Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The application provides a communication method and a communication device. Information of at least one first network slice corresponding to a first identifier is sent to a terminal device through an RRC message, so that the communication demand of the terminal can be met, and broadcast overhead can be reduced. The method comprises the following steps: a first access network device broadcasts a first identifier, the first identifier being used for identifying information of a first access network network slice; and the first access network device sends a radio resource control (RRC) message to a terminal device, the RRC message comprising the information of the at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication method and a communication device. Background Technology

[0002] In 5G communication systems, network slicing is introduced. A network slice fulfills the connectivity and communication service requirements of a specific class or use case. A 5G system can consist of a large number of network slices that meet different connectivity capabilities. The introduction of the network slicing concept divides the operator's physical network into multiple virtual networks. Each virtual network is divided according to different quality of service requirements, such as latency, bandwidth, security, and reliability, to flexibly address different network application scenarios. As a mandatory feature of 5G networks, network slicing is an end-to-end concept, and a network slice includes both the radio access network (RAN) and the core network.

[0003] Different network slices can be characterized by network slice identifiers, such as single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI). Each S-NSSAI consists of a slice / service type (SST) and a slice differentiator (SD), where the SST distinguishes services and the SD distinguishes tenants. Currently, the core network's access management function (AMF) sends allowed S-NSSAIs to terminal devices so that they can determine which slices' services they can access. The network slices defined by the current 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) are insufficient to meet the communication needs of terminal devices. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, this application provides a communication method and a communication device to meet the communication needs of terminal devices.

[0005] Firstly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first access network device or by a device within the first access network device (e.g., a chip, processor, or one or more of a chip system). The method includes: the first access network device broadcasting a first identifier, the first identifier being used to identify information about a first access network slice; and the first access network device sending a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message to a terminal device, the RRC message including information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier. By sending the information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier to the terminal device via the RRC message, the first access network device can adapt to the communication needs of the terminal device regardless of whether the terminal device moves within the TA area. Furthermore, by broadcasting the first identifier and sending the information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier via the RRC message, it is not necessary to include the information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier in the broadcast message, thus saving broadcast overhead.

[0006] The first access network device can proactively send information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier to the terminal device, or it can send such information based on a request message from the terminal device. In one possible implementation, before the first access network device sends an RRC message to the terminal device, the method further includes: the first access network device receiving a request message from the terminal device, the request message being used to request information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier. Here, after receiving the request message from the terminal device, the first access network device can send information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier to the terminal device based on the request message, thereby enabling targeted sending of information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier.

[0007] The first access network device can also send information about network slices supported by neighboring cells to the terminal device. Optionally, the RRC message further includes a second identifier and information about at least one second network slice corresponding to the second identifier, whereby the second identifier identifies the information about the second access network slice. In this way, after moving to the coverage area of ​​the second access network device, the terminal device does not need to request the information about at least one second network slice corresponding to the second identifier from the second access network device again.

[0008] In this embodiment, access network devices can exchange their broadcast identifiers and information about the network slices corresponding to those identifiers. In one possible implementation, the method further includes: a first access network device receiving a first message from a second access network device, the first message including the second identifier and information about at least one second network slice corresponding to the second identifier. Thus, the first access network device obtains the second message from the second access network device, allowing the terminal device to obtain the information about at least one second network slice corresponding to the second identifier from the second access network device in advance. This reduces the need for the terminal device to trigger the process of requesting information about at least one second network slice corresponding to the second identifier, thus helping to save power consumption of the terminal device.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: a first access network device sending information about at least one first network slice corresponding to a first identifier to a second access network device. This allows terminal devices within the coverage area of ​​the second access network device to obtain this information in advance, thereby reducing the need for the terminal device to trigger the request for information about the at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier, and helping to save power consumption.

[0010] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device or by a device in the terminal device (e.g., a chip, a processor, or one or more of a chip system). The method includes: the terminal device acquiring a first identifier, the first identifier being used to identify information of a first access network slice; and the terminal device receiving an RRC message from a first access network device, the RRC message including information of at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier. Here, the terminal device receives the first identifier broadcast by the first access network device and acquires information of at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier through the RRC message. This adapts to the communication needs of the terminal device regardless of whether it moves within the TA area, and also helps to save on the broadcast overhead of the first access network device.

[0011] In one possible implementation, before the terminal device receives the RRC message from the first access network device, the method further includes: the terminal device sending a request message to the first access network device, the request message being used to request information on at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier. Here, the terminal device can proactively request information on at least one first network slice corresponding to the identifier from the first access network device, thereby enabling it to selectively obtain information on at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier.

[0012] Optionally, the RRC message further includes a second identifier and information about at least one second network slice corresponding to the second identifier, wherein the second identifier is used to identify the information of the second access network slice. In this way, after the terminal device moves to the coverage area of ​​the second access network device, it can obtain information about at least one second network slice corresponding to the second identifier in advance, thereby reducing the process of the terminal device triggering the request for information about at least one second network slice corresponding to the second identifier, and helping to save power consumption of the terminal device.

[0013] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device or by a device in the terminal device (e.g., a chip, a processor, or one or more of a chip system), the method comprising: the terminal device receiving a paging message from a network device, the paging message including information of a first network slice; if the cell in which the terminal device is currently located does not support the first network slice, the terminal device performing cell reselection, which helps the terminal device select a suitable cell.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the terminal device performs cell reselection by: the terminal device performing cell reselection according to a first mapping relationship, the first mapping relationship including information of the first network slice and information of the second network slice, wherein the information of the first network slice and the information of the second network slice have a remapping relationship. The first mapping relationship is used to characterize the mapping relationship between network slices. If the terminal device cannot find a cell or access network device that supports the first network slice in the paging message, and if the terminal device has received the first mapping relationship for network slice remapping, it can use the first mapping relationship to perform further cell reselection, which helps to increase the probability of selecting a suitable cell.

[0015] Optionally, the terminal device performs cell reselection based on the first mapping relationship, including: if the cell where the terminal device is currently located supports the second network slice, the terminal device initiates a random access procedure in the current cell; if the cell where the terminal device is currently located does not support the second network slice, the terminal device selects a cell that supports the second network slice. In this way, by determining whether the current cell supports the second network slice, the terminal device can increase the probability of selecting a suitable cell.

[0016] Optionally, if the terminal device selects a cell that supports the second network slice, the method further includes: the terminal device sending a second message to a network device (access network device or core network element), the second message including information about the first network slice and information about the second network slice, or the second message including information about the second network slice. That is, if the terminal device selects a cell that supports the second network slice, it can inform the access network device or core network element of the information about the second network slice, thereby enabling the access network device or core network element to know the cell selected by the terminal device.

[0017] In one possible implementation, if the terminal device fails to select a cell, the method further includes: the terminal device sending a third message to the network device, the third message being used to notify the terminal device of the cell selection failure. Here, "the terminal device failed to select a cell" may include: failing to select a cell using a first mapping relationship. That is, if the terminal device fails to select a cell, it can notify the access network device or core network element of the cell selection failure, thereby informing the access network device or core network element that the terminal device has failed to select a cell.

[0018] Optionally, the method further includes: the terminal device obtaining information about network slices supported by the currently located cell. The information about network slices supported by the currently located cell may include information about at least one network slice. For example, the terminal device receives information about network slices supported by the currently located cell from a first access network device, and can then make a judgment based on this information.

[0019] Fourthly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a core network element or by a device (e.g., a chip, processor, or one or more of a chip system) within the core network element. The method includes: the core network element determining the priority of each network slice in at least one network slice; and the core network element sending a fourth message, the fourth message including an identifier of each network slice and the priority corresponding to each network slice. Here, the core network element can send the identifier of each network slice and the priority corresponding to each network slice to a terminal device so that the terminal device can select a more suitable cell.

[0020] Optionally, the fourth message is a non-access stratum message sent by the core network element to the terminal device.

[0021] Fifthly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device or by a device in the terminal device (e.g., a chip, a processor, or one or more of a chip system). The method includes: the terminal device acquiring priority information for each network slice in at least one network slice; and the terminal device performing cell selection or cell reselection based on the priority information of each network slice. Here, the terminal device can acquire the identifier of each network slice sent by the core network element and the priority corresponding to each network slice, and send these to the terminal device to facilitate the selection of a more suitable cell.

[0022] In one possible implementation, if the terminal device is in a first cell, the terminal device performs cell selection or cell reselection based on the priority information of each network slice, including: the terminal device selects a first network slice from the at least one network slice, where the first network slice has the highest priority among the at least one network slice; determines whether the first cell supports the first network slice; if the first cell does not support the first network slice, performs a cell search to obtain a second cell, and determines whether the second cell supports the first network slice; if the second cell supports the first network slice, adds the second cell to a candidate cell set, and continues searching and performing the aforementioned actions until no new cell can be found; if the candidate cell set is not empty, the terminal device selects the cell with the best signal (e.g., the highest received power or the highest signal strength) in the candidate cell set to camp on; if the candidate cell set is empty, the terminal device selects a second network slice, where the priority of the second network slice is lower than that of the first network slice, and continues performing cell search until a suitable cell is selected; if the first cell supports the first network slice, the terminal device continues to camp on the first cell. The first cell is the cell where the terminal device is currently camped, and the terminal device prioritizes the first cell. In this way, when a terminal device is in a cell, it can also select a more suitable cell based on the priority of the network slice.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the terminal device performs cell selection or cell reselection based on the priority information of each network slice, including: the terminal device selects a first network slice from the at least one network slice, where the first network slice has the highest priority among the at least one network slice; the terminal device performs a cell search to obtain a third cell; determines whether the third cell supports the first network slice; if the third cell supports the first network slice, the terminal device adds the third cell to a candidate cell set and continues searching and performing the aforementioned actions until no new cell can be found. If the candidate cell set is not empty, the terminal device selects the cell with the best signal (e.g., the highest received power or the highest signal strength) in the candidate cell set to camp on; if the candidate cell set is empty, the terminal device selects a second network slice, where the priority of the second network slice is lower than that of the first network slice, and continues performing cell search until a suitable cell is selected. Thus, even when the terminal device is not in a designated cell, it can still select a more suitable cell based on the priority corresponding to the network slice.

[0024] Optionally, the terminal device obtains priority information of each network slice in at least one network slice, including: the terminal device receives a fourth message from a core network element, the fourth message including the identifier of each network slice and the priority corresponding to each network slice, so that cell selection or reselection can be performed using the priority corresponding to each network slice.

[0025] Sixthly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by an access network device or by a device within the access network device (e.g., a chip, processor, or one or more of a chip system). The method includes: the access network device determining the priority of each network slice in at least one network slice for a first frequency point; the access network device sending a fifth message, the fifth message including the first frequency point, an identifier of each network slice, and the priority corresponding to each network slice. Here, the access network device can determine the priority of each network slice for at least one network slice corresponding to each frequency point and send the priority of each network slice to a terminal device, so that the terminal device can use the priority of the network slice to select a more suitable cell.

[0026] In a seventh aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by an access network device or by a device within the access network device (e.g., a chip, a processor, or one or more of a chip system). The method includes: the access network device determining the priority of each frequency point among at least one frequency point for a first network slice; the access network device sending a sixth message, the sixth message including an identifier of the first network slice, an identifier of each frequency point, and the priority corresponding to each frequency point. Here, the access network device can determine the priority of each frequency point for at least one frequency point corresponding to each network slice, and send the priority of each frequency point to a terminal device so that the terminal device can use the frequency point priority to select a more suitable cell.

[0027] Eighthly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device or by a device in the terminal device (e.g., a chip, a processor, or one or more chip systems). The method includes: the terminal device acquiring the priority of each frequency point among at least one frequency point for a first network slice; the terminal device performing a cell search on the first frequency point, wherein the first frequency point is the highest priority frequency point among the at least one frequency point. Here, the terminal device can select a first frequency point among the at least one frequency point based on the priority of each frequency point, wherein the first frequency point is the highest priority frequency point among the at least one frequency point. Then, the terminal device performs a cell search on the first frequency point, which helps to select a more suitable cell.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: if the terminal device fails to find a cell on the first frequency point, the terminal device performs a cell search on a second frequency point, wherein the second frequency point has a lower priority than the first frequency point, thereby selecting a suitable frequency point for cell search. For example, the first frequency point is the highest priority frequency point, and the second frequency point is the second highest priority frequency point.

[0029] Optionally, the terminal device obtains the priority of each frequency point among at least one frequency point in the first network slice, including: the terminal device receiving a sixth message from the network device, the sixth message including the identifier of the first network slice, the identifier of each frequency point, and the priority corresponding to each frequency point. Here, by obtaining the priority corresponding to each frequency point from the network device, the terminal device can use the priority corresponding to each frequency point to perform cell selection or reselection, which helps to select a suitable cell.

[0030] A ninth aspect provides a communication device comprising a module for performing the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof; or, comprising a module for performing the method of the sixth aspect or any possible implementation thereof; or, comprising a module for performing the method of the seventh aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0031] In a tenth aspect, a communication device is provided, the communication device including a module for performing the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof; or including a module for performing the method in the third aspect or any possible implementation thereof; or including a module for performing the method in the fifth aspect or any possible implementation thereof; or including a module for performing the method in the eighth aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0032] Eleventhly, a communication device is provided, which includes a module for performing the method in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0033] In a twelfth aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor and an interface circuit. The interface circuit is configured to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device. The processor is configured to implement the methods in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof via logic circuits or execution code instructions; or to implement the methods in the sixth aspect or any possible implementation thereof; or to implement the methods in the seventh aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0034] In a thirteenth aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor and an interface circuit. The interface circuit is configured to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device. The processor is configured to implement the methods of the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof via logic circuits or executable code instructions; or to implement the methods of the third aspect or any possible implementation thereof; or to implement the methods of the fifth aspect or any possible implementation thereof; or to implement the methods of the eighth aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0035] In a fourteenth aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit being configured to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, the processor being configured to implement the methods of the aforementioned fourth aspect or any possible implementation thereof via logic circuits or execution code instructions.

[0036] In a fifteenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement the methods of any one of the first to eighth aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0037] In a sixteenth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided that, when the instructions are executed, implements the methods of any one of the first to eighth aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0038] In a seventeenth aspect, a communication chip is provided, wherein instructions are stored therein, which, when executed on a computer device, cause the communication chip to perform the methods of any one of the first to eighth aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0039] Eighteenthly, a communication system is provided, which includes one or more of the communication devices of the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth aspects mentioned above. Attached Figure Description

[0040] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system that may be applied to embodiments of this application;

[0041] Figure 2 This is a schematic interaction diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 3 This is an example diagram of a sliced ​​region according to an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 4 This is another example diagram of the sliced ​​area according to an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 5 This is an interactive example diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 6 This is another interactive example diagram of the communication method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 7 This is a schematic flowchart of another communication method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 8 This is a schematic flowchart of another communication method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 9 This is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an access network device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0052] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0053] In the embodiments of this application, "multiple" can be understood as "at least two" or "two or more"; "multiple items" can be understood as "at least two" or "two or more".

[0054] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, 5th Generation (5G) communication systems, New Radio (NR) systems, and future evolution communication systems.

[0055] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system that may be applied to embodiments of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the communication system includes core network equipment 110, access network equipment 120, and at least one terminal device (such as...). Figure 1 The terminal devices 130 and 140 are included in this document. The terminal devices connect wirelessly to the access network devices, and the access network devices connect wirelessly or via a wired connection to the core network devices. The core network devices and access network devices can be independent physical devices, or they can integrate the functions of the core network devices and the logical functions of the access network devices onto the same physical device. Alternatively, a single physical device can integrate some of the functions of the core network devices and some of the functions of the access network devices. The terminal devices can be fixed in location or mobile. Figure 1 This is just an illustration; the communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless repeaters and wireless backhaul devices. Figure 1Not shown in the diagram. The embodiments of this application do not limit the number of core network devices, access network devices, and terminal devices included in the communication system.

[0056] Access network equipment is the access device through which terminal devices wirelessly access the communication system. It can be a radio access network (RAN) device, a base station NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNB), a base station (gNB) in a 5G communication system, a transmission point, a base station in a future communication system, or an access node in a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system. It can also be one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system, or a network node constituting a gNB or transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU), a centralized unit (CU), or a distributed unit (DU). The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the access network equipment. In some deployments, the gNB may include a CU and a DU. The gNB may also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU implements some of the functions of the gNB, and the DU implements some of the functions of the gNB. For example, the CU is responsible for handling higher-layer protocols and services to implement the functions of the radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer. The DU is responsible for handling lower-layer protocols and services to implement the functions of the radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layers. The AAU implements some physical layer processing functions, radio frequency processing, and related functions of active antennas. Since the information of the RRC layer will eventually become the information of the PHY layer, or be transformed from the information of the PHY layer, in this architecture, higher-layer signaling, such as RRC layer signaling, can also be considered to be sent by the DU, or by the DU and AAU. It is understood that the access network equipment can be one or more of the following: CU node, DU node, and AAU node. In addition, the CU can be a network device in the access network or a network device in the core network (CN), which is not limited in this application.

[0057] Access network equipment provides services to a cell, and terminal equipment communicates with the cell through transmission resources (e.g., frequency domain resources, or spectrum resources) allocated by the access network equipment. This cell can belong to a macro base station (e.g., a macro eNB or macro gNB) or to a base station corresponding to a small cell. Small cells can include: metro cells, micro cells, pico cells, femtocells, etc. These small cells are characterized by small coverage areas and low transmission power, making them suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0058] Terminal equipment can also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc. Terminal equipment can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device, wireless terminal in industrial control, wireless terminal in self-driving, wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, wireless terminal in smart grid, wireless terminal in transportation safety, wireless terminal in smart city, wireless terminal in smart home, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the terminal equipment.

[0059] Access network equipment and terminal equipment can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can also be deployed in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the access network equipment and terminal equipment.

[0060] The embodiments of this application can be applied to downlink signal transmission, uplink signal transmission, and device-to-device (D2D) signal transmission. For downlink signal transmission, the transmitting device is an access network device, and the corresponding receiving device is a terminal device. For uplink signal transmission, the transmitting device is a terminal device, and the corresponding receiving device is an access network device. For D2D signal transmission, both the transmitting and receiving devices are terminal devices.

[0061] Communication between access network devices and terminal devices, as well as between terminal devices, can be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Communication between access network devices and terminal devices, as well as between terminal devices, can also be conducted using spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), spectrum above 6 GHz, or simultaneously using both. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used between access network devices and terminal devices.

[0062] In this application embodiment, unless otherwise specified, network devices refer to access network devices. A terminal device or network device includes a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on top of the hardware layer, and an application layer running on top of the operating system layer. The hardware layer includes hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and memory (also called main memory). The operating system can be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as Linux, Unix, Android, iOS, or Windows. The application layer includes applications such as browsers, address books, word processing software, and instant messaging software. Furthermore, this application embodiment does not particularly limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided in this application embodiment, as long as it can communicate according to the method provided in this application embodiment by running a program that records the code of the method provided in this application embodiment. For example, the execution subject of the method provided in this application embodiment can be a terminal device or a network device, or a functional module (such as a processor, chip, or chip system) in the terminal device or network device that can call and execute a program.

[0063] Furthermore, various aspects or features of this application can be implemented as methods, apparatus, or articles of manufacture using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. The term "article of manufacture" as used herein encompasses a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or medium. For example, computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, or magnetic tapes), optical discs (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMs), cards, sticks, or key drives, etc.). Additionally, the various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0064] Figure 2 This is a schematic interaction diagram of a communication method 200 according to an embodiment of this application. It can be understood that... Figure 2 The terminal device in the middle can be Figure 1 The term "terminal device" can refer to either the terminal equipment (e.g., terminal device 130 or terminal device 140) or a component within the terminal equipment (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system). The first access network device can be... Figure 1 The access network equipment 120 in the text can also refer to devices within the access network equipment (such as processors, chips, or chip systems). It can also be understood as... Figure 2 Some or all of the information exchanged between the terminal device and the first access network device, or some or all of the information exchanged between the first access network device and the second access network device, may be carried in existing messages, channels, signals, or signaling, or may be newly defined messages, channels, signals, or signaling; no specific limitations are imposed on this. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the method 200 includes:

[0065] S210, the first access network device broadcasts a first identifier, which is used to identify information about the network slice of the first access network. The terminal device can obtain the first identifier broadcast by the first access network device.

[0066] The first access network device may broadcast a first identifier in system messages, such as a material information block (MIB), system information block (SIB) 1, or other SIBx. Optionally, the first access network device may broadcast a public land mobile network (PLMN) identifier (ID) and the corresponding first identifier in system messages. For example, the first access network device may broadcast PLMN ID#1 and the corresponding first identifier #1, first identifier #2; and broadcast PLMN ID#2 and the corresponding first identifier #3.

[0067] Optionally, when the first identifier is included in SIBx, the first access network device may broadcast the SIBx upon request from the terminal device. That is, when the terminal device discovers that the SIBx is not broadcast, it can request the first access network device to broadcast the SIBx or the system information (SI) containing the SIBx via message 1 (msg1) or message 3 (msg3) of the random access procedure. Based on the terminal device's request, the first access network device broadcasts the requested SI or the SIBx.

[0068] The "first identifier used to identify the information of the first access network slice" may include: the first identifier used to identify the area information of the access network slice where the first access network device is located, such as the RAN slicing area (RSA) or RAN Part ID. A network slice may include access network slices and core network slices. An access network slice can be understood as the resources used by the access network to carry network slice services, or as the identifier of the network slice on the access network side. Therefore, the first identifier can also be used to identify the first network slice on the access network side, i.e., the access network slice identifier. Within the tracking area (TA), access network devices broadcasting the same first identifier support at least one of the same network slices. Therefore, in the first interpretation, the first identifier corresponding to the first access network slice can also be regarded as an area identifier, that is, the coverage area of ​​access network devices broadcasting the same first identifier is regarded as an area, and the area can support at least one of the same network slices. In the second interpretation, the first identifier corresponding to the first network slice can also be regarded as the access network slice identifier. Therefore, it can be understood that an access network device may broadcast one first identifier or multiple first identifiers, without limitation. Each first identifier corresponds to a network slice set (a network slice set includes at least one network slice), and the network slice sets corresponding to different first identifiers broadcast by the same access network device are all different. For example, base station 1 broadcasts first identifier #1, which corresponds to network slice set #1 (network slice set #1 includes network slices #1 and #2). Base station 1 also broadcasts first identifier #2, which corresponds to network slice set #2 (network slice set #2 includes network slice #3). It can be seen that network slice set #1 and network slice set #2 contain different network slices.

[0069] Alternatively, "the first identifier is used to identify the first access network slice" can indirectly reflect the regional information of the access network slice where the first access network device is located. For example, within the TA (Access Target Area), multiple access network devices broadcasting the first identifier constitute a region with a granularity smaller than the TA. A TA can be divided into multiple slice regions, each supporting different network slices. Access network devices broadcasting the same first identifier support the same list of network slices. For example, if base station 1 and base station 2 both broadcast the first identifier #1, and base stations 3-6 all broadcast the first identifier #2, then it means that base stations 1 and 2 are located in the same access network slice region #1, and base stations 3-6 are located in the same access network slice region #2.

[0070] Optionally, the first identifier may be a RAN slicing area identifier (RSAID), or it may extend the meaning of ID in existing standards. For example, the first identifier may be a RAN area code (RANAC) identifier or a cell access group (CAG) identifier.

[0071] S220, the first access network device sends a radio resource control (RRC) message to the terminal device. The RRC message includes information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the RRC message from the first access network device.

[0072] Information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier can be obtained through different implementations. Optionally, the information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier can be sent to the first access network device and the core network element by the operation administration and maintenance (OAM) system. Alternatively, the first identifier and the information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier can be assigned to the first access network device by the core network element. Alternatively, the first access network device can send information about at least one supported first network slice to the core network element and then obtain the first identifier assigned by the core network element. Optionally, the correspondence between the first identifier and the information about at least one network slice may remain unchanged within a tracking area (TA). Alternatively, the correspondence between the PLMN ID, the first identifier, and the information about at least one network slice may remain unchanged within a tracking area (TA). This allows the terminal device to obtain the first identifier from the broadcast message of the third access network device (which can be understood as the access network device where the terminal device is located after the move) after moving within the TA. By detecting the mapping relationship between the first identifier and the information about at least one first network slice previously obtained, the terminal device can determine the information about at least one network slice supported by the third access network device.

[0073] The embodiments of this application do not limit the order of the actions of "the terminal device determining whether the first access network device and the third access network device are located in the same TA range" and "the terminal device determining whether it has obtained information on at least one network slice corresponding to the first identifier broadcast by the third access device".

[0074] Optionally, as one implementation, before the terminal device detects whether it has acquired the mapping relationship, i.e., before the terminal device determines whether it has acquired information about at least one network slice corresponding to the first identifier broadcast by the third access device, the terminal device can first determine whether the first access network device and the third access network device are located in the same TA range. Optionally, the terminal device can determine whether the first access network device and the third access network device are located in the same TA range by determining whether the tracking area code (TAC) broadcast by the first access network device and the TAC broadcast by the third access network device are the same. If the TACs broadcast by the two devices are the same, it means that the first access network device and the third access network device are located in the same TA range; if the TACs broadcast by the two devices are different, it means that the first access network device and the third access network device are located in different TA ranges. Alternatively, the terminal device can determine whether the combination of PLMN ID and TAC broadcast by the first access network device is the same as the combination of PLMN ID and TAC broadcast by the third access network device. If the PLMN ID and TAC combination broadcast by the first access network device is the same as that broadcast by the third access network device, it indicates that the first access network device and the third access network device are located in the same TA range. If the PLMN ID and TAC combination broadcast by the first access network device is different from that broadcast by the third access network device, it indicates that the first access network device and the third access network device are located in different TA ranges. If the first access network device and the third access network device are located in the same TA range, the terminal device then checks whether the mapping relationship has been obtained. If the mapping relationship has been obtained before, the terminal device does not need to re-obtain the mapping relationship between the first identifier and at least one first network slice information; if the mapping relationship has not been obtained before, the terminal device needs to request the mapping relationship from the third access network device. If the first access network device and the third access network device do not belong to the same TA range, the terminal device needs to re-obtain the above mapping relationship. For example, the terminal device accesses the third access network device and sends a request to the third access network device to request the third access network device to send itself the mapping relationship between the first identifier and at least one first network slice information.

[0075] Alternatively, as one implementation, the terminal device first determines whether it has obtained the mapping relationship, that is, whether it has obtained information about at least one network slice corresponding to the first identifier broadcast by the third access device. If the mapping relationship has been obtained, the terminal device then determines whether the first access network device and the third access network device are in the same TA range; if the mapping relationship has not been obtained, the terminal device needs to request the mapping relationship from the third access network device. If the mapping relationship has been obtained, if the first access network device and the third access network device are in the same TA range, the terminal device does not need to re-obtain the mapping relationship; if the first access network device and the third access network device are not in the same TA range, the terminal device needs to request the mapping relationship from the third access network device. Here, if the first access network device and the third access network device are not in the same TA range, even if both the first access network device and the third access network device broadcast the first identifier, the information about at least one network slice corresponding to the first identifier broadcast by the first access network device may be different from the information about at least one network slice corresponding to the first identifier broadcast by the third access network device. Therefore, the terminal device needs to re-obtain the mapping relationship from the third access network device.

[0076] At least one first network slice can be understood as a list (or set) of network slices supported or corresponding to the first identifier, wherein the slice list includes information about at least one network slice. For the purposes of this application, the information of the network slice (e.g., the first network slice, or the second network slice mentioned below) can be obtained through single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) or slice / service type (SST) identifiers, or slice indexes, or it can utilize slice identifiers recognizable by the terminal device; no limitation is imposed in this regard.

[0077] The RRC message may include a slice list corresponding to the first identifier. Optionally, the RRC message may also include the first identifier. In other words, the RRC message may include a mapping (or correspondence) between the first identifier and the slice list. For example, the RRC message contains at least one first identifier, and at least one network slice identifier corresponding to each of the at least one first identifier.

[0078] Optionally, the RRC message may also include a slice index corresponding to each first network slice. For example, S-NSSAI requires 32 bits, but if an access network device or cell only supports 4 slices, then the slice index only needs 2 bits to indicate 4 slices, thereby further reducing broadcast overhead.

[0079] For example, the information elements that may be included in an RRC message are as follows:

[0080] RSA ID

[0081] slice list

[0082] >S-NSSAI

[0083] >slice index (optional)

[0084] For example, the information element (IE) that may be included in an RRC message is as follows:

[0085] RSA ID list

[0086] RSA ID

[0087] >slice list

[0088] >>S-NSSAI

[0089] >>slice index (optional)

[0090] It is understood that the slice index included in the RRC message can be optional. The above describes an implementation method in which the first access network device sends information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier via an RRC message. Optionally, the first access network device may also send information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier via a media access control control element (MAC CE) message, a broadcast message, a non-access stratum (NAS) message, or message 1 or message 3 of the random access procedure, etc., without limitation.

[0091] Optionally, the first access network device may send information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier to the core network element. For example, if the reported content is at the gNB level, the first access network device may directly include the aforementioned list of network slices corresponding to the first identifier (information about at least one first network slice) in the NG interface message (e.g., NG interface establishment request or RAN Configuration update message). Optionally, the NG interface message may also include the first identifier. If the reported content is at the cell level, the first access network device includes the cell identifier and the list of network slices corresponding to the cell identifier (cell identifier and slice list) in the aforementioned NG interface message. Optionally, the NG interface message may also include the first identifier. The NG interface is divided into the NG-C interface (control plane interface between NG-RAN and 5GC) and the NG-U interface (user plane interface between NG-RAN and 5GC). NG interface messages are messages transmitted through the NG-C interface.

[0092] Optionally, the first access network device can also obtain the RSA ID and slice list corresponding to the neighboring base station (e.g., the neighboring base station is the second access network device). For example, assuming the first and second access network devices are connected via an Xn interface, they can exchange their respective RSA IDs and slice lists through Xn interface messages (e.g., Xn interface establishment request, Xn interface establishment reply, or NG-RAN NODE CONFIGURATION UPDATE). For instance, the first access network device sends an Xn interface message to the second access network device, the Xn interface message containing the aforementioned first identifier and information about at least one network slice. Similarly, the first access network device can obtain the RSA ID and slice list corresponding to the neighboring base station through Xn interface messages. Optionally, after obtaining the RSA ID and slice list corresponding to the neighboring base station through the above method, the first access network device can send the RSA ID and slice list corresponding to the neighboring base station to the core network element. For core network elements, regardless of whether the RSA ID and slice list corresponding to the access network devices are reported by the access network devices or configured via OAM, the core network element can receive the RSA IDs and slice lists of all access network devices within the TA range. For example, the core network element can obtain the RSA IDs and slice lists of all access network devices within the TA range by receiving reports from all access network devices within the TA range. Optionally, the core network element can send the mapping relationship between the aforementioned RSA IDs and slice lists to the terminal device via NAS messages, such as Registration Accept, UE configuration Update command, etc.

[0093] In this embodiment, the first access network device broadcasts a first identifier and then sends information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier via an RRC message, which reduces the broadcast overhead of the first access network device. For example, considering that the mapping relationship between the first identifier and at least one first network slice remains unchanged within the TA range, in special cases, such as a one-to-one correspondence between the first identifier and a first network slice, 8 bits can identify 256 first network slices within the TA range, thereby greatly reducing the broadcast overhead of the first access network device.

[0094] For ease of understanding, here we will use Figure 3 The diagram below illustrates the sliced ​​area. Figure 3As shown, assume a TA range includes three slice areas (or slice areas, or RSAs): slice area1, slice area2, and slice area3. The slice lists supported by different slice areas may be completely different or partially overlapping. gNB1, gNB2, and gNB3 are located in slice area1; gNB4 and gNB5 are located in slice area2; and gNB6, gNB7, and gNB8 are located in slice area3. For example, slice area1 supports slices #1 and #2; slice area2 supports slices #3 and #4; and slice area3 supports slices #1, #5, and #6. The network slices supported by a TA area are the union of the network slice lists supported by multiple slice areas. For a slice area, access network devices or cells within that slice area support the same network slices.

[0095] As one possible implementation, there is no overlapping access network equipment or cells between different slice areas. Figure 4 Taking the left image as an example, gNB1, gNB2, and gNB3 within slice area1 support slice #1 and slice #2; gNB4 and gNB5 within slice area2 support slice #3 and slice #4.

[0096] As another possible implementation, there are overlapping access network devices or cells between different slice areas. Figure 4 Taking the right image as an example, gNB1, gNB2, and gNB3 within slice area 1 support slice #1; gNB2, gNB4, and gNB5 within slice area 2 support slice #2. As can be seen, gNB2 supports both slice #1 and slice #2, therefore falling within both slice area 1 and slice area 2.

[0097] This application does not limit the specific scenario for the sliced ​​area in its embodiments, that is... Figure 3 , Figure 4 Both of these situations apply.

[0098] In this embodiment, if the TA range is not divided into multiple areas, and assuming the mapping relationship supported by the access network device within the TA range remains unchanged, then after the terminal device obtains the mapping relationship, it does not need to move within the TA range subsequently. In this embodiment, if the TA range is divided into multiple areas (e.g., Figure 3 slice area or Figure 4 In a network slice region (TA), access network devices located in different regions support different network slices. Assuming the mapping relationship remains unchanged within the TA range, the access network devices in one region are required to inform the terminal device of all potentially disabled mapping relationships within that TA range. This ensures that the terminal device has obtained the mapping relationship when moving within the TA range. The mapping relationship here is the mapping relationship between the first identifier and at least one first network slice, such as the mapping relationship between the RSA ID and at least one slice's information.

[0099] The first access network device may proactively send information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier to the terminal device, or it may send such information to the terminal device based on a request from the terminal device; there is no limitation on this.

[0100] Optionally, before the first access network device sends an RRC message to the terminal device, the method 200 further includes:

[0101] S230, the terminal device sends a request message to the first access network device, the request message being used to request information on at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the request message from the terminal device.

[0102] The request message is used to indicate to the terminal device that it expects to obtain information about at least one first network slice corresponding to a first identifier, such as the mapping relationship between RSA ID and slice list. The form of the request message is not limited here. For example, the request message can be an RRC message. Alternatively, the request message can be a MAC layer message, such as a newly defined MAC CE. Or, the request message can be an indication added to the uplink RRC message. Optionally, the terminal device's request message can contain at least one first identifier, i.e., it is used to request information about the network slice corresponding to each of the at least one first identifier. For example, if the first access network device broadcasts first identifier #1, first identifier #2, and first identifier #3, but the terminal device only wants to obtain information about at least one network slice corresponding to first identifier #1 and first identifier #2 respectively, then the terminal device will include first identifier #1 and first identifier #2 in the request message, so that the first access network device can provide information about at least one network slice corresponding to first identifier #1, and information about first identifier #2 and its corresponding at least one network slice, respectively, in the RRC message.

[0103] If the terminal device moves, it may not recognize the first identifier, thus failing to obtain information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier. Alternatively, even if it recognizes the first identifier, a tracking area update may occur, potentially changing the mapping between the first identifier and the information of at least one network slice. The terminal device can obtain information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier by sending a request message to the first access network device. For example, assuming the first identifier is an RSA ID, when the terminal device discovers that it has not saved information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the RSA ID (e.g., the terminal device's AS layer compares a previously saved RSA ID with an RSA ID obtained from a broadcast message from the first access network device), the terminal device can trigger the sending of an uplink RRC message (e.g., an RSA update request) to the first access network device. The first access network device can send the slice list corresponding to the RSA ID to the terminal device in a downlink RRC message (e.g., an RSA update response), or send the RSA ID and its corresponding slice list to the terminal device. This introduces... Figure 5 The RSA update process is described below. Taking a gNB as the first access network device, a UE as the terminal device, an uplink RRC message of RSA update request, and a downlink RRC message of RSA update response as an example, the description is as follows: Figure 5 As shown, the RSA update process 300 includes:

[0104] 31. gNB broadcasts RSA ID. The UE obtains the RSA ID broadcast by the gNB.

[0105] 32. The UE determines whether it has obtained network slice information (e.g., slice list) corresponding to the RSA ID.

[0106] In other words, the UE can detect whether it has obtained the mapping relationship of the RSA ID (e.g., the mapping relationship between the RSA ID and the slice list). For example, the UE can detect whether it has obtained the slice list corresponding to the RSA ID, or the UE can detect whether it has obtained the slice list corresponding to the RSA ID, and the slice index of each slice in the slice list.

[0107] Step 32 may include different scenarios as described below. In each of these scenarios, base station 2 corresponds to gNB in ​​step 31.

[0108] Scenario 1: Assuming there's a mapping between the RSA ID and the network slice identifier, and that the mapping is unique across the entire network, the UE only needs to check if it has already obtained the mapping between the RSA ID and the network slice. For example, the UE reads the RSA ID broadcast by base station 1 and simultaneously obtains the mapping between the RSA ID and the network slice identifier. The UE saves this mapping. Subsequently, after the UE moves to base station 2, it uses the RSA ID broadcast by base station 2 and its own saved mapping to determine if it has already obtained the mapping between the RSA ID and the network slice.

[0109] Scenario 2: Assuming the PLMN ID, RSA ID, and network slice identifier have a mapping relationship and are unique across the entire network, the UE needs to check whether it has obtained the mapping relationship between the RSA ID and the network slice under that PLMN ID. For example, the UE reads the PLMN ID and corresponding RSA ID broadcast by base station 1, and simultaneously obtains the mapping relationship between the PLMN ID, RSA ID, and network slice identifier. The UE saves this mapping relationship. Subsequently, after the UE moves to base station 2, it uses the PLMN ID and RSA ID broadcast by base station 2, as well as its own saved mapping relationship, to determine whether it has obtained the mapping relationship between the RSA ID and the network slice under that PLMN.

[0110] Scenario 3: Assuming there's a mapping relationship between the RSA ID and the network slice, and it's unique within the TA range, the UE needs to check if it has already obtained the mapping relationship between the RSA ID and the network slice under that TA. For example, the UE reads the TAC and RSA ID broadcast by base station 1, and simultaneously obtains the mapping relationship between the RSA ID and the network slice identifier. The UE saves the mapping relationship between the TAC, RSA ID, and network slice. Subsequently, after the UE moves to base station 2, it uses the TAC and RSA ID broadcast by base station 2, as well as its own saved mapping relationship, to determine if it has already obtained the mapping relationship between the RSA ID and the network slice under that TAC.

[0111] Scenario 4: Assuming the PLMN ID, RSA ID, and network slice identifier have a mapping relationship and are unique within the TA range, the UE needs to check whether it has previously obtained the mapping relationship between the RSA ID and the network slice under that TA and PLMN ID. For example, the UE reads the PLMN ID, TAC, and RSA ID broadcast by base station 1, and simultaneously obtains the mapping relationship between the PLMN ID, RSA ID, and network slice identifier. The UE saves the mapping relationship between the PLMN ID, TAC, RSA ID, and network slice. Subsequently, after the UE moves to base station 2, it uses the PLMN ID, TAC, and RSA ID broadcast by base station 2, as well as its own saved mapping relationship, to determine whether it has previously obtained the mapping relationship between the RSA ID and the network slice under that TA and PLMN.

[0112] If the UE does not detect the network slice information corresponding to the RSA ID, the UE can proceed to step 33.

[0113] 33. The UE sends an RSA update request to the gNB.

[0114] The UE requests network slice information corresponding to the RSA ID by sending an RSA update request to the gNB.

[0115] 34. The gNB sends an RSA update response to the UE.

[0116] gNB can include network slice information corresponding to the RSA ID in the RSA update response.

[0117] Understandable, this is just a general overview. Figure 5 The description of the RSA update process is exemplified but does not limit the scope of protection of the embodiments in this application.

[0118] Furthermore, the triggering conditions for the terminal device to send the request message are not limited here. For example, as described above, when the terminal device discovers that it has not saved information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the RSA ID, it can send a request message to the first access network device. Specifically, the terminal device may need to read the RSA ID broadcast by the access network device when initiating a tracking area update (TAU) process (e.g., NAS message Tracking Area Update request), an attach process, a registration process (e.g., NAS message Registration Request), or a PDU session establishment request (e.g., NAS message PDU Session Establishment request). If it finds that the slice list corresponding to the RSA ID (or the mapping relationship between RSA ID and slice list) is not saved, the NAS layer of the terminal device notifies the AS layer that it needs to obtain the mapping relationship between the RSA ID identifier and the slice list. Alternatively, the NAS layer of the terminal device notifies the AS layer of the target network slice identifier. If the AS layer of the terminal device determines that it cannot find the RSA ID corresponding to the target network slice identifier, the AS layer determines that it needs to obtain the mapping relationship between the RSA ID and the slice list. Alternatively, the terminal device can read the RSA ID broadcast by the access network device and find that the mapping relationship between the RSA ID and the slice list is not saved, thus determining that it needs to obtain the mapping relationship between the RSA ID and the slice list. In this case, the terminal device can include the above request message in the RRC message (or MAC CE or other signaling) while sending the above NAS message.

[0119] The above is a combination Figure 5 The RSA update process is described in the example below. For instance, in the RRC inactive state, the existing RRCResumeRequest message can be reused to implement the RSA update process. For example, if the terminal device detects a change in RANAC, it triggers the RRC layer to generate an RRCResumeRequest message, and the cause value included in the RRCResumeRequest message is RSA update. When the first access network device detects that the cause value is RSA update, the first access network device subsequently includes a first identifier and at least one corresponding network slice identifier in the RRC message. This is combined with... Figure 6 The RSA update procedure corresponding to the RRC inactive state is described in section 400.

[0120] The description will be based on an example where the terminal device is a UE and the first access network device is gNB1. Figure 6 As shown, the RSA update process corresponding to the RRCinactive state includes:

[0121] 41. The UE sends an RRCresumeRequest to gNB1.

[0122] The RRRCResumeRequest includes the reason value RSA update, indicating that the network slice information corresponding to the RSA ID (e.g., the mapping relationship between RSA ID and slice list, for details please refer to the description in step 32 above) needs to be updated.

[0123] 42. gNB1 sends an RRC release (RRCRelease) message to the UE.

[0124] The RRCRelease includes a mapping between RSA IDs and slice lists, such as an RSA ID and the slice list supported by that RSA ID.

[0125] Optionally, when gNB1 finds that the cause value in RCResumeRequest is RSA update, it may trigger steps 43-45 or not, depending on the implementation of gNB1, and no specific limitation is made.

[0126] 43. gNB1 and gNB2 recover the UE's context information through interaction. gNB2 is the base station that served the UE before the UE moved; it can be called the last serving gNB. Alternatively, gNB2 is the anchor gNB that stores the UE's context.

[0127] 44. gNB1 path switch request to access management function (AMF).

[0128] 45. AMF sends a path switch response to gNB1.

[0129] Understandable, this is just a general overview. Figure 6 The description of the RSA update process corresponding to the RRC inactive state is used as an example and does not limit the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application.

[0130] In this embodiment, the first identifier can be used for access control. For example, the RSA ID, RANAC, or CAG identifier can also be used for access control. Taking the RSA ID as an example, assuming the terminal device is pre-configured with allowed RSA IDs (this could be configured by the core network element via NAS messages to the terminal device, or by the first access network device via RRC messages, such as RRC reconfiguration messages or RRC Release messages), when the terminal device arrives at a new cell, it determines whether the RSA ID broadcast by that cell belongs to the allowed RSA list. If the RSA ID broadcast by that cell belongs to the allowed RSA list, the terminal device can access the cell; if the RSA ID broadcast by that cell does not belong to the allowed RSA list, the terminal device cannot access the cell. Furthermore, the first access network device can also configure a mapping relationship between the RSA ID and the access category (AC), or a mapping relationship between S-NSSAI and the access category AC, or a mapping relationship between the RSA ID, S-NSSAI, and the access category AC. Alternatively, these mapping relationships can be operator-defined and configured pre-installed on the terminal equipment. Or, these mapping relationships can be communicated to the terminal equipment by core network elements (e.g., AMF) via NAS layer messages. The terminal equipment can find the corresponding Access Control Officer (AC) based on the S-NSSAI corresponding to the service (e.g., the mapping relationship between the application (APP) ID and S-NSSAI given in the NAS message) and / or the RSA ID broadcast by the current cell. Therefore, it can determine whether it can access the current cell based on the access control parameters corresponding to the AC broadcast by the access network equipment. The access control parameters corresponding to the AC are also known as Unified Access Control (UAC).

[0131] Optionally, the terminal device may also determine whether the current access network device supports the target network slice identifier based on the target network slice identifier and the mapping relationship between the first identifier and at least one network slice. If the current access network device supports the target network slice identifier, the terminal device may attempt to access the current access network device. If the current access network device does not support the target network slice identifier, the terminal device may choose to access other access network devices. It is understood that the relationship between the current access network device and the first access network device is not limited here; the current access network device may or may not be the first access network device, and no specific limitation is made in this regard.

[0132] In this embodiment, access network devices can exchange their broadcast identifiers and the network slice information corresponding to those identifiers. That is, a first access network device can obtain the identifiers broadcast by neighboring base stations or neighboring cells and the network slice information corresponding to those identifiers, and can also send the first identifier and information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier to neighboring base stations.

[0133] Optionally, the method 200 further includes: S240, the second access network device sends a first message to the first access network device, the first message including a second identifier and information about at least one second network slice corresponding to the second identifier. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the first message from the second access network device. The second identifier is used to identify the information of the second access network slice. As described above, the first access network device and the second access network device can interact via Xn interface messages. For example, the first message here can be an Xn interface message, which may include the RSA ID and slice list corresponding to the second access device.

[0134] The second access network device and the first access network device can be neighboring base stations. The second access network device and the first access network device can exchange their respective broadcast identifiers and the network slice information corresponding to the identifiers.

[0135] It is understood that the second identifier is introduced here only to characterize the slice area corresponding to the second access network device, such as the information of the second access network slice, and has no other special meaning. The "first identifier" and "second identifier" are introduced in this application embodiment to distinguish the access network slice information they each identify. The description of the second identifier can be found in the description of the first identifier above.

[0136] After receiving the aforementioned information from the second access network device, the first access network device can inform the terminal device of this information. Thus, after moving to the coverage area of ​​the second access network device, the terminal device does not need to request information about at least one second network slice corresponding to the second identifier from the second access network device again. Optionally, the RRC message sent by the first access network device to the terminal device may also include the second identifier and information about at least one second network slice corresponding to the second identifier. This allows the terminal device to obtain the information about at least one second network slice corresponding to the second identifier from the second access network device in advance, thereby reducing the need for the terminal device to trigger the request process for information about at least one second network slice corresponding to the second identifier, and helping to save power consumption of the terminal device.

[0137] It is understood that this application does not limit whether the first access network device and the second access network device belong to the same slice area. The first access network device and the second access network device may belong to the same slice area, that is, they support corresponding network slices. In this case, the first identifier and the second identifier are the same, that is, the information of the first access network slice identified by the first identifier is the same as the information of the second access network slice identified by the second identifier. Alternatively, the network slices supported by the first access network device and the second access network device may be partially the same or overlap, that is, some network slices in "at least one first network slice" are the same as some network slices in "at least one second network slice". The first access network device and the second access network device may not belong to the same slice area, but the terminal device can obtain the second identifier and the information of at least one second network slice corresponding to the second identifier from the first access network device in advance.

[0138] This application also provides a communication method. When a terminal device receives a paging message, it can compare the network slice information included in the paging message with the network slices supported by the current cell. If the current cell does not support the network slices, the terminal device can trigger cell reselection. This will be described in detail below.

[0139] Figure 7 This is a schematic interaction diagram of another communication method 500 according to an embodiment of this application. It can be understood that... Figure 7 The terminal device in the middle can be Figure 1 The term "terminal device" can refer to either the terminal device itself (e.g., terminal device 130 or terminal device 140) or a component within the terminal device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system). Network equipment can be... Figure 1 The access network equipment 120 in the text can also refer to a device within the access network equipment (such as a processor, chip, or chip system); or, it can be... Figure 1 The core network equipment 110 in the text can also refer to devices within the core network equipment (such as processors, chips, chip systems, etc.). It can also be understood as... Figure 7 Some or all of the information exchanged between terminal network devices can be carried in existing messages, channels, signals, or signaling, or it can be newly defined messages, channels, signals, or signaling; there are no specific limitations on this. For example... Figure 7 As shown, the method 500 includes:

[0140] S510, the terminal device receives a paging message from the network device, the paging message including information about a first network slice. For example, the information about the first network slice may include at least one of S-NSSAI and SST, or it may be the identifier of other network slices known to the terminal device, access network device, and core network element.

[0141] Network devices can be access network devices or core network elements, without limitation. For example, a core network element sends a paging message to an access network device. The terminal device receives the paging message sent by the core network element through the access network device, wherein the access network device is responsible for managing the cell where the terminal device is currently located.

[0142] After receiving a paging message, the terminal device can compare the information of the first network slice included in the paging message with the information of the network slice supported by the cell where the terminal device is currently located (or the network slice supported by the access network device) to determine whether the cell where the terminal device is currently located supports the first network slice.

[0143] S520, if the cell where the terminal device is currently located does not support the first network slice, the terminal device performs cell reselection.

[0144] If the cell where the terminal device is currently located supports the first network slice in the paging message, the terminal device can send the ue-Identity and accessType to the higher layer, i.e., the NAS layer. If the cell where the terminal device is currently located does not support the first network slice in the paging message, the terminal device will be triggered to perform cell reselection.

[0145] Optionally, when the access network device determines that it does not support the first network slice in the paging message, it may include a list of cells supporting the first network slice, or an RSA ID or other cell identifier or carrier identifier supporting the first network slice in the paging message, so that the terminal device can perform cell reselection purposefully. In this way, when performing cell reselection, the terminal device can use the list of cells supporting the first network slice (or the RSA ID or carrier identifier supporting the first network slice, etc.) provided in the paging message for cell reselection, or it can use cells with RSA IDs supporting the first network slice provided in the paging message for cell reselection.

[0146] If a terminal device cannot find a cell or access network device that supports the first network slice in the paging message, and if the terminal device has received a first mapping relationship for network slice remapping, it can use the first mapping relationship for cell reselection. Network slice remapping means that when a terminal device wants to initiate a service associated with the first network slice, the terminal device or network device (network devices can include access network devices or core network elements) can support the service associated with the first network slice through network resources of a second network slice that has a remapping relationship with the first network slice. For example, if a terminal device wants to support a service associated with network slice #1 but cannot find an access network device that supports network slice #1, assuming there is a network slice remapping relationship between network slice #1 and network slice #2, then the terminal device can find a cell or access network device that supports network slice #2 and initiate the service associated with network slice #1. The first mapping relationship can be obtained by the terminal device from a core network element or access network device. For example, when the terminal device registers with the core network, the core network element sends the first mapping relationship to the terminal device through a NAS message (such as Registration Accept or UE Configuration update command). For example, when the access network device sends a paging message, it carries the first mapping relationship.

[0147] The first mapping relationship is used to represent the mapping relationship between network slices. Of course, the first mapping relationship can also be named in other ways, and there is no limitation on it. The first mapping relationship can be understood as a slice remapping list. For example, the slice remapping list can include the following information elements: slice ID and remapped slice ID.

[0148] For example, a network slice remapping table can be as follows:

[0149] Slice list

[0150] >slice ID

[0151] >A list of remapped slices (this list includes at least one remapped slice ID)

[0152] >>remapped slice ID

[0153] Optionally, the first mapping relationship also includes PLMN information. For example, one possible form of the network slice remapping table is shown below:

[0154] PLMN list

[0155] PLMN ID

[0156] Slice list

[0157] >>slice ID

[0158] >>remapped slice list

[0159] >>>remapped slice ID

[0160] It is understood that the examples of the above information elements are merely illustrative and do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0161] Optionally, as one possible implementation, the terminal device performs cell reselection by: the terminal device performing cell reselection according to a first mapping relationship, the first mapping relationship including information of a first network slice and information of a second network slice, wherein the information of the first network slice and the information of the second network slice have a remapping relationship. That is, the terminal device can use two network slices with a remapping relationship to perform cell reselection. If the cell where the terminal device is located does not support the first network slice, then the terminal device can use a second network slice with a remapping relationship to the first network slice to perform cell reselection.

[0162] The information for the first network slice may include its ID or index, SST / S-NSSAI, etc. Similarly, the information for the second network slice may include its ID or index, SST / S-NSSAI, etc. For example, assuming the information for the first network slice is the slice ID, then the information for the second network slice may be the remapped slice ID.

[0163] Optionally, the terminal device performs cell reselection according to the first mapping relationship, including: if the cell where the terminal device is currently located supports the second network slice, the terminal device initiates a random access procedure in the cell where it is currently located; if the cell where the terminal device is currently located does not support the second network slice, the terminal device selects a cell that supports the second network slice.

[0164] For example, if the cell where the terminal device is currently located supports a second network slice, the terminal device can initiate a random access procedure in the current cell. The random access initiation procedure can refer to existing standardized procedures. If the cell where the terminal device is currently located does not support a second network slice, the terminal device can select a cell that supports a second network slice. For example, it can determine whether surrounding neighboring cells support a second network slice. If a cell that supports a second network slice exists, it can select a cell that supports a second network slice according to the cell reselection criteria.

[0165] As one possible implementation, if the terminal device finds a cell that supports the second network slice, it can inform the access network device or core network element of the second network slice information. Optionally, if the terminal device selects a cell that supports the second network slice, the method 500 further includes: the terminal device sending a second message to the network device (access network device or core network element), the second message including the information of the first network slice and the information of the second network slice, or the second message including the information of the second network slice. For example, the second message includes the remappedslice ID. Or, for example, the second message includes both the slice ID and the remapped slice ID.

[0166] For example, if the terminal device can find a supporting remapped slice ID, it accesses the selected cell and informs the current access network device of the target slice ID (i.e., the slice ID contained in the paging message) and the remapped slice ID. Optionally, when forwarding the terminal device's NAS message (e.g., a PDU SessionEstablishment Request or Service Request message), the current access network device includes the target slice ID and / or the remapped slice ID in the NG interface message.

[0167] For example, the terminal device informs the core network element of the remapped slice ID and targetslice ID through NAS messages, so that the core network can find the corresponding QoS parameters based on the remapped slice ID.

[0168] As one possible implementation, if the terminal device fails to select a cell, it can notify the network device of the cell selection failure. Cell failure means that the terminal device cannot find a cell that supports the target network slice (i.e., the network slice corresponding to the network slice identifier contained in the paging message), or it cannot find a cell that supports the remapped slice even after using the network slice remapping table, or it can find a cell that supports the target network slice (or find a cell that supports the remapped slice using the network slice remapping table), but that cell refuses to access. Optionally, the method 500 further includes: the terminal device sending a third message to the network device (access network device or core network element), the third message being used to notify the terminal device of the cell selection failure. For example, if all actions of the terminal device in selecting a cell fail, the access network device or core network element can be notified through a third message. For example, the third message is a NAS message. Here, "terminal device cell selection failure" can include: failure to select a cell using the first mapping relationship.

[0169] Optionally, the method 500 further includes: the terminal device obtaining information about the network slices supported by the current cell. Here, the method for the terminal device to obtain information about the network slices supported by the current cell can be referred to the description in the preceding method 200.

[0170] Optionally, the aforementioned "terminal device performing cell reselection" behavior can be executed based on one or more of the following parameters: the number of attempts to access the cell, a timer, etc., without limitation. These parameters may be carried through system broadcast messages, paging messages, or RRC messages, without limitation. For example, one possible implementation of cell reselection based on "the number of attempts to access the cell" could be that when the terminal device attempts to access a cell supporting the target network slice up to the "number of attempts" and fails, the terminal device attempts to search for a cell supporting the remapped slice. Another possible implementation of cell reselection based on a "timer" could be that before the timer expires, the terminal device first attempts to search for a cell supporting the target network slice; when the timer expires and no cell supporting the target network slice can be found, the terminal device attempts to search for a cell supporting the remapped slice.

[0171] This application also provides a communication method. It introduces priority information for network slices on the terminal device side, allowing the terminal device to perform cell selection or cell reselection based on this priority information, which helps in selecting a more suitable cell. Alternatively, it introduces the priority of network slices on the access network device side at different frequency points, or the access network device side supports different network slice priorities at different frequency points, allowing the terminal device to perform cell selection or cell reselection based on the aforementioned priority information. This will be described in detail below.

[0172] Figure 8 This is a schematic flowchart of another communication method 600 according to an embodiment of this application. It can be understood that... Figure 8 The terminal device in the middle can be Figure 1 The term "terminal equipment" can refer to either terminal equipment (e.g., terminal equipment 130 or terminal equipment 140) or devices within the terminal equipment (e.g., processors, chips, or chip systems). Core network elements can be... Figure 1 The core network equipment 110 in the text can also refer to devices within the core network equipment (such as processors, chips, or chip systems). Access network equipment can be... Figure 1 Access network equipment 120 or devices within access network equipment (e.g., processors, chips, or chip systems). It can also be understood that... Figure 8 Some or all of the information exchanged between core network equipment and access network equipment (or terminal equipment), or some or all of the information exchanged between access network equipment and terminal equipment, can be carried in existing messages, channels, signals, or signaling, or can be newly defined messages, channels, signals, or signaling; no specific limitations are imposed. For example... Figure 8 As shown, the method 600 includes:

[0173] S610, the core network elements determine the priority of each network slice in at least one network slice.

[0174] Core network elements can assign corresponding priorities to each network slice.

[0175] S620, the core network element sends a fourth message, which includes the identifier of each network slice and the priority of each network slice.

[0176] Here, the core network element can send the fourth message to the terminal device, or it can send the fourth message to the terminal device through the access network device; there is no limitation on this. For example, the fourth message is a non-access stratum (NAS) message sent by the core network element to the terminal device.

[0177] For example, when a core network element sends an allowed S-NSSAI message to an end device via a NAS message, it can simultaneously specify the slice priority, as shown in the following information element:

[0178] Allowed S-NSSAIs

[0179] >S-NSSAI (or other slice identifier)

[0180] Priority

[0181] In this embodiment of the application, the terminal device obtains priority information of each network slice in at least one network slice; then performs cell selection or cell reselection based on the priority information of each network slice.

[0182] For terminal devices, there are different ways to obtain network slice priority information. One possible implementation is that the terminal device associates the APP ID and S-NSSAI based on the network slice selection policy (NSSP) that may be included in the UE route selection policy (URSP) provided by the core network elements. Then, the terminal device can sort the network slice priorities according to the historical usage of the APP; for example, it can assign the S-NSSAI corresponding to the APP ID with the longest usage time as the highest priority, and so on, ultimately determining the priority of the S-NSSAI. Another possible implementation is that the terminal device can directly obtain the priority information of each network slice in at least one network slice from the core network elements.

[0183] After obtaining the priority information of the network slice, the terminal device can use the priority information of the network slice to perform cell selection or cell reselection.

[0184] As one possible implementation, if the terminal device is currently in the first cell, the terminal device performs cell selection or cell reselection based on the priority information of each network slice, including:

[0185] The terminal device selects a first network slice from the at least one network slice, where the first network slice has the highest priority among the at least one network slices; determines whether the first cell supports the first network slice; if the first cell does not support the first network slice, performs a cell search to obtain a second cell, and determines whether the second cell supports the first network slice, optionally based on whether the cell reselection condition (e.g., S criterion or R criterion) is met; if the second cell supports the first network slice, or if the second cell supports the first network slice and meets the cell reselection condition, adds the second cell to the candidate cell set, and continues searching and performing the aforementioned actions until no new cell can be found; if the candidate cell set is not empty, the terminal device selects the cell with the best signal (e.g., the highest received power or the highest signal strength) in the candidate cell set to camp on; if the candidate cell set is empty, the terminal device selects a second network slice, where the priority of the second network slice is lower than that of the first network slice, and continues performing a cell search until a suitable cell is selected; if the first cell supports the first network slice, the terminal device continues to camp on the first cell.

[0186] The first cell mentioned above is the cell where the terminal device is currently camped, and the terminal device prioritizes the first cell. Specifically, the terminal device selects the network slice with the highest priority based on priority information. First, the terminal device determines whether the currently camped cell supports the highest priority network slice (for example, the network slices supported by the currently camped cell may be directly broadcast by the access network device as supported by which S-NSSAIs, or it may be informed indirectly through RSA ID). If the currently camped cell supports the highest priority network slice, it remains unchanged, that is, it still camps in the current cell; if the currently camped cell does not support the highest priority network slice, the terminal device performs a cell search. After finding a second cell (for example, one that meets the cell selection or cell reselection conditions, such as the S criterion or R criterion), it determines whether the second cell (which can be understood as a cell found by the terminal device that meets the S criterion or R criterion) supports the highest priority network slice. If the new cell found by the terminal device supports the highest priority network slice, it is added to the candidate cell set. The search continues to perform the above actions until no new cell can be found. If the candidate cell set is not empty, the terminal device selects a cell according to the cell reselection principle. For example, it sorts the cells in the candidate cell set according to the cell reselection criterion R, and then selects the cell with the highest ranking in the candidate cell set. If the candidate cell set is empty, the terminal device selects the network slice with the second priority, and the subsequent judgment behavior is as described above, until a cell is selected.

[0187] As another possible implementation, the terminal device performs cell selection or cell reselection based on the priority information of each network slice, including:

[0188] The terminal device selects a first network slice from the at least one network slice, where the first network slice has the highest priority among the at least one network slice. The terminal device performs a cell search to obtain a third cell. It then determines whether the third cell supports the first network slice. If the third cell supports the first network slice and meets cell selection or cell reselection criteria, such as the S criterion or the R criterion, the terminal device adds the third cell to the candidate cell set and continues the search until no new cell can be found. If the candidate cell set is not empty, the terminal device selects the cell with the best signal (e.g., the highest received power or the highest signal strength) from the candidate cell set. If the candidate cell set is empty, the terminal device selects a second network slice, where the priority of the second network slice is lower than that of the first network slice, and continues the cell search until a suitable cell is selected.

[0189] Specifically, the terminal device treats the currently active cell and all other cells equally. Based on priority information, the terminal device selects the highest-priority slice. The terminal device performs a cell search, finding a third cell (e.g., one that meets cell selection or cell reselection criteria, such as the S criterion or R criterion). It then determines whether this third cell (which can be understood as the cell found after the terminal device's cell search) supports the highest-priority network slice. If it does, it is added to the candidate cell set, and the search continues until no new cell can be found. If the candidate cell set is not empty, the terminal device selects a cell from the candidate cell set according to the cell reselection principle. If the candidate cell set is empty, the terminal device selects the second-priority network slice (e.g., the second network slice), and subsequent actions are the same as described above until a suitable cell is selected.

[0190] The previous section described how terminal devices select or reselect cells based on the priority of network slices. The following section will describe how terminal devices select or reselect cells based on the priority of different network slices on different frequency points, or the priority of different network slices on different frequency points.

[0191] As one possible implementation, the access network device determines the priority of each network slice in at least one network slice for a first frequency point; the access network device sends a fifth message to the terminal device, the fifth message including the first frequency point, the identifier of each network slice, and the priority corresponding to each network slice. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the fifth message and performs cell selection or reselection based on the fifth message. It is understood that the fifth message can be sent via broadcast or via RRC message, without limitation.

[0192] Optionally, the fifth message may not include the priority of each network slice. The priority of each network slice can be indirectly reflected by the order of the identifiers of each network slice. For example, the earlier a network slice appears, the higher its priority.

[0193] It is understood that this description uses only the first frequency point as an example, but it does not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application. In fact, the access network device can determine the priority information of each network slice for each of multiple frequency points. This implementation method can also be understood as a per frequency per slice approach.

[0194] For example, the information elements included in the fifth message are as follows:

[0195] Carrier frequency list

[0196] Carrier frequency (e.g., absolute radio-frequency channel number (ARFCN) value)

[0197] >SliceCellReselectionPriorityList

[0198] >slice ID

[0199] priority

[0200] The slice ID can be S-NSSAI, a slice index, or other slice identifiers, such as the RSA ID mentioned earlier; there are no restrictions on this. When the slice ID is an RSA ID, the fifth message specifies the priority of each RSA ID on each frequency point.

[0201] For example, the access network device in slice area 1 might broadcast the following information in a broadcast message:

[0202] 4.9GHz, Ultra-reliability low-latency communication (URLLC), High; Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), Low; 2.6GHz eMBB.

[0203] The above information broadcast by the access network equipment in slice area 1 can be understood as follows: if the terminal equipment wants to support URLLC services in slice area 1, it will prioritize cell search on 4.9GHz; if it wants to support eMBB services, it will prioritize cell search on 2.6GHz.

[0204] For example, the access network device in slice area 2 might broadcast the following information in a broadcast message:

[0205] 4.9GHz eMBB.

[0206] The above information broadcast by the access network equipment in slice area 2 can be understood as follows: only eMBB services are supported in slice area 2, that is, UEs that support eMBB services can only perform cell search on 4.9GHz.

[0207] The above description uses the example of the network slice priority information of the first frequency point included in the fifth message. In fact, the fifth message can include the network slice priority information of each frequency point. Optionally, the fifth message can include multiple frequency points, the identifier of the network slice corresponding to each frequency point, and the priority of each network slice. For the terminal device, after receiving the fifth message, it can know the priority of different network slices for different frequency points. That is, it can know the priority of the first network slice on different frequency points. The cell searched by the terminal device on the first frequency point is the frequency point with the highest priority of the first network slice. For example, in the example above, the access network device broadcasts a message indicating that 4.9GHz is a high priority for URLLC services, and 2.6GHz is a low priority or does not support URLLC services, then 4.9GHz is the first frequency point. After the terminal device searches for a cell on the first frequency point, it selects a suitable cell to camp on according to the cell selection conditions or cell reselection conditions, such as selecting the cell with the highest signal strength.

[0208] It should be noted that the above implementation describes how the access network device can determine the priority of each network slice in at least one network slice for a first frequency point and send a fifth message to the terminal device. The fifth message includes the first frequency point, the identifier of each network slice, and the priority scheme corresponding to each network slice. It is understood that this implementation can also be applied to RSA IDs. For example, the access network device can determine the priority of each RSA ID in at least one RSA ID for a first frequency point and send a fifth message to the terminal device. The fifth message includes the first frequency point, each RSA ID, and the priority corresponding to each RSA ID. Correspondingly, the terminal device can determine the corresponding RSA ID based on the first network slice and select the first frequency point with the highest priority based on the RSA ID. Then, the terminal device searches for cells on the first frequency point and finally selects a suitable cell for camping based on cell selection conditions or cell reselection conditions. The first network slice can be obtained by the terminal device using the network slice selection method described above, or it can be selected based on service requirements; there is no limitation on this. For example, the NAS layer of the terminal device notifies that a service requiring the first network slice needs to be initiated, that is, the NAS layer informs the AS layer of the identifier of the first network slice.

[0209] As another possible implementation, the access network device determines the priority of each frequency point in at least one frequency point for the first network slice; it then sends a sixth message to the terminal device, the sixth message including the identifier of the first network slice, the identifier of each frequency point, and the priority corresponding to each frequency point. The terminal device then receives the sixth message. It is understood that the sixth message can be sent via broadcast or via RRC message; there is no limitation on this.

[0210] Optionally, the sixth message may not include the priority corresponding to each frequency point. The priority of each frequency point can be indirectly reflected by the order of the identifiers of each frequency point. For example, the earlier the frequency point is, the higher its frequency point priority.

[0211] It is understood that this description uses only the first network slice as an example and does not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application. In fact, the access network device can determine the priority information of each frequency point for each network slice in multiple network slices. This implementation method can also be understood as a per slice per frequency approach.

[0212] For example, the information elements included in the sixth message are as follows:

[0213] Slice list

[0214] >slice ID

[0215] >carrier frequency list

[0216] >>carrier frequency (e.g., ARFCN value)

[0217] >>priority

[0218] In other words, the access network device can determine the priority of different frequency points for the first network slice and send information such as the priority of each frequency point, the identifier of the frequency point, and the identifier of the first network slice to the terminal device. It's important to understand that this explanation uses the first network slice as an example; in reality, the access network device can determine the priority of each frequency point for each of multiple network slices.

[0219] The slice ID can be S-NSSAI, a slice index, or other slice identifiers, such as the RSA ID mentioned earlier; there are no limitations on this. When the slice ID is an RSA ID, the sixth message provides the priority corresponding to each frequency point for each RSA ID. It should be noted that the above implementation describes a scheme in which the access network device can determine the priority of each frequency point in at least one frequency point for the first network slice and send a sixth message to the terminal device. The sixth message includes the identifier of the first network slice, the identifier of each frequency point, and the priority corresponding to each frequency point. It can be understood that this implementation can also be applied to RSA IDs. For example, the access network device can determine the priority of each frequency point in at least one frequency point for an RSA ID; and send a sixth message to the terminal device, which includes the RSA ID, each frequency point, and the priority corresponding to each frequency point.

[0220] For the terminal device, the terminal device obtains the priority of each frequency point in at least one frequency point for the first network slice; performs cell search on the first frequency point, which is the frequency point with the highest priority among the at least one frequency points.

[0221] The first network slice can be obtained by the terminal device using the network slice selection method described above, or it can be selected based on business needs; there is no limitation on this. For example, the NAS layer of the terminal device notifies that a service requiring the first network slice needs to be initiated, that is, the NAS layer informs the AS layer of the identifier of the first network slice.

[0222] Terminal devices can listen to cell broadcast messages to obtain information such as network slices, frequency points, and priority information.

[0223] Here, the terminal device can select a first frequency point from the at least one frequency point based on the priority of the first network slice at each frequency point. The first frequency point is the frequency point with the highest priority among the at least one frequency points for the first network slice. For example, both 2.6GHz and 4.9GHz support the first network slice, but the first network slice has a higher priority at 4.9GHz than at 2.6GHz; therefore, the selected first frequency point is 4.9GHz. Then, the terminal device performs a cell search on the first frequency point. There are two ways for the terminal device to perform a cell search on the first frequency point:

[0224] 1) Network slicing is deployed at the carrier level, meaning that cells found on a given carrier are guaranteed to support that network slice. After searching for cells on a specified carrier, the terminal device adds cells that meet the cell selection criterion S to the candidate cell set. The terminal device can then sort the cells in the candidate cell set according to the cell reselection criterion R, and select the highest-ranked cell. If the candidate cell set is empty, the terminal device selects the second-highest priority carrier (which can be understood as only carriers with lower priority than the highest priority carrier) for cell searching in the first network slice, for example, searching for cells in 2.6 GHz, and repeats the process mentioned above until a cell is selected.

[0225] 2) Network slicing is deployed at the region level, meaning that cells searched on a particular carrier may not support the network slice. After searching for cells on a specified carrier, the terminal device adds cells that support the network slice and simultaneously meet the cell selection criterion S to the candidate cell set. The terminal device can then sort the cells in the candidate cell set according to the cell reselection criterion R and select the cell with the highest ranking. If the candidate cell set is empty, the terminal device selects the carrier with the second highest priority for the first network slice (which can be understood as only the carrier with the lowest priority) for cell search and repeats the above process until a cell is selected.

[0226] The two implementation methods described above use a carrier as an example. In fact, a carrier can be replaced by a frequency point.

[0227] When the slice ID broadcast by the access network device is an RSA ID, meaning the access network device can determine the priority of each frequency point in at least one frequency point based on the RSA ID, the terminal device can perform corresponding processing. Specifically, after receiving the sixth message, the terminal device finds the corresponding RSA ID based on the identifier of the first network slice, and then obtains the priority of the RSA ID on different frequency points. For example, the terminal device finds the first frequency point with the highest priority corresponding to the RSA ID, and then performs cell search on the first frequency point, with subsequent operations as above. The first network slice can be obtained by the terminal device using the network slice selection method described above, or it can be selected based on service requirements; there is no limitation on this. For example, the NAS layer of the terminal device notifies that a service requiring the first network slice needs to be initiated, i.e., the NAS layer informs the AS layer of the identifier of the first network slice. Here, it is assumed that when the terminal device previously accessed other access network devices, it had already obtained the mapping relationship between RSA IDs and at least one network slice. For example, the terminal device previously accessed the first access network device, and the first access network device sent one or more sets of mapping relationships between RSA IDs and at least one network slice to the terminal device. For example, the first access network device provides a mapping relationship between one or more sets of RSA IDs and at least one network slice, such as: RSA ID#1 corresponds to S-NSSAI#1 and S-NSSAI#2, and RSA ID#2 corresponds to S-NSSAI#3, S-NSSAI#4, and S-NSSAI#5. When the terminal device receives the priority of each network slice supported by each frequency point broadcast by the current access network device, or the priority of each network slice on each frequency point. For example, the current access network device broadcasts that RSA ID#1 has high priority at 4.9 GHz and low priority at 2.6 GHz. If the terminal device wishes to access S-NSSAI#2 (assuming S-NSSAI#2 is the identifier of the first network slice), then based on the mapping relationship obtained from the first access network device (RSA ID#1 corresponds to S-NSSAI#1 and S-NSSAI#2), the terminal device can find the correspondence between S-NSSAI#2 and RSA ID#1. Based on the frequency priority of RSA ID#1 broadcast by the current access network device, the terminal device can find that the high-priority frequency of RSA ID#1 is 4.9GHz. The terminal device will first perform a cell search in 4.9GHz. Only if no suitable cell is found in 4.9GHz will the terminal device perform a cell search in 2.6GHz.

[0228] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application can be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the current solution on which they are based, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, they can be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Correspondingly, the apparatus given in the embodiments of this application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0229] Corresponding to the methods described in the above embodiments, this application also provides corresponding apparatuses, which include modules for performing the corresponding methods described in the above embodiments. The modules may be software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. It is understood that the technical features described in the method embodiments are also applicable to the following apparatus embodiments.

[0230] Figure 9 This is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 9 As shown, another embodiment of this application provides a device 1700. This device can be a terminal device or a component of a terminal device (e.g., an integrated circuit, a chip, etc.). The device can also be a network device (a network device can be an access network device or a core network element) or a component of a network device (e.g., an integrated circuit, a chip, etc.). The device can also be other communication modules used to implement the methods in the method embodiments of this application. The device 1700 may include a processing module 1702 (processing unit). Optionally, the device 1700 may further include a transmitting module 1701 (transmitting unit), a receiving module 1704 (receiving unit), and a storage module 1703 (storage unit). The transmitting module 1701 and the receiving module 1704 can form a transceiver unit, simultaneously having receiving and transmitting functions. The processing module 1702 can be a processor. The transmitting module 1701 can be a transmitter. The receiving module 1704 can be a receiver. The receiver and transmitter can be integrated together to form a transceiver.

[0231] In one possible design, such as Figure 9 One or more modules may be implemented by one or more processors, or by one or more processors and memory; or by one or more processors and transceivers; or by one or more processors, memory, and transceivers. This application does not limit the implementation in this way. The processors, memory, and transceivers can be configured individually or integrated.

[0232] The device is equipped to implement the functions of the terminal device described in the embodiments of this application. For example, the device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the steps involved in the terminal device described in the embodiments of this application. The functions, units, or means can be implemented by software, hardware, or hardware executing corresponding software, or a combination of software and hardware. Further details can be found in the corresponding descriptions in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0233] Alternatively, the device may have the functionality of the network device described in the embodiments of this application. For example, the device may include modules, units, or means corresponding to the steps involved in the network device described in the embodiments of this application. These functions, units, or means may be implemented by software, hardware, or hardware executing corresponding software, or a combination of software and hardware. Further details can be found in the corresponding descriptions in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0234] Optionally, each module in the apparatus 1700 in this application embodiment can be used to execute the functions described in this application embodiment. Figure 2 The method described.

[0235] In one possible implementation, an apparatus 1700 may include a sending module 1701 and a processing module 1702.

[0236] As one possible implementation, the processing module 1702 is used to broadcast a first identifier, which is used to identify information about a first access network slice.

[0237] The sending module 1701 is used to send a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message to the terminal device, the RRC message including information of at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier.

[0238] Optionally, the device 1700 further includes a receiving module 1704. The receiving module 1704 is configured to receive a request message from the terminal device before sending an RRC message to the terminal device, the request message being used to request information on at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier.

[0239] Optionally, the RRC message further includes a second identifier and information about at least one second network slice corresponding to the second identifier, wherein the second identifier is used to identify the information of the second access network slice.

[0240] Optionally, the receiving module 1704 is further configured to receive a first message from the second access network device, the first message including the second identifier and information of at least one second network slice corresponding to the second identifier.

[0241] Alternatively, as one possible implementation, the apparatus 1700 includes a processing module 1702 and a transmitting module 1701. The processing module 1702 is used to determine the priority of each network slice in at least one network slice for a first frequency point.

[0242] The sending module 1701 is used to send a fifth message, which includes the first frequency point, the identifier of each network slice, and the priority corresponding to each network slice.

[0243] Alternatively, as one possible implementation, the apparatus 1700 includes a processing module 1702 and a transmitting module 1701. The processing module 1702 is used to determine the priority of each frequency point in at least one frequency point for a first network slice.

[0244] The sending module 1701 is used to send a sixth message, which includes the identifier of the first network slice, the identifier of each frequency point, and the priority corresponding to each frequency point.

[0245] It is understood that the device 1700 may correspond to the method of the access network device in the foregoing method embodiments, for example, Figure 2 The methods described above and other management operations and / or functions of each module in the device 1700 are respectively for implementing the corresponding steps of the access network device method in the aforementioned method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects in the aforementioned method embodiments. For the sake of brevity, they will not be elaborated here.

[0246] In another possible implementation, an apparatus 1700 may include a receiving module 1704 and a processing module 1702.

[0247] As one possible implementation, the processing module 1702 is used to obtain a first identifier, which is used to identify information of a first access network slice.

[0248] The receiving module 1704 is configured to receive an RRC message from a first access network device, the RRC message including information about at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier.

[0249] Optionally, the device 1700 further includes a sending module 1701. The sending module 1701 is configured to send a request message to the first access network device, the request message being used to request information on at least one first network slice corresponding to the first identifier.

[0250] Optionally, the RRC message further includes a second identifier and information about at least one second network slice corresponding to the second identifier, wherein the second identifier is used to identify the information of the second access network slice.

[0251] Alternatively, as one possible implementation, the device 1700 includes a processing module 1702 and a receiving module 1704. The receiving module 1704 is used to receive a paging message from a network device, the paging message including information about a first network slice.

[0252] The processing module 1702 is used to perform cell reselection if the cell in which the device 1700 is currently located does not support the first network slice.

[0253] Optionally, the processing module 1702 is used to perform cell reselection, including: performing cell reselection according to a first mapping relationship, wherein the first mapping relationship includes information of the first network slice and information of the second network slice, and the information of the first network slice and the information of the second network slice have a remapping relationship.

[0254] Optionally, the processing module 1702 is used to perform cell reselection according to the first mapping relationship, including: if the cell where the device 1700 is currently located supports the second network slice, initiating a random access procedure in the cell where the device 1700 is currently located; if the cell where the device 1700 is currently located does not support the second network slice, selecting a cell that supports the second network slice.

[0255] Optionally, the device 1700 further includes a sending module 1701. The sending module 1701 is used to send a second message to the network device, the second message including information about the first network slice and information about the second network slice, or the second message including information about the second network slice.

[0256] Optionally, the sending module 1701 is further configured to send a third message to the network device, the third message being used to notify the terminal device that cell selection failed.

[0257] Alternatively, as a possible implementation, the device 1700 includes a processing module 1702. The processing module 1702 is used to acquire priority information for each network slice in at least one network slice.

[0258] The processing module 1702 is also used to perform cell selection or cell reselection based on the priority information of each network slice.

[0259] Alternatively, as one possible implementation, the apparatus 1700 includes a processing module 1702. The processing module 1702 is configured to obtain the priority of each frequency point in at least one frequency point for the first network slice.

[0260] The processing module 1702 is further configured to perform cell search on the first frequency point, wherein the first frequency point is the frequency point with the highest priority among the at least one frequency point.

[0261] Optionally, the processing module 1702 is further configured to perform cell search on a second frequency if no cell is found on the first frequency, wherein the second frequency has a lower priority than the first frequency.

[0262] Optionally, the device 1700 further includes a receiving module 1704. The transceiver module 1701 is used to obtain the priority of each frequency point in at least one frequency point for the first network slice, including: calling the receiving module 1704 to receive a sixth message from the network device, the sixth message including the identifier of the first network slice, the identifier of each frequency point, and the priority corresponding to each frequency point.

[0263] It is understood that the device 1700 may correspond to the method of the terminal device in the foregoing method embodiments, for example, Figure 2 or Figure 7 The methods described above and other management operations and / or functions of each module in the device 1700 are respectively for implementing the corresponding steps of the terminal device method in the aforementioned method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects in the aforementioned method embodiments. For the sake of brevity, they will not be elaborated here.

[0264] In one possible implementation, an apparatus 1700 may include a sending module 1701 and a processing module 1702.

[0265] The processing module 1702 is used to determine the priority of each network slice in at least one network slice.

[0266] The sending module 1701 is used to send a fourth message, which includes the identifier of each network slice and the priority corresponding to each network slice.

[0267] Optionally, the processing module 1702 is further configured to, if no cell is found on the first frequency point, send the fourth message on the second frequency point as a non-access stratum message sent by the core network element to the terminal device.

[0268] It is understood that the device 1700 may correspond to the method of the core network element in the aforementioned method embodiments, for example, Figure 8 The methods described above and other management operations and / or functions of each module in the device 1700 are respectively the corresponding steps of the core network element method in the aforementioned method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects in the aforementioned method embodiments. For the sake of brevity, they will not be elaborated here.

[0269] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of an apparatus is provided. The apparatus 1500 can be a network device (which can be an access network device or a core network element), a terminal device, a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the implementation of the above methods in a network device, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the implementation of the above methods in a terminal device. This apparatus can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0270] The device 1500 may include one or more processors 1501, which may also be referred to as processing units, and can implement certain control functions. The processor 1501 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the central processing unit can be used to control communication devices (such as core network elements, base stations, baseband chips, terminals, terminal chips, DUs or CUs, etc.), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0271] In an alternative design, the processor 1501 may also store instructions and / or data 1503, which can be executed by the processor to cause the device 1500 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0272] In another alternative design, the processor 1501 may include a transceiver unit for implementing receive and transmit functions. For example, this transceiver unit may be a transceiver circuit, an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit for implementing receive and transmit functions may be separate or integrated. The aforementioned transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for reading and writing code / data, or for transmitting or relaying signals.

[0273] In another possible design, device 1500 may include circuitry that can perform the functions of sending, receiving, or communicating in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0274] Optionally, the device 1500 may include one or more memories 1502, which may store instructions 1504 that can be executed on the processor, causing the device 1500 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memory may also store data. Optionally, the processor may also store instructions and / or data. The processor and memory may be configured separately or integrated together. For example, the correspondence described in the above method embodiments may be stored in the memory or in the processor.

[0275] Optionally, the device 1500 may further include a transceiver 1505 and / or an antenna 1506. The processor 1501, which may be referred to as a processing unit, controls the device 1500. The transceiver 1505, which may be referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, is used to implement transceiver functions.

[0276] In one possible design, an apparatus 1500 (e.g., an integrated circuit, wireless device, circuit module, or terminal device, etc.) can be used to implement the method executed by the access network device in the embodiments of this application, or to implement the method executed by the terminal device, or to implement the method executed by the core network element.

[0277] The processor and transceiver described in this application can be implemented on integrated circuits (ICs), analog ICs, radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), mixed-signal ICs, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), printed circuit boards (PCBs), electronic devices, etc. The processor and transceiver can also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS), n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS), p-type metal oxide semiconductors (PMOS), bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0278] The apparatus described in the above embodiments may be a core network element, an access device, or a terminal device, but the scope of the apparatus described in this application is not limited thereto, and the structure of the apparatus may vary. Figure 10The device may be a standalone device or part of a larger device. For example, the device may be:

[0279] (1) Independent integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem;

[0280] (2) A collection of one or more ICs, optionally including a storage component for storing data and / or instructions;

[0281] (3) ASIC, such as modem (MSM);

[0282] (4) Modules that can be embedded in other devices;

[0283] (5) Receivers, terminals, smart terminals, cellular phones, wireless devices, handheld devices, mobile units, vehicle-mounted devices, network devices, cloud devices, artificial intelligence devices, etc.

[0284] (6) Others, etc.

[0285] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the access network device provided in an embodiment of this application, for example, a schematic diagram of a base station 3000. The base station 3000 can be applied to, for example... Figure 1 In the system shown, the functions of the access network device in the above method embodiment are performed.

[0286] In a 5G communication system, the access network device 1100 may include a CU, a DU, and an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU and DU can communicate with each other through interfaces, where the control plane (CP) interface can be Fs-C, such as F1-C, and the user plane (UP) interface can be Fs-U, such as F1-U.

[0287] CU, DU, and AAU can be installed separately or together, resulting in various network deployment configurations. One possible deployment configuration is as follows: Figure 11 As shown, the CU and DU share the same hardware deployment. It should be understood that... Figure 11 This is just an example and does not limit the scope of protection of this application. For example, the deployment form can also be DU deployed in 5G BBU equipment room, CU centrally deployed, or DU centrally deployed and CU centrally deployed at a higher level, etc.

[0288] The AAU may include a transceiver unit 1101, and... Figure 10The receiving unit 1020 and transmitting unit 1010 correspond to each other. Optionally, the transceiver unit 1101 can also be called a transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, etc., and it can include at least one antenna 1111 and radio frequency unit 1112. Optionally, the transceiver unit 1101 can include a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The receiving unit can correspond to a receiver (or receiver circuit), and the transmitting unit can correspond to a transmitter (or transmitter circuit). The AAU is mainly used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals and converting radio frequency signals to baseband signals, for example, for sending messages or information in the above embodiments to terminal devices. The CU and DU can implement internal processing functions, called processing unit 1102, for baseband processing, control of the base station, etc. The AAU, CU, and DU can be physically set together or physically separated, i.e., a distributed base station.

[0289] The CU and DU are the control centers of the access network equipment, also known as processing modules (or processing units), and can correspond to processing module 1702. They are mainly used to complete baseband processing functions, such as channel coding, multiplexing, modulation, and spread spectrum. For example, the CU and DU (processing module 1702) 1102 can be used to control the access network equipment 1100 to execute the operation flow of the access network equipment (e.g., the first access network equipment) in the above method embodiment.

[0290] In one example, the CU and DU can be composed of one or more single boards. Multiple single boards can collectively support a single access standard wireless access network (e.g., LTE or 5G system), or they can each support wireless access networks with different access standards. The CU and DU also include a memory 1121 and a processor 1122. The memory 1121 stores necessary instructions and data. The processor 1122 controls the base station to perform necessary actions, such as controlling the base station to execute the operation procedures related to the access network equipment in the above method embodiments. The memory 1121 and processor 1122 can serve one or more single boards. That is, each single board can have its own memory and processor, or multiple single boards can share the same memory and processor. Furthermore, each single board can also have necessary circuitry.

[0291] The CU and DU1102 described above can be used to perform the actions implemented internally by the access network device as described in the preceding method embodiments, while the AAU can be used to perform the actions sent by the access network device to the terminal device or received from the terminal device as described in the preceding method embodiments. Please refer to the descriptions in the preceding method embodiments for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0292] In addition, access network equipment is not limited to Figure 11The form shown can also be other forms: for example, including a BBU and an adaptive radio unit (ARU), or including a BBU and an active antenna unit (AAU); it can also be customer premises equipment (CPE), or other forms, which are not limited in this application.

[0293] It should be understood that Figure 11 The access network device 1100 shown can implement the method embodiments described above (for example, Figures 2-8 The functions of the access network device involved in the method embodiment of this application are described below. The operation and / or function of each unit in the access network device 1100 are respectively for implementing the corresponding process executed by the access network device in the method embodiment of this application. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are appropriately omitted here. Figure 11 The example access network device structure is merely one possible configuration and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of this application. This application does not exclude the possibility of other configurations of access network devices in the future.

[0294] Figure 12 A schematic diagram of a terminal device is provided. This terminal device is applicable to... Figure 1 In the scenario shown. For ease of explanation, Figure 12 Only the main components of the terminal device are shown. For example... Figure 12 As shown, the terminal device 1600 includes a processor, memory, control circuitry, antenna, and input / output devices. The processor is primarily used for processing communication protocols and data, controlling the entire terminal, executing software programs, and processing software program data. The memory is primarily used for storing software programs and data. The radio frequency (RF) circuitry is primarily used for converting baseband signals to RF signals and processing RF signals. The antenna is primarily used for transmitting and receiving RF signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as touchscreens, displays, and keyboards, are primarily used for receiving user input data and outputting data to the user.

[0295] When the terminal device is powered on, the processor can read the software program from the storage unit, parse and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit processes the baseband signal to obtain the RF signal and transmits the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the terminal device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna. This RF signal is further converted into a baseband signal and output to the processor. The processor converts the baseband signal back into data and processes the data.

[0296] For ease of explanation, Figure 12 Only one memory and processor are shown. In actual terminal devices, multiple processors and memories may exist. Memory can also be called storage medium or storage device, etc., and this embodiment of the invention does not limit this.

[0297] As an optional implementation, the processor may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU is mainly used to control the entire terminal device, execute software programs, and process the data of the software programs. Figure 12 The processor in the device integrates the functions of a baseband processor and a central processing unit (CPU). Those skilled in the art will understand that the baseband processor and CPU can also be independent processors interconnected via technologies such as buses. It will also be understood that a terminal device can include multiple baseband processors to adapt to different network standards, and multiple CPUs to enhance its processing capabilities. The various components of the terminal device can be connected via various buses. The baseband processor can also be described as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. Similarly, the CPU can be described as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The function of processing communication protocols and communication data can be built into the processor or stored as a software program in a storage unit, with the processor executing the software program to implement the baseband processing function.

[0298] In one example, the antenna and control circuitry with transceiver functions can be considered as the transceiver unit 1611 of the terminal device 1600, and the processor with processing functions can be considered as the processing unit 1612 of the terminal device 1600. For example... Figure 12 As shown, the terminal device 1600 includes a transceiver unit 1611 and a processing unit 1612. The transceiver unit can also be referred to as a transceiver, transceiver device, or transceiver apparatus. Optionally, the device in the transceiver unit 1611 used for receiving functions can be considered a receiving unit, and the device in the transceiver unit 1611 used for transmitting functions can be considered a transmitting unit; that is, the transceiver unit 1611 includes both a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. For example, the receiving unit can also be referred to as a receiver, receiver circuit, or receiving device, and the transmitting unit can be referred to as a transmitter, transmitter, or transmitting circuit. Optionally, the receiving unit and transmitting unit can be integrated into a single unit or can be multiple independent units. The receiving unit and transmitting unit can be located in one geographical location or distributed across multiple geographical locations.

[0299] Those skilled in the art will also understand that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps listed in the embodiments of this application can be implemented by electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. Whether such functionality is implemented through hardware or software depends on the specific application and the overall system design requirements. Those skilled in the art can implement the described functionality using various methods for each specific application, but such implementation should not be construed as exceeding the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application.

[0300] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, the steps of the above method embodiments can be completed by the integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, a system-on-a-chip (SoC), a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0301] The technologies described in this application can be implemented in various ways. For example, these technologies can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware. For hardware implementation, the processing unit for executing these technologies at a communication device (e.g., a base station, terminal, network entity, or chip) can be implemented in one or more general-purpose processors, DSPs, digital signal processing devices, ASICs, programmable logic devices, FPGAs, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor; alternatively, it can also be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented through a combination of computing devices, such as a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a digital signal processor core, or any other similar configuration.

[0302] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0303] This application also provides a computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a computer, implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0304] This application also provides a computer program product that, when executed by a computer, implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0305] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a system that includes one or more terminal devices and one or more access network devices as described above. Optionally, the system may further include core network elements.

[0306] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., high-density digital video discs (DVDs)), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks (SSDs)).

[0307] It should be understood that the term "embodiment" used throughout the specification means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic related to an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, these specific features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the sequence numbers of the above processes do not imply a sequential 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 this application.

[0308] It should also be understood that in this application, “when…”, “if” and “if” all refer to the UE or base station taking corresponding actions under certain objective circumstances, and are not time-limited, nor do they require the UE or base station to perform a judgment action, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0309] Those skilled in the art will understand that the various numerical designations such as "first," "second," etc., involved in this application are merely for the convenience of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application, nor do they indicate the order of sequence.

[0310] In this application, the use of singular pronouns to denote "one or more" rather than "one and only one," unless otherwise specified. In this application, unless otherwise specified, "at least one" is intended to mean "one or more," and "more than" is intended to mean "two or more."

[0311] Furthermore, the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably in this paper. The term "and / or" in this paper is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Here, A can be singular or plural, and B can be singular or plural.

[0312] The character " / " generally indicates that the objects before and after it are in an "or" relationship.

[0313] In this document, the terms "at least one of..." or "at least one of..." refer to all or any combination of the listed items. For example, "at least one of A, B, and C" can mean: A exists alone, B exists alone, C exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, B and C exist simultaneously, and A, B, and C exist simultaneously. A can be singular or plural, B can be singular or plural, and C can be singular or plural.

[0314] It should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A, and B can be determined based on A. However, it should also be understood that determining B based on A does not mean that B is determined solely based on A; B can also be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0315] The correspondences shown in the tables of this application can be configured or predefined. The values ​​of the information in each table are merely examples and can be configured to other values; this application is not limited to these values. When configuring the correspondences between information and parameters, it is not necessarily required to configure all the correspondences shown in each table. For example, the correspondences shown in some rows of the tables in this application may not be configured. Furthermore, appropriate modifications and adjustments can be made based on the above tables, such as splitting, merging, etc. The names of the parameters shown in the headings of the above tables can also use other names that the communication device can understand, and the values ​​or representations of the parameters can also be other values ​​or representations that the communication device can understand. In the implementation of the above tables, other data structures can also be used, such as arrays, queues, containers, stacks, linear lists, pointers, linked lists, trees, graphs, structures, classes, heaps, hash tables, or hash tables, etc.

[0316] For clarity, "predefined" in this application's embodiments can be understood as definition, pre-defined, stored, pre-stored, pre-negotiated, pre-configured, solidified, or pre-burned. Configuration in this application's embodiments can be understood as notification via RRC signaling, MAC signaling, or physical layer information, where physical layer information can be transmitted via PDCCH or PDSCH.

[0317] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0318] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0319] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0320] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0321] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0322] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0323] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to core network equipment or a chip in core network equipment, and the method includes: Receive the correspondence between the first identifier and the network slice identifier list from the first access network device; The correspondence between the first identifier and the network slice identifier list is sent to the terminal device via a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message, wherein the correspondence between the Public Land Mobile Network identifier, the first identifier, and the network slice identifier list is the same within a Tracking Area (TA).

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The network slice identifier list includes at least one network slice identifier.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Each of the at least one network slice identifiers is a single network slice selection auxiliary information (S-NSSAI) identifier.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The receipt of the correspondence between the first identifier and the network slice identifier list from the first access network device includes: Receive an NG interface message from the first access network device, wherein the NG interface message includes the correspondence between the first identifier of the first access network device and the network slice identifier list.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The NG interface messages include NG establishment requests or RAN configuration updates.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The non-access stratum messages include registration acceptance or UE configuration update commands.

7. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a terminal device or a chip in a terminal device, and the method includes: The terminal device sends a request message to the core network device through the first access network device. The request message is used to indicate that the terminal device requests the correspondence between the first identifier and the network slice identifier list. The system receives the correspondence between the first identifier and the network slice identifier list sent by the core network equipment via a non-access stratum message, wherein the correspondence between the public land mobile network identifier, the first identifier, and the network slice identifier list is the same within a tracking area (TA).

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The network slice identifier list includes at least one network slice identifier.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, Each of the at least one network slice identifiers is a single network slice selection auxiliary information (S-NSSAI) identifier.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, The non-access stratum messages include registration acceptance or UE configuration update commands.

11. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a first access network device or a chip in the first access network device, and the method includes: Broadcast first identifier and public land mobile network identifier; The correspondence between the first identifier and the network slice identifier list is sent to the core network equipment, wherein the correspondence between the public land mobile network identifier, the first identifier, and the network slice identifier list is the same within a tracking area (TA).

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The network slice identifier list includes at least one network slice identifier.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, Each of the at least one network slice identifiers is a single network slice selection auxiliary information (S-NSSAI) identifier.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that, Sending the correspondence between the first identifier and the network slice identifier list to the core network device includes: Send an NG interface message to the core network device. The NG interface message includes the correspondence between the first identifier of the first access network device and the network slice identifier list.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The NG interface messages include setup requests or RAN configuration updates.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that, The method further includes: A request message is received from a terminal device, the request message being used to instruct the terminal device to request the correspondence between the first identifier and the network slice identifier list.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain the correspondence between the second identifier of the second access network device and the network slice identifier list.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that, Obtain the correspondence between the second identifier of the second access network device and the network slice identifier list, including: The mapping relationship between the second identifier and the network slice identifier list is received from the second network device via the Xn interface message; or, Obtain the correspondence between the second identifier and the network slice identifier list through OAM.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The Xn interface message is either an Xn interface establishment request or an Xn interface establishment recovery.

20. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The terminal device or the chip in the terminal device sends a request message to the core network device through the first access network device. The request message is used to indicate that the terminal device requests the correspondence between the first identifier and the network slice identifier list. The core network device or the chip in the core network device sends the correspondence between the first identifier and the network slice identifier list to the terminal device through a non-access stratum (NAS) message. The correspondence between the public land mobile network identifier, the first identifier, and the network slice identifier list is the same within a tracking area (TA).

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The network slice identifier list includes at least one network slice identifier.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, Each of the at least one network slice identifiers is a single network slice selection auxiliary information (S-NSSAI) identifier.

23. An apparatus, characterized in that, include: A processor coupled to a memory for storing programs or instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

24. An apparatus, characterized in that, include: A processor coupled to a memory for storing programs or instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform the method as described in any one of claims 7 to 10.

25. An apparatus, characterized in that, include: A processor coupled to a memory for storing programs or instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform the method as described in any one of claims 11 to 19.

26. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program or instructions are executed, the computer performs the following method: the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

27. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program or instructions are executed, the computer performs the following method: the method as described in any one of claims 7 to 10.

28. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program or instructions are executed, they cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 11 to 19.

29. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes one or more of the following devices: the device as described in claim 23, the device as described in claim 24, and the device as described in claim 25.

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