A signaling routing method, device, equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a signaling routing method, device, equipment and storage medium, which relate to the field of communication technology. The signaling routing method includes obtaining an access network number selected by a user terminal when accessing a communication network provided by a first operator, wherein the first operator is an operator that covers the communication network in a service area; if the access network number is a network number for the first operator to provide a core network roaming service for a second operator, the access network number is used to route the signaling of the user terminal, and the second operator is an operator that does not cover the communication network in the service area. The present disclosure expands the scope of core network roaming.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a signaling routing method, apparatus, device and storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In order to accelerate the development of mobile communication technology, promoting network openness and sharing and promoting roaming on different networks is an important development direction. That is to say, in areas where this network does not have network coverage, if other operators have network coverage, you can roam on the network of the operator and provide services to users through the network of the operator. Among them, core network roaming can be used to provide services to users through the network of the operator, and signaling routing is an important part of the core network roaming process. For example, in order to accelerate the commercialization of the fifth generation mobile communication technology (5th Generation Mobile Communication Technology, 5G) and reduce duplicate construction, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology proposed in 2019 the implementation opinions on promoting network openness and sharing and promoting 5G roaming on different networks. That is to say, in areas where this network does not have 5G network coverage, if other operators have 5G coverage, you can roam on the 5G network of the operator and provide 5G services to users through the network of the operator. Among them, core network roaming can be used to provide 5G services to users through the network of the operator, and signaling routing is an important part of the core network roaming process. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a signaling routing method, apparatus, device and storage medium to expand the scope of core network roaming. The specific technical solution is as follows:

[0004] In a first aspect, a signaling routing method is provided, which is applied to a device corresponding to a first operator, including:

[0005] Acquire an access network number selected by the user terminal when accessing the communication network provided by the first operator, wherein the first operator is an operator that covers the communication network in the service area;

[0006] If the access network number is a network number used by the first operator to provide core network roaming services to a second operator, the access network number is used to route the signaling of the user terminal, and the second operator is an operator whose communication network is not covered in the service area.

[0007] Optionally, the routing the signaling of the user terminal by using the access network number includes:

[0008] Routing the signaling of the user terminal to the network element responsible for core network roaming of the first operator;

[0009] The signaling is routed to the equipment corresponding to the second operator through the network element responsible for core network roaming.

[0010] Optionally, the acquiring an access network number selected by the user terminal when accessing the communication network provided by the first operator includes:

[0011] Acquiring the access network number from the registration information of the user terminal;

[0012] After acquiring the access network number selected by the user terminal when accessing the communication network provided by the first operator, the method further includes:

[0013] Comparing the access network number with a plurality of pre-stored network numbers, the plurality of network numbers including a network number for which the first operator provides a core network roaming service for the second operator;

[0014] If the access network number is a network number of a core network roaming service provided by the first operator to the second operator, routing the signaling of the user terminal by using the access network number includes:

[0015] If the access network number is the same as a pre-stored network number for the first operator to provide core network roaming service for the second operator, the access network number is used to route the signaling of the user terminal.

[0016] Optionally, the user terminal includes a terminal of a user of the second operator itself and / or a terminal of a roaming user of the second operator, where the roaming user refers to a user of an operator who has signed an international roaming service with the second operator.

[0017] In a second aspect, a signaling routing method is provided, which is applied to a device corresponding to a second operator, including:

[0018] Obtain the home network number of the user terminal;

[0019] receiving a signaling of a user terminal sent by a device corresponding to the first operator; the signaling of the user terminal is routed by the device corresponding to the first operator to the device of the second operator using the access network number when the access network number is a network number for the first operator to provide core network roaming services for the second operator, the access network number is a network number selected by the user terminal when accessing the communication network provided by the first operator in the service area, the first operator is an operator that covers the communication network in the service area, and the second operator is an operator that does not cover the communication network in the service area;

[0020] If the home network number indicates that the user terminal does not belong to the second operator, the signaling is routed to a device corresponding to the home operator of the user terminal.

[0021] In a third aspect, a signaling routing device is provided, which is applied to a device corresponding to a first operator, including:

[0022] an acquisition module, configured to acquire an access network number selected by a user terminal when accessing a communication network provided by the first operator, wherein the first operator is an operator that covers a communication network in a service area;

[0023] A routing module is used to route the signaling of the user terminal using the access network number if the access network number is a network number for the first operator to provide core network roaming service for the second operator, and the second operator is an operator whose communication network is not covered in the service area.

[0024] Optionally, the routing module is specifically used to route the signaling of the user terminal to the network element responsible for core network roaming of the first operator; and route the signaling to the device corresponding to the second operator through the network element responsible for core network roaming.

[0025] Optionally, the acquisition module is specifically used to acquire the access network number from the registration information of the user terminal;

[0026] The device also includes:

[0027] a comparison module, configured to, after obtaining the access network number selected by the user terminal when accessing the communication network provided by the first operator, compare the access network number with a plurality of pre-stored network numbers, the plurality of network numbers including a network number for which the first operator provides a core network roaming service for the second operator;

[0028] The routing module is specifically used to route the signaling of the user terminal using the access network number if the access network number is the same as the pre-stored network number of the first operator providing core network roaming service for the second operator.

[0029] Optionally, the user terminal includes a terminal of a user of the second operator itself and / or a terminal of a roaming user of the second operator, where the roaming user refers to a user of an operator who has signed an international roaming service with the second operator.

[0030] In a fourth aspect, a signaling routing device is provided, which is applied to a device corresponding to a second operator, including:

[0031] An acquisition module, used to acquire the home network number of the user terminal;

[0032] a receiving module, configured to receive a signaling of a user terminal sent by a device corresponding to a first operator; the signaling of the user terminal is routed by the device corresponding to the first operator to the device of the second operator using an access network number when the access network number is a network number for the first operator to provide a core network roaming service for the second operator, the access network number is a network number selected by the user terminal when accessing a communication network provided by the first operator in a service area, the first operator is an operator that covers a communication network in a service area, and the second operator is an operator that does not cover a communication network in the service area;

[0033] A routing module is used to route the signaling to a device corresponding to the home operator of the user terminal if the home network number indicates that the user terminal does not belong to the second operator.

[0034] In a fifth aspect, an electronic device is provided, comprising a processor, a communication interface, a memory and a communication bus, wherein the processor, the communication interface and the memory communicate with each other via the communication bus;

[0035] Memory, used to store computer programs;

[0036] The processor is used to implement the method steps described in any one of the first aspect or the second aspect when executing the program stored in the memory.

[0037] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method steps described in any one of the first aspect or the second aspect are implemented.

[0038] The embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute any one of the methods described in the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0039] Of course, it is not necessary to achieve all the advantages described above at the same time to implement any product or method of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and for ordinary technicians in this field, other embodiments can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0041] Figure 1 A flow chart of a signaling routing method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0042] Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of 5G network interconnection between operators in the core network roaming scenario;

[0043] Figure 3 Another flow chart of the signaling routing method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0044] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of signaling routing in the related art;

[0045] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of routing using the signaling routing method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0046] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a signaling routing device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0047] Figure 7 Another structural schematic diagram of a signaling routing device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0048] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of another structure of the signaling routing device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0049] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the present disclosure belong to the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0051] Core network roaming means that an operator independently builds a complete set of networks (including wireless networks and core networks), and users of other operators can access the network and use mobile communication services in areas where the network is not covered. For example, core network roaming means that an operator independently builds a complete set of 5G networks (including wireless networks and core networks), and users of other operators can access the network and use mobile communication services in areas where the network is not covered by 5G networks. For example, the operator that independently builds a complete set of 5G networks provides services to users of other operators, routes signaling for users of other operators, etc. The operator that independently builds a complete set of 5G networks can be understood as a core network roaming service provider. In terms of service implementation, in the roaming area, the core network roaming service provider opens 5G voice (VoNR), data, short messaging and other services to users of this network and other operators, and guarantees the quality of communication.

[0052] In the core network roaming scenario, for roaming operators (referring to operators that do not cover communication networks such as 5G networks, and other operators that have covered communication networks such as 5G networks provide core network roaming services for them), in addition to their own users being able to roam, they also hope that users of operators that have signed international roaming contracts with them can also roam into this area, thereby maximizing the scope of their own international roaming areas. However, since core network roaming is based on the international roaming architecture, based on current technical means, this type of international roaming cannot be supported. The international roaming here means that users of operators that have signed international roaming contracts with roaming operators can also roam into the area where the core network roaming service provider provides 5G network services to the roaming operator, so as to enjoy the network services provided by the core network roaming service.

[0053] In the related art, the routing method in the core network roaming scenario is the core network interconnection of the home network and the roaming network, such as the 5G core network interconnection, through the home-routed method, the home network is responsible for voice connection, Internet access and short message processing. Specifically, in the related art, the device corresponding to the first operator covered by the communication network routes the signaling of the user terminal accessing the communication network of the first operator based on the home network number of the user terminal, so as to enable the first operator to provide the service of the communication network to the user terminal. For example, the device corresponding to the first operator covered by the 5G network routes the signaling of the user terminal accessing the 5G network of the first operator based on the home network number of the user terminal, so as to enable the first operator to provide the 5G service to the user terminal.

[0054] In this case, after the user terminal of the roaming user of the second operator that is not covered by the 5G network (the user of the operator that has signed an international roaming service with the second operator, and the second operator provides international roaming services to the roaming user) accesses the 5G network provided by the first operator, the corresponding device of the first operator obtains the home network number of the user terminal, and then determines whether the operator to which the home network number belongs has signed an international roaming service with the first operator. If the operator to which the home network number belongs has not signed an international roaming service with the first operator, the device of the first operator directly refuses the user terminal to access the 5G network of the first operator, which will cause the user terminal to be unable to perform international roaming in the core network roaming area, that is, to enjoy the services of the 5G network. For example, when operator A provides core network roaming services to operator B, operator B and foreign operator C have signed an international roaming service. In the case that operator A has not signed an international roaming service with operator C, when the user of operator C tries to access, the access and mobility management function (AMF) module of operator A will directly refuse the user access, resulting in the user being unable to perform international roaming in the core network roaming area. It can be seen that in the relevant technology, if an operator fails to sign an international roaming service agreement with the core network roaming provider during the core network roaming process, the users of this operator cannot roam in the core network roaming area (the service area where the core network roaming provider covers the communication network), that is, the core network roaming provider cannot perform signaling routing for the user terminal in this service area, which will result in the scope of core network roaming being limited.

[0055] The present disclosure provides a signaling routing method, which is applied to a device corresponding to a first operator, including:

[0056] Acquire an access network number selected by the user terminal when accessing a communication network provided by a first operator, wherein the first operator is an operator that covers the communication network in the service area;

[0057] If the access network number is a network number used by the first operator to provide core network roaming services to the second operator, the access network number is used to route the signaling of the user terminal, and the second operator is an operator whose communication network is not covered in the service area.

[0058] Compared with routing using the home network number, the embodiment of the present disclosure uses the access network number of the user terminal to route the signaling machine of the user terminal. The first operator covering the communication network does not refuse to provide services to the user terminal. In the service area where the second operator does not cover the communication network, the second operator's own users (also referred to as the second operator's own users) and / or roaming users can access the first operator's communication network through the network number provided by the first operator to the second operator. In the case where the user terminal's access network number is the network number of the first operator providing core network roaming services to the second operator, the access network number is used to route the user terminal's signaling to provide the user terminal with core network roaming services. In the service area where the second operator does not cover the communication network, even if the second operator's roaming users have not signed an international roaming service agreement with the first operator, the second operator's roaming users can also enjoy the core network roaming services, thereby expanding the scope of core network roaming.

[0059] In addition, the second operator can not only provide international roaming services to roaming users, but also provide core network roaming services to roaming users through the first operator in the service area where the second operator's communication network is not covered, thereby expanding the service area of ​​the second operator, that is, expanding the regional scope of the operator providing SA international roaming and improving market competitiveness.

[0060] Figure 1 The flowchart of the signaling routing method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. Figure 1 The signaling routing method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure is applied to a device corresponding to the first operator and may include:

[0061] S101, obtaining an access network number selected by a user terminal when accessing a communication network provided by a first operator, wherein the first operator is an operator that covers a communication network in a service area;

[0062] S102, if the access network number is a network number for providing core network roaming service for the second operator provided by the first operator, the signaling of the user terminal is routed using the access network number, and the second operator is an operator whose communication network is not covered in the service area.

[0063] Among them, communication networks include mobile communication networks such as 5G, 6G networks, etc.

[0064] From the perspective of core network architecture, the network connection of the core network roaming solution is very similar to the standard solution of standalone (SA) international roaming. Figure 2. Among them, N (1~31) in the figure is the service-based interface, service management function (Service Management Function, SMF), user plane function (UserPlane Function, UPF), policy control function (Policy Control function, PCF), network repository function (Network Repository Function, NRF), unified data management (Unified Data Management, UDM), authentication service function (Authentication Server Function, AUSF), unified data repository function (UnifiedData Repository, UDR), network slice selection function (Network Slice Selection Function, NSSF), application function (Application Function, AF). Specifically, the functional description of each functional network element is shown in Table 1.

[0065] Table 1

[0066]

[0067] From the perspective of the wireless network, for the core network roaming service provider, the base station corresponding to the core network roaming service provider will not only broadcast its own original network number, but also broadcast a new network number for the roaming operator (because operators in the same large area will write each other's network numbers into the Forbidden PLMN list in the card, the roaming operator cannot access the original network number of the roaming provider and can only access it through the new network number). The new network number can be understood as the network number of the core network roaming service provider providing the core network roaming service to the roaming operator. The core network roaming service provider provides different new network numbers to roaming operators with different directions.

[0068] The users of the roaming operator and / or the roaming user can use the new network number to try to access the communication network provided by the core network roaming service provider, such as the 5G network, and the users of the roaming operator and / or the roaming user use this new network number to roam. Specifically, the equipment corresponding to the roaming operator sends the new network number to its own users and roaming users, and the users of the roaming operator and the roaming user both try to access the communication network of the core network roaming service provider, such as the 5G network of the core network roaming service provider, through the new network number.

[0069] In a service area, the second operator does not cover the communication network such as 5G network, and the first operator covers the communication network such as 5G network. The first operator provides core network roaming services to the second operator. The first operator can also be understood as the core network roaming service provider, and the equipment corresponding to the first operator can be understood to include the base station of the first operator. The second operator can also be understood as the roaming operator.

[0070] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the user terminal may include a user of the second operator itself and / or a terminal of a roaming user of the second operator, where the roaming user refers to a user of an operator who has signed an international roaming service contract with the second operator.

[0071] The base station of the first operator will provide a new network number to the second operator. The user terminals of the second operator's own users and / or roaming users will use the new network number provided by the first operator to the second operator to try to access the communication network of the first operator, such as the 5G network. In this case, the new network number is the access network number of the user terminal. The base station of the first operator can obtain the access network number of the user terminal and use the access network number to route the signaling of the user terminal to enable the first operator to provide network services to the user terminal. The user terminal can also enjoy the services of the communication network, such as the 5G network, in the service area where the communication network, such as the 5G network, is not covered by its home operator and / or international roaming service provider. It can also be understood that the user terminal can also perform core network roaming in the service area where the communication network, such as the 5G network, is not covered by its home operator and / or international roaming service provider.

[0072] When the user terminal accesses the communication network provided by the first operator, the device corresponding to the first operator will record the access network number of the user terminal. Specifically, the access network number of the user terminal can be saved in the registration information of the user terminal. When signaling routing is performed on the user terminal, the access network number of the user terminal is obtained from the registration information.

[0073] After obtaining the access network number selected by the user terminal when accessing the communication network provided by the first operator, the access network number is compared with multiple pre-stored network numbers, and the multiple network numbers include the network number of the core network roaming service provided by the first operator to the second operator; if the access network number is the same as the pre-stored network number of the core network roaming service provided by the first operator to the second operator, the access network number is used to route the signaling of the user terminal.

[0074] The device corresponding to the first operator pre-stores multiple network numbers, such as the network numbers provided by the first operator to multiple operators for providing core network roaming services to multiple operators, its own network number, etc. After the device corresponding to the first operator obtains the access network number of the user terminal, it compares the access network number with the multiple pre-stored network numbers. If the access network number is the same as the pre-stored network number of the first operator providing core network roaming services to the second operator, the access network number is used to route the signaling of the user terminal, wherein the access network number is the same as the pre-stored network number of the first operator providing core network roaming services to the second operator, which can be understood as the user terminal using the network number of the first operator providing core network roaming services to the second operator to access the communication network provided by the first operator.

[0075] Specifically, routing the signaling of the user terminal by using the access network number includes:

[0076] The signaling of the user terminal is routed to the network element responsible for core network roaming of the first operator; and the signaling is routed to the corresponding equipment of the second operator through the network element of core network roaming.

[0077] In the disclosed embodiment, the operator providing the core network roaming service, that is, the core network roaming service provider, the network elements responsible for core network roaming and the network elements responsible for international roaming are independently deployed, such as the Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP) responsible for core network roaming and the SEPP responsible for international roaming are independently deployed, which are responsible for domestic core network roaming signaling forwarding and international roaming signaling forwarding, respectively.

[0078] In the disclosed embodiment, the device corresponding to the first operator routes the signaling of the user terminal to the network element responsible for core network roaming of the first operator during the process of providing core network roaming service, thereby realizing independent deployment of core network roaming service and international roaming service.

[0079] Specifically, the AMF module in the device corresponding to the first operator routes the signaling of the user terminal to the network element responsible for core network roaming of the first operator; the network element responsible for core network roaming in the device corresponding to the first operator routes the signaling to the device corresponding to the second operator.

[0080] In the disclosed embodiment, the operator AMF that provides core network roaming services supports signaling routing based on the network number accessed by the user (access network number).

[0081] After the network element responsible for core network roaming routes the signaling to the device corresponding to the second operator, the device corresponding to the second operator performs subsequent signaling routing.

[0082] like Figure 3As shown, the signaling routing method applied to the device corresponding to the second operator provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure includes:

[0083] S301, obtaining the home network number of the user terminal;

[0084] S302: Receive signaling of a user terminal sent by a device corresponding to the first operator.

[0085] The signaling of the user terminal is routed to the device of the second operator using the access network number of the device corresponding to the first operator when the access network number is the network number of the core network roaming service provided by the first operator to the second operator. The access network number is the network number selected by the user terminal when accessing the communication network provided by the first operator in the service area. The first operator is an operator that covers the communication network in the service area, and the second operator is an operator that does not cover the communication network in the service area.

[0086] S303: If the home network number indicates that the user terminal does not belong to the second operator, the signaling is routed to a device corresponding to the home operator of the user terminal.

[0087] Simply put, the device corresponding to the second operator routes the signaling of the user terminal according to the home network number of the user terminal.

[0088] The home network number refers to the network number of the home operator of the user terminal.

[0089] The device corresponding to the second operator may pre-store the network number of the second operator. After the device corresponding to the second operator obtains the home network number of the user terminal, it compares the home network number with the network number of the second operator. If the home network number is the same as the network number of the second operator, it means that the user terminal belongs to the second operator, which can also be understood as the user terminal is the terminal of the user of the second operator itself; if the home network number is different from the network number of the second operator, it means that the user terminal does not belong to the second operator. In one case, the signaling routed from the device corresponding to the first operator to the device corresponding to the second operator is the signaling of the user terminal of the user of the second operator itself and / or the signaling of the user terminal of the roaming user of the second operator. If the user terminal does not belong to the second operator, it can be understood that the user terminal is not the terminal of the user of the second operator itself. It can be understood that when the user terminal does not belong to the second operator, the user terminal is the terminal of the roaming user of the second operator.

[0090] If the user terminal belongs to the second operator, it can also be understood that the user terminal is the terminal of the user of the second operator itself, and the equipment corresponding to the second operator does not need to route the signaling of the user terminal of its own user; if the user terminal does not belong to the second operator, it can also be understood that the user terminal is the terminal of the roaming user of the second operator, then the equipment of the second operator will route the signaling to the equipment corresponding to the operator to which the user terminal belongs. In this way, the signaling of the user terminal of the roaming user can be routed to the operator to which the roaming user belongs.

[0091] In the related art, if the operator to which the home network number belongs has also signed an international roaming service contract with the first operator, the signaling for the user terminal will be directly routed to the home operator of the user terminal according to the home network number of the user terminal. This process completely blocks the second operator that provides international roaming services to the user terminal, and the second operator cannot obtain any roaming information at all. Figure 4 As shown in the figure, when operator A also signs an international roaming service with operator C, after a user of operator C tries to access, the access and mobility management function (AMF) module of operator A will use the user's IMSI International Mobile Subscriber Identification (IMSI) to identify the user. The home network number in the IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Number) number segment is directly routed to the SEPP of operator A responsible for international roaming, and then the signaling of the user is transferred back to the network of operator C. For example, the signaling of operator C's user flows from operator A's base station to the control plane (CP) network element, and then flows from the CP network element to operator A's SEPP, and then flows through operator A's SEPP to operator C's SEPP until it reaches operator C's CP network element. On the user side, it can be seen that the signaling of operator C's user passes through operator A's base station to operator A's user plane function (UPF) network element, and directly reaches operator C's UPF. The related technology causes the process to completely block operator B, and operator B cannot obtain any roaming information at all. It can be seen that the signaling routing for roaming users in the related technology, even if the home network number of the user terminal can be used to perform signaling routing for the user terminal, will block the operator that provides international roaming services for it, so that the operator that provides international roaming services for it cannot obtain the core network roaming information related to the roaming user.

[0092] In the disclosed embodiment, regardless of whether it is a user of the second operator or a roaming user of the second operator, the first operator first routes the signaling of the user terminal to the second operator, and then the second operator performs subsequent routing according to the home network number of the user terminal. Compared with the first operator directly using the home network number for signaling routing, it can avoid the signaling of the roaming user of the second operator shielding the second operator and causing the second operator to be unable to obtain the roaming information of the users of its international roaming service, that is, it avoids the roaming user shielding the operator providing international roaming services to the roaming user, so that the operator providing international roaming services to the roaming user can obtain the core network roaming information related to the roaming user.

[0093] In the disclosed embodiment, signaling routing is performed based on the network number (access network number) selected by the user terminal when accessing, and the access of the user terminal is not rejected. The core network roaming service provider directly routes the signaling of the user terminal to the SEPP network element responsible for domestic core network roaming, and the SEPP network element responsible for domestic core network roaming then forwards the signaling to the domestic roaming party, that is, the network of the roaming operator (the core network roaming service provider provides core network roaming services to it, and the domestic roaming party provides international roaming services to another foreign operator), and then the roaming operator routes it back to the local operator. For the data plane, it is also routed by the provider of international roaming services (that is, the above-mentioned roaming operator). In this way, not only can international roaming in the core network roaming area be realized, but also the international roaming service provider as the domestic core network roaming party can fully grasp the roaming information of international roaming users, thereby realizing international roaming.

[0094] In addition, it is possible to achieve the goal of only allowing 5G terminals that support VoNR to roam in the core network to a roaming network area with a home network signal through network transformation and configuration without modifying the terminals. The technical implementation is less complex and also guarantees user experience.

[0095] In some optional embodiments, during the registration and session establishment process, the second operator may insert an intermediate user plane function (I-UPF) and an intermediate session management function (I-SMF) to ensure that the second operator can perform billing. From the perspective of the first operator's visit user plane function (V-UPF) and visit session management function (V-SMF), the second operator inserts the home user plane function (H-UPF) and the home session management function (H-SMF). From the perspective of the operator for which the second operator provides international roaming services (the operator that has signed an international roaming service contract with the second operator), the second operator inserts I-UPF and I-SMF, which is a patchwork of two standard processes. The operator that provides international roaming inserts I-UPF and I-SMF during the registration and session process to enable the operator that provides international roaming to charge its roaming users.

[0096] In a specific embodiment, Figure 5 As shown in the figure, when operator A provides core network roaming services to operator B, and operator B signs an international roaming service agreement with foreign operator C, when users of operator C (roaming users of operator B) access the roaming area, they will try to access the roaming network (a network that is not covered by operator B but is covered by operator A, such as the 5G network) through the new network number of operator A (the network number provided by operator A to operator B to provide core network roaming services for operator B).

[0097] In the disclosed embodiment, regardless of whether operator A has signed an international roaming service agreement with operator C, after the user terminal of a user of operator C accesses the network of operator A, the AMF of operator A will obtain the network number (access network number) "Serving Network Name" to which the user terminal accesses from the user's registration message, thereby determining that the user is a roaming user of operator B. Specifically, after obtaining the access network number of the user terminal to access the communication network provided by the first operator, the access network number is compared with multiple pre-stored network numbers. If the access network number is the same as the pre-stored network number of the first operator providing core network roaming service to the second operator, it can be understood that the user terminal is a user of operator B itself or a roaming user of operator B. Then the home network number of the user terminal can be obtained, and the home network number is compared with the network number of the second operator. If the home network number is the same as the network number of the second operator, it means that the user terminal belongs to the second operator, and it can also be understood that the user terminal is the terminal of the user of the second operator itself, that is, the user is the user of operator B itself; if the home network number is different from the network number of the second operator, it means that the user terminal is the terminal of the roaming user of the second operator, that is, the user is the roaming user of operator B.

[0098] After determining that the user is a roaming user of operator B, the user's signaling is routed to the SEPP of operator A that is responsible for core network roaming, rather than directly routing it to the SEPP responsible for international roaming based on the user's IMSI number segment information; operator A's SEPP then routes the message to operator B's SEPP based on the network number information selected by the user. After operator B's SEPP receives the message, it determines that the user is an international roaming user of operator C, and then forwards the message to operator C through the SEPP responsible for international roaming.

[0099] In the disclosed embodiment, as long as the AMF of operator A sees the user terminal accessed from the new network number (the network number provided by operator A to operator B for core network roaming), it can directly route the signaling of the user terminal to the SEPP of core network roaming. Among them, the users accessed through the new network number include users of roaming operator B and roaming users of operator B. For users of operator B, after the signaling of the user terminal of the user is routed to the SEPP of operator A responsible for core network roaming, the SEPP responsible for core network roaming will route the signaling to the roaming operator, that is, the SEPP of operator B; for roaming users of B, after the signaling of the user terminal of the user is routed to the SEPP of operator A responsible for core network roaming, the SEPP responsible for core network roaming will then route the signaling to the SEPP of operator B, and the SEPP of operator B will then route the signaling to the home operator of the user terminal according to the home network number of the user terminal.

[0100] In the case where operator A has not signed an international roaming service agreement with operator C, when a user of operator C attempts to access, although the AMF of operator A in the related art determines that the user is an illegally accessed user based on the IMSI number segment, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the user's access will not be denied, and the signaling of the user terminal will be routed to provide the user with core network roaming services. In addition, in the case where operator A and operator C have signed an international roaming service agreement, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the signaling of the user terminal is first routed to operator B, and then operator B performs subsequent routing based on the home network number of the user terminal, thereby avoiding the signaling of operator B's roaming users (users of operator C) shielding operator B, resulting in operator B being unable to obtain the roaming information of its international roaming service users.

[0101] During the registration and session establishment process, operator B can insert I-UPF and I-SMF to ensure that operator B can perform billing. From the perspective of operator A's V-UPF and V-SMF, operator B inserts H-UPF and H-SMF, and from the perspective of operator C, operator B inserts I-UPF and I-SMF, which is a patchwork of two standard processes.

[0102] In a specific embodiment, China Telecom and foreign operator SKT signed an SA international roaming agreement, exchanging China Telecom's network number 46011. China Telecom's network number 46011 is broadcasted in the SA area built by China Telecom and the SA area built by China Unicom, and users of South Korea's SKT can access and perform SA services normally in these areas. For example, in an area where China Telecom only has 4G coverage, China Mobile, as the core network roaming service provider, has built a 5G SA network. The mobile 5G base station in this area broadcasts a new network number 46050 for China Telecom users. When China Telecom's 5G SA users roam to this area, China Telecom's Mobility Management Entity function (MME) module sends the equivalent public land mobile network (PLMN) network number = 46050 to guide the terminal to access China Mobile's shared 5G network. Similarly, China Telecom's MME will also send the equivalent PLMN = 46050 to SKT SA users roaming internationally to guide them to access the 5G network in China Mobile's core network roaming area.

[0103] Regardless of whether the SKT user initiates the initial registration in the roaming area provided by China Mobile, or the user re-registers after moving from the 4G network of China Telecom to the roaming area (whether in idle or connected state), China Mobile's AMF obtains the network number 46050 to which the user is connected from the user's registration message, thereby determining that the user is a roaming user of China Telecom operators. Based on this information, the user's signaling is routed to China Mobile's SEPP responsible for core network roaming; after receiving the message, China Telecom's SEPP responsible for core network roaming determines that it is SKT's international roaming, and then forwards the message to SKT through the SEPP responsible for international roaming. During the registration and session process, China Telecom inserts I-UPF and I-SMF to ensure that billing can be performed.

[0104] Corresponding to the signaling routing method applied to the device corresponding to the first operator provided in the above embodiment, the embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a signaling routing device, which is applied to the device corresponding to the first operator, such as Figure 6 As shown, including:

[0105] An acquisition module 601 is used to acquire an access network number selected by a user terminal when accessing a communication network provided by a first operator, wherein the first operator is an operator that covers the communication network in a service area;

[0106] The routing module 602 is used to route the signaling of the user terminal using the access network number if the access network number is a network number for the first operator to provide core network roaming service for the second operator, and the second operator is an operator whose communication network is not covered in the service area.

[0107] Optionally, the routing module 602 is specifically used to route the signaling of the user terminal to the network element responsible for core network roaming of the first operator; and route the signaling to the device corresponding to the second operator through the network element responsible for core network roaming.

[0108] Optionally, the acquisition module 601 is specifically configured to acquire the access network number from the registration information of the user terminal;

[0109] like Figure 7 As shown, the device also includes:

[0110] The comparison module 701 is used to compare the access network number selected by the user terminal when accessing the communication network provided by the first operator with a plurality of pre-stored network numbers after obtaining the access network number selected by the user terminal when accessing the communication network provided by the first operator, where the plurality of network numbers include a network number of the core network roaming service provided by the first operator for the second operator;

[0111] The routing module 602 is specifically configured to use the access network number to route the signaling of the user terminal if the access network number is the same as the pre-stored network number of the first operator providing the core network roaming service for the second operator.

[0112] Optionally, the user terminal includes a user of the second operator itself and / or a terminal of a roaming user of the second operator, where the roaming user refers to a user of an operator that has signed an international roaming service with the second operator.

[0113] Corresponding to the signaling routing method applied to the device corresponding to the second operator provided in the above embodiment, the embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a signaling routing device, which is applied to the device corresponding to the second operator, such as Figure 8 As shown, it may include:

[0114] The acquisition module 801 is used to acquire the home network number of the user terminal;

[0115] The receiving module 802 is used to receive the signaling of the user terminal sent by the device corresponding to the first operator; the signaling of the user terminal is routed to the device of the second operator by using the access network number when the access network number is the network number of the core network roaming service provided by the first operator to the second operator, and the access network number is the network number selected by the user terminal when accessing the communication network provided by the first operator in the service area, the first operator is an operator that covers the communication network in the service area, and the second operator is an operator that does not cover the communication network in the service area;

[0116] The routing module 803 is configured to route the signaling to a device corresponding to the home operator of the user terminal if the home network number indicates that the user terminal does not belong to the second operator.

[0117] The present disclosure also provides an electronic device, such as Fig. 9 As shown, it includes a processor 901, a communication interface 902, a memory 903 and a communication bus 904, wherein the processor 901, the communication interface 902, and the memory 903 communicate with each other through the communication bus 904.

[0118] Memory 903, used for storing computer programs;

[0119] The processor 901 is used to implement the signaling routing method applied to the device corresponding to the first operator or the signaling routing method applied to the device corresponding to the second operator provided in the above embodiment when executing the program stored in the memory 903.

[0120] The communication bus mentioned in the above electronic device can be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The communication bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used in the figure, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0121] The communication interface is used for communication between the above electronic device and other devices.

[0122] The memory may include a random access memory (RAM) or a non-volatile memory (NVM), such as at least one disk memory. Optionally, the memory may also be at least one storage device located away from the aforementioned processor.

[0123] The above-mentioned processor can be a general-purpose processor, including a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), etc.; it can also be 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.

[0124] In another embodiment provided by the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, which stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the signaling routing method applied to the device corresponding to the first operator or the signaling routing method applied to the device corresponding to the second operator are implemented.

[0125] In another embodiment provided by the present disclosure, a computer program product containing instructions is also provided. When the computer is run on a computer, the computer executes the signaling routing method applied to the device corresponding to the first operator or the signaling routing method applied to the device corresponding to the second operator in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0126] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present disclosure is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website site, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid-state hard disk Solid State Disk (SSD)), etc.

[0127] It should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprise a ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the elements.

[0128] Each embodiment in this specification is described in a related manner, and the same or similar parts between the embodiments can be referred to each other, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. In particular, for the device, electronic device, computer-readable storage medium, and computer program product embodiments, since they are basically similar to the method embodiments, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the partial description of the method embodiments.

[0129] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present disclosure. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure are included in the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A signaling routing method, characterized in that: Applicable to the equipment corresponding to the first operator, including: Acquire an access network number selected by the user terminal when accessing the communication network provided by the first operator, wherein the first operator is an operator that covers the communication network in the service area; If the access network number is a network number for providing core network roaming services for a second operator provided by the first operator, routing the signaling of the user terminal by using the access network number, and the second operator is an operator whose communication network is not covered in the service area; The step of routing the signaling of the user terminal by using the access network number includes: routing the signaling of the user terminal to a network element of the first operator responsible for core network roaming; and routing the signaling to a device corresponding to the second operator through the network element responsible for core network roaming; Among them, the obtaining of the access network number selected by the user terminal when accessing the communication network provided by the first operator includes: obtaining the access network number from the registration information of the user terminal; after obtaining the access network number selected by the user terminal when accessing the communication network provided by the first operator, the method also includes: comparing the access network number with a plurality of pre-stored network numbers, the plurality of network numbers including the network number of the first operator providing core network roaming services for the second operator; if the access network number is the network number of the first operator providing core network roaming services for the second operator, then using the access network number to route the signaling of the user terminal, including: if the access network number is the same as the pre-stored network number of the first operator providing core network roaming services for the second operator, then using the access network number to route the signaling of the user terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The user terminal includes a terminal of a user of the second operator and / or a terminal of a roaming user of the second operator, where the roaming user refers to a user of an operator who has signed an international roaming service contract with the second operator.

3. A signaling routing method, characterized in that: Applicable to the equipment corresponding to the second operator, including: Obtain the home network number of the user terminal; receiving a signaling of a user terminal sent by a device corresponding to the first operator; the signaling of the user terminal is routed by the device corresponding to the first operator to the device of the second operator using the access network number when the access network number is a network number for the first operator to provide core network roaming services for the second operator, the access network number is a network number selected by the user terminal when accessing the communication network provided by the first operator in the service area, the first operator is an operator that covers the communication network in the service area, and the second operator is an operator that does not cover the communication network in the service area; The signaling of the user terminal is routed to the equipment of the second operator in the following manner: a plurality of pre-stored network numbers are compared with the access network number obtained from the registration information of the user terminal, the plurality of network numbers including a network number for providing a core network roaming service for the second operator by the first operator; if the access network number is the same as the pre-stored network number for providing a core network roaming service for the second operator by the first operator, the signaling of the user terminal is routed to the equipment of the second operator by using the access network number; If the home network number indicates that the user terminal does not belong to the second operator, the signaling is routed to a device corresponding to the home operator of the user terminal.

4. A signaling routing device, characterized in that: Applicable to the equipment corresponding to the first operator, including: an acquisition module, configured to acquire an access network number selected by a user terminal when accessing a communication network provided by the first operator, wherein the first operator is an operator that covers a communication network in a service area; a routing module, configured to use the access network number to route the signaling of the user terminal if the access network number is a network number for the first operator to provide a core network roaming service for a second operator, the second operator being an operator whose communication network is not covered in the service area; The routing module is used to route the signaling of the user terminal to the network element responsible for core network roaming of the first operator; and route the signaling to the device corresponding to the second operator through the network element responsible for core network roaming; Among them, the acquisition module is used to obtain the access network number from the registration information of the user terminal; the device also includes: a comparison module, which is used to compare the access network number with multiple pre-stored network numbers after obtaining the access network number selected by the user terminal when accessing the communication network provided by the first operator, and the multiple network numbers include the network number of the first operator providing core network roaming services for the second operator; the routing module is specifically used to use the access network number to route the signaling of the user terminal if the access network number is the same as the pre-stored network number of the first operator providing core network roaming services for the second operator.

5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that The user terminal includes a terminal of a user of the second operator and / or a terminal of a roaming user of the second operator, where the roaming user refers to a user of an operator who has signed an international roaming service contract with the second operator.

6. A signaling routing device, characterized in that: Applicable to the equipment corresponding to the second operator, including: An acquisition module, used to acquire the home network number of the user terminal; A receiving module, configured to receive a signaling of a user terminal sent by a device corresponding to a first operator; the signaling of the user terminal is routed to a device of the second operator using an access network number by the device corresponding to the first operator when the access network number is a network number for the first operator to provide a core network roaming service for the second operator, the access network number being a network number selected by the user terminal when accessing a communication network provided by the first operator in a service area, the first operator being an operator that covers a communication network in a service area, and the second operator being an operator that does not cover a communication network in the service area, wherein the signaling of the user terminal is routed to the device of the second operator in the following manner: comparing a plurality of pre-stored network numbers with the access network number obtained from the registration information of the user terminal, the plurality of network numbers including a network number for the first operator to provide a core network roaming service for the second operator; if the access network number is the same as a pre-stored network number for the first operator to provide a core network roaming service for the second operator, the signaling of the user terminal is routed to the device of the second operator using the access network number; A routing module is used to route the signaling to a device corresponding to the home operator of the user terminal if the home network number indicates that the user terminal does not belong to the second operator.

7. An electronic device, characterized in that: It includes a processor, a communication interface, a memory and a communication bus, wherein the processor, the communication interface and the memory communicate with each other through the communication bus; Memory, used to store computer programs; A processor, for implementing the method steps described in any one of claims 1 to 3 when executing a program stored in a memory.

8. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method steps described in any one of claims 1 to 3 are implemented.

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