A communication method and device

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application discloses a communication method and device, the method comprising: a converged gateway sends an access request message to a data management network element, the access request message includes identification information of a home gateway, the converged gateway includes a broadband network gateway function and a fixed-mobile conversion function; receiving an access response message from the data management network element, the access response message includes indication information, the indication information is used to indicate an access mode of the home gateway to access the data network; and determining a billing mode of the home gateway according to the access mode. The embodiment of the present application can realize unified management of billing of local access of the home gateway and mobile core network access.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and device. Background Art

[0002] Fixed network residential gateway (FN-RG) supports multiple access methods, such as FN-RG can access locally through broadband network gateway (BNG), or access to mobile core network through fixed mobile interworking function (FMIF). When FN-RG accesses locally, the local service flow of FN-RG is charged by the authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server corresponding to BNG. When FN-RG accesses the mobile core network, the mobile core network access service flow of FN-RG is charged by the charging function (CHF) network element. The charging methods of these two access methods are independent of each other. How to uniformly manage the charging of FN-RG's local access and mobile core network access is a problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0003] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus for realizing unified management of charging for local access of FN-RG and mobile core network access.

[0004] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which may include: a converged gateway sends an access request message to a data management network element, the access request message including identification information of a home gateway, wherein the converged gateway includes a broadband network gateway function and a fixed-mobile conversion function; the converged gateway receives an access response message from the data management network element, the access response message including indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate an access method for the home gateway to access a data network; the converged gateway determines a billing method for the home gateway based on the access method.

[0005] Optionally, the home gateway may be a FN-RG, or a component of the FN-RG (such as a chip system, etc.). The data management network element may be a unified data management (UDM) network element, or a component of the UDM network element (such as a chip system).

[0006] In the above embodiment, the converged gateway includes a broadband network gateway function and a fixed-mobile conversion function. The broadband network gateway function can enable the home gateway to access the local area, and the fixed-mobile conversion function can enable the home gateway to access the mobile core network, which means that the converged gateway can enable the home gateway to access the local area or access the mobile core network. The converged gateway can send an access request message to the data management network element, so that the data management gateway sends an indication message to the converged gateway to indicate the access mode of the home gateway to the data network. The access mode includes local access or mobile core network access. Further, the converged gateway can determine the billing mode of the home gateway according to the access mode, so as to achieve unified management of the billing of the local access and mobile core network access of the home gateway.

[0007] In a possible design, the indication information is used to indicate that the access mode is local access; the fusion gateway determines the billing method of the home gateway according to the access mode, which can be: the fusion gateway sends billing information to the data management network element.

[0008] Through the above design, when the access mode of the home gateway is local access, the converged gateway can send billing information to the data management network element, and the data management network element sends the billing information to the CHF network element, so that CHF can realize billing management of the local business flow of the home gateway.

[0009] In one possible design, before the converged gateway sends the billing information to the data management network element, the method may also include: the converged gateway sends a billing request message to the data management network element, the billing request message is used to request the creation of a billing session; and the converged gateway receives a billing response message from the data management gateway.

[0010] Through the above design, the converged gateway can establish a billing session for the home gateway between the data management network element and the CHF network element by sending a billing request message to the data management network element, so that the data management network element can send the billing information with the home gateway to the CHF network element.

[0011] In one possible design, the billing response message includes a billing policy, or the access response message includes the billing policy; the fusion gateway sends the billing information to the data management network element, which can be: the fusion gateway sends the billing information to the data management network element according to the billing policy.

[0012] Through the above design, the charging policy can be carried in the charging response message, or carried in the access response message, or the data management network element directly sends it to the fusion gateway, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. Further, the fusion gateway can report the charging information of the local service flow of the home gateway according to the charging policy sent by the data management network element.

[0013] In one possible design, the indication information is used to indicate that the access mode is mobile core network access, and the method may also include: the converged gateway receives policy information from an access and mobility management function network element; the converged gateway determines, based on the policy information, whether to transmit data of the home gateway through a mobile network and / or a fixed network; the converged gateway determines a billing method for the home gateway based on the access mode and the policy information.

[0014] Through the above design, when the access mode of the home gateway is mobile core network access, the integrated gateway can also receive policy information from the access and mobility management function network element, and determine the routing mode of the home gateway data according to the policy information, such as the business flow of the home gateway is transmitted to the data network through the fixed network, or the business flow of the home gateway is transmitted to the data network through the mobile network, or part of the business flow of the home gateway is transmitted to the data network through the fixed network, and the remaining part of the business flow is transmitted to the data network through the mobile network, thereby realizing the management of the routing mode of the home gateway data.

[0015] In a possible design, when the converged gateway determines to transmit the data of the home gateway through the fixed network based on the policy information, the converged gateway determines the billing method of the home gateway based on the access method and the policy information, which may be: the converged gateway sends the billing information to the session management function network element or the user plane function network element.

[0016] Through the above design, when the policy information determines that the service flow of the home gateway is transmitted to the data network through the fixed network, the converged gateway sends the billing information of the service flow of the home gateway to the CHF network element through the session management function network element or the user plane function network element, so as to realize the billing management of the service flow of the home gateway accessing the mobile core network by the CHF network element.

[0017] In a possible design, the access method is the access method subscribed by the home gateway.

[0018] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which may include: a data management network element receives an access request message from a converged gateway, the access request message including identification information of a home gateway, wherein the converged gateway includes a bandwidth network gateway function and a fixed-mobile conversion function; the data management network element sends an access response message to the converged gateway, the access response message includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate an access mode for the home gateway to access a data network, wherein the access mode is local access or mobile core network access.

[0019] Optionally, the home gateway may be a FN-RG, or a component of the FN-RG (such as a chip system, etc.). The data management network element may be a unified data management (UDM) network element, or a component of the UDM network element (such as a chip system).

[0020] In a possible design, before the data management network element sends an access response message to the converged gateway, the method may further include: the data management network element determines the access method according to the subscription information of the home gateway.

[0021] In a possible design, the access mode is local access, and the method may further include: the data management network element receives billing information from the converged gateway; and the data management network element sends the billing information to the billing function network element.

[0022] In one possible design, before the data management network element receives the billing information from the converged gateway, the method may also include: the data management network element receives a billing request message from the converged gateway, the billing request message being used to request the creation of a billing session; and the data management network element sends a billing response message to the converged gateway.

[0023] In one possible design, before the data management network element sends a charging response message to the converged gateway, the method may further include: the data management network element sends a charging session creation request message to the charging function network element.

[0024] In one possible design, the billing response message includes a billing policy.

[0025] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising a memory and one or more processors, wherein the memory is coupled to the one or more processors; the memory is used to store computer programs or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed by the one or more processors, the communication device executes the method described in the first aspect or any one of the designs of the first aspect.

[0026] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising a memory and one or more processors, wherein the memory is coupled to the one or more processors; the memory is used to store computer programs or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed by the one or more processors, the communication device executes the method described in the above-mentioned second aspect or any one of the designs of the second aspect.

[0027] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, including a communication unit and a processing unit, and these units or modules can perform the corresponding functions performed by the converged gateway in the above-mentioned first aspect or any one of the design examples of the first aspect.

[0028] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising a communication unit and a processing unit, and these units or modules can perform the corresponding functions performed by the data management network element in the above-mentioned second aspect or any one of the design examples of the second aspect.

[0029] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication system, comprising the communication device in the third aspect and / or the communication device in the fourth aspect; or comprising the communication device in the fifth aspect and / or the communication device in the sixth aspect.

[0030] In an eighth aspect, the present application further provides a communication system, including a converged gateway and an access network device connected to the converged gateway. The converged gateway can be used to execute the method described in the first aspect or any one of the designs of the first aspect, and the access network device can be used for communication between the converged gateway and the home gateway.

[0031] In a ninth aspect, the present application further provides a communication system, including a data management network element and a charging function network element, wherein the data management network element can be used to execute the method described in the second aspect or any one of the designs of the second aspect. The charging function network element can be used to receive charging information from the data management network element.

[0032] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the method described in the above-mentioned first aspect or any one of the designs of the first aspect can be implemented.

[0033] In an eleventh aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed, the method described in the above-mentioned second aspect or any one of the designs of the second aspect can be implemented.

[0034] In a twelfth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions), which, when executed, enables a computer to execute the method described in the above-mentioned first aspect or any one of the designs of the first aspect.

[0035] In the thirteenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions), which, when executed, enables the computer to execute the method described in the second aspect or any one of the designs of the second aspect.

[0036] In a fourteenth aspect, the present application provides a chip system, comprising a processor and an interface, for supporting a communication device to implement the method described in the above-mentioned first aspect or any one design of the first aspect.

[0037] In a possible design, the chip system also includes a memory, which is used to store the necessary information and data of the aforementioned communication device. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0038] In a fifteenth aspect, the present application provides a chip system comprising a processor and an interface, for supporting a communication device to implement the method described in the above-mentioned second aspect or any one design of the second aspect.

[0039] In a possible design, the chip system also includes a memory, which is used to store the necessary information and data of the aforementioned communication device. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0040] For the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned second to fifteenth aspects and each possible design, please refer to the beneficial effects of the first aspect and each possible design, and no further details will be given here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] Figure 1a This is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a service-oriented architecture in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 1b A schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a point-to-point interface in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 1c This is another schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a point-to-point interface in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 2 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 3A further flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of another flow chart of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of another structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present application more clear, the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The specific operation method in the method embodiment can also be applied to the device embodiment or the system embodiment.

[0051] The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of the present application can be used interchangeably. "Multiple" refers to two or more than two. In view of this, in the embodiments of the present application, "multiple" can also be understood as "at least two". "At least one" can be understood as one or more, for example, one, two or more. For example, including at least one means including one, two or more, and there is no limit on which ones are included. For example, including at least one of A, B and C, then A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C. Similarly, the understanding of descriptions such as "at least one" is also similar. "At least one of the following" or its similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B and C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character “ / ”, unless otherwise specified, generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an “or” relationship.

[0052] Unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first", "second", "third", and "fourth" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the order, timing, priority or importance of multiple objects, and the descriptions of "first", "second", "third", and "fourth" do not limit the objects to be different.

[0053] In order to meet the challenges of wireless broadband technology and maintain the leading edge of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network, the 3GPP standards group has developed the next generation mobile communication network architecture (next generation system), called the fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) network architecture. This architecture not only supports the wireless technology defined by the 3GPP standards group to access the core network side, but also supports non-3GPP (non-3GPP) access technology to access the core network side through the non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF) or the next generation access gateway (next generation packet data gateway, NG-PDG).

[0054] like Figure 1a The figure shows a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a service-oriented architecture. Figure 1a The 5G network architecture shown may include three parts, namely, the terminal part, the data network (DN) and the operator network part. The functions of some network elements are briefly introduced below.

[0055] Among them, the operator network may include but is not limited to one or more of the following network elements: network slice selection function (NSSF) network element, authentication server function (AUSF) network element, network exposure function (NEF) network element, network storage function (NRF) network element, access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, policy control function (PCF) network element, UDM network element, charging function (CHF) network element, session management function (SMF) network element, access network (AN) equipment or radio access network (RAN) equipment, and user plane function (UPF) network element, etc. In the above-mentioned operator network, the part other than the radio access network part can be called the core network part. In a possible implementation method, the operator network also includes an application function (AF) network element.

[0056] Terminal device, also referred to as terminal, is a device with wireless transceiver function, which can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water (such as ships, etc.); it can also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.). The terminal device can be a tablet computer (pad), a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a user equipment (UE), a terminal device adapted to the Internet of Things (IoT) (such as a terminal device in a smart factory, a terminal device in the smart manufacturing industry, etc.), a terminal device supporting sparklink short-range communication technology, etc.

[0057] The above-mentioned terminal can establish a connection with the operator network through the interface provided by the operator network (such as N1, etc.), and use the data and / or voice services provided by the operator network. The terminal can also access the DN through the operator network, use the operator services deployed on the DN, and / or services provided by a third party. Among them, the above-mentioned third party may be a service provider other than the operator network and the terminal device, and can provide other data and / or voice services to the terminal device. Among them, the specific form of the above-mentioned third party can be determined according to the actual application scenario, and is not limited here.

[0058] AN equipment or RAN equipment is a sub-network of the operator network and is the implementation system between the service node and the terminal device in the operator network. To access the operator network, the terminal device must first pass through the AN equipment (or RAN equipment), and then can connect to the service node of the operator network through the AN equipment (or RAN equipment). AN equipment is a device that provides wired communication functions for terminal devices, and AN equipment is also called wired access network equipment. AN equipment includes but is not limited to: routers, switches, or modems. RAN equipment is a device that provides wireless communication functions for terminal devices, and RAN equipment is also called wireless access network equipment. RAN equipment includes but is not limited to: next-generation base stations (g nodeB, gNB) in 5G, evolved node B (evolved node B, eNB), home base stations (for example, home evolved nodeB, or home node B, HNB), baseband units (baseBand unit, BBU), transmission points (transmitting and receiving points, TRP), transmission points (transmitting points, TP), mobile switching centers, etc.

[0059] The AMF network element mainly performs functions such as mobility management and access authentication / authorization. In addition, it is also responsible for transmitting user policies between the UE and the PCF.

[0060] The SMF network element mainly performs functions such as session management, execution of control policies issued by PCF, selection of UPF, and allocation of UE Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

[0061] The UPF network element, as an interface with the data network, completes functions such as user plane data forwarding, session / flow-level billing statistics, and bandwidth limitation.

[0062] UDM network element is mainly responsible for managing contract data, user access authorization and other functions.

[0063] NSSF network element is mainly responsible for managing information related to network slicing.

[0064] NEF network element is mainly used to support the opening of capabilities and events.

[0065] The CHF network element is mainly used to send billing parameters to the SMF network element and collect user billing information provided by the SMF network element.

[0066] The AF network element mainly transmits the requirements of the application side to the network side, such as quality of service (QoS) requirements or user status event subscriptions. The AF can be a third-party functional entity or an application service deployed by an operator, such as the IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) voice call service.

[0067] The PCF network element is mainly responsible for policy control functions such as billing for sessions and service data flow levels, QoS bandwidth guarantee and mobility management, and UE policy decision-making. In this architecture, the PCFs connected to AMF and SMF correspond to AM PCF (PCF for Access and Mobility Control) and SM PCF (PCF for Session Management), respectively, and may not be the same PCF entity in actual deployment scenarios.

[0068] NRF network elements can be used to provide network element discovery functions and provide network element information corresponding to the network element type based on requests from other network elements. NRF also provides network element management services, such as network element registration, update, deregistration, and network element status subscription and push.

[0069] AUSF network element: Mainly responsible for authenticating users to determine whether users or devices are allowed to access the network.

[0070] DN is a network outside the operator network. The operator network can access multiple DNs. Multiple services can be deployed on DN, which can provide data and / or voice services to terminal devices. For example, DN is the private network of a smart factory. The sensors installed in the workshop of the smart factory can be terminal devices. The control server of the sensors is deployed in DN, and the control server can provide services for the sensors. The sensors can communicate with the control server, obtain instructions from the control server, and transmit the collected sensor data to the control server according to the instructions. For another example, DN is the internal office network of a company. The mobile phones or computers of the company's employees can be terminal devices. The employees' mobile phones or computers can access information and data resources on the company's internal office network.

[0071] Figure 1a Among them, Nnssf, Nausf, Nnef, Nnrf, Namf, Npcf, Nsmf, Nudm, Ncdf, Naf, N1, N2, N3, N4, and N6 are interface sequence numbers. The meanings of these interface sequence numbers can be found in the meanings defined in the 3GPP standard protocol and are not limited here.

[0072] Traditional home gateways are connected to DNs through broadband network gateways (BNGs). The 5G network architecture allows home gateways to access the 5G core network to reduce the cost of infrastructure construction, operation and management of fixed-line access networks. When the 5G core network supports the access of next-generation home gateways, the network architecture will be as follows: Figure 1b As shown, the home gateway can be a 5G residential gateway (5G-RG), for example, a customer premises equipment (CPE) that supports a 5G control plane and can communicate directly with a 5G core network; or, the home gateway can also be a FN-RG, for example, a CPE that has been deployed but does not support 3GPP processes.

[0073] like Figure 1b As shown in the figure, 5G-RG can access the 5G core network through 5G RAN; it can also access the 5G core network through the wireline access gateway function (W-AGF). FN-RG can access the 5G core network through W-AGF; it can also use the existing BNG to access the 5G core network through the fixed mobile interworking function (FMIF). In addition, FN-RG can also directly access DN through BNG, that is, access to the local through BNG.

[0074] Figure 1b N1, N2, N3, N6, N11 and A10 are interface serial numbers. The meanings of these interface serial numbers can be found in the meanings defined in the 3GPP standard protocol and are not limited here.

[0075] In addition, regardless of whether the home gateway is 5G-RG or FN-RG, the core network side can be described by a point-to-point interface protocol (such as Figure 1b ), or adopt a service-oriented interface architecture consistent with the 3GPP access core network architecture (such as Figure 1a shown).

[0076] FN-RG can support multiple access methods, such as Figure 1cAs shown. FN-RG can access locally through AN equipment and BNG; after FN-RG accesses locally, the local service flow of FN-RG can be transmitted to DN through the fixed network. Alternatively, FN-RG can also access the 5G core network through AN equipment and FMIF; after FN-RG accesses the 5G core network, the 5G core network access service flow of FN-RG can be transmitted to DN through the mobile network. BNG and FMIF can be integrated into a new network element, such as a converged gateway. The converged gateway includes BNG functions and FMIF functions. In other words, the converged gateway can implement the functions implemented by BNG and the functions implemented by FMIF. For example, the converged gateway can initiate local access or 5G core network access of FN-RG. The converged gateway can also be called a co-located network gateway (CNG), such as Figure 1c As shown, the name of the fusion gateway in the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto.

[0077] When FN-RG accesses the local area, the local service flow of FN-RG is billed by the AAA server corresponding to BNG. When FN-RG accesses the mobile core network, the 5G core network access service flow of FN-RG is billed by the CHF network element. Obviously, the billing of these two access methods is managed by different network elements, and the two are independent of each other. How to uniformly manage the billing of FN-RG's local access and FN-RG's 5G core network access in order to enjoy the billing capabilities of the 5G core network is a problem that needs to be solved.

[0078] Next, the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is introduced in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0079] The data management network element and the policy control function network element in the embodiment of the present application may be Figure 1a The UDM network element and PCF network element in the embodiment of the present application can be respectively Figure 1a , Figure 1b or Figure 1c The AMF network element, SMF network element, and UPF network element in the embodiment of the present application can be Figure 1a or Figure 1c The home gateway in the embodiment of the present application may be Figure 1b or Figure 1c And, the fusion gateway in the embodiment of the present application may be Figure 1cIt can be understood that each network element in the embodiment of the present application may also be a network element having the functions of the above-mentioned UDM network element, PCF network element, AMF network element, SMF network element, UPF network element, CHF network element, FN-RG, and CNG in a future communication network such as a sixth generation (6G) network, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0080] For the convenience of explanation, the embodiments of the present application take the data management network element, policy control function network element, access and mobility management network element, session management function network element, user plane function network element, billing function network element, home gateway, and converged gateway as the above-mentioned UDM network element, PCF network element, AMF network element, SMF network element, UPF network element, CHF network element, FN-RG, and CNG as examples for explanation.

[0081] In addition, the mobile core network in the embodiment of the present application may be a 5G core network, or a future communication network such as a 6G core network, etc. For the convenience of explanation, the embodiment of the present application is explained by taking the mobile core network as a 5G core network as an example.

[0082] It is understandable that the above network element or function can be a network element in a hardware device, a software function running on dedicated hardware, or a virtualized function instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). Optionally, the above network element or function can be implemented by one device, or by multiple devices, or a functional module in one device, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0083] Embodiment 1:

[0084] Figure 2 The flowchart of the communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown. In this embodiment, the UDM network element determines that the access mode of the FN-RG to the DN is local access.

[0085] S201: CNG sends an access request message to the UDM network element. Correspondingly, the UDM network element receives the access request message.

[0086] The access request message includes the identification information of the FN-RG. The access request message can be used to request authentication and authorization for the FN-RG. The identification information of the FN-RG can be, for example, a subscription concealed identifier (SUCI) of the FN-RG, or other information used to uniquely identify the FN-RG, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. For ease of explanation, the following description is made by taking the identification information of the FN-RG as SUCI as an example.

[0087] Exemplarily, CNG may generate SUCI for FN-RG according to the line identity (line ID) between FN-RG and CNG, and carry the SUCI in the access request message to send to the UDM network element to request authentication and authorization of FN-RG for the SUCI identifier. For example, FN-RG may establish L2 connection with CNG based on point-to-point protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE) or internet protocol over Ethernet (IPoE). Among them, the AN device between FN-RG and CNG may encapsulate the line ID between FN-RG and CNG in the tag field of PPPoE packet or in the option field of dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) packet, such as in option 82 of DHCP v4, or in option 18 or option 37 of DHCP v6. Correspondingly, the CNG can parse the line ID from the PPPoE packet or the DHCP packet, and generate the SUCI of the FN-RG according to the line ID.

[0088] Among them, CNG includes a bandwidth network gateway function and a fixed-mobile conversion function. For specific implementation, please refer to the above description related to CNG, which will not be repeated here.

[0089] S202: The UDM network element sends an access response message to the CNG. Correspondingly, the CNG receives the access response message.

[0090] The access response message includes indication information (also referred to as authorization indication, authorizationindicator), which is used to indicate the access mode of FN-RG accessing to DN. Among them, the access mode of FN-RG accessing to DN refers to the access mode subscribed by FN-RG. The access mode is local access, or mobile core network access, such as 5G core network or future communication network such as 6G core network. In other words, the indication information is used to indicate that FN-RG accesses to DN through local access, or to indicate that FN-RG accesses to DN through 5G core network. For example, the UDM network element can determine the access mode of FN-RG accessing to DN according to the subscription information of FN-RG, generate indication information according to the determined access mode of FN-RG accessing to DN, and send the indication information to CNG. Among them, the subscription information includes the access mode. For example, if the access mode subscribed by FN-RG is local access, the indication information is used to indicate that FN-RG accesses to local; if the access mode subscribed by FN-RG is 5G core network access, the indication information is used to indicate that FN-RG accesses to 5G core network. In this embodiment, the indication information is used to indicate that the access mode of the FN-RG to the DN is local access.

[0091] As an example, the UDM network element can authenticate and authorize the FN-RG. Optionally, the indication information can also indicate whether the UDM network element successfully authenticates and authorizes the FN-RG or fails. For ease of explanation, the embodiment of the present application takes the example of the UDM network element successfully authenticating and authorizing the FN-RG. Optionally, the access response message can also include a SUCI indicating successful authentication and authorization.

[0092] Optionally, the access response message may also include a charging policy. Figure 2 Not shown. The billing policy may include the duration policy of the local service flow of the FN-RG, or include the traffic policy of the local service flow of the FN-RG, or include the duration policy and traffic policy of the local service flow of the FN-RG. The billing policy is used by the CNG to determine the billing information to be reported to the UDM network element. For example, the duration policy of the local service flow of the FN-RG is 1 hour. When the CNG monitors that the traffic usage duration of the local service flow of the FN-RG reaches 1 hour according to the billing policy, the CNG reports the billing information to the UDM network element. For another example, the traffic policy of the local service flow of the FN-RG is 10 gigabytes (G). When the CNG monitors that the traffic used by the local service flow of the FN-RG reaches 10G according to the billing policy, the CNG reports the billing information to the UDM network element.

[0093] S203: CNG sends a confirmation message to FN-RG. Correspondingly, FN-RG receives the confirmation message.

[0094] The confirmation message is used to indicate that the UDM network element successfully authenticates and authorizes the FN-RG. The confirmation message may be a password authentication protocol (PAP) message or a challenge handshake authentication protocol (CHAP) message. For example, the CNG may return the authentication and authorization results to the FN-RG through PAP, such as a PAP confirmation response (ACK) message used to indicate that the UDM network element successfully authenticates and authorizes the FN-RG, and a PAP negative acknowledgment (NACK) message used to indicate that the UDM network element fails to authenticate and authorize the FN-RG. For another example, the CNG may return the authentication and authorization results to the FN-RG through CHAP, such as a CHAP success message used to indicate that the UDM network element successfully authenticates and authorizes the FN-RG, and a CHAP failure message used to indicate that the UDM network element fails to authenticate and authorize the FN-RG.

[0095] S204: The FN-RG obtains IP address 1 for fixed network transmission.

[0096] CNG can allocate an IP address to FN-RG, recorded as IP address 1, and IP address 1 is used to transmit data of FN-RG through a fixed network. Specifically, CNG can allocate IP address 1 to FN-RG based on the Internet Protocol Control Protocol (IPCP) or DHCP. For example, FN-RG can send an IPCP configuration request message to CNG; after receiving the IPCP configuration request message, CNG allocates local access IP address 1 to FN-RG, and carries IP address 1 in the IPCP configuration response message and sends it to FN-RG. For another example, FN-RG can send a DHCP request message to CNG; after receiving the DHCP request message, CNG allocates local access IP address 1 to FN-RG, and carries IP address 1 in the DHCP response message and sends it to FN-RG. It should be noted that the DHCP server corresponding to CNG can be configured in CNG, and of course it can also be located in an external network, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0097] It is worth noting that the fixed network can be understood as an existing network used to provide IP access for home optical modems. Correspondingly, the mobile network mentioned below can be understood as a network that provides services to mobile users, such as 4G network, 5G network, etc.

[0098] S205: CNG sends an accounting request message to the UDM network element. Correspondingly, the UDM network element receives the accounting request message.

[0099] The charging request message may include the SUCI of the FN-RG. The charging request message may be used to request the creation of a charging session for the local service flow of the FN-RG. For example, after receiving the access response message, the CNG parses it, determines the access mode of the FN-RG to access the DN, and determines the charging mode of the FN-RG according to the access mode. In this embodiment, the access mode is local access, and the CNG determines the charging mode of the FN-RG according to the access mode, which may be that the CNG sends the charging information to the UDM network element, that is, executes step S210. Before executing step S210, the CNG may initiate a charging request to the UDM network element, such as the CNG may send a charging request message to the UDM network element, or may also send an accounting start message to the UDM network element, to request the creation of a charging session for the local service flow of the FN-RG.

[0100] S206: The UDM network element sends a charging session creation request message to the CHF network element. Correspondingly, the CHF network element receives the charging session creation request message.

[0101] The charging session creation request message may include the SUCI of the FN-RG. The charging session creation request message is used to request the creation of a charging session for the local service flow of the FN-RG. The charging session creation request message may be a converged charging create request message. Exemplarily, after receiving the charging request message, the UDM network element may select a CHF network element and send a converged charging create request message to the selected CHF network element to request the creation of a charging session for the local service flow of the FN-RG. For example, the UDM network element may select a CHF network element for the local service flow of the FN-RG based on the contract information of the FN-RG.

[0102] S207: The CHF network element sends a charging session creation response message to the UDM network element. Correspondingly, the UDM network element receives the charging session creation response message.

[0103] The charging session creation response message may be used to indicate that the charging session for the local service flow of the FN-RG is successfully created. The charging session creation response message may be a converged charging create response message.

[0104] S208: The UDM network element sends an accounting response message to the CNG. Correspondingly, the CNG receives the accounting response message.

[0105] The charging response message can be used to indicate that the charging session for the local service flow of the FN-RG is successfully created. For example, after receiving the charging session creation response message, the UDM network element determines that the CHF network element successfully creates a charging session for the local service flow of the FN-RG, and sends a charging response message or a charging start message to the FN-RG to indicate that the charging session for the local service flow of the FN-RG is successfully created.

[0106] In a possible implementation, the charging response message may include a charging policy. For example, in step S202, if the UDM network element does not carry the charging policy in the access response message and sends it to the CNG, the UDM network element may carry the charging policy in the charging response message and send it to the CNG. For an introduction to the charging policy, please refer to the relevant introduction in step S202, which will not be repeated here.

[0107] In another possible implementation, the UDM network element may send the charging policy to the CNG. For example, the UDM network element does not carry the charging policy in the access response message or the charging response message, but directly sends the charging policy to the CNG, such as sending the charging policy to the CNG before step S209.

[0108] S209: Data transmission is performed between the FN-RG and the CNG.

[0109] FN-RG is locally connected to DN, and the data of FN-RG can be transmitted through the fixed network. For example, FN-RG can send uplink data to DN through CNG according to IP address 1. Alternatively, FN-RG can also receive downlink data from DN through CNG according to IP address 1.

[0110] S210: The CNG sends the charging information to the UDM network element. Correspondingly, the UDM network element receives the charging information.

[0111] The charging information may include the traffic usage duration of the service of the FN-RG, or the traffic usage of the service of the FN-RG, or the traffic usage duration and traffic usage of the service of the FN-RG. For example, the CNG may send the charging information to the UDM network element according to the charging policy. Specifically, the CNG may record the traffic usage duration and / or traffic usage of the service of the FN-RG during the data transmission of the FN-RG, obtain the charging information, and carry the charging information in a charging request message or an interim update message according to the charging policy and send it to the UDM network element. The charging information may also include the SUCI of the FN-RG.

[0112] S211: The UDM network element sends the charging information to the CHF network element. Correspondingly, the CHF network element receives the charging information.

[0113] For example, the UDM network element may carry the charging information in a converged charging update request message and send it to the CHF network element. Accordingly, after receiving the converged charging update request message, the CHF network element parses it to obtain the charging information, and performs the charging process for the FN-RG service based on the charging information. Optionally, the CHF network element may also send a converged charging update response message ( Figure 2 (not shown) to indicate that the CHF network element has successfully received the billing information. Further, after receiving the converged billing update response message, the UDM network element may also send a billing response message or a temporary update message ( Figure 2 (not shown) to indicate that the CHF network element has successfully received the charging information.

[0114] In the above embodiment, the access mode of FN-RG to DN is local access, and CNG sends an access request message to the UDM network element. The UDM network element in the 5G core network can authenticate and authorize the local service flow of FN-RG. CNG requests the CHF network element to create a billing session for the local service flow of FN-RG through the UDM network element, and sends the billing information of the local service flow of FN-RG to the CHF network element, so that the CHF network element in the 5G core network can bill the local service flow of FN-RG. In other words, through the above embodiment, the UDM network element and the CHF network element in the 5G core network can replace the AAA server to realize the authentication, authorization and billing of the local service flow of FN-RG, so as to realize the unified management of the authentication, authorization and billing of the local access of FN-RG and the access of the 5G core network, so that the local service flow of FN-RG can enjoy the authentication, authorization and billing capabilities of the 5G core network.

[0115] Embodiment 2:

[0116] Figure 3 Another flow chart of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown. In this embodiment, the UDM network element determines that the access mode of the FN-RG to the DN is 5G core network access, and the PCF network element determines that the data of the FN-RG is transmitted through the fixed network.

[0117] S301: CNG sends an access request message to the UDM network element. Correspondingly, the UDM network element receives the access request message.

[0118] The access request message includes the identification information of the FN-RG. The access request message can be used to request authentication and authorization for the FN-RG. The identification information of the FN-RG can be, for example, the SUCI of the FN-RG, or other information used to uniquely identify the FN-RG, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. For the specific implementation process of step S301, please refer to the description of step S201, which will not be repeated here. CNG includes a bandwidth network gateway function and a fixed-mobile conversion function. For the specific implementation, please refer to the aforementioned description related to CNG, which will not be repeated here.

[0119] S302: The UDM network element sends an access response message to the CNG. Correspondingly, the CNG receives the access response message.

[0120] The access response message includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate the access mode of the FN-RG accessing the DN. In this embodiment, the indication information is used to indicate that the access mode of the FN-RG accessing the DN is mobile core network access, such as 5G core network or future communication network such as 6G core network. Optionally, the access response message may also include a charging policy.

[0121] As an example, the UDM network element can authenticate and authorize the FN-RG. Optionally, the indication information can also indicate whether the UDM network element successfully authenticates and authorizes the FN-RG or fails. For ease of explanation, the embodiment of the present application takes the example of the UDM network element successfully authenticating and authorizing the FN-RG. Optionally, the access response message can also include a SUCI indicating successful authentication and authorization.

[0122] The specific implementation process of step S302 can be found in the description of step S202 and will not be repeated here.

[0123] S303: CNG sends a confirmation message to FN-RG. Correspondingly, FN-RG receives the confirmation message.

[0124] The confirmation message is used to indicate that the UDM network element has successfully authenticated and authorized the FN-RG. The specific implementation process of step S303 can be found in the description of step S203, which will not be repeated here.

[0125] S304: FN-RG obtains IP address 1 for fixed network transmission.

[0126] After the FN-RG is registered, the CNG can allocate IP address 1 to the FN-RG, and the IP address 1 is used to transmit the data of the FN-RG through the fixed network. The specific implementation process of step S304 can refer to the description of step S204, which will not be repeated here. In this embodiment, IP address 1 is the source IP address in the uplink IP data packet sent by the FN-RG, and is the destination IP address in the downlink IP data packet received by the FN-RG.

[0127] S305: CNG initiates a registration process.

[0128] CNG determines that the access mode of FN-RG to DN is 5G core network access according to the indication information, and can initiate a registration process to the 5G core network, such as using the SUCI of FN-RG to initiate a registration process, to complete the registration of FN-RG in the 5G core network.

[0129] S306: The PCF network element sends policy information to the AMF network element. Correspondingly, the AMF network element receives the policy information.

[0130] The policy information may be used to determine whether to transmit the data of the FN-RG through a fixed network and / or a mobile network. The policy information may be UE route selection policy (URSP) information. The policy information includes flow description information (i.e., five-tuple information of the flow, including source IP address, destination IP address, source port number, destination port number, and protocol type).

[0131] Exemplarily, the PCF network element may determine whether to transmit the data of the FN-RG through the fixed network and / or the mobile network according to the service requirements of the service flow of the FN-RG, and generate policy information. For example, for a service flow with low service requirements (such as web browsing services, etc.), the PCF network element may determine that the service flow is transmitted to the DN through the fixed network, without being transmitted to the DN through the mobile network. For another example, for a service flow with high service requirements (such as video services, etc.), the PCF network element may determine that the service flow is transmitted to the DN through the mobile network.

[0132] Further, the PCF network element may use non-seamless fixed access offloading (NSFO) to indicate that the data of the FN-RG is transmitted through the fixed network. For example, if the PCF network element determines to transmit the data of the FN-RG through the fixed network based on the service requirements of the service flow of the FN-RG, the PCF network element generates policy information including flow description information and NSFO, and sends the policy information to the AMF network element. For another example, if the PCF network element determines to transmit the data of the FN-RG through the mobile network based on the service requirements of the service flow of the FN-RG, the PCF network element generates policy information including flow description information, and sends the policy information to the AMF network element. In other words, if the policy information includes flow description information and NSFO, the service flow corresponding to the flow description information is transmitted to the DN through the fixed network; if the policy information includes flow description information but does not include NSFO, the service flow corresponding to the flow description information is transmitted to the DN through the mobile network. Among them, NSFO can be included in the route selection descriptor field in the URSP information.

[0133] In this embodiment, the PCF network element determines to transmit the data of the FN-RG through the fixed network. Accordingly, in this embodiment, the policy information includes flow description information and NSFO.

[0134] As an example, in this embodiment, the access mode is 5G core network access, then CNG determines the billing mode of FN-RG according to the access mode, and CNG determines the billing mode of FN-RG according to the access mode and policy information. Wherein, the policy information includes flow description information and NSFO, then CNG determines the billing mode of FN-RG according to the access mode and policy information, and CNG sends the billing information to the SMF network element, that is, executes step S310a, or sends the billing information to the UPF network element, that is, executes step S311a.

[0135] S307: The AMF network element sends policy information to the CNG. Correspondingly, the CNG receives the policy information.

[0136] After receiving the policy information, the AMF network element may carry the policy information in a non-access stratum (NAS) message and send it to the CNG. The NAS message may be, for example, a configuration message or an update message, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0137] S308: CNG initiates a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment process.

[0138] The CNG may initiate a PDU session establishment procedure to establish a PDU session for the FN-RG.

[0139] S309: Data transmission is performed between the FN-RG and the CNG.

[0140] The data of FN-RG can be transmitted through the fixed network. For example, FN-RG can send uplink data to DN through CNG according to IP address 1. Alternatively, FN-RG can also receive downlink data from DN through CNG according to IP address 1.

[0141] S310a: CNG sends the billing information to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the billing information.

[0142] The billing information may include the traffic usage duration of the FN-RG service, or the traffic usage of the FN-RG service, or the traffic usage duration and traffic usage of the FN-RG service. For example, the CNG may send the billing information to the UDM network element according to the billing policy. Specifically, the CNG may record the traffic usage duration and / or traffic usage of the FN-RG service during the data transmission process of the FN-RG, obtain the billing information, and carry the billing information in the NAS message and send it to the SMF network element according to the billing policy. The billing information may also include the SUCI of the FN-RG.

[0143] S310b: The SMF network element sends the charging information to the CHF network element. Correspondingly, the CHF network element receives the charging information.

[0144] After receiving the charging information, the SMF network element can carry the charging information in a converged charging update message and send it to the CHF network element. Correspondingly, after receiving the converged charging update request message, the CHF network element parses it to obtain the charging information and performs the charging process for the FN-RG service according to the charging information.

[0145] Optionally, the CHF network element may also send a converged billing update response message to the SMF network element ( Figure 3 (not shown) to indicate that the CHF network element has successfully received the billing information. Further, after the SMF network element receives the converged billing update response message, it can also send a response message to the CNG ( Figure 3 (not shown) to indicate that the CHF network element has successfully received the charging information.

[0146] It is worth noting that CNG can send the billing information to the CHF network element through the above steps S310a and S310b, that is, CNG sends the billing information to the CHF network element through the SMF network element, which can reduce the signaling interaction between CNG and the CHF network element and improve the utilization of network resources. In another possible implementation, CNG can also send the billing information to the CHF network element through steps S311a, S311b and S311c ( Figure 3 Indicated by dotted lines), that is, CNG sends the billing information to the CHF network element through the UPF network element and the SMF network element.

[0147] S311a: CNG sends the billing information to the UPF network element. Correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the billing information.

[0148] The charging information may include the traffic usage duration of the service of the FN-RG, or the traffic usage of the service of the FN-RG, or the traffic usage duration and traffic usage of the service of the FN-RG. For example, the CNG may send the charging information to the UDM network element according to the charging policy. Specifically, the CNG may record the traffic usage duration and / or traffic usage of the service of the FN-RG during the data transmission process of the FN-RG, obtain the charging information, and send the charging information to the UPF network element according to the charging policy. The charging information may also include the SUCI of the FN-RG.

[0149] S311b: The UPF network element sends the billing information to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the billing information.

[0150] After receiving the billing information, the UPF network element can send the billing information to the AMF network element.

[0151] S311c: The SMF network element sends the charging information to the CHF network element. Correspondingly, the CHF network element receives the charging information.

[0152] For the specific implementation process of step S311c, please refer to the description of step S310b, which will not be repeated here.

[0153] Optionally, the CHF network element may also send a response message to the SMF network element ( Figure 3 (not shown) to indicate that the CHF network element has successfully received the charging information. After receiving the response message, the SMF network element can also send a response message to the UPF network element ( Figure 3 (not shown) to indicate that the CHF network element has successfully received the charging information. Further, after receiving the response message, the UPF network element may also send a response message to the CNG ( Figure 3 (not shown) to indicate that the CHF network element has successfully received the charging information.

[0154] In the above embodiment, the access mode of FN-RG to DN is 5G core network access, CNG sends an access request message to the UDM network element, and the UDM network element in the 5G core network can authenticate and authorize the service flow of FN-RG. CNG sends the billing information of the service flow of FN-RG to the CHF network element through the SMF network element or the UPF network element, so that the CHF network element in the 5G core network can bill the service flow of FN-RG. In other words, through the above embodiment, it is possible to achieve unified management of the authentication, authorization and billing of the local access of FN-RG and the access of the 5G core network, so that the local service flow of FN-RG can enjoy the authentication, authorization and billing capabilities of the 5G core network.

[0155] Furthermore, the PCF network element can send policy information to the AMF network element to indicate the routing method of the FN-RG data, such as transmission through a fixed network, or transmission through a mobile network, or transmission of part of the data through a fixed network and the remaining part of the data through a mobile network, so that the 5G core network can manage the routing method of the FN-RG data. In the above embodiment, the PCF network element determines to divert the service flow with low demand in the service flow of the FN-RG to the local area, which can improve the utilization rate of network resources.

[0156] Embodiment three:

[0157] Figure 4 Another flow chart of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown. In this embodiment, the UDM network element determines that the access mode of the FN-RG to the DN is 5G core network access, and the PCF network element determines that the data of the FN-RG is transmitted through the mobile network.

[0158] S401: CNG sends an access request message to the UDM network element. Correspondingly, the UDM network element receives the access request message.

[0159] The access request message includes the identification information of the FN-RG. The access request message can be used to request authentication and authorization for the FN-RG. The identification information of the FN-RG can be, for example, the SUCI of the FN-RG, or other information used to uniquely identify the FN-RG, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. For the specific implementation process of step S401, please refer to the description of step S301, which will not be repeated here. CNG includes a bandwidth network gateway function and a fixed-mobile conversion function. For the specific implementation, please refer to the aforementioned description related to CNG, which will not be repeated here.

[0160] S402: The UDM network element sends an access response message to the CNG. Correspondingly, the CNG receives the access response message.

[0161] The access response message includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate the access mode of the FN-RG accessing the DN. In this embodiment, the indication information is used to indicate that the access mode of the FN-RG accessing the DN is mobile core network access, such as 5G core network or future communication network such as 6G core network. Optionally, the access response message may also include a charging policy.

[0162] As an example, the UDM network element can authenticate and authorize the FN-RG. Optionally, the indication information can also indicate whether the UDM network element successfully authenticates and authorizes the FN-RG or fails. For ease of explanation, the embodiment of the present application takes the example of the UDM network element successfully authenticating and authorizing the FN-RG. Optionally, the access response message can also include a SUCI indicating successful authentication and authorization.

[0163] The specific implementation process of step S402 can be found in the description of step S402 and will not be described in detail.

[0164] S403: CNG sends a confirmation message to FN-RG. Correspondingly, FN-RG receives the confirmation message.

[0165] The confirmation message is used to indicate that the UDM network element has successfully authenticated and authorized the FN-RG. The specific implementation process of step S403 can be found in the description of step S303, which will not be repeated here.

[0166] S404: FN-RG obtains IP address 1 for fixed network transmission.

[0167] After the FN-RG is registered, the CNG can allocate an IP address 1 to the FN-RG, and the IP address 1 is used to transmit the data of the FN-RG through the fixed network. The specific implementation process of step S404 is described in the description of step S204, which will not be repeated here.

[0168] S405: CNG initiates a registration process.

[0169] CNG determines that the access mode of FN-RG to DN is 5G core network access according to the indication information, and can initiate a registration process to the 5G core network, such as using the SUCI of FN-RG to initiate a registration process, to complete the registration of FN-RG in the 5G core network.

[0170] S406: The PCF network element sends policy information to the AMF network element. Correspondingly, the AMF network element receives the policy information.

[0171] In this embodiment, the PCF network element determines to transmit the data of the FN-RG through the mobile network. Accordingly, in this embodiment, the policy information includes flow description information, but does not include NSFO. The specific implementation process of step S406 can be found in the description of step S305, which will not be repeated here.

[0172] S407: The AMF network element sends policy information to the CNG. Correspondingly, the CNG receives the policy information.

[0173] After receiving the policy information, the AMF network element may carry the policy information in a NAS message and send it to the CNG. The NAS message may be, for example, a configuration message or an update message, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0174] As an example, in this embodiment, the access mode is 5G core network access, and the CNG determines the billing mode of FN-RG according to the access mode. The CNG determines the billing mode of FN-RG according to the access mode and policy information. Wherein, the policy information includes flow description information, but does not include NSFO. The CNG determines the billing mode of FN-RG according to the access mode and policy information. The UPF network element sends the billing information to the SMF network element, that is, executes step S411.

[0175] S408: CNG initiates a PDU session establishment process.

[0176] The CNG may initiate a PDU session establishment procedure to establish a PDU session for the FN-RG.

[0177] S409: CNG obtains IP address 2 used by FN-RG for mobile network transmission.

[0178] The CNG may obtain an IP address 2, which is used to transmit data of the FN-RG via a mobile network.

[0179] S410: Data is transmitted between the FN-RG and the UPF network element.

[0180] The data of FN-RG can be transmitted through the mobile network. For example, CNG receives uplink data from FN-RG, changes the source address of the uplink data from IP address 1 to IP address 2, and sends it to the UPF network element. Alternatively, CNG receives downlink data from the UPF network element, changes the destination address of the downlink data from IP address 2 to IP address 1, and sends it to FN-RG.

[0181] S411: The UPF network element sends the billing information to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the billing information.

[0182] The charging information may include the traffic usage duration of the service of the FN-RG, or the traffic usage of the service of the FN-RG, or the traffic usage duration and traffic usage of the service of the FN-RG. For example, the UPF network element may record the traffic usage duration and / or traffic usage of the service of the FN-RG during the data transmission of the FN-RG, obtain the charging information, and send the charging information to the SMF network element according to the charging policy. The charging information may also include the SUCI of the FN-RG.

[0183] S412: The SMF network element sends the charging information to the CHF network element. Correspondingly, the CHF network element receives the charging information.

[0184] After receiving the charging information, the SMF network element can send the charging information to the CHF network element. Accordingly, the CHF network element receives the charging information and can perform the charging process for the FN-RG service according to the charging information. Optionally, the CHF can send a response message ( Figure 4 (not shown) to indicate that the CHF network element has successfully received the charging information. Further, the SMF network element may also send a response message ( Figure 4 (not shown) to indicate that the CHF network element has successfully received the charging information.

[0185] It should be noted that the policy information may include a set of flow description information. For example, the policy information includes a set of flow description information and the NSFO corresponding to the flow description information. The service flow corresponding to the set of flow description information may be all service flows of the FN-RG. In this case, the CNG may transmit all service flows of the FN-RG to the DN through the fixed network according to the policy information. Figure 3 As another example, if the policy information only includes a set of flow description information but does not include NSFO, the service flow corresponding to the set of flow description information may be all service flows of FN-RG; in this case, CNG may transmit all service flows of FN-RG to DN through the mobile network according to the policy information, such as Figure 4 shown.

[0186] In another possible implementation, the policy information may also include multiple groups of flow description information, and the service flows corresponding to the multiple groups of flow description information constitute all the service flows of the FN-RG. The service flows corresponding to each group of flow description information in the multiple groups of flow description information are transmitted to the DN through a fixed network; or the service flows corresponding to each group of flow description information in the multiple groups of flow description information are transmitted to the DN through a mobile network; or the service flows corresponding to some of the flow description information in the multiple groups of flow description information are transmitted to the DN through a fixed network, and the service flows corresponding to the remaining flow description information are transmitted to the DN through a mobile network. Table 1 takes the example that the policy information includes three groups of flow description information. As shown in Table 1, the policy information includes flow description information 1 and the NSFO corresponding to flow description information 1, flow description information 2, and flow description information 3 and the NSFO corresponding to flow description information 3. If flow description information 1 and flow description information 3 respectively correspond to NSFO, the service flow corresponding to flow description information 1 is transmitted to the DN through a fixed network, and the service flow corresponding to flow description information 3 is transmitted to the DN through a fixed network; if flow description information 2 does not have a corresponding NSFO, the service flow corresponding to flow description information 2 is transmitted to the DN through a mobile network.

[0187] Table 1

[0188] Flow description information 1 NSFO Flow description information 2 Flow description information 3 NSFO

[0189] Figure 5 The communication system provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown. Figure 5 As shown, the communication system may include FN-RG, CNG, UDM network element, AMF network element, PCF network element, SMF network element, CHF network element, UPF network element and DN. The communication system may be implemented Figures 2 to 4 The communication method.

[0190] For example, FN-RG can perform Figure 2 Steps S203-S204, S209, etc. shown in FIG. 10 ; or executing Figure 3 Steps S303, S307, S309, etc.; or execute Figure 4 Step S403 etc. shown.

[0191] CNG can perform Figure 2 Steps S201-S205, S208-S210, etc. shown in FIG. 10A ; or executing Figure 3 Steps S301-S305, S307-S309, S310a, S311a, etc. shown in FIG. 10A ; or executing Figure 4 Steps S401-S405, S407-S409, etc. are shown.

[0192] UDM network elements can perform Figure 2Steps S201-S202, S205-S208, S210-S211, etc. shown in FIG. 100; or executing Figure 3 Steps S301, S302, etc. shown in FIG. 10 ; or executing Figure 4 Steps S401, S402, etc. are shown.

[0193] AMF network elements can execute Figure 3 Steps S306, S307, etc. shown in FIG. 10 , or executing Figure 4 Steps S406, S407, etc. are shown.

[0194] PCF network elements can execute Figure 3 Step S306 shown in the figure, or execute Figure 4 Step S406 etc. shown.

[0195] SMF network elements can execute Figure 3 Steps S310a, S310b, S311b, S311c, etc. shown in FIG. ...b; or executing Figure 4 Steps S411, S412, etc. are shown.

[0196] CHF network elements can execute Figure 3 Steps S206, S207, S211, etc. shown in FIG. 10 ; or executing Figure 3 Steps S310b, S311c, etc. shown in FIG. 10a, or executing Figure 4 Step S412 etc. shown.

[0197] UPF network elements can execute Figure 3 Steps S311a, S311b, etc. shown in FIG. 10 ; or executing Figure 4 S411 etc. shown.

[0198] For the specific implementation process of each step, please refer to the above corresponding description, which will not be repeated here.

[0199] Combination of the above Figure 1a , Figure 1b , Figure 1c , Figures 2 to 5 The method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail. Figure 6 and Figure 7 The device provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiment and the description of the method embodiment can correspond to each other. Therefore, the content not described in detail can refer to the description in the method embodiment above.

[0200] Figure 6A schematic block diagram of a communication device 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application includes a communication unit 601 and a processing unit 602. The communication unit 601 is used to communicate with the outside, and may also be referred to as a communication interface, a transceiver unit, or an input or output interface, etc. The processing unit 602 may read data or instructions in the storage unit so that the communication device 600 implements the method in the above embodiment.

[0201] In one example, the communication device 600 may be a converged gateway or a chip in a converged gateway. The communication unit 601 is used to send an access request message to a data management network element, the access request message including identification information of a home gateway, wherein the converged gateway includes a broadband network gateway function and a fixed-mobile conversion function; and receive an access response message from the data management network element, the access response message including indication information, the indication information being used to indicate an access method for the home gateway to access a data network. The processing unit 602 is used to determine a billing method for the home gateway according to the access method.

[0202] In a possible implementation, the indication information is used to indicate that the access mode is local access; the processing unit 602 is specifically used to: send the billing information to the data management network element through the communication unit 601.

[0203] In a possible implementation, the communication unit 601 is further configured to send a charging request message to the data management network element, where the charging request message is used to request the creation of a charging session; and receive a charging response message from the data management gateway.

[0204] In a possible implementation, the charging response message includes a charging policy; the communication unit 601 is specifically configured to send the charging information to the data management network element according to the charging policy.

[0205] In one possible implementation, the indication information is used to indicate that the access mode is mobile core network access, and the communication unit 601 is further used to receive policy information from an access and mobility management function network element; the processing unit 602 is further used to determine the data of the home gateway transmitted through the mobile network and / or the fixed network based on the policy information; and, determine the billing method of the home gateway based on the access mode and the policy information.

[0206] In a possible implementation, when the converged gateway determines to transmit the data of the home gateway through the fixed network according to the policy information, the processing unit 602 is specifically used to: send billing information to the session management function network element or the user plane function network element through the communication unit 601.

[0207] In a possible implementation, the access mode is an access mode subscribed by the home gateway.

[0208] In another example, the communication device 600 may be a data management network element or a chip in the data management network element. The communication unit 601 is used to receive an access request message from a converged gateway, the access request message including identification information of a home gateway, wherein the converged gateway includes a bandwidth network gateway function and a fixed-mobile conversion function; and send an access response message to the converged gateway, the access response message including indication information, the indication information being used to indicate an access mode of the home gateway to access the data network, wherein the access mode is local access or mobile core network access.

[0209] In a possible implementation, before sending the access response message to the converged gateway, the processing unit 602 is configured to determine the access mode according to the subscription information of the home gateway.

[0210] In a possible implementation, the access mode is local access, and the communication unit 601 is further configured to receive charging information from the converged gateway; and send the charging information to a charging function network element.

[0211] In a possible implementation, before receiving the charging information from the converged gateway, the communication unit 601 is further configured to receive a charging request message from the converged gateway, wherein the charging request message is used to request the creation of a charging session; and send a charging response message to the converged gateway.

[0212] In a possible implementation, before sending the charging response message to the converged gateway, the communication unit 601 is further configured to send a charging session creation request message to the charging function network element.

[0213] In a possible implementation manner, the charging response message includes a charging policy.

[0214] It should be understood that the division of units in the above device is only a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into one physical entity, or they can be physically separated. And the units in the device can all be implemented in the form of software calling through processing elements; they can also be all implemented in the form of hardware; some units can also be implemented in the form of software calling through processing elements, and some units can be implemented in the form of hardware. For example, each unit can be a separately established processing element, or it can be integrated in a certain chip of the device. In addition, it can also be stored in the memory in the form of a program, and called and executed by a certain processing element of the device. The function of the unit. In addition, all or part of these units can be integrated together, or they can be implemented independently. The processing element described here can also be a processor, which can be an integrated circuit with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method or each unit above can be implemented by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor element or in the form of software calling through a processing element.

[0215] In one example, the unit in any of the above devices may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above method, such as: one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), or one or more microprocessors (digital signal processors, DSP), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms. For another example, when the unit in the device can be implemented in the form of a processing element scheduler, the processing element can be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or other processor that can call a program. For another example, these units can be integrated together and implemented in the form of a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0216] The communication unit 601 is an interface circuit of the device, which is used to receive signals from other devices or send signals to other devices. For example, when the device is implemented in a chip, the communication unit 601 is an interface circuit of the chip for receiving signals from other chips or devices, or an interface circuit for sending signals to other chips or devices.

[0217] refer to Figure 7, is a schematic diagram of a communication device 700 provided in an embodiment of the present application, wherein the communication device 700 includes a processor 710. Optionally, the communication device 700 may also include a memory 720. Optionally, the communication device 700 may also include an interface 730, which is used to implement communication with other devices.

[0218] The method performed by the fusion gateway or data management network element in the above embodiment can be implemented by the processor 710 calling the program stored in the memory 720. That is, the fusion gateway or data management network element may include a processor 710, and the processor 710 calls the program in the memory 720 to execute the method performed by the fusion gateway or data management network element in the above method embodiment. The processor 710 here can be an integrated circuit with signal processing capabilities, such as a CPU. The fusion gateway or data management network element can be implemented by configuring one or more integrated circuits to implement the above method. For example, one or more ASICs, or one or more microprocessors DSP, or one or more FPGAs, etc., or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms.

[0219] Specifically, Figure 6 The functions / implementation processes of the communication unit 601 and the processing unit 602 can be Figure 7 The processor 710 in the communication device 700 shown calls the computer executable instructions stored in the memory 720 to implement. Or, Figure 6 The function / implementation process of the processing unit 602 in Figure 7 The processor 710 in the communication device 700 shown calls the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 720 to implement, Figure 6 The function / implementation process of the communication unit 601 in Figure 7 The interface 730 in the communication device 700 shown in FIG. 7 is implemented.

[0220] It should be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0221] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a computer, the functions implemented by the fusion gateway or data management network element in the above-mentioned embodiment can be implemented.

[0222] The present application also provides a computer program product, which, when executed by a computer, can implement the functions implemented by the converged gateway or the data management network element in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0223] The present application also provides a chip system, which includes at least one processor and an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to execute instructions and / or data interaction through the interface circuit, so that the device where the chip system is located can realize the functions realized by the converged gateway or data management network element in the above embodiment. The chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0224] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0225] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using 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 application is generated in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from a website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website site, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated. The available medium may 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 disk (SSD)), etc.

[0226] The various illustrative logic units and circuits described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or operated by a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic, a discrete hardware component, or the design of any combination of the above functions. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, and optionally, the general-purpose processor can also be any traditional processor, controller, microcontroller or state machine. The processor can also be implemented by a combination of computing devices, such as a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a digital signal processor core, or any other similar configuration to implement.

[0227] The steps of the method or algorithm described in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embedded in hardware, a software unit executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. The software unit can be stored in a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, a read-only memory (ROM), an EPROM memory, an EEPROM memory, a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium in the art. Exemplarily, the storage medium can be connected to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and can write information to the storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium can also be integrated into the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be arranged in an ASIC.

[0228] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operational steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, whereby the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0229] In one or more exemplary designs, the above functions described in this application can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination of the three. If implemented in software, these functions can be stored on a computer-readable medium, or transmitted in the form of one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media that facilitate the transfer of computer programs from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by any general or special computer. For example, such computer-readable media can include but are not limited to RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store program codes in the form of instructions or data structures and other forms that can be read by general or special computers, or general or special processors. In addition, any connection can be appropriately defined as a computer-readable medium, for example, if the software is transmitted from a website site, server or other remote resource through a coaxial cable, fiber optic computer, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) or wirelessly, such as infrared, wireless and microwave, it is also included in the defined computer-readable medium. The disk and disc include compact disk, laser disk, optical disk, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc. Disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs usually reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above may also be included in computer readable media.

[0230] Those skilled in the art should be aware that in one or more of the above examples, the functions described in this application can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, these functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, wherein communication media include any media that facilitates the transmission of a computer program from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that a general or special-purpose computer can access.

[0231] The specific implementation methods described above further describe the purpose, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present application in detail. It should be understood that the above description is only the specific implementation methods of the present application and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made on the basis of the technical solutions of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application. The above description of the specification of the present application can make any technical field in the art use or implement the content of the present application. Any modification based on the disclosed content should be considered obvious in the art. The basic principles described in the present application can be applied to other variations without departing from the inventive essence and scope of the present application. Therefore, the content disclosed in the present application is not limited to the described embodiments and designs, but can also be extended to the maximum scope consistent with the principles of the present application and the disclosed new features.

[0232] Although the present application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments thereof, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Accordingly, this specification and the drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the present application as defined by the appended claims, and are deemed to have covered any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents within the scope of the present application. Obviously, a person skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The converged gateway sends an access request message to the data management network element, wherein the access request message includes identification information of the home gateway, wherein the converged gateway includes a broadband network gateway function and a fixed-mobile conversion function; The converged gateway receives an access response message from the data management network element, where the access response message includes indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate an access mode for the home gateway to access the data network; The fusion gateway determines the billing method of the home gateway according to the access method.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The indication information is used to indicate that the access mode is local access; The fusion gateway determines the billing method of the home gateway according to the access method, including: The converged gateway sends the billing information to the data management network element.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that Before the converged gateway sends the charging information to the data management network element, the method further includes: The converged gateway sends a charging request message to the data management network element, where the charging request message is used to request the creation of a charging session; The converged gateway receives a charging response message from the data management network element.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The charging response message includes a charging policy; The fusion gateway sends the billing information to the data management network element, including: The converged gateway sends the charging information to the data management network element according to the charging policy.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The indication information is used to indicate that the access mode is mobile core network access, and the method further includes: The converged gateway receives policy information from an access and mobility management function network element; The converged gateway determines, according to the policy information, to transmit the data of the home gateway via a mobile network and / or a fixed network; The converged gateway determines the billing method of the home gateway according to the access method and the policy information.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that When the converged gateway determines, according to the policy information, to transmit the data of the home gateway through the fixed network, the converged gateway determines, according to the access mode and the policy information, a charging method for the home gateway, including: The fusion gateway sends the charging information to the session management function network element or the user plane function network element.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The access method is the access method subscribed by the home gateway.

8. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The data management network element receives an access request message from a converged gateway, wherein the access request message includes identification information of a home gateway, wherein the converged gateway includes a bandwidth network gateway function and a fixed-mobile conversion function; The data management network element sends an access response message to the converged gateway, and the access response message includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate the access method of the home gateway to access the data network, so that the converged gateway determines the billing method of the home gateway according to the access method; wherein the access method is local access or mobile core network access.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that Before the data management network element sends an access response message to the converged gateway, the method further includes: The data management network element determines the access mode according to the contract information of the home gateway.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The access mode is local access, and the method further includes: The data management network element receives the billing information from the converged gateway; The data management network element sends the charging information to the charging function network element.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that Before the data management network element receives the billing information from the converged gateway, the method further includes: The data management network element receives a charging request message from the converged gateway, where the charging request message is used to request the creation of a charging session; The data management network element sends a charging response message to the converged gateway.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that Before the data management network element sends a charging response message to the converged gateway, the method further includes: The data management network element sends a charging session creation request message to the charging function network element.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The charging response message includes a charging policy.

14. A communication device, characterized in that: comprising a memory, and one or more processors, the memory being coupled to the one or more processors; The memory is used to store a computer program or an instruction, and when the computer program or the instruction is executed by the one or more processors, the communication device performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: comprising a memory, and one or more processors, the memory being coupled to the one or more processors; The memory is used to store a computer program or an instruction, and when the computer program or the instruction is executed by the one or more processors, the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 8 to 13.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 8 to 13.

18. A communication system, characterized in that: include: A fusion gateway, configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7; as well as An access network device connected to the converged gateway.

19. A communication system, characterized in that: include: A data management network element, configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 8 to 13; as well as The charging function network element is used to receive the charging information from the data management network element.

20. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises: a computer program, and when the computer program is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 is performed.

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