Methods, apparatus, small cell, devices, systems, and media for access control

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method, device, small base station, equipment, system and medium for access control. The method comprises: sending, to a core network device, a registration request message carrying a small base station ID of a 5G small base station and switch information; in the case that the registration request message further carries an NSSAI associated with the small base station ID, receiving a registration acceptance message from the core network device to enable a terminal device to access the 5G small base station; in the case that the registration request message does not carry the NSSAI and the switch information indicates that the 5G small base station allows public terminal devices to access, receiving a registration acceptance message from the core network device to enable the terminal device to access the 5G small base station; and in the case that the registration request message does not carry the NSSAI and the switch information indicates that the 5G small base station does not allow public terminal devices to access, receiving a registration rejection message from the core network device to reject the terminal device to access the 5G small base station. Through the above scheme, access control can be performed on the terminal device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of wireless communications, and more specifically to methods, apparatus, 5G small base stations, core network equipment, network systems, and computer-readable storage media for access control in the field of wireless communications. Background Technology

[0002] In 4G networks, 4G small base stations can use the Identify-Request message from the MME (Mobility Management Entity) / AMF (Mobility Management Function) of the core network equipment to enable terminal devices to report IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) messages. LTE small base stations can use the core network function to parse the user's IMSI.

[0003] Individual users may not be able to know their own IMSI and need to obtain it through operator assistance, or the terminal device may display the IMSI, allowing users or operators to configure it into a system for use. When small base stations have the ability to acquire IMSI, there is a potential security risk of collecting the IMSIs of all terminal devices within their coverage area. Furthermore, with technological advancements and network upgrades, more and more 5G terminals and 5G network devices have emerged. When 5G terminals transmit the SUPI (Unique Permanent Identifier) ​​(which corresponds to the IMSI in 4G networks), they encrypt it to become the SUCI (Subject Hidden Identifier). 5G small base stations cannot obtain the SUPI through traditional methods, rendering methods for acquiring IMSI available in 4G networks unavailable in 5G. Additionally, in 4G networks, blacklists and whitelists can be established based on IMSI, and small base stations can be configured to accept IMSIs from the whitelist and reject those from the blacklist; however, this approach remains unavailable in 5G networks.

[0004] Current 5G small cell base stations have the following problems. First, after operators build small cell base stations for users, users only want their authorized terminal devices to connect to those stations and do not want other unknown numbers to connect. However, there is no effective means to control terminal device access. Second, there are handover issues in certain industrial scenarios. For example, URLLC (Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication) industrial terminals may switch from 5G small cell base stations that support URLLC to base stations that do not, depending on the strength of the RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power), leading to a decline in service experience. Third, if access control is implemented for 5G small cell base stations, then public users' terminal devices will be unable to connect, resulting in inefficient use of network resources.

[0005] Therefore, it is desirable to provide a way to control access to terminal devices. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This disclosure provides a method, apparatus, 5G small base station, core network equipment, network system, and computer-readable storage medium for access control, which can control the access of terminal devices to 5G small base stations.

[0007] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a method for access control is provided, comprising: in response to receiving a first registration request message from a terminal device, sending a second registration request message to a core network device carrying a small base station ID and switching information of a 5G small base station, wherein the core network device has a binding relationship between the small base station ID and network slice auxiliary information (NSSAI) associated with the small base station ID, and the switching information indicates whether the 5G small base station allows public terminal devices to access; if the second registration request message also carries the NSSAI associated with the small base station ID from the first registration request message, receiving a registration acceptance message from the core network device to enable the terminal device to access the 5G small base station; if the second registration request message does not carry the NSSAI and the switching information indicates that the 5G small base station allows public terminal devices to access, receiving a registration acceptance message from the core network device to enable the terminal device to access the 5G small base station; and if the second registration request message does not carry the NSSAI and the switching information indicates that the 5G small base station does not allow public terminal devices to access, receiving a registration rejection message from the core network device to reject the terminal device's access to the 5G small base station.

[0008] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a method for access control is provided, comprising: receiving a second registration request message from a 5G small base station carrying a small base station ID and switching information of the 5G small base station, wherein the second registration request message is sent by the 5G small base station in response to receiving a first registration request message from a terminal device, the core network device having a binding relationship between the small base station ID and network slice auxiliary information (NSSAI) associated with the small base station ID, and the switching information indicating whether the 5G small base station allows public terminal devices to access; if the second registration request message also carries the NSSAI associated with the small base station ID from the first registration request message, sending a registration acceptance message to the 5G small base station to enable the terminal device to access the 5G small base station; if the second registration request message does not carry the NSSAI and the switching information indicates that the 5G small base station allows public terminal devices to access, sending a registration acceptance message to the 5G small base station to enable the terminal device to access the 5G small base station; and if the second registration request message does not carry the NSSAI and the switching information indicates that the 5G small base station does not allow public terminal devices to access, sending a registration rejection message to the 5G small base station to reject the terminal device's access to the 5G small base station.

[0009] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a 5G small base station is provided, comprising: a memory storing computer-executable instructions; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the method described above according to one aspect of this disclosure.

[0010] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a core network device is provided, comprising: a memory storing computer-executable instructions; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the method described above according to another aspect of this disclosure.

[0011] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a network system is provided, which includes the aforementioned 5G small base station and the aforementioned core network equipment communicating with it.

[0012] According to other aspects of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform any of the methods described above.

[0013] According to other aspects of this disclosure, an apparatus for access control is provided, the apparatus including components for performing the steps of any of the methods described above.

[0014] Based on the above technical solution, by carrying the small base station ID and the NSSAI associated with the small base station ID in the second registration request message, terminal devices associated with the 5G small base station can be connected normally. By carrying switch information in the second registration request message, the system can control whether public terminal devices not associated with the 5G small base station are allowed to access the 5G small base station according to the setting of the switch information, thereby realizing access control for different terminal devices.

[0015] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of this disclosure and, together with the specification, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a network system including 5G small base stations according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a method for a terminal device to access a 5G small base station according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0019] Figure 3 According to the embodiments of this disclosure, when utilizing Figure 2 The method is Figure 1 Access and billing information for each terminal in the system.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the modules involved in each device during the access control process according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0021] Figure 5 This is a structural block diagram of a 5G small base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 6 This is a structural block diagram of a core network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 7 This is a structural block diagram of a network system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0024] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0025] It should also be understood that, for ease of description, the dimensions of the various parts shown in the accompanying drawings are not drawn to actual scale. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit this disclosure or its application or use. Techniques, methods, and devices known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and devices should be considered part of the specification. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following figures denote similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures. The use of “and / or” herein indicates at least one of the connected elements, meaning that each connected element may appear individually in different embodiments, multiple connected elements may appear in one embodiment, and all connected elements may appear in one embodiment.

[0026] First refer to Figure 1 This document describes a structural diagram of a network system 100 including 5G small base stations according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Network system 100 may include 5G small cell base stations 110 and macro base stations 120. 5G small cell base stations (hereinafter also referred to as small cells) can be access devices installed by operators for users to conduct communication in desired coverage areas (such as homes, factories, etc.). Users who purchase 5G small cell base stations can register and enroll with operators to configure traffic settings matching their needs, enabling terminal devices in the user's coverage area to access the network through the 5G small cell base station. Macro base stations 120 can be various types of 5G base stations used to connect terminal devices to the network. Although in Figure 1 Only one 5G small base station and one macro base station are shown in the image, but those skilled in the art will understand that the number of them is not limited to one and can be more than one.

[0028] Various terminal devices such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and smartwatches can connect to various communication networks such as the Internet, packet data networks, cellular networks, and terrestrial telephone networks through these access devices. For example, terminals 1 and 2 are within the coverage area of ​​5G small cell 110 and can access it. Terminals 3 and 4 are within the coverage area of ​​macro cell 120 and can access it. However, users who purchase 5G small cell 110 may only want their own terminal devices to access it, and not other users' terminal devices. This would not affect the performance of small cell 110 or waste purchased bandwidth, nor would it compromise the security of the local area network created by small cell 110.

[0029] A small cell user's own terminal device can be assigned an NSSAI associated with the small cell ID. For example, when a small cell user registers for a small cell with an operator and purchases data, the operator can configure the NSSAI into the user's own terminal device, such as by writing the NSSAI into a memory card like a SIM card. Alternatively, the terminal device can subscribe to a dedicated slice bound to the small cell ID, thereby obtaining its own NSSAI. A terminal device with an NSSAI associated with the small cell ID of small cell 110 is a private terminal device for small cell 110, while other terminal devices (which may have NSSAIs associated with other small cell IDs or no NSSAI) are public or non-private terminal devices for small cell 110 because they do not have an NSSAI associated with the small cell ID of small cell 110. Besides accessing small cell 110, the private terminal device of small cell 110 can also access access devices in the public network, such as macro cells and base stations, and can even act as a public terminal device to access other small cells that are allowed to access it. The NSSAI associated with the small cell ID can also be referred to as the NSSAI bound to the small cell ID.

[0030] For example, Figure 1 Terminals 1 and 3 are terminal devices for small cell users, configured with an NSSAI associated with the ID of the 5G small cell 110. Terminals 2 and 4 are terminal devices for public users, which do not have an NSSAI associated with the ID of the 5G small cell 110. Although Figure 1 Only four terminals are shown in the figure, but those skilled in the art will understand that there may be one, three, four or more NSSAI terminal devices configured with the ID associated with the 5G small base station 110, and the number of public terminal devices may be even greater.

[0031] Current technology makes it difficult for 5G small cell users to control terminal devices attempting to access the small cell. This can result in situations where all terminal devices within the coverage area can access the cell, preventing 5G small cell base stations from selectively allowing only the user's private terminal devices to access, or from flexibly controlling whether to allow public terminal devices to access the cell, thus posing a challenge to access control. The technical solution disclosed in this paper solves this problem, enabling flexible control over terminal device access to 5G small cells.

[0032] exist Figure 2 The diagram shows a flowchart of a method 200 for a terminal device to access a 5G small base station. This method utilizes the small base station and core network equipment to process registration request messages, enabling control over the terminal device accessing the small base station.

[0033] In S210, the terminal device sends a registration request message to the small base station. If the terminal device has an NSSAI (Non-Standardized Substation Identity), the NSSAI is included in the registration request message; otherwise, the NSSAI is not included, for example, the field corresponding to the NSSAI is empty. Figure 2 In the example, the terminal device has NSSAI, so NSSAI is carried in the registration request message of S210.

[0034] In S220, the small base station parses the registration request message from the terminal device, extracts the NSSAI, and constructs a new registration request message containing the NSSAI, small base station ID, and switch information by further supplementing it with the small base station's own small base station ID and switch information. When the registration request message from the terminal device does not contain the NSSAI, the new registration request message constructed by the small base station also does not contain the NSSAI; for example, the field corresponding to the NSSAI in the new registration request message is empty.

[0035] Switching information indicates whether a 5G small cell base station allows public terminal devices to access the network. This switching information can be set by the small cell base station user to configure the base station to accept or deny access from public terminal devices. Alternatively, the small cell base station can set the switching information based on its current load, allowing access by turning on the switch when the load is below a threshold. For example, the switching information can be represented by one bit; a value of 0 indicates that public terminal devices can access the small cell base station, while a value of 1 indicates that public terminal devices cannot access the small cell base station.

[0036] In S230, the small cell sends a registration request message carrying the NSSAI, small cell ID, and switching information to the core network equipment. For example, when the registration request message sent by the terminal device to the small cell includes the NSSAI, the NSSAI is filled into the NSSAI field of the registration request message sent to the core network equipment. When the terminal device does not send an NSSAI, the NSSAI field in the registration request message sent to the core network equipment is empty.

[0037] The core network equipment can be an AMF (Mobility Management Function), a combination of an AMF and a PCF (Packet Control Function), a combination of various functional blocks / devices capable of implementing the technical solution of this disclosure, or even a new device, as long as it can implement the technical solution of this disclosure. It may be a single physical device or a combination of multiple physical devices.

[0038] In core network equipment, subscription information related to small base stations can be pre-configured. For example, the small base station ID can be stored in correspondence with its associated NSSAI, thereby recording the binding relationship between the two. Thus, by determining whether the received registration request message carries the bound small base station ID and NSSAI, it can be determined whether the terminal device sending the registration request message is a private terminal device of the small base station. Current core network equipment also stores NSSAI, but in related technologies, this NSSAI is used to carry data streams on corresponding network slices to achieve quality of service requirements. The embodiments of this disclosure innovatively use NSSAI together with the small base station ID and switching information for access control.

[0039] In S240, the core network equipment determines whether to allow the terminal equipment to access the network based on the NSSAI, small cell ID, and switch information in the registration request message it receives.

[0040] Specifically, if the registration request message received by the core network equipment carries the small cell ID and the NSSAI associated with that small cell ID, the core network equipment returns a registration acceptance message to the small cell to allow the terminal device to access the 5G small cell, regardless of the switching information. If the registration request message received by the core network equipment carries the small cell ID but not the NSSAI associated with that small cell ID, then further access control is required based on the switching information. If the switching information indicates that public terminal devices are allowed to access, the core network equipment returns a registration acceptance message to the small cell to allow the terminal device to access the 5G small cell. If the switching information indicates that public terminal devices are not allowed to access, the access network equipment returns a registration rejection message to the small cell to refuse the terminal device's access to the 5G small cell.

[0041] Access control is achieved by leveraging NSSAI, small cell ID, and switch information, even when the terminal device's IMSI is encrypted.

[0042] In S250, the core network equipment sends a registration acceptance message or a registration rejection message to the small base station based on the judgment in S240, so that the small base station forwards such a message to the terminal equipment for access control.

[0043] In S260, if the terminal device receives a registration acceptance message, it connects to the small base station as in related technologies and sends a registration completion message to the core network equipment through the small base station. If the terminal device receives a registration rejection message, S260 is not executed.

[0044] The following describes additional operations that may be implemented in one or more embodiments. Those skilled in the art will understand that one or more of these operations may be implemented simultaneously in one embodiment or separately in different embodiments.

[0045] When a terminal device is a private terminal device connected to a small base station, the small base station can control the handover of the terminal device. Specifically, for a private terminal device already connected to a small base station, if the reference signal received power (RSRP) of the small base station reported by the terminal device is not lower than a predetermined threshold, then the small base station will not allow the terminal device to perform a handover operation. This ensures that the private terminal device is always connected to the small base station as long as the RSRP measured by the private terminal device is not lower than the threshold, without needing to consider the relationship between the RSRP of the small base station and the RSRPs of other nearby base stations. If the RSRP of the small base station reported by the terminal device is lower than the predetermined threshold, then the small base station compares the RSRP of the small base station reported by the terminal device with the RSRPs of other nearby base stations and instructs the terminal device to perform a handover operation based on their strength relationship. In the embodiments of this disclosure, the private terminal equipment is only allowed to switch to other base stations when the RSRP of the small base station at the private terminal equipment is lower than a predetermined threshold. This allows the private terminal equipment to preferentially camp on the small base station, rather than switching to a nearby macro base station or indoor coverage signal source based on signal strength. This helps ensure exclusive data access or a specific service experience within the small base station's coverage area (e.g., camping on a small base station supporting URLLC for a longer period without easily switching to a macro base station or other base stations), ensuring priority service through the small base station and promoting service quality stability. Of course, the small base station can also choose not to control the handover of the private terminal equipment; in this case, the private terminal equipment can switch to a base station with a stronger signal as described in related technologies. The handover control function of the small base station can be enabled or disabled, which can be achieved through a handover control switch set by the small base station user.

[0046] Because of the use of switch information, in addition to private terminal devices that can access small base stations, public terminal devices may also be able to connect. When a small base station allows public terminal devices to access, it can perform load control to determine how much traffic to allocate to public terminal devices. For example, the small base station can determine how much traffic to allocate to public terminal devices based on its own load conditions. Assuming the small base station purchases 40GB of traffic from the operator each month, if it finds that all private terminal devices consume a maximum of 35GB of traffic per month, it can allocate no more than 5GB of traffic per month to public terminal devices.

[0047] When the switch information is enabled to allow public terminal devices to access the small cell, the core network equipment can record and charge for the traffic used by the public terminal devices accessing the small cell. For example, when the registration request message in S230 does not carry the NSSAI bound to the small cell ID and the switch information indicates that public terminal devices are allowed to access, the core network equipment determines that the current terminal device is a public terminal device about to access the small cell and records its address. Then, the data flow received from and sent to that address is recorded and charged by the core network equipment. The charged fees can be refunded to the small cell user, thus incentivizing the small cell user to share some idle traffic. By selecting to enable the switch information, small cells can be used as coverage supplements for macro cells, providing services to public terminal devices in areas not covered by macro cells, thereby improving the coverage and performance of the entire network.

[0048] When a public terminal device connected to a small cell leaves the small cell, the aforementioned recording and billing operations of the core network equipment can cease. The departure of a public terminal device can be determined by the small cell actively notifying the core network equipment, by the core network equipment detecting its new access base station, or by the core network equipment determining that it has switched out of the small cell.

[0049] When the traffic usage of public terminal devices accessing a small base station reaches the traffic allocated by the small base station, the small base station can modify the switch information to indicate that public terminal devices are not allowed to access the network. For example, the small base station may allow public terminal devices to use 5G traffic within a month based on load conditions. When the small base station determines, or the core network equipment notifies, that the traffic usage of all public terminal devices accessing the network within that month has reached 5G, the small base station can automatically turn off the switch information.

[0050] Figure 3 The text shows when using Figure 2 The method is Figure 1 The access and billing status of each terminal in the network. For terminal 2, which is within the coverage area of ​​small base station 110, if the switch information is turned on, it can access small base station 110 and be billed by the core network equipment. If the switch information is turned off, it cannot access small base station. If there are no other base stations (including macro base stations and other types of base stations) around, terminal 2 will be in a network blind spot and unable to connect to the network.

[0051] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the modules involved in each device during the access control process according to embodiments of this disclosure. Each module in a device may correspond to a hardware module or a software module, and may be implemented on one processor or multiple processors.

[0052] like Figure 4As shown, terminal device 410 includes access control module 412. Access control module 412 can be configured to send a registration request message (first registration request message) to small base station 420 via the air interface, the message of which may carry NSSAI. Small base station 420 may include access control module 422. Access control module 422 can be configured to send a registration request message (second registration request message) carrying small base station ID, NSSAI, and switch information indicating whether public terminal devices are allowed to access via the NG interface to core network device 430. Access control module 422 can also be configured to perform load control and / or handover control. Each of load control and handover control can also be performed by a separate module. Core network device 430 includes access control module 432 and billing module 434. Access control module 432 can be configured to perform access decision to determine whether terminal device 410 is allowed to access small base station 420 based on NSSAI, small base station ID, and switch information. Billing module 434 can be configured to bill the traffic used by public terminal devices accessing small base station 420.

[0053] Small cell towers are typically installed in homes, factories, companies, schools, shops, restaurants, and other similar locations. Administrators in these areas can configure small cell towers to control access, handover, and / or traffic allocation. For example, users of small cell towers installed in homes or factories may want to configure their private devices to access the network at any time through the small cell tower, while prohibiting other devices (public devices) from accessing the network through that small cell tower. Private devices can access the small cell tower by binding to a segment associated with it, while public devices can be blocked from accessing. If a small cell tower user wants to allocate some traffic to public devices and charge for it, they can enable a switch and select how much traffic to provide to public devices based on the small cell tower's load. As another example, users can enable the handover control switch on small cell towers installed in homes or factories. This allows private devices to preferentially camp on the small cell tower, rather than switching to nearby macrocells or other base stations based on signal strength, thus achieving dedicated data and bandwidth in home scenarios and ensuring a good user experience in industrial scenarios.

[0054] By employing the method provided in this disclosure, terminal devices accessing small base stations can be controlled in scenarios such as homes and factories where only legitimate terminal devices (i.e., private terminal devices) are allowed to access. Although IMSI requires encryption in 5G, making it impossible to implement blacklist / whitelist access control based on terminal IMSI using the original 4G methods, the method provided in this disclosure allows access control without knowing the terminal's IMSI. Furthermore, the method provided in this disclosure can be implemented based on existing signaling procedures. By carrying NSSAI, small base station ID, and switch information in the registration request message, the core network equipment determines whether a terminal device can access the small base station. This does not change the existing signaling procedures and is easy to implement. Additionally, by enabling the switch information, the small base station can serve as a supplementary macro base station, providing services to public terminal devices. Since the core network equipment can bill the traffic used by public terminal devices and refund the fees to small base station users, this facilitates the promotion of small base stations and improves network coverage. Through the small base station's handover control function, private terminal devices using the small base station hand over when the small base station's RSRP falls below a predetermined threshold, thereby meeting the unique needs of homes with dedicated bandwidth or factories.

[0055] The above describes a method for access control according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The following will be combined with… Figures 5-7 A block diagram describing a 5G small base station, core network equipment, and network system according to embodiments of the present disclosure is provided.

[0056] Figure 5 The 5G small base station 500 shown may include a memory 510 and a processor 520. The memory 510 may be a read-only memory, optical disc, hard disk, magnetic disk, flash memory, or any other non-volatile storage medium. The memory may store computer-executable instructions for implementing one or more steps in method 200.

[0057] Processor 520 may be coupled to memory 510, for example, via a bus, and may be implemented as one or more integrated circuits, such as a microprocessor or microcontroller. Processor 520 is used to execute computer-executable instructions stored in memory 510 for implementing one or more steps of method 200. Through the execution of these computer-executable instructions, access control of the terminal device can be achieved.

[0058] Figure 6 The core network device 600 shown may include a memory 610 and a processor 620. The memory 610 may be a read-only memory, optical disc, hard disk, magnetic disk, flash memory, or any other non-volatile storage medium. The memory may store computer-executable instructions for implementing one or more steps in method 200.

[0059] Processor 620 may be coupled to memory 610, for example, via a bus, and may be implemented as one or more integrated circuits, such as a microprocessor or microcontroller. Processor 620 executes computer-executable instructions stored in memory 610 for implementing one or more steps of method 200. Through the execution of these computer-executable instructions, access control of the terminal device can be achieved.

[0060] As with existing computer devices, the 5G small cell 500 and core network equipment 600 can be connected to external storage devices via read / write interfaces to access external data, and can also be connected to networks or other computer devices via network interfaces, which will not be described in detail here. Furthermore, the steps that the 5G small cell 500 and core network equipment 600 can perform can be executed by various components they each contain, which can be implemented in the form of hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0061] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a computer-executable instruction for performing one or more steps in method 200 may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium. When the instruction is executed by a processor, the processor is able to perform the corresponding steps, thereby enabling access control of private terminal devices and public terminal devices. In particular, by utilizing switch information, it is possible to flexibly select whether to allow public terminal devices to access the system.

[0062] Figure 7 The network system 700 shown may include one or more 5G small base stations 710 and one or more core network devices 720. A core network device may be coupled to one or more 5G small base stations 710 simultaneously. The 5G small base station 710 is substantially the same as the 5G small base station 500 described above. The core network device 720 is substantially the same as the core network device 600 described above. Through the interaction between the 5G small base station 710 and the core network device 720, the access of different terminal devices can be controlled.

[0063] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this disclosure can be provided as methods, apparatus, or computer program products. Therefore, this disclosure can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this disclosure can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable non-transitory storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0064] This disclosure is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this disclosure. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create a machine for implementing the flowchart illustrations. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0065] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0066] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0067] This concludes the detailed description of the present disclosure. To avoid obscuring the concept of the disclosure, some details known in the art have not been described. Those skilled in the art will fully understand how to implement the technical solutions disclosed herein based on the above description.

[0068] The methods and systems of this disclosure may be implemented in many ways. For example, they may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination of software, hardware, and firmware. The above-described order of steps for the methods is for illustrative purposes only, and the steps of the methods of this disclosure are not limited to the specific order described above unless otherwise specifically stated. Furthermore, in some embodiments, this disclosure may also be implemented as a program recorded on a recording medium, the program including machine-readable instructions for implementing the methods according to this disclosure. Thus, this disclosure also covers recording media storing programs for performing the methods according to this disclosure.

[0069] While specific embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail by way of example, those skilled in the art should understand that the examples are for illustrative purposes only and not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can be made to the above embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure. The scope of this disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for access control, comprising: In response to receiving a first registration request message from a terminal device, a second registration request message carrying the small base station ID and switch information of the 5G small base station is sent to the core network device. The core network device has a binding relationship between the small base station ID and the network slice auxiliary information (NSSAI) associated with the small base station ID, and the switch information indicates whether the 5G small base station allows public terminal devices to access it. The switch information is set by the user of the 5G small base station, or the switch information is set by the 5G small base station according to the current load. If the second registration request message also carries the NSSAI associated with the small cell ID from the first registration request message, a registration acceptance message is received from the core network equipment to enable the terminal device to access the 5G small cell; If the second registration request message does not carry the NSSAI and the switching information indicates that the 5G small cell allows public terminal devices to access, a registration acceptance message is received from the core network equipment to enable the terminal device to access the 5G small cell; and If the second registration request message does not carry the NSSAI and the switch information indicates that the 5G small base station does not allow public terminal devices to access, a registration rejection message is received from the core network equipment to refuse the terminal device access to the 5G small base station.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: When the switch information indicates that the 5G small base station allows public terminal devices to access, determine the traffic available to the 5G small base station that can be allocated to public terminal devices.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: When the traffic used by public terminal devices reaches the allocated traffic limit, modify the switch information to indicate that public terminal devices are not allowed to access the network.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein: If a terminal device that has been connected to a 5G small cell does not have an NSSAI associated with the small cell ID, the traffic used by the terminal device is billed by the core network equipment, and the billing stops when the terminal device leaves the 5G small cell.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: If the terminal device that has been connected to the 5G small base station is a terminal device with an NSSAI associated with the small base station ID, and the reference signal received power (RSRP) of the 5G small base station reported by the terminal device to the 5G small base station is not lower than a predetermined threshold, then the terminal device is not allowed to perform a handover operation.

6. A method for access control, comprising: The system receives a second registration request message from a 5G small base station, carrying the small base station ID and switch information of the 5G small base station. The second registration request message is sent by the 5G small base station in response to receiving a first registration request message from a terminal device. The core network device has a binding relationship between the small base station ID and the network slice auxiliary information (NSSAI) associated with the small base station ID. The switch information indicates whether the 5G small base station allows public terminal devices to access the system. The switch information is set by the user of the 5G small base station or by the 5G small base station according to the current load. If the second registration request message also carries the NSSAI associated with the small base station ID from the first registration request message, a registration acceptance message is sent to the 5G small base station to enable the terminal device to access the 5G small base station; If the second registration request message does not carry the NSSAI and the switching information indicates that the 5G small cell allows public terminal devices to access, a registration acceptance message is sent to the 5G small cell to enable the terminal device to access the 5G small cell; and If the second registration request message does not carry the NSSAI and the switch information indicates that the 5G small base station does not allow public terminal devices to access, a registration rejection message is sent to the 5G small base station to refuse the terminal device access to the 5G small base station.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: If a terminal device connected to a 5G small cell does not have an NSSAI associated with the small cell ID, the traffic used by the terminal device will be billed, and the billing will stop when the terminal device leaves the 5G small cell.

8. A 5G small base station, comprising: A memory that stores computer-executable instructions; as well as A processor coupled to the memory, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-5.

9. A core network device, comprising: A memory that stores computer-executable instructions; as well as A processor coupled to the memory, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 6-7.

10. A network system, comprising: The 5G small base station according to claim 8; as well as The core network equipment according to claim 9 that communicates with 5G small base stations.

11. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-7.

12. An apparatus for access control, comprising: Components for performing the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1-7.

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