include the first S-NSSAI. In other words, when the terminal sends a registration request to the AMF network element through the cell 2 of the access network device, the first S-NSSAI belongs to the AllowedNSSAI.

[0230] At this point, the terminal can access the network slice corresponding to the first S-NSSAI through cell 2 and use the services provided by the network slice.

[0231] 6. Xn Handover:

[0232] The Xn interface refers to the interface between access network devices (i.e., between the source access network device before switching and the target access network device after switching). When there is an Xn interface between access network devices, or in other words, there is an Xn connection, taking the switching of the terminal from the source access network device to the target access network device as an example, the Xn switching process is as follows: Figure 6 As shown, specifically including:

[0233] S600, AMF network element sends mobile control information to the source access network device and the target access network device.

[0234] S601. The terminal reports measurement information to a source access network device.

[0235] For example, the measurement information includes reference signal receiving power (RSRP).

[0236] S602: The source access network device decides to switch the terminal to the target access network device by means of Xn switching according to the measurement information reported by the terminal and the local policy.

[0237] S603: The source access network device sends a handover request (Handover Request) message to the target access network device.

[0238] S604: The target access network device determines whether to accept the switching of the terminal. If the target access network device accepts the switching of the terminal, the following steps are continued.

[0239] S605: The target access network device sends a Handover Request Acknowledge message to the source access network device, indicating that the handover of the terminal is accepted. The Handover Request Acknowledge message may also include a Handover Command, indicating that the terminal accesses the target access network device through a random access procedure.

[0240] S606: The source access network device sends a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration (RRC Reconfiguration) to the terminal, instructing the terminal to release the connection with the source access network device and try to access the target access network device through a random access process.

[0241] The above steps S600 to S606 may be referred to as the handover preparation stage. After the handover preparation stage is completed, the handover execution stage is performed, and the handover execution stage mainly includes the following steps S607 to S609.

[0242] S607: The source access network device sends the SN status to the target access network device via a sequence number (SN) status transfer (SN StatusTransfer) message to perform packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) SN synchronization.

[0243] S608: The terminal disconnects from the source access network device, and establishes a connection with the target access network device through a random access process.

[0244] During the process of establishing a connection between the terminal and the target access network device, the source access network device forwards the user data sent by the UPF network element to the source access network device to the target access network device through the forwarding tunnel between the source access network device and the target access network device, and the target access network device caches the forwarded user data.

[0245] S609: The terminal completes the random access process, establishes an air interface connection with the target access network device, and completes the access network switching. After that, the target access network device starts to send the data received and cached from the source access network device.

[0246] At this point, the access network switching is completed, and the subsequent core network path switching mainly includes the following steps:

[0247] S610. The target access network device sends a path switch request (PATH Switch Request) to the AMF network element to notify the AMF network element that the terminal has been switched. The path switch request may include the session to be switched and the AN tunnel port information used to establish the user plane connection. Furthermore, the path switch request may also include the location information of the terminal, such as the current TAI of the terminal.

[0248] S611, AMF network element, SMF network element, UPF network element, etc. perform UPF path switching (PATH Switch). At the same time, the UPF network element sends an end marker (End Marker) from the original path, indicating that the data on the original path has been transmitted, and new data will be sent from the switched path.

[0249] S612. The AMF network element sends a path switch request confirmation (PATH Switch RequestAcknowledge) message to the target access network device to feedback the path switching status.

[0250] S613: The target access network device sends a terminal context release (UE Context Release) message to the source access network device, instructing the source access network device to release the context of the terminal.

[0251] 7. N2 Handover:

[0252] N2 switching is applicable to scenarios where there is no Xn interface between access network devices, or in other words, no Xn connection. Taking the switching of a terminal from a source access network device to a target access network device as an example, the N2 switching process is as follows: Figure 7 As shown, specifically including:

[0253] S700: The source access network device decides to trigger N2 switching.

[0254] The source access network device finds that there is no Xn connection between it and the target access network device by querying local information, and the control plane message of the switching needs to be forwarded through the N2 interface.

[0255] S701. The source access network device sends a handover required (Handover Required) message to the source AMF network element.

[0256] The switching requirement message may include a target identifier (Target ID) and a set of session identifiers to be switched. The target identifier may include an identifier of a target access network device and a target TAI. The target TAI corresponds to a target TA that the terminal wants to access.

[0257] S702. The source AMF network element selects the target AMF network element.

[0258] If the target access network device is not within the service range of the source AMF network element, the source AMF network element selects a target AMF network element to serve the target access network device based on the identification information of the target access network device.

[0259] S703. The source AMF network element sends a create terminal context request message to the target AMF network element, which may include a target identifier and a set of session identifiers to be switched.

[0260] The create terminal context request message may be, for example, a Namf_Communication_CreateUEContext Request message, whose type is an N2 message.

[0261] S704. The target AMF network element sends a session management request message 1 to the SMF network element, which may include a target identifier and a set of session identifiers to be switched.

[0262] The session management request message 1 may be, for example, a Namf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContextRequest message, and its type is an N2 session management message.

[0263] S705. The SMF network element controls the establishment of an uplink tunnel between the PDU session anchor (PSA) and the target UPF network element.

[0264] S706. The SMF network element sends a session management response message 1 to the target AMF network element, which includes the session and QoS flow (QoS Flow) information that the target UPF network element accepts the switch.

[0265] The session management response message 1 may be, for example, a Namf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContextResponse message.

[0266] S707, the target AMF network element monitors the session management response message corresponding to the session management request message sent to each SMF network element. After receiving each session management response message or reaching the maximum waiting time, it starts to send a switching request to the target access network device.

[0267] S708. The target AMF network element sends a switching request to the target access network device. The switching request includes the session and QoS Flow information that the target UPF network element accepts switching.

[0268] S709, the target access network device feeds back a Handover Request Acknowledge message to the target AMF network element. The Handover Request Acknowledge message includes the session and QoS Flow information that the target access network device accepts the handover.

[0269] S710. The target AMF network element sends a session management request message 2 to the SMF network element based on the session status fed back by the target access network device, and feeds back the session and QoS Flow list that both the target access network device and the target UPF network element accept the switch.

[0270] The session management request message 2 may be, for example, a Namf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContextRequest message.

[0271] S711. The SMF network element sends a session management response message 2 to the target AMF network element based on the session status fed back by the target AMF network element, which includes information on the QoS Flow granularity.

[0272] The session management response message 2 may be, for example, a Namf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContextResponse message.

[0273] S712. The target AMF network element sends a create terminal context response message to the source AMF network element, which includes a list of rejected sessions and the corresponding rejection reasons.

[0274] The create terminal context response message may be, for example, a Namf_Communication_CreateUEContext Response message.

[0275] S713, continue the execution phase of N2 switching, for details, please refer to the description in the existing protocol, which will not be repeated here.

[0276] The above mainly introduces network slicing and the selection process of network slicing. In actual applications, the following scenarios may exist: In a registration process, because the TA where the terminal is currently located does not support a network slice that the terminal wants to access, the terminal cannot access the network slice in this registration process. Even if the terminal moves to a TA that supports the network slice later, the terminal still cannot access the network slice normally.

[0277] In one possible scenario, Figure 8a As shown, it is assumed that TA1 of access network device 1 supports network slice 2 (corresponding to S-NSSAI 2) on FR2; TA2 of access network device 2 supports network slice 2 on FR2, TA3 of access network device 2 supports network slice 1 (corresponding to S-NSSAI 1) on FR1, and the physical coverage of TA2 and TA3 overlaps in whole or in part; TA4 of access network device 3 supports network slice 1 on FR1.

[0278] At present, when the AMF network element divides the RA corresponding to the terminal, it usually divides the TA that supports Allowed NSSAI into the same RA. For example, the terminal requests access to S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 through access network device 1 in TA1, and the Allowed NSSAI determined by the network side is S-NSSAI 2, and both TA1 and TA2 support S-NSSAI 2. Therefore, the AMF network element divides TA1 and TA2 into RA1.

[0279] Take the example of a terminal accessing the network through access network device 1 and completing the registration process, and the terminal wants to access network slice 1. At the location of TA1, since TA1 of access network device 1 does not support network slice 1, the terminal cannot access network slice 1 and finally accesses network slice 2.

[0280] Later, when the terminal moves into the service range of TA2 of access network device 2, since TA2 is divided into the range of RA1 and the terminal has not moved out of the range of RA1, according to the above five scenarios for triggering the registration process, the terminal will not re-initiate the registration process at this time. Therefore, even if TA2 has TA3 with the same physical coverage that can support network slice 1, that is, even if there is TA3 that can support network slice 1 at the current location of the terminal, the terminal still cannot access network slice 1.

[0281] As the terminal moves, when the terminal moves into the service range of TA4 of access network device 3, since the terminal has moved out of the range of RA1, the registration process can be re-initiated to access network slice 1.

[0282] That is to say, Figure 8aIn the scenario shown, when the terminal moves to TA2 that supports network slice 1, the terminal still cannot access network slice 1 normally. It is not until it moves to TA4 that the terminal can access network slice 1 normally, which affects user experience and service performance.

[0283] In another possible scenario, Figure 8b As shown, it is assumed that TA1 of access network device 1 supports network slice 2 (corresponding to S-NSSAI 2); TA2 of access network device 2 supports network slice 2 and network slice 1 (corresponding to S-NSSAI 1); TA3 of access network device 3 supports network slice 1.

[0284] When the AMF network element divides the RA corresponding to the terminal, it usually divides the TA that supports Allowed NSSAI into the same RA. Similarly, for example, the terminal requests access to S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 through access network device 1 in TA1. The Allowed NSSAI determined by the network side is S-NSSAI 2, and both TA1 and TA2 support S-NSSAI 2. Therefore, the AMF network element divides TA1 and TA2 into RA1. Based on the division of RA1, when the terminal moves to the service range of TA2 of access network device 2, it still cannot access network slice 1. For specific analysis, please refer to Figure 8a The scene shown will not be described in detail here.

[0285] In another possible scenario, Figure 8c As shown, it is assumed that the cell in TA1 of access network device 1 supports network slice 2 (corresponding to S-NSSAI 2) on FR2; the cell in TA2 of access network device 1 supports network slice 1 (corresponding to S-NSSAI 1) on FR1, and there is a non-overlapping area in the physical coverage range of TA1 and TA2.

[0286] Take the example where the terminal accesses the network through the cell in TA1 of access network device 1 and goes through the registration process, and the terminal wants to access network slice 1, but the terminal is not within the physical coverage of TA2. Since TA1 of access network device 1 does not support network slice 1, the terminal cannot access network slice 1 and finally accesses network slice 2.

[0287] When the terminal enters the coverage of TA2 and switches from a cell in TA1 to a cell in TA2, a cell switch occurs within the access network device, or simply called an intra-site switch. In this scenario, even if the cell in TA2 supports network slice 1, the terminal device may still not be able to access network slice 1 according to the existing process.

[0288] Based on this, the present application provides a communication method based on network slicing, which can reduce the probability of a terminal being unable to access a network slice normally, increase the success rate of network slice access, and thereby improve service performance and user experience.

[0289] The technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present application will be introduced below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0290] The network slicing-based communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be used in any communication system, which may be a 3GPP communication system, for example, a 5G mobile communication system, a new radio (NR) system, an NR V2X system, and other next-generation communication systems, or a non-3GPP communication system without limitation.

[0291] The network slicing-based communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication scenarios, for example, it can be applied to one or more of the following communication scenarios: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC), machine type communication (MTC), massive machine type communications (mMTC), device to device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X), vehicle to vehicle (V2V), and internet of things (IoT), etc.

[0292] Below Figure 9a As an example, the communication system provided in the embodiment of the present application is described. Figure 9a As shown, the communication system may include at least one terminal and at least one network device.

[0293] In some embodiments, the network device involved in the present application is a mobile management device. In this scenario, the communication system may also include a first access network device. Further, the communication system may also include a second access network device.

[0294] In some other embodiments, the network device involved in the present application is a first access network device. In this scenario, the communication system may also include a mobility management device. Furthermore, the communication system may also include a second access network device.

[0295] In some other embodiments, the network device involved in the present application is a second access network device. In this scenario, the communication system may also include a mobility management device and a first access network device.

[0296] That is to say, Figure 9b As shown, the communication system provided by the present application may include one or more of a terminal, a first access network device, a second access network device, and a mobile management device.

[0297] Optional, such as Fig.9c As shown, the communication system may also include one or more of a session management network element, a policy control network element, a user plane network element, an application function network element, a slice selection function network element, a unified data management network element, or a data network (DN) connected to an operator network.

[0298] In this application, after accessing the network, the terminal can establish a protocol data unit (PDU) session, access the external data network DN through the PDU session, and interact with the application server deployed in the DN, such as Fig.9c As shown, depending on the DN accessed by the terminal, the network can select the user-side network element accessing the DN as the anchor point of the PDU session, i.e., the protocol data unit anchor (PSA), according to the network policy, and access the application server through the N6 interface of the PSA. The application server of the same application can be deployed in multiple locations. The network can select a PSA that is close to the terminal and can support the terminal to access the DN according to the access location of the terminal, so as to reduce routing detours and reduce network delays.

[0299] The terminal involved in this application may be a device for realizing wireless communication functions, such as a terminal or a chip that can be used in a terminal, etc., which can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water surface (such as a ship, etc.); it can also be deployed in the air (such as an airplane, a balloon, and a satellite, etc.). Among them, the terminal can be a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a terminal unit, a terminal station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a wireless communication device, a terminal agent or a terminal device in a 5G network or a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN). The access terminal may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device or a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, etc. The terminal may be mobile or fixed.

[0300] The access network device involved in the present application is a device that accesses a terminal to a wireless network, which may be an evolutionary Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE; or a base station in a 5G network or a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), a broadband network gateway (BNG), an aggregation switch or a non-3GPP access device; or the access network device in the embodiment of the present application may also be a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN); or a transmission and reception point (TRP), or a device including a TRP, etc., which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the base station in the embodiment of the present application may include various forms of base stations, such as: a macro base station, a micro base station (also called a small station), a relay station, an access point, etc., which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0301] The mobile management device involved in this application is mainly used for the attachment, mobility management, and tracking area update process of terminals in mobile networks. The mobile management device terminates non-access stratum (NAS) messages, completes registration management, connection management, and reachability management, allocates tracking area lists (TA lists) and mobility management, and transparently routes session management (SM) messages to session management network elements. In a 5G communication system, the mobile management network element may be an AMF. In future communications such as the sixth generation (6G) communication, the mobile management network element may still be an AMF network element, or have other names, which is not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0302] The slice selection function network element involved in this application is used to select a network slice for a terminal. In a 5G communication system, the slice selection function network element may be an NSSF network element. In future communications such as 6G communications, the network slice selection function network element may still be an NSSF network element, or have other names, which is not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0303] The policy control network element involved in this application includes user contract data management function, policy control function, billing policy control function, QoS control, etc., which is used to guide the unified policy framework of network behavior and provide policy rule information for control plane function network elements (such as AMF network elements, etc.). In a 5G communication system, the policy control network element may be a PCF network element. In future communications such as 6G communications, the policy control function network element may still be a PCF network element, or have other names, which is not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0304] Taking the 5G communication system as an example, a possible Fig.9c The network architecture diagram corresponding to the communication system shown in FIG. Figure 1 shown.

[0305] It should be noted that the communication system and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0306] The relevant functions of the terminal, access network equipment, and core network network elements involved in the present application can be implemented by one device, or by multiple devices together, or by one or more functional modules within a device, or can be one or more chips, or a system on chip (system on chip, SOC) or a chip system. The chip system can be composed of chips, or can include chips and other discrete devices, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0307] It is understandable that the above functions can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or a combination of hardware and software, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0308] For example, the relevant functions of the terminal, access network equipment, and core network element involved in this application can be Fig.10 The communication device 1000 is implemented. Fig.10 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1000 includes one or more processors 1001, a communication line 1002, and at least one communication interface ( Fig.10 The example in which the communication interface 1004 and a processor 1001 are used for illustration only) may optionally also include a memory 1003.

[0309] The processor 1001 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the present application.

[0310] The communication line 1002 may include a path for connecting different components.

[0311] The communication interface 1004 may be a transceiver module for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, RAN, wireless local area networks (WLAN), etc. For example, the transceiver module may be a device such as a transceiver or a transceiver. Optionally, the communication interface 1004 may also be a transceiver circuit located in the processor 1001 to implement signal input and signal output of the processor.

[0312] The memory 1003 may be a device with a storage function. For example, it may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory may exist independently and be connected to the processor via the communication line 1002. The memory may also be integrated with the processor.

[0313] Among them, the memory 1003 is used to store computer execution instructions for executing the solution of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 1001. The processor 1001 is used to execute the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1003, so as to implement the communication method based on network slicing provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0314] Alternatively, optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the processor 1001 may also perform processing-related functions in the network slice usage control method provided in the following embodiment of the present application, and the communication interface 1004 is responsible for communicating with other devices or communication networks, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0315] Optionally, the computer-executable instructions in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as application code, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0316] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 1001 may include one or more CPUs, such as Fig.10 CPU0 and CPU1 in.

[0317] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 1000 may include multiple processors, such as Fig.10 The processor 1001 and the processor 1008 in the embodiment of the present invention are shown in FIG. 1 . Each of these processors may be a single-core processor or a multi-core processor. The processors here may include but are not limited to at least one of the following: a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), or an artificial intelligence processor and other computing devices running software, each of which may include one or more cores for executing software instructions to perform calculations or processing.

[0318] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 1000 may further include an output device 1005 and an input device 1006. The output device 1005 communicates with the processor 1001 and may display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 1005 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. The input device 1006 communicates with the processor 1001 and may receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device 1006 may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensor device.

[0319] The communication device 1000 may also be referred to as a communication apparatus, which may be a general-purpose device or a dedicated device. For example, the communication device 1000 may be a desktop computer, a portable computer, a network server, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal device, an embedded device, the above-mentioned terminal, the above-mentioned network device, or a device having Fig.10 The embodiment of the present application does not limit the type of the communication device 1000.

[0320] also, Fig.10 The structure shown in the figure does not constitute a limitation on the communication device, except Fig.10 In addition to the components shown, the communication device may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0321] Combine the following Figure 9a or Figure 9b or Fig.9c The communication system shown describes the network slicing-based communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0322] It should be noted that in the following embodiments of the present application, the message names between network elements, the names of parameters, or the names of information are only examples. In other embodiments, they may also be other names, and the method provided in the present application does not make any specific limitations on this.

[0323] It is understandable that in the embodiment of the present application, each network element may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiment of the present application, and these steps or operations are only examples. The embodiment of the present application may also perform other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, each step may be performed in a different order presented in the embodiment of the present application, and it is possible that not all operations in the embodiment of the present application need to be performed.

[0324] See also Fig.11 , which is a flowchart of a communication method based on network slicing provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.11 Will combine Figure 8a and Figure 8b For example, Fig.11 As shown, the method may include:

[0325] S1101. The network device receives information about the network slice to which the terminal requests access through the first access network device in the first network.

[0326] In some embodiments, the network device may be a mobile management device. In a 5G system, the mobile management device may be, for example, an AMF network element.

[0327] In some embodiments, the first network may be a PLMN or a SNPN, which is not specifically limited in the present application. Figure 8a The PLMNs that include TA1 to TA4, or Figure 8b The first access network device may be Figure 8a Access network device 1 in, or Figure 8b Access network device 1 in.

[0328] Among them, the information of the network slice that the terminal requests to access includes the identification information of the first network slice and the identification information of the second network slice. That is to say, the first network slice and the second network slice are network slices corresponding to the requested NSSAI of the terminal. For example, the identification information of the first network slice is S-NSSAI 1, and the identification information of the second network slice is S-NSSAI 2.

[0329] As an example, the slice identification information may be S-NSSAI or other information used to identify the slice, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0330] In which, the first network slice is not supported by the first tracking area of ​​the first access network device, or in other words, the first tracking area does not support the first network slice.

[0331] In some embodiments, the first tracking area may be the tracking area where the terminal is located when sending information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access. For example, the first tracking area may be Figure 8a TA1 in, or Figure 8b TA1 in.

[0332] The second tracking area in the first network supports the first network slice, that is, the first network slice is a network slice in the first network that the terminal is allowed to access. In other words, there is at least one tracking area in the first network that supports the first network slice. For example, the second tracking area can be Figure 8a TA3 in, or Figure 8b TA2 in.

[0333] In some embodiments, the network device may determine the network slices supported by the tracking area of ​​the first access network device, thereby determining that the first tracking area of ​​the first access network device does not support the first network slice. Further, the network device may also obtain the Configured NSSAI of the terminal, thereby knowing that there is a tracking area in the first network that supports the first network slice. For the convenience of description, this application refers to the tracking area in the first network that supports the first network slice as the second tracking area, that is, the second tracking area in the first network supports the first network slice.

[0334] S1102. The network device determines the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access.

[0335] The network slice that the terminal is allowed to access is the network slice corresponding to the Allowed NSSAI of the terminal, including the second network slice. In addition, the Allowed NSSAI does not include the first network slice, or in other words, the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access, that is:

[0336] The network slices that the terminal requests to access: the first network slice and the second network slice.

[0337] Network slice allowed to be accessed by the terminal: the second network slice.

[0338] The network slice that does not allow the terminal to access: the first network slice.

[0339] It can be understood that the network slice allowed to be accessed by the terminal includes the second network slice, and thus, the second network slice is also a network slice allowed to be accessed by the terminal within the first network.

[0340] As an example, the network device can autonomously determine the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access; alternatively, the network device can determine the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access by interacting with a network slice selection function network element (e.g., an NSSF network element), which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0341] In some embodiments, in addition to determining the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access, the network device also determines the network slice that the terminal is denied access to, thereby determining whether the first network slice is a network slice that the terminal is denied access to. The network slice that the terminal is denied access to is the network slice corresponding to the Rejected NSSAI of the terminal. This application takes the first network slice as an example for explanation, that is:

[0342] The network slices that the terminal requests to access include: a first network slice and a second network slice.

[0343] The network slices that the terminal is allowed to access include: the second network slice. That is, the Allowed NSSAI includes S-NSSAI2.

[0344] The network slice to which the terminal is denied access includes: the first network slice. That is, the Rejected NSSAI includes S-NSSAI1.

[0345] S1103. The network device determines a registration area.

[0346] In different implementation scenarios of the present application, the scope of the registration area may be different, for example:

[0347] In a possible implementation scenario, the registration area excludes the tracking area supporting the first network slice and the second network slice. The tracking area supporting the first network slice and the second network slice can be understood as: a tracking area supporting both the first network slice and the second network slice; or it can also be understood as a tracking area supporting both the first network slice and the second network slice. This can be applicable to Figure 8b For example, the tracking area supporting the first network slice and the second network slice may be Figure 8b TA2 in.

[0348] In some embodiments, the registration area excludes a tracking area, which can be understood as: the registration area does not include the tracking area; or the tracking area is not in the registration area; or the tracking area is deleted from the registration area.

[0349] As a possible implementation method, the registration area excludes the tracking area supporting the first network slice and the second network slice, which can be understood as: the registration area does not include the tracking area supporting the first network slice and the second network slice.

[0350] As a possible implementation method, the registration area excludes the tracking area supporting the first network slice and the second network slice, which can be understood as: the tracking area supporting the first network slice and the second network slice is not in the registration area.

[0351] As a possible implementation method, the registration area excludes the tracking area supporting the first network slice and the second network slice, which can be understood as: the tracking area supporting the first network slice and the second network slice is deleted from the registration area.

[0352] As a possible implementation method, the registration area excludes the tracking area that supports the first network slice and the second network slice, which can be understood as: the tracking area included in the registration area supports the second network slice, but does not support the first network slice. Of course, the tracking area included in the registration area can support the second network slice and support other network slices except the first network slice.

[0353] As a possible implementation method, the registration area excludes the tracking area that supports the first network slice and the second network slice. It can be understood that: the tracking area included in the registration area supports the second network slice, and the registration area excludes the tracking area that supports the first network slice.

[0354] For example, Figure 8bIn the scenario shown, taking the identification information of the first network slice as S-NSSAI 1 and the identification information of the second network slice as S-NSSAI 2 as an example, it is assumed that TA1 of access network device 1 supports the second network slice; TA2 of access network device 2 supports the first network slice and the second network slice; TA3 of access network device 3 supports the first network slice.

[0355] When the network device determines the registration area using the method provided in the application, the registration area excludes the tracking area supporting the first network slice and the second network slice, that is, the registration area excludes TA2, so that TA2 is not included in the registration area determined by the network device. When the terminal subsequently moves from a cell in TA1 to a cell in TA2, since it moves to a TA outside the registration area, if the terminal still wants to access the first network slice, it can re-initiate the registration process to access the first network slice and use the services provided by the first network slice.

[0356] In another possible implementation scenario, the registration area excludes the tracking area of ​​the access network device supporting the first network slice and the second network slice. This can be applicable to Figure 8a For example, the access network device supporting the first network slice and the second network slice may be Figure 8a The access network device 2 in the access network device 2, the tracking area of ​​the access network device 2 includes TA2 and TA3.

[0357] It should be noted that, among the tracking areas of the access network device, the tracking areas supporting the first network slice and the second network slice may be the same tracking area, for example, tracking area 1 of the access network device supports the first network slice and the second network slice; or, the tracking areas supporting the first network slice and the second network slice may also be different tracking areas, for example, tracking area 1 of the access network device supports the first network slice, and tracking area 2 of the access network device supports the second network slice.

[0358] As an example, the registration area may exclude all tracking areas of the access network device supporting the first network slice and the second network slice. In other words, when the access network device corresponding to the tracking area supporting the second network slice has one or more tracking areas supporting the first network slice, the tracking area supporting the second network slice is excluded from the registration area.

[0359] As a possible implementation method, the registration area excludes the tracking area of ​​the access network device supporting the first network slice and the second network slice. It can be understood that: the registration area does not include the tracking area of ​​the access network device supporting the first network slice and the second network slice.

[0360] As a possible implementation method, the registration area excludes the tracking area of ​​the access network device supporting the first network slice and the second network slice. It can be understood that the tracking area of ​​the access network device supporting the first network slice and the second network slice is not in the registration area.

[0361] As a possible implementation method, the registration area excludes the tracking area of ​​the access network device supporting the first network slice and the second network slice, which can be understood as: the tracking area of ​​the access network device supporting the first network slice and the second network slice is deleted from the registration area.

[0362] For example, Figure 8a In the scenario shown, taking the identification information of the first network slice as S-NSSAI 1 and the identification information of the second network slice as S-NSSAI 2 as an example, it is assumed that TA1 of access network device 1 supports the second network slice; TA2 of access network device 2 supports the second network slice, and TA3 supports the first network slice; TA4 of access network device 3 supports the first network slice.

[0363] When the network device determines the registration area using the method provided in the application, the registration area excludes the tracking area of ​​the access network device that supports the first network slice and the second network slice, that is, the registration area excludes the tracking area of ​​the access network device 2, namely TA2 and TA3, so that the registration area determined by the network device does not include TA2 or TA3. It can be understood that since TA3 does not support Allowed NSSAI, RA itself will not include TA3, but for TA2, although TA2 supports S-NSSAI 2, and TA3 also exists under the access network device 2 corresponding to TA2, and TA3 supports S-NSSAI 1. In this case, TA2 must be excluded from RA when determining RA. When the terminal subsequently moves from the cell in TA1 to the cell in the access network device 2, since it moves to TA2 outside the registration area, if the terminal still wants to access the first network slice, it can re-initiate the registration process to access the first network slice and use the services provided by the first network slice.

[0364] S1104. The network device sends registration area information to the terminal.

[0365] As an example, the information of the registration area may include identification information of the tracking area in the registration area. The present application does not specifically limit the specific content of the information of the registration area.

[0366] As an example, when the terminal receives the information of the registration area and subsequently leaves the registration area, it can trigger a mobile registration update, that is, re-perform the registration process, thereby re-requesting the network slice it wants to access.

[0367] For example, Figure 8a Taking the scenario shown as an example, assuming that the terminal moves from the coverage of TA1 to the coverage of TA2, since TA2 is not in the RA, the terminal re-initiates the registration process. Assuming that the terminal still requests access to the first network slice (corresponding to S-NSSAI 1) in the re-initiated registration process, since TA2 does not support the first network slice, the first network slice in the registration process does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access. However, TA3, which is physically in the same coverage as TA2, supports the first network slice, so the access network device can send an RRC connection release message to redirect the terminal to the cell in TA3, so that the terminal can access the first network slice in the cell in TA3. For details, please refer to Figure 5 The process shown will not be repeated here. It should be noted that Figure 5 The registration request in S501 may be understood as a registration request initiated by the terminal in the cell in TA2.

[0368] by Figure 8b Taking the scenario shown as an example, assuming that the terminal moves from the coverage of TA1 to the coverage of TA2, since TA2 is not in the RA, the terminal can re-initiate the registration process. Assuming that in the re-initiated registration process, the terminal still requests access to the first network slice (corresponding to S-NSSAI 1). Since TA2 supports the first network slice, the terminal accesses the first network slice in TA2.

[0369] Based on this solution, when determining the registration area, the network device excludes the tracking area that supports the first network slice and the second network slice, or excludes the tracking area of ​​the access network device that supports the first network slice and the second network slice. Therefore, when the terminal moves within the excluded tracking area, since the registration area of ​​the terminal does not include the tracking area, and the tracking area supports the first network slice, the terminal can re-initiate the registration process and request access to the first network slice, thereby improving the success rate of accessing the first network slice, and thereby improving service performance and user experience.

[0370] See also Fig.12 , which is a flowchart of another communication method based on network slicing provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.12 Will combine Fig.11 Describe. Fig.12 As shown, the method may include:

[0371] S1201. The network device determines the network slices that the terminal is allowed to access and the network slices that the terminal is denied to access.

[0372] In some embodiments, before step S1201, the method may also include: the network device receives information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access through a first access network device in the first network.

[0373] For the related description of the network device and the first network, please refer to the above step S1101, which will not be repeated here.

[0374] The information of the network slice that the terminal requests to access includes the identification information of the first network slice and the identification information of the second network slice. In other words, the first network slice and the second network slice are the network slices corresponding to the requested NSSAI of the terminal.

[0375] In some embodiments, the network device determines the network slices that the terminal is allowed to access and the network slices that the terminal is denied access to, which may include: the network device receives information about the network slices that the terminal is allowed to access and the network slices that the terminal is denied access to from the slice selection function network element.

[0376] Among them, this application is illustrated by taking the example that the network slice that allows the terminal to access includes the second network slice, and the network slice that denies the terminal access includes the first network slice.

[0377] In some embodiments, the first network slice is not supported by the first tracking area of ​​the first access network device, or in other words, the first tracking area does not support the first network slice; the second network slice is a network slice supported by the first tracking area, or in other words, the first tracking area supports the second network slice.

[0378] In some embodiments, the second tracking area in the first network supports the first network slice, that is, the first network slice is a network slice within the first network that allows the terminal to access.

[0379] As an example, the network device can determine the network slices supported by the tracking area of ​​the first access network device, thereby determining that the first tracking area of ​​the first access network device does not support the first network slice. Further, the network device can obtain the Configured NSSAI of the terminal, thereby knowing that there is a tracking area in the first network that supports the first network slice, that is, the first network slice is a network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first network. This application records the tracking area in the first network that supports the first network slice as the second tracking area.

[0380] S1202. The network device determines the registration area of ​​the terminal based on the network slices that the terminal is allowed to access and the network slices that the terminal is denied to access.

[0381] In one possible implementation scenario, the registration area excludes the tracking area supporting the first network slice and the second network slice.

[0382] In another possible implementation scenario, the registration area excludes the tracking area of ​​the access network device supporting the first network slice and the second network slice.

[0383] For detailed description, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S1103, which will not be repeated here. This method of determining the registration area can be understood as taking into account the network slices that are denied access by the network because the current TA does not support it when determining the registration area.

[0384] In another possible design, the registration area excludes the tracking areas that support network slices that allow terminal access and network slices that deny terminal access, or the registration area excludes the tracking areas of access network devices that support network slices that allow terminal access and network slices that deny terminal access. That is to say, when determining the scope of the registration area, it is not necessary to consider why a certain network slice is denied access by the network. As long as the network slice is denied access and belongs to a network slice that denies terminal access, then when determining the scope of the registration area, the tracking areas that support network slices that allow terminal access and network slices that deny terminal access are considered, or the tracking areas of access network devices that support network slices that allow terminal access and network slices that deny terminal access are considered to be excluded from the registration area.

[0385] For example, assume the following scenario:

[0386] The network slices that the terminal requests to access: the first network slice, the second network slice, and the third network slice.

[0387] Network slice allowed to be accessed by the terminal: the second network slice.

[0388] Network slices that deny terminal access: the first network slice and the third network slice.

[0389] Therefore, when determining the registration area, it may be considered to exclude from the registration area the tracking area that supports the first network slice and the second network slice, or the tracking area of ​​the access network device that supports the first network slice and the second network slice, or the tracking area that supports the third network slice and the second network slice, or the tracking area of ​​the access network device that supports the third network slice and the second network slice, or the tracking area that supports the first network slice, the second network slice and the third network slice, or the tracking area of ​​the access network device that supports the first network slice, the second network slice and the third network slice.

[0390] S1203: The network device sends registration area information to the terminal.

[0391] Among them, please refer to the relevant instructions in the above step S1104, which will not be repeated here.

[0392] Based on this solution, the registration area of ​​the terminal is determined according to the network slices that the terminal is allowed to access and the network slices that the terminal is denied access to, so that the registration area excludes the tracking areas that support the network slices that the terminal is allowed to access and the network slices that the terminal is denied access to, or the tracking areas of the access network devices that support the network slices that the terminal is allowed to access and the network slices that the terminal is denied access to. Therefore, when the terminal moves within the excluded tracking area, since the registration area of ​​the terminal does not include the tracking area and the tracking area supports the first network slice, the terminal can re-initiate the registration process and request access to the first network slice, thereby improving the success rate of accessing the first network slice, and thereby improving service performance and user experience.

[0393] Above Fig.11 and Fig.12 The method shown provides a way to divide the registration area, see Fig.13 , is a flowchart of another communication method based on network slicing provided in an embodiment of the present application, which provides another way of dividing the registration area, such as Fig.13 As shown, the method may include:

[0394] S1301. In a registration process of a first network, a network device determines an Allowed NSSAI of a terminal.

[0395] The description of the first network and the network device can refer to the above step S1101, and the registration process and the method for the network device to determine the Allowed NSSAI can refer to Figure 4 The process shown will not be repeated here.

[0396] S1302. The network device determines a first type of network slice.

[0397] Among them, the first type of network slice is a network slice that the first network allows the terminal to access, which does not belong to the Allowed NSSAI network slice of the terminal.

[0398] For example, assume the following scenario:

[0399] The network slices that the terminal requests to access: the first network slice, the second network slice, and the third network slice.

[0400] Network slice allowed to be accessed by the terminal: the second network slice.

[0401] The network slices that do not allow terminal access are: the first network slice and the third network slice.

[0402] The network slices that the first network (e.g., the current PLMN) allows the terminal to access: the first network slice, the second network slice, and the fourth network slice. For example, the network slices that the first network allows the terminal to access can be reflected by the configured NSSAI of the terminal in the first network.

[0403] The network slice that the second network (such as other PLMN) allows the terminal to access: the third network slice.

[0404] In this scenario, the first type of network slices includes the first network slice and the fourth network slice.

[0405] S1303: The network device determines a registration area.

[0406] In different implementation scenarios of the present application, the scope of the registration area may be different, for example:

[0407] In one possible implementation scenario, the registration area excludes the tracking area that supports at least one network slice corresponding to the Allowed NSSAI and at least one network slice of the first type.

[0408] Among them, supporting the tracking area of ​​at least one network slice corresponding to Allowed NSSAI and at least one network slice of the first type can be understood as: supporting both the tracking area of ​​at least one network slice corresponding to Allowed NSSAI and at least one network slice of the first type; or, supporting both the tracking area of ​​at least one network slice corresponding to Allowed NSSAI and at least one network slice of the first type.

[0409] Exemplarily, based on the scenario assumed in S1302, the registration area may exclude the tracking area supporting the second network slice and the first network slice; or, it may exclude the tracking area supporting the second network slice and the fourth network slice; or, it may exclude the tracking area supporting the second network slice, the first network slice, and the fourth network slice.

[0410] In another possible implementation scenario, the registration area excludes the tracking area of ​​the access network device that supports at least one network slice corresponding to the Allowed NSSAI and at least one network slice of the first type.

[0411] It should be noted that, in the tracking area of ​​the access network device, the tracking area that supports at least one network slice corresponding to Allowed NSSAI and at least one first type of network slice may be the same tracking area, for example, tracking area 1 of the access network device supports at least one network slice corresponding to Allowed NSSAI and at least one first type of network slice; or, the tracking areas that support at least one network slice corresponding to Allowed NSSAI and at least one first type of network slice may also be different tracking areas, for example, tracking area 1 of the access network device supports at least one network slice corresponding to Allowed NSSAI, and tracking area 2 of the access network device supports at least one first type of network slice.

[0412] As an example, the registration area may exclude all tracking areas of access network devices that support at least one network slice corresponding to Allowed NSSAI and at least one first type of network slice. In other words, when the access network device corresponding to the tracking area supporting the second network slice has one or more tracking areas that support at least one first type of network slice as above, the tracking area supporting the second network slice is excluded from the registration area.

[0413] Exemplarily, based on the scenario assumed in S1302, the registration area may exclude the tracking area of ​​the access network device supporting the second network slice and the first network slice; or, it may exclude the tracking area of ​​the access network device supporting the second network slice and the fourth network slice; or, it may exclude the tracking area of ​​the access network device supporting the second network slice, the first network slice, and the fourth network slice.

[0414] S1304: The network device sends registration area information to the terminal.

[0415] Among them, please refer to the relevant instructions in the above step S1104, which will not be repeated here.

[0416] Based on this solution, for a first type of network slice that is not a network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the registration process of the first network, but is included in the network slices that the terminal is allowed to access in the first network, regardless of whether the network slice that the terminal requests to access in this registration process carries the identifier of the first network slice, since the first type of network slice is included in the network slices that the terminal is allowed to access in the first network, the terminal may subsequently want to access a certain first type of network slice. Then, the network device considers this first type of network slice when determining the registration area. For example, the registration area excludes the tracking area that supports at least one network slice corresponding to Allowed NSSAI and at least one first type of network slice, or excludes the tracking area of ​​the access network device that supports at least one network slice corresponding to Allowed NSSAI and at least one first type of network slice. Therefore, when the terminal moves within the excluded tracking area, since the registration area of ​​the terminal does not include the tracking area and the tracking area supports at least one first type of network slice, when the terminal wants to access a certain first type of network slice, it can re-initiate the registration process and request access to at least one first type of network slice, thereby improving the success rate of accessing the network slice, thereby improving service performance and user experience.

[0417] Above Figures 11 to 13 The method shown reduces the probability of the terminal being unable to access the target network slice (such as the first network slice mentioned above) normally by dividing the registration area, thereby improving the success rate of network slice access. In addition, the present application also provides a method for improving the success rate of network slice access by other means.

[0418] See also Fig.14 , is a flowchart of a communication method based on network slicing provided by the present application, which can be applicable to a scenario where a terminal switches from a first cell to a second cell, and the network device notifies the terminal of the available network slices in the second cell. The switching scenario can be an intra-site switching, that is, the first cell and the second cell belong to the same access network device; or, it can be an inter-site switching, that is, the first cell and the second cell belong to different access network devices. For example, Fig.14 The method shown can be applied to Figure 8b or Figure 8c The scene shown. Fig.14 As shown, the method comprises the following steps:

[0419] S1401. The network device determines the first network slice.

[0420] In some embodiments, the network device may be a mobile management device. In a 5G system, the mobile management device may be, for example, an AMF network element.

[0421] In other embodiments, the network device may be an access network device. For example, when the first cell belongs to the first access network device and the second cell belongs to the second access network device, the network device is the second access network device; or, when both the first cell and the second cell belong to the first access network device, the network device is the first access network device.

[0422] Among them, the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell, or in other words, when the terminal initiates a registration process in the first cell, the network slice corresponding to the Allowed NSSAI of the terminal does not include the first network slice. In this application, the network slice that is not allowed to be accessed by the terminal may be referred to as a target network slice, and there may be one or more target network slices.

[0423] The registration area of ​​the terminal includes a first cell and a second cell.

[0424] In some embodiments, the first cell is a cell in a first TA, the second cell is a cell in a second TA, and the first TA and the second TA are different TAs.

[0425] In some embodiments, the first network slice is included in the network slice that the terminal requests to access in the first cell. That is, the terminal initiates a registration process in the first cell and requests to access the first network slice, but the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that allows the terminal to access in the first cell, or the first network slice belongs to the network slice that denies the terminal access in the first cell, so that the terminal cannot access the first network slice in the first cell. According to subsequent steps, for the first network slice that cannot be accessed in the first cell, the terminal can access it in the second cell.

[0426] In some embodiments, the first network slice is included in the network slice configured by the terminal in the first network; in other words, the first network slice is included in the network slice corresponding to the Configured NSSAI of the terminal, or in other words, the first network slice is the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first network. In other words, regardless of whether the terminal requests access to the first network slice when initiating the registration process in the first cell, since the first network slice is included in the network slice configured by the terminal in the first network, the terminal may want to access the first network slice later. The first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell, and thus, the terminal cannot access the first network slice in the first cell. According to subsequent steps, for the first network slice that cannot be accessed in the first cell, the terminal can access it in the second cell.

[0427] For example, based on Figure 8bIn the scenario shown, the first cell is a cell in TA1 of access network device 1, the second cell is a cell in TA2 of access network device 2, and the identification information of the first network slice is S-NSSAI 1. The terminal requests access to S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 through access network device 1 in TA1. The Allowed NSSAI determined by the network side is S-NSSAI 2, and both TA1 and TA2 support S-NSSAI 2. Therefore, the registration area RA1 of the terminal includes TA1 and TA2. Or, based on Figure 8c In the scenario shown, the first cell is a cell in TA1 of access network device 1, the second cell is a cell in TA2 of access network device 1, and the identification information of the first network slice is S-NSSAI 1. Similarly, the registration area RA1 of the terminal includes TA1 and TA2.

[0428] In the above two scenarios, the terminal initiates a registration request in the first cell, requesting access to the first network slice and the second network slice (taking the identification information S-NSSAI 2 as an example). The first network slice does not belong to the network slices allowed to be accessed by the terminal in the first cell, and the second network slice belongs to the network slices allowed to be accessed by the terminal in the first cell. Thus, the terminal accesses the second network slice in the first cell.

[0429] S1402. When switching the terminal from the first cell to the second cell, the network device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0430] In some embodiments, the reason why the network device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell may be that the second TA in which the second cell is located supports the first network slice.

[0431] For example, based on Figure 8b or Figure 8c In the scenario shown, when the terminal switches from a first cell in TA1 to a second cell in TA2, the network device can determine that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0432] S1403. The network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0433] In some embodiments, when the network device is a mobile management device, the network device can notify the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell through a non-access stratum (NAS) message.

[0434] In other embodiments, when the network device is a first access network device or a second access network device, the network device may notify the terminal through a mobile management device that the first network slice is available in the second cell. For example, the network device notifies the terminal through the mobile management device that the first network slice is available in the second cell, and then triggers the mobile management device to notify the terminal through a NAS message that the first network slice is available in the second cell. Of course, the network device may also notify the terminal through other methods. For example, the network device may notify the terminal through an RRC message that the first network slice is available in the second cell. This application does not specifically limit the notification method.

[0435] As an example, the network device may send identification information of the first network slice to the terminal to notify the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell. Furthermore, the network device may also send a cell identifier of the second cell to the terminal.

[0436] In the prior art, the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell, that is, when the terminal initiates a registration process in the first cell, the first network slice cannot be accessed. Since the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell, when the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell, the terminal will not be triggered to perform a re-registration process. Even if the first network slice is available in the second cell, the terminal will not initiate a registration process in the second cell, and thus cannot access the first network slice in the second cell. Based on the solution of the present application, when the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell and determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, the terminal is notified that the first network slice is available in the second cell. Therefore, if the terminal still wants to access the first network slice, it can initiate a registration process to request access to the first network slice, thereby improving the success rate of accessing the first network slice, and improving service performance and user experience.

[0437] As mentioned above, the network device can be a mobile management device or an access network device. When the network device is a mobile management device, refer to the following Fig. 20 or Fig.21 When the network device is an access network device and the switching is within the site, please refer to the following Fig. 22 When the network device is an access network device and the switching is between sites, please refer to the following Fig.23 The specific implementation method.

[0438] Apart from Fig.14 In addition to the methods shown, see Fig.15The present application also provides a communication method based on network slicing that can be applied to the following scenarios: a terminal switches from a first cell to a second cell, and there is a third cell that physically covers the same cell as the second cell. The switching scenario can be an intra-site switching, that is, the first cell and the second cell belong to the same access network device; or, it can be an inter-site switching, that is, the first cell and the second cell belong to different access network devices. For example, Fig.15 The method shown can be applied to Figure 8a The scene shown. Fig.15 As shown, the method comprises the following steps:

[0439] S1501. The network device determines the first network slice.

[0440] In some embodiments, the network device may be a mobile management device, or a first access network device, or a second access network device. Please refer to the relevant description in the above step S1401 and will not repeat it here.

[0441] The first network slice does not belong to a network slice that allows the terminal to access in the first cell, and the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell. The physical coverage area of ​​the third cell overlaps the physical coverage area of ​​the second cell in whole or in part.

[0442] In some embodiments, the third cell may be referred to as a cell physically co-covering the second cell.

[0443] In some embodiments, the first cell is a cell in a first TA, the second cell is a cell in a second TA, the third cell is a cell in a third TA, and the first TA, the second TA, and the third TA are different TAs.

[0444] In some embodiments, the first network slice is included in the network slice configured by the terminal in the first network, and / or the first network slice is included in the network slice requested to be accessed by the terminal in the first cell. Please refer to the relevant description in the above step S1401 and will not be repeated here.

[0445] For example, based on Figure 8aIn the scenario shown, the first cell is a cell in TA1 of access network device 1, the second cell is a cell in TA2 of access network device 2, the third cell is a cell in TA3 of access network device 2, and the identification information of the first network slice is S-NSSAI 1. For example, the terminal requests access to S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI2 through access network device 1 in TA1, and the Allowed NSSAI determined by the network side is S-NSSAI 2, and both TA1 and TA2 support S-NSSAI 2. Therefore, the registration area RA1 of the terminal includes TA1 and TA2. The terminal initiates a registration request in the first cell, requesting access to the first network slice and the second network slice (taking the identification information as S-NSSAI 2 as an example). The first network slice does not belong to the network slices that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell, and the second network slice belongs to the network slices that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell. Therefore, the terminal accesses the second network slice in the first cell.

[0446] S1502. When switching the terminal from the first cell to the second cell, the network determines that the first network slice is available in the third cell.

[0447] In some embodiments, the reason why the network device determines that the first network slice is available in the third cell may be that the third TA in which the third cell is located supports the first network slice.

[0448] For example, based on Figure 8a In the scenario shown, when the terminal switches from the first cell in TA1 to the second cell in TA2, since TA2 is divided into the range of RA1 and the terminal does not move out of the range of RA1, the terminal will not re-initiate the registration process, and therefore the terminal will still not access the first network slice. However, since the cell of access network device 2 includes a third cell whose physical coverage area partially or completely overlaps with the physical coverage area of ​​the second cell, TA3 where the third cell is located supports the first network slice, so the network device can determine that the first network slice is available in the third cell.

[0449] S1503. The network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the third cell.

[0450] Among them, the notification method can refer to the method in which the network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell in the above step S1403, and will not be repeated here.

[0451] In the prior art, the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell, that is, when the terminal initiates the registration process in the first cell, the first network slice cannot be accessed. Since the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell, when the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell, the terminal will not be triggered to perform a re-registration process. Even if the first network slice is available in a third cell that is physically co-covered with the second cell, the terminal will not re-initiate the registration process in the second cell, and thus cannot access the first network slice at the location of the second cell. Based on the solution of the present application, when the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell and determines that the first network slice is available in the third cell, the terminal is notified that the first network slice is available in the third cell. Therefore, if the terminal still wants to access the first network slice, it can access the first network slice in the third cell, thereby improving the success rate of accessing the first network slice and using the services provided by the first network slice.

[0452] As mentioned above, the network device can be a mobile management device or an access network device. When the network device is a mobile management device, refer to the following Fig.24 When the network device is an access network device and the switching is within the site, please refer to the following Fig.25 When the network device is an access network device and the switching is between sites, please refer to the following Fig.26 The specific implementation method.

[0453] Apart from Fig.14 and Fig.15 In addition to the method shown, the present application also provides a network slicing-based communication method that can be applied to the following scenarios: a method in which a terminal accesses a first cell and the neighboring cell of the first cell includes a second cell. The first cell and the second cell can belong to the same access network device; or the first cell and the second cell can belong to different access network devices. For example, Fig.16 The method shown can be applied to Figure 8b or Figure 8c The scene shown. Fig.16 As shown, the method comprises the following steps:

[0454] S1601. The network device determines the first network slice.

[0455] Among them, step S1601 is similar to step S1401, and the relevant instructions in step S1401 can be referred to, which will not be repeated here.

[0456] S1602. The network device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0457] In some embodiments, the reason why the network device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell may be that the second TA in which the second cell is located supports the first network slice.

[0458] In some embodiments, the reason why the network device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell may be that the second TA in which the second cell is located supports the first network slice, and the cell signal quality of the second cell is greater than the first threshold, and the terminal can access the second cell.

[0459] In some embodiments, the network device may determine that the first network slice is available in the second cell before the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell.

[0460] S1603. The network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0461] Among them, step S1603 is similar to step S1403, and the relevant instructions in step S1403 can be referred to, which will not be repeated here.

[0462] The difference between step S1603 and step S1403 is that step S1403 is triggered by handover, or in other words, in a handover scenario, the network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell. Step S1603 does not depend on handover, for example, the network device can notify the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell before the handover process occurs.

[0463] S1604. The network device sends a cell identifier of the second cell to the terminal.

[0464] In some embodiments, the cell identifier of the second cell can be used for the terminal to access the second cell, thereby accessing the first network slice available in the second cell.

[0465] In the prior art, the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell, that is, when the terminal initiates the registration process in the first cell, the first network slice cannot be accessed. Since the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell, when the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell, the terminal will not be triggered to perform a re-registration process. Even if the first network slice is available in the second cell, the terminal will not initiate a registration process in the second cell, and thus cannot access the first network slice in the second cell. Based on the solution of the present application, when the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell and determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, the terminal is notified that the first network slice is available in the second cell, and the cell identifier of the second cell is sent. Therefore, if the terminal still wants to access the first network slice, it can access the second cell and initiate a registration process to request access to the first network slice, thereby improving the success rate of accessing the first network slice and using the services provided by the first network slice.

[0466] Apart from Fig.16 In addition to the methods shown, see Fig.17 The present application also provides a network slicing-based communication method applicable to the following scenarios: a terminal accesses a first cell, the neighboring cell of the first cell includes a second cell, and there is a third cell that has the same physical coverage as the second cell. The first cell and the second cell may belong to the same access network device; or the first cell and the second cell may belong to different access network devices. For example, Fig.17 The method shown can be applied to Figure 8a The scene shown. Fig.17 As shown, the method comprises the following steps:

[0467] S1701. The network device determines the first network slice.

[0468] Among them, step S1701 is similar to step S1501, and the relevant instructions in step S1501 can be referred to, which will not be repeated here.

[0469] S1702. The network determines that the first network slice is available in the third cell.

[0470] In some embodiments, the reason why the network device determines that the first network slice is available in the third cell may be that the third TA in which the third cell is located supports the first network slice.

[0471] In some embodiments, the network device may determine that the first network slice is available in the third cell before the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell.

[0472] S1703. The network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the third cell.

[0473] Among them, the notification method can refer to the method in which the network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell in the above step S1403, and will not be repeated here.

[0474] S1704. The network device sends a cell identifier of the third cell to the terminal.

[0475] In some embodiments, the cell identifier of the third cell can be used for the terminal to access the third cell, thereby accessing the first network slice available in the third cell.

[0476] In the prior art, the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell, that is, when the terminal initiates the registration process in the first cell, the first network slice cannot be accessed. Since the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell, when the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell, the terminal will not be triggered to perform a re-registration process. Even if the first network slice is available in the third cell that is physically co-covered with the second cell, the terminal will not re-initiate the registration process in the second cell, and thus cannot access the first network slice at the location of the second cell. Based on the solution of the present application, when the neighboring area of ​​the first cell accessed by the terminal includes the second cell, and there is a third cell that is physically co-covered with the second cell, when it is determined that the first network slice is available in the third cell, the terminal is notified that the first network slice is available in the third cell, and the cell identifier of the third cell is sent, so that when the terminal still wants to access the first network slice, it can access the third cell and request access to the first network slice, thereby improving the success rate of accessing the first network slice and using the services provided by the first network slice.

[0477] above Figures 11 to 17 The network slicing-based communication method provided in this application is introduced from the perspective of network equipment. The method is introduced from the perspective of the terminal below.

[0478] See also Fig.18 , is a communication method based on network slicing applied to a terminal provided in the present application, which can be applied to the process in which the above-mentioned network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell, that is, the method can be considered as Fig.14 or Fig.16 In the method, the network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell, and the terminal implements the method. The method includes the following steps:

[0479] S1801. The terminal learns from the network device that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0480] Among them, the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that allows the terminal to access in the first cell, and the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell. For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S1401, which will not be repeated here.

[0481] S1802. The terminal initiates a registration process for the application corresponding to the first network slice.

[0482] In some embodiments, the terminal initiates a registration process for an application corresponding to a first network slice, which may include: in response to the terminal's context not including a session for the application and not including a routing selection policy for the application, the terminal determines whether the first network slice is the network slice corresponding to the application; when the first network slice is the network slice corresponding to the application, the terminal initiates a registration process for the application.

[0483] In some embodiments, the terminal also receives a cell identifier from the network device, where the cell identifier is used for the second cell. That is, the terminal receives the cell identifier of the second cell from the network device. In this scenario, the terminal initiates a registration process for the application corresponding to the first network slice, which may include: the terminal accesses the second cell, and initiates a registration process for the application corresponding to the first network slice through the second cell.

[0484] In the prior art, since the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell, the terminal cannot access the first network slice in the first cell. Since the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell, even if the terminal moves from the first cell to the coverage area of ​​the second cell, the terminal will not re-initiate the registration process and thus cannot access the first network slice. Based on the solution of the present application, the terminal can learn from the network device that the first network slice is available in the second cell. Therefore, when the application of the terminal corresponds to the first network slice, a registration process can be initiated for the application to request access to the first network slice, thereby improving the success rate of accessing the first network slice.

[0485] In other words, compared with several scenarios in the prior art for triggering the terminal to initiate the registration process, the present application adds a scenario for triggering the terminal to initiate the registration process: when the network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell, the terminal can initiate the registration process according to the initiated application.

[0486] It can be understood that when the terminal learns from the network device that the first network slice is available in the third cell, the implementation of the terminal is the same as Fig.18 The method shown is similar, and the second cell may be replaced by the third cell for further understanding. Please refer to the above related instructions, which will not be repeated here.

[0487] Above, the network slicing-based communication method provided by the present application is introduced from the perspective of each device. Below, from the perspective of interaction between each device, the above method is applied to a specific process for explanation.

[0488] See also Fig.19 Taking the network device as a mobile management device as an example, this application provides a method of Figures 11 to 13 The method shown is applied to a method flow chart of a specific process. Fig.19 The method shown can be applied to Figure 8a or Figure 8b The method comprises the following steps:

[0489] S1901: A terminal sends a first message to a first access network device. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the first message from the terminal.

[0490] The first access network device is an access network device in the first network. The first network may refer to the relevant description in the above step S1101, which will not be repeated here.

[0491] In some embodiments, the first message may be an RRC message.

[0492] The first message includes a registration request (Registration Request), which includes information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access (for example, Requested NSSAI), and the information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access includes identification information of the first network slice and identification information of the second network slice.

[0493] The present application takes the example of a terminal accessing a first network at a first TA of a first access network device and sending a first message to the first access network device as an example. Figure 8a In the scenario, the first TA is Figure 8a TA1 in Figure 8b In the scenario, the first TA is Figure 8b TA1 in.

[0494] S1902: The first access network device sends a registration request to the mobility management device. Correspondingly, the mobility management device receives the registration request from the first access network device.

[0495] The registration request is received by the first access network device from the terminal in step S1901. Therefore, step S1901 and step S1902 can be understood as: the mobile management device receives information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access through the first access network device in the first network.

[0496] In some embodiments, the mobile management device may determine the network slices supported by the TA of the first access network device, and the network slices supported by the TA of the first access network device may be reported to the mobile management device by the first access network device when establishing or updating the N2 connection with the mobile management device. This application is explained by taking the example that the mobile management device determines that the first TA of the first access network device does not support the first network slice, but supports the second network slice.

[0497] S1903. The mobile management device performs slice selection.

[0498] For example, the mobile management device can perform slice selection by interacting with the network slice selection function network element.

[0499] Among them, in step S1903, the mobile management device can determine the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access, specifically, it can determine the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first TA. This application is explained by taking the example that the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access includes the second network slice, and the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access.

[0500] As described above, a network slice that does not belong to a network slice that the terminal is allowed to access may be referred to as a target network slice, and there may be one or more target network slices. For example, the network slice that the terminal requests to access also includes a third network slice, and the third network slice is a network slice that is allowed to access in the second network. Thus, in the first TA of the first network, the third network slice does not belong to a network slice that the terminal is allowed to access. In this scenario, the target network slice includes the first network slice and the third network slice. Alternatively, the target network slice may be a network slice that the terminal is denied access to, for example, the target network slice includes the above-mentioned first network slice.

[0501] In some embodiments, the mobile management device can save information about the target network slice, and when the mobile management device serving the terminal is subsequently switched, the information about the target network slice can be sent to the switched mobile management device.

[0502] In some embodiments, in step S1903, the mobile management device may also determine a network slice to which the terminal is denied access, specifically, a network slice to which the terminal is denied access in the first TA. This application is described by taking the network slice to which the terminal is denied access including the first network slice as an example. Furthermore, the network slice to which the terminal is denied access may also include a third network slice.

[0503] In some embodiments, in step S1903, the mobile management device may also determine a network slice in the first network that the terminal is allowed to access. This application takes the example that the network slice in the first network that the terminal is allowed to access includes the first network slice, or in other words, the first network slice is the network slice in the first network that the terminal is allowed to access. Further, the example that the second TA in the first network supports the first network slice is used for explanation.

[0504] That is to say, the first network slice is a network slice that allows terminal access within the first network, but is not a network slice that allows terminal access within the first TA.

[0505] In some embodiments, in step S1903, the mobile management device may also determine the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access under the contract. This application takes the network slices that the terminal is allowed to access under the contract as: the first network slice, the second network slice, the third network slice, and the fourth network slice as an example for explanation. Among them, the fourth network slice is also the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access under the first network.

[0506] S1904: The mobile management device determines a registration area.

[0507] The characteristics of the registration area can refer to the above Fig.11 or Fig.12 or Fig.13 The description of the method shown will not be repeated here.

[0508] In some embodiments, the mobile management device may determine the registration area based on the network slices that the terminal is allowed to access and the network slices that the terminal is denied access to. Alternatively, the terminal device may further determine the registration area based on one or more of the support capabilities of the access network device managed by the mobile management device for network slices, the network slices that the terminal is allowed to access within the first network, and the network slices that the terminal is allowed to access under contract. Alternatively, it can also be understood that the mobile management device can determine the registration area based on the network slices that the terminal is allowed to access and the target network slice. The present application does not specifically limit the method for the mobile management device to determine the registration area.

[0509] S1905: The mobility management network element sends a second message to the first access network device. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the second message from the mobility management network element.

[0510] The second message includes information about the registration area. Furthermore, the second message also includes information about the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access.

[0511] In some embodiments, the second message may be an N2 message.

[0512] S1906: The first access network device sends the registration area information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the registration area information from the first access network device.

[0513] In some embodiments, the first access network device also sends the above-mentioned information of the network slice allowing the terminal to access to the terminal.

[0514] S1907. Other registration procedures.

[0515] Among them, after step S1907, the registration process is completed and the terminal accesses the second network slice.

[0516] S1908. The terminal switches to the second access network device due to mobility.

[0517] Taking the TA of the second access network device including the second TA as an example, as described in step S1903, the second TA supports the first network slice. Figure 8a In the scenario, the second TA is Figure 8a TA2 in Figure 8b In the scenario, the first TA is Figure 8b Since the registration area excludes the tracking area supporting the first network slice and the second network slice, or excludes the tracking area of ​​the access network device supporting the first network slice and the second network slice, the second TA is outside the registration area. In this case, the terminal can execute step S1909 because it moves out of the RA.

[0518] S1909. Re-execute the registration process.

[0519] In some embodiments, the re-registration process is initiated by the terminal, and in the re-initiated registration process, the network slice that the terminal requests to access may include the first network slice. Of course, the network slice that the terminal requests to access may also not include the first network slice. For example, after switching to the second access network device, the terminal no longer has the need to access the first network slice, and this application does not specifically limit this.

[0520] Based on this solution, when determining the registration area, the mobile management device excludes the tracking area of ​​the network slice and the target network slice that support terminal access, or excludes the tracking area of ​​the access network device that supports the network slice and the target network slice that support terminal access. Therefore, when the terminal moves within the excluded tracking area, since the registration area of ​​the terminal does not include the tracking area and the tracking area supports the target network slice, the terminal can re-initiate the registration process and request access to the target network slice, thereby improving the success rate of accessing the target network slice.

[0521] See also Fig. 20 and Fig.21 , in the case where a network device provided by the present application is a mobile management device, Fig.14 The method shown is applied to a method flow chart of a specific process. Fig. 20 or Fig.21 The method shown can be applied to Figure 8b or Figure 8c The method comprises the following steps:

[0522] S2001: A terminal sends a first message to a first access network device. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the first message from the terminal.

[0523] The terminal sends the first message to the first access network device through the first cell of the first access network device. That is, the terminal accesses the network in the first cell. The first cell is a cell in the first TA of the first access network device.

[0524] The first message includes a registration request (Registration Request), the registration request includes information about a network slice that the terminal requests to access (e.g., Requested NSSAI), and the information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access includes identification information of the first network slice, that is, the first network slice is included in the network slice that the terminal requests to access in the first cell. Furthermore, the information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access may also include identification information of a second network slice.

[0525] In some embodiments, the first access network device may be an access network device within the first network. The first network may refer to the aforementioned related descriptions and will not be described again here.

[0526] S2002: The first access network device sends a registration request to the mobility management device. Correspondingly, the mobility management device receives the registration request from the first access network device.

[0527] The registration request is received by the first access network device from the terminal in step S2001. Therefore, step S2001 and step S2002 can be understood as: the mobile management device receives information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access through the first cell.

[0528] S2003. The mobile management device performs slice selection.

[0529] For example, the mobile management device can perform slice selection by interacting with the network slice selection function network element.

[0530] Among them, in step S2003, the mobile management device can determine the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access, specifically, it can determine the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell. This application is explained by taking the example that the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell includes the second network slice.

[0531] In some embodiments, after the mobile management device determines that the terminal is allowed to access the network slice in the first cell, the mobile management device can determine whether the first network slice belongs to the network slice allowed to access the terminal in the first cell. The present application uses the example that the mobile management device can learn that the first network slice does not belong to the network slice allowed to access the terminal in the first cell.

[0532] At this point, the mobile management device can determine the first network slice, and thus, S2001 to S2003 can be understood as the specific implementation of the mobile management device determining the first network slice.

[0533] As described above, the network slice that does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell can be called a target network slice, and there can be one or more target network slices. For example, the network slice that the terminal requests to access in the first cell also includes a third network slice, and the third network slice is a network slice that is allowed to access in the second network. Therefore, in the first cell of the first network, the third network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access. Alternatively, the target network slice can be a network slice that the terminal is denied access to, for example, the target network slice includes the above-mentioned first network slice.

[0534] In some embodiments, in step S2003, the mobile management device may also determine the network slice configured by the terminal in the first network. The present application takes the example that the network slice configured by the terminal in the first network includes the first network slice, or that the first network slice is included in the network slice configured by the terminal in the first network.

[0535] The mobile management device also determines the registration area of ​​the terminal. This application takes the case where the registration area of ​​the terminal includes a first cell and a second cell as an example for explanation. The second cell may belong to the first access network device, that is, the first cell and the second cell belong to the same access network device; or the second cell may belong to the second access network device, that is, the first cell and the second cell belong to different access network devices.

[0536] S2004. The mobile management device saves the identification information of the target network slice, and the target network slice includes the first network slice.

[0537] In some embodiments, when the mobile management device serving the terminal is subsequently switched, the identification information of the target network slice may be sent to the mobile management device after the switch. In the case where the mobile management device serving the terminal is switched, the mobile management network element after step S2004 may be considered to be the mobile management network element after the switch.

[0538] S2005: The mobility management network element sends a second message to the first access network device. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the second message from the mobility management network element.

[0539] The second message includes the information of the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access.

[0540] In some embodiments, the second message may be an N2 message.

[0541] It should be noted that there is no necessary order between step S2005 and step S2004. Step S2004 may be executed first, and then step S2005; or, step S2005 may be executed first, and then step S2004; or, step S2004 and step S2005 may be executed at the same time. This application does not make any specific limitations on this.

[0542] S2006. The first access network device sends information about the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives information about the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access from the first access network device.

[0543] S2007. Other registration procedures.

[0544] Among them, after step S2007, the registration process is completed and the terminal accesses the second network slice.

[0545] S2008. Execute switching, and the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell.

[0546] The second cell is a cell in the second TA.

[0547] In some embodiments, when the second cell belongs to a second access network device and the switching type is Xn switching, after step S2008, the terminal is switched in the access network and the following step S2009a is continued.

[0548] In some embodiments, when the second cell belongs to the second access network device and the switching type is N2 switching, after step S2008, the first access network device decides to trigger N2 switching and continues to execute the following step S2009b.

[0549] It can be understood that, when the second cell belongs to the first access network device, the following steps S2009a and S2009b are not executed.

[0550] S2009a, the second access network device sends a path switch request (Path Switch Requested) message to the mobility management device. Correspondingly, the mobility management device receives the path switch request message from the second access network device.

[0551] After receiving the path switching request message from the second access network device, the mobility management device may execute the following step S2011.

[0552] S2009b: The first access network device sends a handover required message to the mobility management device. Correspondingly, the mobility management device introduces the handover required message from the first access network device.

[0553] The switching requirement message includes the identifier of the second access network device, so that the mobility management device can learn the second access network device after the switch.

[0554] After receiving the switching requirement message from the first access network device, the mobility management device may execute the following step S2011.

[0555] S2010, remaining switching process.

[0556] For details, please refer to Figure 5 or Figure 6 The method flow shown, or the switching flow defined in the reference protocol, will not be repeated here.

[0557] It should be noted that S2010 can be executed in parallel with the following steps S2011 to S2014. Of course, they can also be executed in other orders. This application has specific limitations on this step.

[0558] S2011. The mobile management network element determines the target network slice available in the second cell.

[0559] It can be understood that in step S2011, the target network slice available in the second cell may be a subset of the target network slice in step S2004. For example, the target network slice in step S2004 includes the first network slice and the third network slice, and the target network slice available in the second cell in step S2011 is the first network slice, that is, the present application takes the example of the mobile management network element determining that the first network slice is available in the second cell, or determining that the target network slice available in the second cell includes the first network slice.

[0560] That is to say, when the second cell belongs to the second access network device and the switching type is Xn switching, the mobile management device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, which may include: when the mobile management network element receives a path switching request message from the second access network device, determining that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0561] When the second cell belongs to the second access network device and the switching type is N2 switching, the mobile management network element determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, which may include: when the mobile management network element receives a switching request message from the first access network device, determining that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0562] In other words, when the second cell belongs to the second access network device, the path switching request message or the switching requirement message can serve as a trigger condition for the mobile management device to determine that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0563] In different embodiments of the present application, the manner in which the mobility management device determines the target network slice available in the second cell may also be different, for example:

[0564] In some embodiments, the mobile management device determines a target network slice available in the second cell, including: the mobile management device queries the context of the target access network device to determine whether the network slices supported by the tracking area of ​​the target access network device include the target network slice.

[0565] Among them, when the second cell belongs to the second access network device, the target access network device is the second access network device; when the second cell belongs to the first access network device, the target access network device is the first access network device.

[0566] Among them, the present application takes the context of the target access network device indicating that the network slices supported by the tracking area of ​​the target access network device include the first network slice, or in other words, the context of the target access network device indicates that the tracking area of ​​the target access network device supports the first network slice as an example for explanation. In this scenario, the second cell is a cell in the tracking area of ​​the target access network device, and exemplarily, the second cell is a cell in the second TA of the target access network device.

[0567] In other embodiments, see Fig.21 , taking the target access network device as the second access network device as an example, the mobility management device determines the target network slice available for the second cell, including:

[0568] S2011a, the mobile management device sends the identification information of the target network slice supported by the tracking area of ​​the target access network device to the target access network device. Correspondingly, the target access network device receives the identification information of the target network slice supported by the tracking area of ​​the target access network device from the mobile management device.

[0569] Among them, assuming that the target network slice in step S2004 includes the first network slice and the third network slice, the present application takes the tracking area of ​​the target access network device supports the first network slice but does not support the third network slice, and the identification information of the first network slice sent by the mobile management device in step S2011a is used as an example for explanation.

[0570] S2011b. The target access network device determines whether the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell based on the measurement report reported by the terminal.

[0571] In some embodiments, the target access network device first determines whether the second TA in which the second cell is located supports the first network slice. This application takes the second TA supporting the first network slice as an example for explanation. Afterwards, the target access network device can determine whether the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell according to the cell signal quality in the measurement report.

[0572] As an example, the cell signal quality can be measured by one or more of received signal code power (RSCP), reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), and reference signal strength indication (RSSI), and the present application does not make any specific limitation on this.

[0573] As an example, when the cell signal quality corresponding to the second cell is greater than the first threshold, the target access network device determines that the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell.

[0574] As an example, the target access network device may execute step S2011b immediately after S2011a; or, may execute step S2011b at any time after S2011a, thereby executing step S2011c after executing step S2011b at any time.

[0575] S2011c: The target access network device sends notification information to the mobility management device. Correspondingly, the mobility management device receives the notification information from the target access network device.

[0576] The notification information is used to notify the terminal that the first network slice can be accessed in the second cell. Thus, the mobile management device learns from the target access network device that the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell.

[0577] As an example, in step S2011a, when the target network slices supported by the tracking area of ​​the target access network device only include the first network slice, the notification information can be 1-bit information. For example, when the value of the bit is "1", the terminal is notified that the second cell can access the first network slice, or, when the value of the bit is "0", the terminal is notified that the second cell can access the first network slice.

[0578] As another example, when the target network slice supported by the tracking area of ​​the target access network device in step S2011a includes multiple network slices, the notification information may include identification information of the first network slice.

[0579] As another example, when the target network slices supported by the tracking area of ​​the target access network device in step S2011a include multiple network slices, the notification information may include a bit map, the number of bits included in the bit map is equal to the number of target network slices supported by the tracking area of ​​the target access network device, different bits correspond to different target network slices, and the terminal is notified whether the corresponding target network slice can be accessed in the second cell through the value of the bit.

[0580] Exemplarily, in step S2011a, the target network slices supported by the tracking area of ​​the target access network device include network slice 1 and network slice 2. The target access network device determines that the terminal can access network slice 1 but cannot access network slice 2 in the second cell. Then, the bitmap may include two bits, the first bit corresponding to network slice 1, and the second bit corresponding to network slice 2. For example, the bitmap may be "10", notifying the terminal that it can access network slice 1 but cannot access network slice 2 in the second cell.

[0581] It can be understood that steps S2011a to S2011c can also be applicable to the scenario where the target access network device is the first access network device.

[0582] That is to say, the mobile management device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, including: the mobile management device sends identification information of the first network slice to the target access network device, and learns from the target access network device that the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell.

[0583] Based on this solution, after determining the first network slice supported by the tracking area of ​​the target access network device, the mobile management device further confirms with the target access network device whether the terminal can access the first network slice supported by the tracking area of ​​the target access network device, to avoid the situation where the target access network device supports the first network slice, but the terminal cannot access the first network slice in the second cell. The mobile management device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell, which can improve the success rate of the terminal accessing the first network slice in the second cell.

[0584] S2012. The mobile management device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0585] In some embodiments, the mobile management device may send a NAS message to the terminal, notifying the terminal through the NAS message that the first network slice is available in the second cell. The notification method may refer to the above step S2011c, which will not be repeated here.

[0586] Optionally, after step S2012, the network slicing-based communication method may further include the following steps S2013 and S2014:

[0587] S2013: The terminal sends indication information to the mobility management device. Correspondingly, the mobility management device receives the indication information from the terminal, or in other words, the mobility management device receives the indication information from the terminal.

[0588] In some embodiments, the indication information is used to indicate that the terminal no longer requests access to the first network slice.

[0589] S2014. The mobile management device deletes the identification information of the first network slice according to the indication information.

[0590] In some embodiments, the indication information is used to indicate that when the terminal no longer requests access to the first network slice, the mobile management device deletes the identification information of the first network slice. When the mobile management device subsequently serves the terminal, it may no longer notify the terminal of the cell that can access the first network slice, thereby reducing signaling overhead and reducing resource waste.

[0591] Based on this solution, when the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell, the mobile management device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, and notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell. Therefore, if the terminal still wants to access the first network slice, it can initiate a registration process to request access to the first network slice, thereby improving the success rate of accessing the first network slice and using the services provided by the first network slice.

[0592] See also Fig. 22 , a second cell provided in the present application belongs to a first access network device, and the network device is the first access network device, Fig.14 The method shown is applied to a method flow chart of a specific process. Fig. 22 The method shown can be applied to Figure 8c The method comprises the following steps:

[0593] S2201 to S2207, same Fig. 20 The steps S2001 to S2007 may refer to the above related description and will not be repeated here.

[0594] S2208. Execute switching, and the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell.

[0595] The second cell is a cell in the second TA, and the second cell belongs to the first access network device. After S2208 is completed, it can be considered that the terminal has completed the handover from the first cell to the second cell.

[0596] S2209. The mobile management device sends the identification information of the target network slice saved in step S2204 to the first access network device. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the identification information of the target network slice from the mobile management device.

[0597] Taking the example that the target network slices saved in S2204 include the first network slice and the third network slice, in S2209, the mobile management device sends the identification information of the first network slice and the identification information of the third network slice to the first access network device.

[0598] It should be noted that there is no necessary order between step S2209 and step S2208. Step S2208 may be executed first, and then step S2209; or, step S2209 may be executed first, and then step S2208; or, step S2208 and step S2209 may be executed at the same time. This application does not make any specific limitations on this.

[0599] For example, in the case where step S2209 is executed first and then step S2208 is executed, in step S2209, the first access network device may determine the first network slice. In combination with the above steps S2201 to S2209, the first access network device determines the first network slice, including: the first access network device sends information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access to the mobility management network element, and the information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access includes identification information of the first network slice. After that, the first access network device learns from the mobility management device that the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell. In other words, the first access network device may learn from the mobility management device in the above registration process that the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell.

[0600] It can be understood that the characteristics of the first network slice and / or the operations performed on it are also applicable to the third network slice. Please refer to the relevant instructions of the first network slice and no further details will be given here.

[0601] S2210. The first access network device determines the target network slice supported by the tracking area of ​​the first access network device.

[0602] In some embodiments, the first access network device can determine the target network slice supported by its tracking area based on the support capability of the network slice recorded by the first access network device.

[0603] As an example, in the case where the target network slice in step S2209 includes the first network slice and the third network slice, assuming that the tracking area of ​​the first access network device supports the first network slice but does not support the third network slice, then the target network slice supported by the tracking area of ​​the first access network device determined by the first access network device in step S2210 is the first network slice.

[0604] S2211. The first access network device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0605] In some embodiments, the first access network device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, including: the first access network device determines that the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell. The method for the first access network device to determine that the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell can refer to the relevant description in the above step S2011b, which is not repeated here.

[0606] S2212. The first access network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0607] In some embodiments, the first access network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell, including: the first access network device notifies the terminal through the mobility management device that the first network slice is available in the second cell. Exemplarily, step S2212 may include S2212a and S2212b:

[0608] S2212a: The first access network device sends notification information to the mobility management device. Correspondingly, the mobility management device receives the notification information from the target access network device.

[0609] Among them, step S2212a can refer to the relevant instructions in the above step S2011c, which will not be repeated here.

[0610] S2212b. The mobile management device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0611] Among them, step S2212b can refer to the relevant instructions in the above step S2012, which will not be repeated here.

[0612] In other embodiments, the first access network device may notify the terminal through an RRC message that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0613] Optionally, after step S2212, the communication method based on network slicing may further include steps S2213 and S2214. Steps S2213 and S2214 are the same as the above-mentioned steps S2013 and S2014, and the relevant descriptions of steps S2013 and S2014 may be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0614] Among them, the use of Fig. 22 According to the method, when the first access network device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, the first access network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell. Fig. 22 The technical effects of the method shown can be referred to above Fig. 20 The technical effects brought about by the method shown will not be described in detail here.

[0615] See also Fig.23, a second cell provided in the present application belongs to a second access network device, and the network device is the second access network device, Fig.14 The method shown is applied to a method flow chart of a specific process. Fig. 22 The method shown can be applied to Figure 8b The method comprises the following steps:

[0616] S2301 to S2310, and Fig. 20 The steps S2001 to S2010 shown are the same and can be referred to Fig. 20 The relevant description will not be repeated here.

[0617] S2311. The mobile management device sends the identification information of the target network slice saved in step S2304 to the second access network device. Correspondingly, the second access network device receives the identification information of the target network slice from the mobile management device.

[0618] The method in which the mobile management device sends the identification information of the target network slice to the second access network device is the same as Fig. 22 The manner in which the mobile management device sends the identification information of the target network slice to the first access network device in step S2209 is similar, and the relevant description in the above step S2209 may be referred to, and will not be repeated here. Fig. 22 The difference is that in the scenario of inter-station switching, the mobile management device can send the identification information of the target network slice to the second access network device after receiving the path switching request message or the switching requirement message.

[0619] S2312. The second access network device determines the target network slice supported by the tracking area of ​​the second access network device.

[0620] In some embodiments, the second access network device can determine the target network slice supported by its tracking area based on the support capability for network slices recorded locally by the second access network device.

[0621] As an example, in the case where the target network slice in step S2311 includes the first network slice and the third network slice, assuming that the tracking area of ​​the second access network device supports the first network slice but does not support the third network slice, then the target network slice supported by the tracking area of ​​the second access network device determined by the second access network device in step S2312 is the first network slice.

[0622] S2313. The second access network device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0623] In some embodiments, the second access network device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, including: the second access network device determines that the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell. The method for the second access network device to determine that the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell can refer to the relevant description in the above step S2011b, which is not repeated here.

[0624] S2314. The second access network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0625] The manner in which the second access network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell is the same as Fig. 22 The manner in which the first access network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell in step S2212 is similar. Please refer to the relevant instructions in the above step S2212 and will not be repeated here.

[0626] Optionally, after step S2314, the communication method based on network slicing may further include steps S2315 and S2316. Steps S2315 and S2316 are the same as the above-mentioned steps S2013 and S2014, and the relevant descriptions of steps S2013 and S2014 may be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0627] Among them, the use of Fig.23 According to the method, when the second access network device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, the second access network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell. Fig.23 The technical effects of the method shown can be referred to above Fig. 20 The technical effects brought about by the method shown will not be described in detail here.

[0628] See also Fig.24 , when a network device provided by itself is a mobile management device, Fig.15 Schematic diagram of the method of applying the method to a specific process. Fig.24 The method shown can be applied to Figure 8a The method comprises the following steps:

[0629] S2401 to S2407, and Fig. 20 The steps S2001 to S2007 shown are the same, and the relevant descriptions of steps S2001 to S2007 may be referred to, which will not be repeated here.

[0630] S2408. Execute switching, and the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell.

[0631] The second cell is a cell in the second TA. The access network device to which the second cell belongs has a third cell that has the same physical coverage as the second cell, and the third cell is a cell in the third TA.

[0632] In some embodiments, when the second cell belongs to a second access network device and the switching type is Xn switching, after step S2408, the terminal completes the switching in the access network and continues to execute the following step S2409a.

[0633] In some embodiments, when the second cell belongs to the second access network device and the switching type is N2 switching, after step S2408, the first access network device decides to trigger N2 switching and continues to execute the following step S2409b.

[0634] It can be understood that, when the second cell belongs to the first access network device, the following steps S2409a and S2409b are not performed.

[0635] S2409a, and Fig. 20 The step S2009a shown is similar, and the relevant description of step S2009a may be referred to, and will not be repeated here. After receiving the path switching request from the second access network device, the mobility management device executes the following step S2411.

[0636] S2409b, and Fig. 20 The step S2009b shown is similar, and the relevant description of step S2009b may be referred to, and will not be repeated here. After receiving the handover request from the first access network device, the mobility management device executes the following step S2411.

[0637] S2410, and Fig. 20 The step S2010 shown is the same as that shown in FIG. 1 , and the relevant description of step S2010 may be referred to, which will not be repeated here.

[0638] S2411. The mobile management network element determines a target network slice available in the third cell.

[0639] Among them, the description of the target network slices available in the third cell can refer to the description of the target network slices available in the second cell in the above step S2011, and will not be repeated here.

[0640] In different embodiments of the present application, the manner in which the mobility management device determines the target network slice available in the third cell may also be different, for example:

[0641] In some embodiments, the mobile management device determines a target network slice available in the third cell, including: the mobile management device queries the context of the target access network device to determine whether the network slices supported by the tracking area of ​​the target access network device include the target network slice.

[0642] Among them, when the second cell belongs to the second access network device, the target access network device is the second access network device; when the second cell belongs to the first access network device, the target access network device is the first access network device.

[0643] In this application, the context of the target access network device indicates that the tracking area where the third cell is located (i.e., the third TA) supports the first network slice, and the tracking area where the second cell is located (i.e., the second TA) does not support the first network slice. The second TA and the third TA are the TAs of the target access network device, and the second cell and the third cell are the cells of the target access network device.

[0644] In some other embodiments, the mobility management device determines a target network slice available to the third cell, including:

[0645] S2411a, the mobile management device sends the identification information of the target network slice supported by the tracking area of ​​the target access network device to the target access network device. Correspondingly, the target access network device receives the identification information of the target network slice supported by the tracking area of ​​the target access network device from the mobile management device.

[0646] Among them, please refer to the relevant instructions in the above step S2011a, which will not be repeated here.

[0647] S2411b. The target access network device determines whether the terminal can access the first network slice in the third cell based on the measurement report reported by the terminal.

[0648] In some embodiments, the target access network device first determines whether the third TA in which the third cell is located supports the first network slice. This application takes the third TA supporting the first network slice as an example for explanation. Afterwards, the target access network device can determine whether the terminal can access the first network slice in the third cell according to the cell signal quality in the measurement report. Please refer to the relevant description in step S2011b, which will not be repeated here.

[0649] S2411c: The target access network device sends notification information to the mobility management device. Correspondingly, the mobility management device receives the notification information from the target access network device.

[0650] Among them, the notification information is used to notify the terminal that it can access the first network slice in the third cell. The notification method can refer to the above step S2011c and will not be repeated here.

[0651] That is to say, the mobile management device determines that the first network slice is available in the third cell, including: the mobile management device sends identification information of the first network slice to the target access network device, and learns from the target access network device that the terminal can access the first network slice in the third cell.

[0652] S2412. The mobile management device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the third cell.

[0653] In some embodiments, the mobile management device may send a NAS message to the terminal, and notify the terminal through the NAS message that the first network slice is available in the third cell. The notification method can refer to the above step S2012, which will not be repeated here.

[0654] In some embodiments, after the mobile management device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the third cell, the terminal learns that the first network slice is available in the third cell. In this scenario, the terminal can reselect the cell by itself to access the third cell and access the first network slice through the third cell; or, the terminal can initiate a registration request in the second cell to request access to the first network slice, and then the target access network redirects the terminal to the third cell through an RRC connection release message, so that the terminal accesses the first network slice through the third cell. Please refer to the above Figure 5 The process shown will not be repeated here.

[0655] Optionally, after step S2412, the network slicing-based communication method may further include steps S2413 and S2414, which are the same as the above-mentioned steps S2013 and S2014. Please refer to the above-mentioned relevant instructions and will not be repeated here.

[0656] Based on this solution, when the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell, and the mobile management device determines that the first network slice is available in the third cell, it notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the third cell. Therefore, if the terminal still wants to access the first network slice, it can access the first network slice in the third cell, thereby improving the success rate of accessing the first network slice and using the services provided by the first network slice.

[0657] See also Fig.25 , a second cell provided in the present application belongs to a first access network device, and the network device is the first access network device, Fig.15 The method shown is applied to a method flow chart of a specific process, and the method comprises the following steps:

[0658] S2501 to S2507, and Fig. 22 The steps S2201 to S2207 shown are the same, and the relevant descriptions of the above steps S2201 to S2207 may be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0659] S2508. Execute switching, and the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell.

[0660] The second cell is a cell in the second TA. A third cell physically co-covered with the second cell exists under the first access network device to which the second cell belongs, and the third cell is a cell in the third TA.

[0661] Among them, after S2508 is completed, it can be considered that the terminal has completed the switch from the first cell to the second cell.

[0662] S2509. The mobile management device sends the identification information of the target network slice saved in step S2504 to the first access network device. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the identification information of the target network slice from the mobile management device.

[0663] Among them, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S2209, which will not be repeated here.

[0664] S2510. The first access network device determines the target network slice supported by the tracking area of ​​the first access network device.

[0665] Among them, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S2210, which will not be repeated here.

[0666] S2511. The first access network device determines that the first network slice is available in the third cell.

[0667] In some embodiments, the first access network device determines that the first network slice is available in the third cell, including: the first access network device determines that the terminal can access the first network slice in the third cell. The method for the first access network device to determine that the terminal can access the first network slice in the third cell can refer to the relevant description in the above step S2411b, which is not repeated here.

[0668] S2512. The first access network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the third cell.

[0669] Among them, the notification method can refer to the method in the above step S2212, where the first access network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell, and will not be repeated here.

[0670] In some embodiments, after the first access network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the third cell, the terminal learns that the first network slice is available in the third cell. In this scenario, the terminal can reselect the cell by itself to access the third cell and access the first network slice through the third cell; or, the terminal can initiate a registration request in the second cell to request access to the first network slice, and then the target access network redirects the terminal to the third cell through an RRC connection release message, so that the terminal accesses the first network slice through the third cell. Please refer to the above Figure 5 The process shown will not be repeated here.

[0671] Optionally, after step S2512, the communication method based on network slicing may further include steps S2513 and S2514. Steps S2513 and S2514 are the same as the above-mentioned steps S2013 and S2014, and the relevant descriptions of steps S2013 and S2014 may be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0672] Among them, the use of Fig.25 According to the method, when the first access network device determines that the first network slice is available in the third cell, the first access network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the third cell. Fig.25 The technical effects of the method shown can be referred to above Fig.24 The technical effects brought about by the method shown will not be described in detail here.

[0673] See also Fig.26 , a second cell provided in the present application belongs to a second access network device, and the network device is the second access network device, Fig.15 The method shown is applied to a method flow chart of a specific process. Fig.26 The method shown can be applied to Figure 8a The method comprises the following steps:

[0674] S2601 to S2607, and Fig. 20 The steps S2001 to S2007 shown are the same, and the relevant descriptions of the above steps S2001 to S2007 may be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0675] S2608. Execute switching, and the terminal switches from the first cell to the second cell.

[0676] The second cell is a cell in the second TA. The access network device to which the second cell belongs has a third cell that has the same physical coverage as the second cell, and the third cell is a cell in the third TA.

[0677] In some embodiments, when the second cell belongs to a second access network device and the switching type is Xn switching, after step S2608, the terminal completes the switching in the access network and continues to execute the following step S2609a.

[0678] In some embodiments, when the second cell belongs to the second access network device and the switching type is N2 switching, after step S2608, the first access network device decides to trigger N2 switching and continues to execute the following step S2609b.

[0679] S2609a, and Fig. 20The step S2009a shown is similar, and the relevant description of step S2009a may be referred to, and will not be repeated here. After receiving the path switching request from the second access network device, the mobility management device executes the following step S2411.

[0680] S2609b, and Fig. 20 The step S2009b shown is similar, and the relevant description of step S2009b may be referred to, and will not be repeated here. After receiving the handover request from the first access network device, the mobility management device executes the following step S2411.

[0681] S2610, and Fig. 20 The step S2010 shown is the same as that shown in FIG. 1 , and the relevant description of step S2010 may be referred to, which will not be repeated here.

[0682] S2611. The mobile management device sends the identification information of the target network slice saved in step S2604 to the second access network device. Correspondingly, the second access network device receives the identification information of the target network slice from the mobile management device.

[0683] S2612. The second access network device determines the target network slice supported by the tracking area of ​​the second access network device.

[0684] For details, please refer to the relevant instructions in the above steps S2311 and S2312, which will not be repeated here.

[0685] S2613. The second access network device determines that the first network slice is available in the third cell.

[0686] In some embodiments, the second access network device determines that the first network slice is available in the third cell, including: the second access network device determines that the terminal can access the first network slice in the third cell. The method for the second access network device to determine that the terminal can access the first network slice in the third cell can refer to the relevant description in the above step S2411b, which is not repeated here.

[0687] S2614. The second access network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the third cell.

[0688] Among them, the notification method can refer to the method in the above step S2212, where the first access network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell, and will not be repeated here.

[0689] In some embodiments, after the second access network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the third cell, the terminal learns that the first network slice is available in the third cell. In this scenario, the terminal can reselect the cell by itself to access the third cell and access the first network slice through the third cell; or, the terminal can initiate a registration request in the second cell to request access to the first network slice, and then the target access network redirects the terminal to the third cell through an RRC connection release message, so that the terminal accesses the first network slice through the third cell. Please refer to the above Figure 5 The process shown will not be repeated here.

[0690] Optionally, after step S2614, the communication method based on network slicing may further include steps S2615 and S2616. Steps S2615 and S2616 are the same as the above-mentioned steps S2013 and S2014, and the relevant descriptions of steps S2013 and S2014 may be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0691] Among them, the use of Fig.26 According to the method, when the second access network device determines that the first network slice is available in the third cell, the second access network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the third cell. Fig.26 The technical effects of the method shown can be referred to above Fig.24 The technical effects brought about by the method shown will not be described in detail here.

[0692] See also Fig. 27 , in the case where a network device provided by the present application is a mobile management device, Fig.16 A flow chart of a method for applying the method to a specific process, the method comprising the following steps:

[0693] S2701: A terminal sends a first message to a first access network device. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the first message from the terminal.

[0694] The terminal sends the first message to the first access network device through the first cell of the first access network device. That is, the terminal accesses the network in the first cell. The first cell is a cell in the first TA of the first access network device.

[0695] The first message includes a registration request (Registration Request), the registration request includes information about a network slice that the terminal requests to access (e.g., Requested NSSAI), and the information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access includes identification information of the first network slice, that is, the first network slice is included in the network slice that the terminal requests to access in the first cell. Furthermore, the information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access may also include identification information of a second network slice.

[0696] In some embodiments, the first access network device may be an access network device within the first network. The first network may refer to the aforementioned related descriptions and will not be described again here.

[0697] S2702: The first access network device sends a registration request to the mobility management device. Correspondingly, the mobility management device receives the registration request from the first access network device.

[0698] The registration request is received by the first access network device from the terminal in step S2701. Therefore, step S2701 and step S2702 can be understood as: the mobile management device receives information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access through the first cell.

[0699] S2703. The mobile management device performs slice selection.

[0700] For example, the mobile management device can perform slice selection by interacting with the network slice selection function network element.

[0701] In step S2703, the mobile management device can determine the first network slice, and the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell. Therefore, S2701 to S2703 can be understood as the specific implementation of the mobile management device determining the first network slice.

[0702] In step S2703, the mobile management device also determines the registration area of ​​the terminal. This application takes the case where the registration area of ​​the terminal includes a first cell and a second cell as an example for explanation. The second cell is a neighboring cell of the first cell and may belong to the first access network device, that is, the first cell and the second cell belong to the same access network device; or, may belong to the second access network device, that is, the first cell and the second cell belong to different access network devices.

[0703] S2704. The mobile management device saves the identification information of the target network slice, where the target network slice includes the first network slice.

[0704] Exemplarily, the present application is illustrated by taking the example that the saved target network slices include the first network slice and the third network slice, that is, the terminal requests access to the first network slice, the second network slice, and the third network slice in the first cell. The network slice allowed for the terminal to access in the first cell is the second network slice, and the network slices that are not allowed for the terminal to access include the first network slice and the third network slice.

[0705] In some embodiments, when the mobile management device serving the terminal is subsequently switched, the identification information of the target network slice may be sent to the mobile management device after the switch. In the case where the mobile management device serving the terminal is switched, the mobile management network element after step S2704 may be considered to be the mobile management network element after the switch.

[0706] S2705: The mobility management network element sends a second message to the first access network device. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the second message from the mobility management network element.

[0707] The second message includes the information of the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access.

[0708] In some embodiments, the second message may be an N2 message.

[0709] It should be noted that there is no necessary order between step S2705 and step S2704. Step S2704 may be executed first, and then step S2705; or, step S2705 may be executed first, and then step S2704; or, step S2704 and step S2705 may be executed at the same time. This application does not make any specific limitations on this.

[0710] S2706. The first access network device sends information about the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives information about the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access from the first access network device.

[0711] S2707. Other registration procedures.

[0712] Among them, after step S2007, the registration process is completed and the terminal accesses the second network slice.

[0713] S2708. The mobile management device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0714] In different embodiments of the present application, the method in which the mobility management device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell may be different, for example:

[0715] In some embodiments, the mobility management device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, which may include:

[0716] S27081a. The first access network device sends the cell identifier of the second cell to the mobility management device. Correspondingly, the mobility management device receives the cell identifier of the second cell from the first access network device.

[0717] As a possible implementation, since the second cell is a neighboring cell of the first cell, the terminal can measure the neighboring cell of the first cell and report a measurement report to the first access network device, and the measurement report may include the neighboring cell identifier and neighboring cell quality of the first cell. After the first access network device receives the measurement report from the terminal, if the measurement report includes the cell identifier of the second cell, step S27081a may be performed.

[0718] As an example, the first access network device may determine the cell identifier of the second cell reported to the mobility management device by the following method:

[0719] Before step S27081a, the mobile management device may send reference frequency information corresponding to the first network slice to the first access network device. After receiving the measurement report reported by the terminal, the first access network device may determine the second cell according to the reference frequency information, thereby reporting the cell identifier of the second cell to the mobile management device. For example, the second cell is a cell at the frequency indicated by the reference frequency information; when there are multiple cells at the frequency indicated by the reference frequency information, the second cell may be a cell among the multiple cells whose signal quality is greater than the second threshold.

[0720] In addition, after the first access network device receives the reference frequency information corresponding to the first network slice, it can configure the frequency point indicated by the reference frequency information as a measurement object and send it to the terminal, so that the terminal can measure the frequency point.

[0721] S27082a. The mobile management device determines the network slices supported by the second TA.

[0722] The second TA is the TA where the second cell is located.

[0723] As a possible implementation method, the mobile management device can determine the network slices supported by the second TA through the network slice information reported by the first access network device when establishing or updating the N2 connection.

[0724] S27083a. When the network slices supported by the second TA include the first network slice, the mobile management device determines that the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell.

[0725] In some embodiments, the mobility management device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, which may include:

[0726] S27081b. The first access network device sends the signal quality information of the neighboring cell of the first cell to the mobility management device. Correspondingly, the mobility management device receives the signal quality information of the neighboring cell of the first cell from the first access network device.

[0727] The neighboring cell of the first cell includes the second cell, that is, the quality information of the neighboring cell includes the signal quality information of the second cell.

[0728] As a possible implementation manner, the first access network device sends to the mobility management device the signal quality information of all neighboring cells of the first cell reported by the terminal.

[0729] As another possible implementation, the signal quality information of the neighboring cell of the first cell sent by the first access network device to the mobility management device may be the signal quality of the cell at the frequency indicated by the reference frequency information corresponding to the first network slice. The reference frequency information corresponding to the first network slice may be the information sent by the mobility management device to the first access network device before step S27081b.

[0730] S27082b. The mobile management device determines, based on the signal quality information of the second cell, that the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell.

[0731] As a possible implementation method, the mobile management device may first determine whether the second TA where the second cell is located supports the first network slice. If the second TA supports the first network slice, it is further determined whether the cell signal quality indicated by the signal quality information of the second cell is greater than a second threshold. If the cell signal quality of the second cell is greater than the second threshold, it is determined that the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell.

[0732] Whether through the above steps S27081a to S27083a or through the above steps S27082a and S27082b, the mobile management device can determine that the first network slice is available in the second cell before the switching process occurs.

[0733] It can be understood that for the third network slice, the mobile management device can also determine whether it is available in the second cell. This application is illustrated by taking the example that the third network slice is unavailable in the second cell.

[0734] S2709. The network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0735] Among them, the notification method can refer to the method in the above step S2012, in which the first access network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell, and will not be repeated here.

[0736] S2710: The mobility management device sends a cell identifier of the second cell to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the cell identifier of the second cell from the mobility management device.

[0737] In some embodiments, the cell identifier of the second cell can be used for the terminal to switch from the first cell to the second cell, thereby accessing the first network slice in the second cell.

[0738] In some embodiments, the cell identifier of the second cell and the information notifying the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell can be carried in one message; or, they can be carried in different messages, which is not specifically limited in the present application.

[0739] Optionally, after step S2710, the communication method based on network slicing may further include steps S2711 and S2712. Steps S2711 and S2712 are the same as steps S2013 and S2014, and the relevant descriptions of steps S2013 and S2014 may be referred to, which will not be repeated here.

[0740] Based on the solution of the present application, when the mobile management device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, it notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell and sends the cell identifier of the second cell. Therefore, if the terminal still wants to access the first network slice, it can access the second cell and initiate a registration process to request access to the first network slice, thereby improving the success rate of accessing the first network slice and using the services provided by the first network slice.

[0741] See also Fig.28 , in the case where a network device provided by the present application is a mobile management device, Fig.17 A flow chart of a method for applying the method to a specific process, the method comprising the following steps:

[0742] S2801 to S2807, and Fig. 27 The steps S2701 to S2707 shown are the same, and the relevant descriptions of the above steps S2701 to S2707 may be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0743] S2808. The mobile management device determines that the first network slice is available in the third cell.

[0744] The physical coverage of the third cell completely or partially overlaps with the physical coverage of the second cell.

[0745] In some embodiments, the third cell may be referred to as a cell physically co-covering the second cell.

[0746] Among them, the method for the mobile management device to determine that the first network slice is available in the third cell can refer to the method in the above step S2708, in which the mobile management device determines that the first network slice is available in the second cell, and will not be repeated here.

[0747] It can be understood that when the first network slice is available in the third cell, the cells on the frequency point indicated by the reference frequency information corresponding to the first network slice include the third cell, but not the second cell.

[0748] S2809. The network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the third cell.

[0749] Among them, the notification method can refer to the method in the above step S2012, in which the first access network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell, and will not be repeated here.

[0750] S2810: The mobility management device sends a cell identifier of the third cell to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the cell identifier of the third cell from the mobility management device.

[0751] In some embodiments, the cell identifier of the third cell can be used for the terminal to switch from the second cell to the third cell, thereby accessing the first network slice in the third cell.

[0752] Optionally, after step S2810, the communication method based on network slicing may further include steps S2811 and S2812. Steps S2811 and S2812 are the same as the above-mentioned steps S2013 and S2014, and the relevant descriptions of steps S2013 and S2014 may be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0753] Based on this solution, when the neighboring area of ​​the first cell accessed by the terminal includes the second cell, and there is a third cell that has the same physical coverage as the second cell, the mobile management device determines that the first network slice is available in the third cell, notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the third cell, and sends the cell identifier of the third cell. Thus, if the terminal still wants to access the first network slice, it can access the third cell and request access to the first network slice.

[0754] The above describes the application of the network equipment implementation method in the specific process. Fig.18 The method implemented by the terminal shown in the figure is described in detail. The method can be applied to the process in which the above-mentioned network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice can be in the second cell, that is, the method can be considered as Figure 20 to Figure 23 ,or Fig. 27 In the process, the network device notifies the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell, and then the terminal implements it.

[0755] See also Fig.29 and Fig.30 , a network slicing-based communication method for a terminal provided in the present application, the method comprising:

[0756] S2901. The terminal learns from the network device that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0757] Among them, the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell, and the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell. Please refer to the above related description and will not repeat it here.

[0758] In some embodiments, see Fig.30 , step S2901 may be: the first entity of the terminal learns from the network device that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0759] As an example, the first entity may be a hardware structure of a terminal.

[0760] S2902. The terminal saves the identification information of the first network slice.

[0761] In some embodiments, see Fig.30 , step S2902 can be: the first entity of the terminal saves the identification information of the first network slice.

[0762] S2903: The application of the terminal initiates a data transmission request.

[0763] In some embodiments, see Fig.30 , step S2903 may be: the application of the terminal initiates a data transmission request to the first entity of the terminal.

[0764] S2904: The terminal queries the context of the terminal.

[0765] The context of the terminal includes the URSP and session information available to the terminal. If the context of the terminal does not include the URSP for the application and does not include the session for the application, it means that the network slice corresponding to the data transmission request does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell, and the following step S2905 is performed.

[0766] In some embodiments, see Fig.30 , step S2904 may be: the first entity of the terminal interacts with the second entity of the terminal to complete the query of the terminal context.

[0767] As an example, the second entity may be a component included in the terminal and used to save the terminal context.

[0768] S2905. The terminal determines whether the first network slice is the network slice corresponding to the application.

[0769] That is, in response to the fact that the context of the terminal does not include a session for the application and does not include a URSP for the application, the terminal determines whether the first network slice is the network slice corresponding to the application.

[0770] Among them, when the first network slice is the network slice corresponding to the application, the application is the application corresponding to the first network slice, and the terminal further executes the following step S2906a.

[0771] Alternatively, when the first network slice is not the network slice corresponding to the application, execute the following step S2906b.

[0772] In some embodiments, see Fig.30, the above step S2905 can be: the first entity of the terminal determines whether the first network slice is the network slice corresponding to the application.

[0773] S2906a. The terminal initiates a registration process for the application corresponding to the first network slice.

[0774] In some embodiments, see Fig.30 , step S2906a may be: the first entity of the terminal initiates a registration process for the application corresponding to the first network slice.

[0775] In some embodiments, for example, Fig.29 The implementation of the terminal shown is applied to Fig. 27 In the scenario shown, the terminal also receives a cell identifier from the network device, where the cell identifier is for the second cell. In other words, the terminal also receives a cell identifier of the second cell from the network device.

[0776] In this scenario, the terminal initiates a registration process for the application corresponding to the first network slice, which may include: the terminal accesses the second cell, and initiates a registration process for the application through the second cell.

[0777] In some embodiments, the terminal requests access to the first network slice in a registration process initiated for the application.

[0778] S2906b. The terminal rejects the data transmission request initiated by the application.

[0779] In some embodiments, see Fig.30 , step S2906b may be: the first entity of the terminal rejects the data transmission request initiated by the application.

[0780] Optionally, the network slicing-based communication method provided in the present application further includes the following step S2907:

[0781] S2907. The terminal notifies the network device that the terminal no longer requests access to the first network slice. Correspondingly, the network device learns from the terminal that the terminal no longer requests access to the first network slice.

[0782] In some embodiments, see Fig.30 , step S2907 may be: the first entity of the terminal notifies the network device that the terminal no longer requests access to the first network slice.

[0783] In some embodiments, the terminal may send indication information to the network device, where the indication information is used to indicate that the terminal no longer requests access to the first network slice.

[0784] In some embodiments, after receiving the indication information, the network device can delete the identification information of the first network slice it has stored according to the indication information. Please refer to the above-mentioned relevant instructions and will not repeat them here.

[0785] In some embodiments, after a first duration starting from a first moment, the terminal no longer requests access to the first network slice through the network device, and the first moment is the moment when the terminal learns from the network device that the first network slice is available in the second cell. That is, if the first network slice available in the second cell has not been requested for use by the terminal's application for more than a period of time, the terminal can notify the network device that the terminal no longer requests access to the first network slice.

[0786] Optionally, in some embodiments, when the terminal learns from the network device that the first network slice is switched after the second cell is available, and no new available network slice is learned from the network device after the switch, the terminal may delete the identification information of the first network slice it has stored.

[0787] Based on this solution, the terminal can learn from the network device that the first network slice is available in the second cell. Therefore, when the terminal's application corresponds to the first network slice, a registration process can be initiated for the application to request access to the first network slice, thereby improving the success rate of accessing the first network slice.

[0788] It can be understood that when the terminal learns from the network device that the first network slice is available in the third cell, the implementation of the terminal is the same as Fig.29 or Fig.30 The method shown is similar, and the second cell may be replaced by the third cell for further understanding. Please refer to the above related instructions, which will not be repeated here.

[0789] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or provided for in any logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between the different embodiments are consistent and may be referenced to each other, and the technical features in the different embodiments may be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0790] It can be understood that in each of the above embodiments, the methods and / or steps implemented by each device can also be implemented by components (such as chips or circuits) that can be used for the device.

[0791] The above mainly introduces the solution provided by the present application from the perspective of interaction between various devices. Accordingly, the present application also provides a communication device, which is used to implement the above various methods. The communication device can be a network device in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above network device, or a component that can be used for a network device; or, the communication device can be a terminal in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above terminal, or a component that can be used for a terminal.

[0792] It is understandable that, in order to realize the above functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware 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 this application.

[0793] The embodiment of the present application can divide the functional modules of the communication device according to the above method embodiment. For example, each functional module can be divided according 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.

[0794] Take the communication device as the network device in the above method embodiment as an example, Fig.31 The schematic diagram shows a structure of a network device 310. The network device 310 includes a processing module 3101 and a transceiver module 3102.

[0795] In some embodiments, the network device 310 may also include a storage module ( Fig.31 ), for storing program instructions and data.

[0796] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 3102, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement the sending and / or receiving functions. The transceiver module 3102 may be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver or a communication interface.

[0797] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 3102 may include a receiving module and a sending module, which are respectively used to execute the receiving and sending steps performed by the network device in the above-mentioned method embodiments, and / or used to support other processes of the technology described herein; the processing module 3101 may be used to execute the processing steps (such as determination, acquisition, etc.) performed by the network device in the above-mentioned method embodiments, and / or used to support other processes of the technology described herein.

[0798] In some implementation scenarios:

[0799] The transceiver module 3102 is used to receive information about a network slice that the terminal requests to access through a first access network device in the first network, where the information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access includes identification information of a first network slice that is not supported by the first tracking area, and includes identification information of a second network slice, where the first tracking area is a tracking area of ​​the first access network device, and the second tracking area in the first network supports the first network slice; the processing module 3101 is used to determine the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access, where the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access includes the second network slice; the processing module 3101 is also used to determine a registration area, where the registration area excludes tracking areas that support the first network slice and the second network slice, or the registration area excludes tracking areas of access network devices that support the first network slice and the second network slice; the transceiver module 3101 is also used to send information about the registration area to the terminal.

[0800] As a possible implementation method, the processing module 3101 is also used to determine the network slice to which the terminal access is denied, wherein the network slice to which the terminal access is denied includes the first network slice.

[0801] As a possible implementation method, the processing module 3101 is also used to determine the network slices supported by the tracking area of ​​the first access network device.

[0802] In some implementation scenarios:

[0803] The processing module 3101 is used to determine the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access and the network slice that the terminal is denied access to; the processing module 3101 is also used to determine the registration area of ​​the terminal based on the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access and the network slice that the terminal is denied access to; the transceiver module 3102 is used to send the registration area information to the terminal.

[0804] As a possible implementation, the transceiver module 3102 is also used to receive information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access through the first access network device in the first network, and the information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access includes identification information of the first network slice that is not supported by the first tracking area, and includes identification information of the second network slice that is supported by the first tracking area, and the first tracking area is the tracking area of ​​the first access network device. Among them, the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access includes the second network slice, and the network slice that the terminal is denied access to includes the first network slice; the registration area excludes the tracking area that supports the first network slice and the second network slice, or the registration area excludes the tracking area of ​​the access network device that supports the first network slice and the second network slice.

[0805] As a possible implementation method, the processing module 3101 is also used to determine the network slices supported by the tracking area of ​​the first access network device.

[0806] In some implementation scenarios:

[0807] The processing module 3101 is used to determine the first network slice, where the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell, and the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell; when the terminal is switched from the first cell to the second cell, the processing module 3101 is also used to determine that the first network slice is available in the second cell; the transceiver module 3102 is also used to notify the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0808] As a possible implementation method, the processing module 3101 is used to determine the first network slice, including: the processing module 3101 is used to control the transceiver module 3102 to receive information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access through the first cell, and the information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access includes identification information of the first network slice; the processing module 3101 is also used to determine the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access; the processing module 3101 is also used to obtain information that the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell.

[0809] As a possible implementation method, the processing module 3101 is used to determine that the first network slice is available in the second cell, including: the processing module 3101 is used to query the context of the target access network device, the context of the target access network device indicates that the tracking area of ​​the target access network device supports the first network slice, wherein the second cell is a cell in the tracking area of ​​the target access network device.

[0810] As a possible implementation method, the processing module 3101 is used to determine that the first network slice is available in the second cell, including: the processing module 3101 is used to control the transceiver module 3102 to send the identification information of the first network slice to the target access network device; the processing module 3101 is also used to obtain from the target access network device whether the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell.

[0811] As a possible implementation manner, the processing module 3101 is used to determine that the first network slice is available in the second cell, including: the processing module 3101 is used to determine that the first network slice is available in the second cell when the transceiver module 3102 receives a path switching request message from the second access network device; or, the processing module 3101 is used to determine that the first network slice is available in the second cell when the transceiver module 3102 receives a switching request message from the first access network device, and the switching request message includes an identifier of the second access network device.

[0812] As a possible implementation method, the processing module 3101 is also used to save the identification information of the first network slice; the transceiver module 3102 is also used to receive indication information from the terminal; the processing module 3101 is also used to delete the identification information of the first network slice according to the indication information.

[0813] As a possible implementation method, the processing module 3101 is used to determine the first network slice, including: the processing module 3101 is used to control the transceiver module 3102 to send information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access to the mobile management device, and the information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access includes identification information of the first network slice; the processing module 3101 is also used to obtain from the mobile management device that the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell.

[0814] As a possible implementation method, the processing module 3101 is used to determine the first network slice, including: when the terminal is switched from the first access network device to the second access network device, the processing module 3101 is used to learn from the mobile management device that the first network slice in the first cell does not belong to the network slice allowed to be accessed by the terminal.

[0815] As a possible implementation method, the processing module 3101 is used to determine that the first network slice is available in the second cell, including: the processing module 3101 is used to determine that the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell.

[0816] In some implementation scenarios:

[0817] The processing module 3101 is used to determine the first network slice, where the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell, and the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell; when the terminal is switched from the first cell to the second cell, the processing module 3101 is also used to determine that the first network slice is available in the third cell, and the physical coverage area of ​​the third cell partially or completely overlaps with the physical coverage area of ​​the second cell; the transceiver module 3102 is also used to notify the terminal that the first network slice is available in the third cell.

[0818] In some implementation scenarios:

[0819] The processing module 3101 is used to determine the first network slice, the first network slice does not belong to the network slice allowed to be accessed by the terminal in the first cell, and the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell; the processing module 3101 is also used to determine that the first network slice is available in the second cell; the transceiver module 3102 is used to notify the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell; the transceiver module 3102 is also used to send the cell identifier of the second cell to the terminal.

[0820] As a possible implementation method, the processing module 3101 is used to determine the first network slice, including: the processing module 3101 is used to control the transceiver module 3102 to receive information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access through the first cell, and the information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access includes identification information of the first network slice; the processing module 3101 is also used to determine the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access; the processing module 3101 is also used to obtain information that the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell.

[0821] As a possible implementation method, the processing module 3101 is used to determine that the first network slice is available in the second cell, including: the processing module 3101 is used to control the transceiver module 3102 to receive the cell identifier of the second cell from the first access network device, wherein the second cell is a neighboring cell of the first cell, and the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell.

[0822] As a possible implementation method, the processing module 3101 is used to determine that the first network slice is available in the second cell, including: the processing module 3101 is used to control the transceiver module 3102 to receive signal quality information of the neighboring cells of the first cell from the first access network device, and the neighboring cells of the first cell include the second cell; the processing module 3101 is also used to determine that the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell based on the signal quality information of the second cell.

[0823] As a possible implementation method, the transceiver module 3102 is also used to send reference frequency information corresponding to the first network slice to the first access network device.

[0824] As a possible implementation method, the processing module 3101 is also used to save the identification information of the first network slice; the transceiver module 3102 is also used to receive indication information from the terminal; the processing module 3101 is also used to delete the identification information of the first network slice according to the indication information.

[0825] In some implementation scenarios:

[0826] The processing module 3101 is used to determine the first network slice, where the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell, and the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell; the processing module 3101 is also used to determine that the first network slice is available in the third cell, and the physical coverage of the third cell partially or completely overlaps with the physical coverage of the second cell; the transceiver module 3102 is used to notify the terminal that the first network slice is available in the third cell; the transceiver module 3102 is also used to send the cell identifier of the third cell to the terminal.

[0827] Among them, all relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0828] In the present application, the network device 310 is presented in the form of dividing each functional module in an integrated manner. Here, "module" may refer to a specific application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and a memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0829] In some embodiments, in terms of hardware implementation, those skilled in the art may imagine that the network device 310 may adopt Fig.10 The communication device 1000 is shown in the form of a communication device 1000.

[0830] As an example, Fig.31 The function / implementation process of the processing module 3101 in can be Fig.10 The processor 1001 in the communication device 1000 shown calls the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1003 to implement, Fig.31 The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 3102 can be achieved by Fig.10 The communication interface 1004 in the communication device 1000 is implemented as shown.

[0831] In some embodiments, when Fig.31 When the network device 310 is a chip or a chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 3102 can be implemented through the input and output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or the chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 3101 can be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or the chip system.

[0832] Since the network device 310 provided in this embodiment can execute the above-mentioned communication method based on network slicing, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above-mentioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0833] Taking the communication device as the terminal in the above method embodiment as an example, Fig.32 The schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal 320 is shown. The terminal 320 includes a processing module 3201 and a transceiver module 3202 .

[0834] In some embodiments, the terminal 320 may also include a storage module ( Fig.32 ), for storing program instructions and data.

[0835] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 3202, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement the sending and / or receiving functions. The transceiver module 3202 may be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver or a communication interface.

[0836] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 3202 may include a receiving module and a sending module, which are respectively used to execute the receiving and sending steps performed by the terminal in the above-mentioned method embodiments, and / or used to support other processes of the technology described in this document; the processing module 3201 may be used to execute the processing steps (such as determination, acquisition, etc.) performed by the terminal in the above-mentioned method embodiments, and / or used to support other processes of the technology described in this document.

[0837] Specifically, the transceiver module 3202 is used to obtain information from the network device that the first network slice is available in the second cell, wherein the first network slice does not belong to the network slice allowed to be accessed by the terminal in the first cell, and the registration area of ​​the terminal includes the first cell and the second cell; the processing module 3201 is used to initiate a registration process for the application corresponding to the first network slice.

[0838] As a possible implementation manner, the transceiver module 3202 is further configured to receive a cell identifier from a network device, where the cell identifier is used for the second cell.

[0839] As a possible implementation method, processing module 3201 is used to initiate a registration process for the application corresponding to the first network slice, including: processing module 3201 is used to access the second cell; processing module 3201 is also used to initiate a registration process for the application through the second cell.

[0840] As a possible implementation manner, the processing module 3201 is used to initiate a registration process for the application corresponding to the first network slice, including: in response to the fact that the context of the terminal does not include a session for the application and does not include a routing selection policy for the application, as a possible implementation manner, the processing module 3201 is used to determine whether the first network slice is the network slice corresponding to the application; in the case that the first network slice is the network slice corresponding to the application, the processing module 3201 is used to initiate a registration process for the application.

[0841] As a possible implementation method, the transceiver module 3202 is also used to notify the network device terminal that it no longer requests access to the first network slice.

[0842] Among them, all relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0843] In the present application, the terminal 320 is presented in the form of dividing various functional modules in an integrated manner. The "module" here may refer to a specific application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and a memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0844] In some embodiments, in terms of hardware implementation, those skilled in the art may imagine that the terminal 320 may use Fig.10 The communication device 1000 is shown in the form of a communication device 1000.

[0845] As an example, Fig.32 The function / implementation process of the processing module 3201 in can be Fig.10 The processor 1001 in the communication device 1000 shown calls the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1003 to implement, Fig.32 The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 3202 can be achieved by Fig.10 The communication interface 1004 in the communication device 1000 is implemented as shown.

[0846] In some embodiments, when Fig.32 When the terminal 320 is a chip or a chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 3202 can be implemented through the input and output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or the chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 3201 can be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or the chip system.

[0847] Since the terminal 320 provided in this embodiment can execute the above-mentioned communication method based on network slicing, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above-mentioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0848] As a possible product form, the network device and terminal described in the embodiments of the present application can also be implemented using the following: one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), programmable logic devices (PLD), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuits, or any combination of circuits that can perform the various functions described throughout the present application.

[0849] In some embodiments, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device, which includes a processor for implementing a method in any of the above method embodiments.

[0850] As a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory. The memory is used to store necessary program instructions and data, and the processor can call the program code stored in the memory to instruct the communication device to execute the method in any of the above method embodiments. Of course, the memory may not be in the communication device.

[0851] As another possible implementation, the communication device also includes an interface circuit, which is a code / data read / write interface circuit, which is used to receive computer execution instructions (computer execution instructions are stored in a memory, may be read directly from the memory, or may pass through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0852] As another possible implementation manner, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the communication interface is used to communicate with a module outside the communication device.

[0853] It can be understood that the communication device can be a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0854] In some embodiments, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device (for example, the communication device can be a chip or a chip system), which includes an interface circuit and a logic circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to obtain input information and / or output output information; the logic circuit is used to execute the method in any of the above method embodiments, and process and / or generate output information based on the input information.

[0855] When the communication device is used to implement the function of the network device in the above method embodiment:

[0856] In some implementation scenarios:

[0857] As a possible implementation method, the input information may be: information about a network slice that the terminal requests to access, the information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access includes identification information of a first network slice that is not supported by the first tracking area, and includes identification information of a second network slice. Processing based on the input information may include: determining a network slice that the terminal is allowed to access, or determining a registration area.

[0858] As a possible implementation method, the output information may be: information of a registration area, wherein the registration area excludes the tracking area supporting the first network slice and the second network slice, or the registration area excludes the tracking area of ​​the access network device supporting the first network slice and the second network slice.

[0859] In some implementation scenarios:

[0860] As a possible implementation method, the output information may be: information used to notify the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0861] As a possible implementation manner, the input information may be: information about a network slice that the terminal requests to access, and the information about the network slice that the terminal requests to access includes identification information of the first network slice. Processing according to the input information may be: determining that the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access, or that the first network slice does not belong to the network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell.

[0862] As a possible implementation method, the output information may be: identification information of the first network slice.

[0863] As a possible implementation, the input information may be information used by the network device to learn that the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell. Processing according to the input information may be to learn that the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell.

[0864] As a possible implementation manner, the input information may be: a path switching request message. Processing according to the input information may be: determining that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0865] As a possible implementation manner, the input information may be: a switching requirement message. Processing according to the input information may be: determining that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0866] As a possible implementation manner, the input information may be: indication information. Processing according to the input information may be: deleting the identification information of the first network slice according to the indication information.

[0867] In some implementation scenarios:

[0868] As a possible implementation method, the output information may be: information used to notify the terminal that the first network slice is available in the second cell, and the cell identifier of the second cell.

[0869] As a possible implementation, the input information may be: information about a network slice that the terminal requests to access, and the information about the terminal requesting to access includes identification information of a first network slice. Processing according to the input information may be: determining a network slice that the terminal is allowed to access, and learning that the first network slice does not belong to a network slice that the terminal is allowed to access in the first cell.

[0870] As a possible implementation manner, the input information may be: a cell identifier of the second cell. Processing according to the input information may be: determining that the first network slice is available in the second cell.

[0871] As a possible implementation manner, the input information may be: signal quality information of a neighboring cell of the first cell, where the neighboring cell of the first cell includes the second cell. Processing according to the input information may be: determining, according to the signal quality information of the second cell, that the terminal can access the first network slice in the second cell.

[0872] As a possible implementation method, the output information may be: reference frequency information corresponding to the first network slice.

[0873] As a possible implementation manner, the input information may be: indication information. Processing according to the input information may be: deleting the identification information of the first network slice according to the indication information.

[0874] When the communication device is used to implement the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiment:

[0875] As a possible implementation method, the input information may be: information used to obtain information that the first network slice is available in the second cell. Processing according to the input information may be: initiating a registration process for an application corresponding to the first network slice.

[0876] As a possible implementation manner, the input information may be: a cell identifier, and the cell identifier is used for the second cell. Processing according to the input information may be: accessing the second cell.

[0877] As a possible implementation method, the output information may be: information used to notify the terminal that it no longer requests access to the first network slice.

[0878] Among them, the communication device provided in this embodiment can execute the method in the above method embodiment, so the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0879] As a possible product form, the network device and terminal described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by a general bus architecture.

[0880] For illustration purposes, see Fig.33 , Fig.33 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 3300 provided in an embodiment of the present application, wherein the communication device 3300 includes a processor 3301 and a transceiver 3302. The communication device 3300 may be a network device or a terminal, or a chip therein. Fig.33 Only the main components of the communication device 3300 are shown. In addition to the processor 3301 and the transceiver 3302, the communication device may further include a memory 3303 and an input and output device (not shown in the figure).

[0881] Among them, the processor 3301 is mainly used to process the communication protocol and communication data, and to control the entire communication device, execute the software program, and process the data of the software program. The memory 3303 is mainly used to store the software program and data. The transceiver 3302 may include a radio frequency circuit and an antenna. The radio frequency circuit is mainly used for converting baseband signals and radio frequency signals and processing radio frequency signals. The antenna is mainly used to send and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. The input and output devices, such as a touch screen, a display screen, a keyboard, etc., are mainly used to receive data input by the user and output data to the user.

[0882] The processor 3301 , the transceiver 3302 , and the memory 3303 may be connected via a communication bus.

[0883] When the communication device is turned on, the processor 3301 can read the software program in the memory 3303, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be sent wirelessly, the processor 3301 performs baseband processing on the data to be sent, and outputs the baseband signal to the RF circuit. The RF circuit performs RF processing on the baseband signal and then sends the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 3301. The processor 3301 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0884] In another implementation, the RF circuit and antenna may be arranged independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the RF circuit and antenna may be arranged remotely from the communication device.

[0885] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0886] The steps in the method of the embodiment of the present application can be adjusted in order, combined and deleted according to actual needs.

[0887] The modules in the device of the embodiment of the present application can be merged, divided and deleted according to actual needs.

[0888] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, 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 may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may 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 may be transmitted from a website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (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 may be any available medium that a computer can access or may contain one or more servers, data centers and other data storage devices that can be integrated with the medium. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)), etc. In the embodiment of the present application, the computer may include the aforementioned device.

[0889] Although the present application is described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, in the process of implementing the claimed application, those skilled in the art may understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments by viewing the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "one" or "an" does not exclude multiple situations. A single processor or other unit may implement several functions listed in a claim. Certain measures are recorded in different dependent claims, but this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0890] Although the present application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments thereof, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Accordingly, this specification and the drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the present application as defined by the appended claims, and are deemed to have covered any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents within the scope of the present application. Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method based on network slicing, characterized in that, the method includes: The network device determines the network slices that allow the terminal to access and the network slices that reject the terminal's access; The network device determines the registration area of the terminal according to the network slices that allow the terminal to access and the network slices that reject the terminal's access, wherein the network slices that allow the terminal to access include a second network slice, and the network slices that reject the terminal's access include a first network slice, and the registration area excludes the tracking areas that support the first network slice and the second network slice; The network device sends the information of the registration area to the terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first network slice is the network slice that allows the terminal to access within the first network.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, the method further includes: The network device determines the network slices supported by the tracking area of the first access network device.

4. A communication method based on network slicing, characterized in that, the method includes: The network device receives the information of the network slice that the terminal requests to access through the first access network device in the first network. The information of the network slice that the terminal requests to access includes the identification information of the first network slice that is not supported by the first tracking area, and includes the identification information of the second network slice. The first tracking area is the tracking area of the first access network device, and the second tracking area in the first network supports the first network slice; The network device determines the network slices that allow the terminal to access, wherein the network slices that allow the terminal to access include the second network slice; The network device determines the registration area, wherein the registration area excludes the tracking areas that support the first network slice and the second network slice, or the registration area excludes the tracking areas of the access network devices that support the first network slice and the second network slice; The network device sends the information of the registration area to the terminal.

5. A communication method based on network slicing, characterized in that, the method includes: Receiving the information of the network slices that allow the terminal to access, the network slices that reject the terminal's access, and the registration area of the terminal, wherein the network slices that reject the terminal's access include a first network slice, the network slices that allow the terminal to access include a second network slice, and the registration area excludes the tracking areas that support the first network slice and the second network slice; When moving into the excluded tracking area and the tracking area supports the first network slice, initiate a registration process again to request access to the first network slice.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first network slice is the network slice that allows the terminal to access within the first network.

7. A communication device, characterized in that, including a processor; The processor is used to read and run a program from a memory to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, or to implement the method according to claim 4.

8. A communication device, characterized in that, comprising a processor; the processor is configured to read and run a program from a memory to implement the method according to claim 5 or 6.

9. A computer program product containing instructions, characterized in that, when it runs on a computer, it causes the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, the computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, and when it runs on a computer, it causes the processor to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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