Communication method and communication device

Abstract

The present application discloses a communication method and a communication device, which include: a terminal device obtains first group configuration information corresponding to a first PLMN, and receives paging from a first cell according to the first group configuration information. The first PLMN is the PLMN associated with the terminal device, and the first PLMN belongs to a PLMN set, and the PLMN set is associated with the first cell. The group configuration information can be considered as configuration information for grouping terminal devices, and the terminal device can clearly know the terminal device group to which the terminal device belongs based on the group configuration information. This method can be used to enable different PLMNs to have corresponding group configuration information, so that terminal device groups controlled by multiple core network devices can be distinguished. Even if the group group numbers assigned to the terminal devices by different core network devices associated with the first cell are the same, the group numbers actually used by different core network devices to initiate paging through the access network device (i.e., the group numbers of the terminal devices indicated by the paging indication information) are different, thereby reducing paging false alarms.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Access network devices can send paging instructions to terminal devices based on a terminal device grouping mechanism to initiate paging for these terminal devices. Specifically, the paging instructions sent by the access network device can indicate the terminal device group to be paged. A terminal device will receive the paging if it determines that the paging instruction is for the terminal device group to which it belongs; otherwise, the terminal device will not receive the paging instruction.

[0003] The terminal device grouping mechanism includes grouping controlled by the core network (CN), that is, the core network device groups the terminal devices. Different core network devices may have different strategies for grouping terminal devices. When a cell is associated with multiple core network devices, that is, there may be terminal devices under different core network devices in a cell, since different core network devices group terminal devices independently, the group numbers assigned to terminal devices by different core network devices may be the same, resulting in the problem of false paging alarms. For example, cell 1 is associated with core network device 1 and core network device 2. There are terminal devices 1 and 2 in cell 1. The group number assigned by core network device 1 to terminal device 1 is 1, and the group number assigned by core network device 2 to terminal device 2 is also 1. The access network device wants to page terminal device 1. Since the group number corresponding to terminal device 1 is 1, the paging indication information sent by the access network device will indicate group number 1. Since the terminal device associated with core network device 2 associated with cell 1 will also receive the paging indication information, terminal device 2 will also receive the paging from the access network device according to the paging indication information. For the terminal device 2, unnecessary paging is received, which causes a paging false alarm.

[0004] It can be seen that when a cell is associated with multiple core network devices, the grouping mechanism controlled by the core network will have the problem of false paging alarms, causing additional power consumption of terminal devices. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and a communication device for reducing the probability of paging false alarms, thereby reducing the energy consumption of terminal equipment.

[0006] In a first aspect, a first communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a first communication device, which can be a communication device or a communication device capable of supporting the communication device to implement the functions required by the method, such as a chip system. The following description uses the communication device as an example of a terminal device. The method includes:

[0007] The terminal device obtains first group configuration information corresponding to a first public land mobile network (PLMN), and receives a paging call from a first cell according to the first group configuration information. The first PLMN is a PLMN associated with the terminal device, and the first PLMN belongs to a PLMN set associated with the first cell.

[0008] Accordingly, a second aspect provides a first communication method, which can be performed by a second communication device. The second communication device can be a communication device or a communication device capable of supporting the communication device to implement the functions required by the method, such as a chip system. The following description uses the communication device as an access network device as an example. The method includes:

[0009] The access network device sends first group configuration information corresponding to a first PLMN and paging indication information. The first PLMN is a PLMN associated with the terminal device, and the first PLMN belongs to a PLMN set associated with the first cell. The paging indication information is used to page the terminal device in the first cell.

[0010] It can be understood that the first cell can be associated with multiple PLMNs, and it can also be understood that the first cell can be associated with multiple core network devices. The group configuration information can be considered as configuration information for grouping terminal devices, and the terminal device can clearly identify the group number of the terminal device group to which the terminal device belongs based on the group configuration information. Through the solution of the embodiment of the present application, different PLMNs can have corresponding group configuration information, so that the terminal device groups controlled by multiple core network devices can be distinguished. The use of group configuration information corresponding to the PLMN associated with the terminal device can make the group group numbers of terminal devices associated with different core network devices in the same cell different. Even if the group group numbers assigned to the terminal device by different core network devices associated with the first cell are the same, the group numbers actually used by different core network devices to initiate paging to the terminal device through the access network device (that is, the group numbers included in the paging indication information) are also different, thereby reducing paging false alarms.

[0011] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the terminal device further receives indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate the first PLMN, or the indication information is used to indicate the first PLMN and the first grouping configuration information. Accordingly, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the access network device further sends indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate the first PLMN, or the indication information is used to indicate the first PLMN and the first grouping configuration information. It is understood that the access network device can indicate to the terminal device that the paging is to the first PLMN, so that when the terminal device determines that the associated PLMN is the first PLMN, it can receive paging from the first cell. The correspondence between the first PLMN and the first grouping configuration information can be predefined, so that the access network device does not need to send the first grouping configuration information, which can save signaling overhead. Alternatively, in addition to indicating the first PLMN, the access network device can also send the first grouping configuration information, which is more flexible.

[0012] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the first grouping configuration information is used to indicate one or more of the following:

[0013] 1) The correspondence between the first group number and the second group number, where the first group number is the group number used by the terminal device to receive paging from the first cell, and the second group number is the group number from the core network device. Although the core network device sends paging messages carrying the second group number, the access network device can determine the first group number used by the terminal device to receive paging from the first cell based on the correspondence between the first and second group numbers. That is, the access network device sends paging indication information including the first group number. The terminal device can also determine the first group number used to receive paging from the first cell based on the second group number and the correspondence between the first and second group numbers. That is, although the core network device assigns the second group number to the terminal device, the group number carried in the paging indication information sent by the access network device is the first group number. With this solution, even if different CNs associated with the first cell assign the same group number to the terminal device, the group numbers actually used by different CNs to initiate paging to the terminal device will be different, thereby reducing false paging alarms.

[0014] 2) Information of the first paging early indication (PEI), where the first PEI indicates whether to receive paging. That is, the CN grouping mechanism under multiple PLMNs associated with the first cell is determined by the PEI information. Different PEI information can correspond to different PLMNs, so that the terminal devices under each PLMN can clearly determine whether the paging sent by the access network device is directed to itself based on the first PEI. That is, through this solution, the paging indication information of different CN / PLMN / non-public network (NPN) is different, so that the terminal device can determine whether it is instructed to receive paging based on the PEI corresponding to the CN / PLMN / NPN to which it belongs, avoid receiving paging indication information in other irrelevant CN / PLMN / NPN, and thus reduce paging false alarms.

[0015] 3) Group indication configuration information, which can be used to determine the position of the first indication in the paging indication information. The first indication corresponds to the terminal device group to which the terminal device belongs. The first indication can be used to indicate whether to monitor paging. For example, the first indication can indicate whether to monitor the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) corresponding to the terminal device group. The terminal device can determine whether to receive the paging indication information or the paging message carried by the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) based on the first indication. The paging indication information can be considered as the paging indication information sent by the access network device. Different PLMNs can correspond to different group indication configuration information. The terminal device determines the position of the group indication corresponding to the terminal device in the paging indication information based on the group indication configuration information. That is, the terminal device can determine which positions in the paging indication information to monitor the paging indication information based on the PLMN to which the terminal device belongs, thereby determining whether to monitor the paging, so as to avoid monitoring the paging indication information in other unrelated CN / PLMN / NPNs, thereby reducing paging false alarms.

[0016] 4) Whether the first cell supports the CN grouping mechanism for the first PLMN. If the first cell does not support the CN grouping mechanism for the first PLMN, the terminal device does not use the grouping group number assigned to the terminal device by the CN associated with the first PLMN to receive paging from the first cell. If the first cell supports the CN grouping mechanism for the first PLMN, the terminal device may use the grouping group number assigned to the terminal device by the CN associated with the first PLMN to receive paging from the first cell, or the terminal device may receive paging from the first cell according to one or more of 1)-3) above. It will be understood that receiving paging from the first cell includes determining whether to receive paging from the first cell and how to receive paging from the first cell.

[0017] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the first group number and the second group number satisfy one or more of the following relationships: ID = k mod (n2-n1+1) + n1, or, ID = k + M; wherein, ID is the first group number, k is the second group number, mod is a modulo operation, the value range of the first group number is greater than or equal to n1 and less than or equal to n2, n1 and n2 are integers, M is the offset value between the first group number and the second group number, and M is an integer.

[0018] Accordingly, the first grouping configuration information includes one or more of the following: a value range for the first group number; or an offset value between the first group number and the second group number. It is understood that the first grouping configuration information may include a value range for the first group number or an offset value between the first group number and the second group number. The terminal device determines the group number of the terminal device within the first cell, i.e., the first group number, based on the first grouping configuration information and the second group number.

[0019] In a possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, the first group configuration information indicates information of the first PEI, and the first group configuration information includes one or more of the following: a search space configuration of the first PEI, a control resource set configuration of the first PEI, a time domain resource location for monitoring the first PEI, or a frequency domain resource location for monitoring the first PEI. Depending on the implementation form of the first PEI, the content included in the first group configuration information is also different. If the first PEI is implemented by a sequence or a signal, then the information of the first PEI may include the sequence or signal corresponding to the first PEI. If the first PEI is implemented by DCI, then the information of the first PEI may include time-frequency location information for monitoring the first PEI, so that the terminal device can determine whether to receive paging from the first cell based on the monitored first PEI.

[0020] Depending on the implementation of the first group configuration information, the terminal device receives paging from the first cell according to the first group configuration information differently. For example, the first group configuration information indicates the correspondence between the first group number and the second group number, and the terminal device receives paging from the first cell according to the first group configuration information, including: the terminal device receives paging indication information, and the paging indication information indicates the group group number of the terminal device, and if the indicated group group number matches the first group number determined by the terminal device according to the correspondence, then the terminal device determines to receive paging from the first cell. For another example, the first group configuration information indicates the information of the first PEI, and the terminal device receives the paging from the first cell according to the first group configuration information, including: the terminal device monitors the first PEI according to the information of the first PEI, and determines whether to receive paging from the first cell according to the first PEI. If the first PEI indicates to receive paging, then the terminal device receives paging from the first cell.

[0021] In a third aspect, a second communication method is provided. This method can be performed by a first communication device, which can be a communication device or a communication device capable of supporting the communication device to implement the functions required by the method, such as a chip system. The following description uses the communication device as an example of a terminal device. The method includes:

[0022] The terminal device receives first indication information, the first indication information being used to page the terminal device associated with a first PLMN, wherein the first PLMN belongs to a PLMN set, and the PLMN set is associated with a first cell. The terminal device determines that the associated PLMN is the first PLMN, and the terminal device receives a paging call from the first cell.

[0023] Accordingly, a fourth aspect provides a second communication method, which can be performed by a second communication device. The second communication device can be a communication device or a communication device capable of supporting the communication device to implement the functions required by the method, such as a chip system. The following description takes the communication device as an access network device as an example. The method includes:

[0024] The access network device sends first indication information and sends a paging call in the first cell, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate a first PLMN, the first PLMN belongs to a PLMN set, and the PLMN set is associated with the first cell.

[0025] In the embodiments of the present application, paging indication information is used to indicate the PLMN targeted by the current paging. Terminal devices associated with the PLMN indicated by the paging indication information receive the paging. Terminal devices not associated with the PLMN indicated by the paging indication information may not receive the paging. This means that terminal devices associated with one PLMN will not receive paging from other PLMNs, thereby reducing false paging alarms.

[0026] In a possible implementation manner of the third aspect or the fourth aspect, the first indication information may include an identifier or index of the first PLMN to indicate the first PLMN.

[0027] In possible implementations of the third or fourth aspects, the first indication information is carried in downlink control information (DCI) or PEI. Alternatively, the first indication information is a first PEI, where different PEIs may correspond to different PLMNs. That is, the PEI may be implemented via a signal sequence, with different sequences corresponding to different PLMNs. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the implementation of the first indication information; for example, the first indication information may be implemented via signaling or a signal sequence.

[0028] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the terminal device further receives second indication information, and accordingly, the access network device further transmits the second indication information, where the second indication information indicates a terminal device group. In addition to indicating the PLMN for which the paging is targeted, the access network device may also indicate the group of terminal devices targeted, thereby saving power consumption for terminal devices that do not need to receive the paging. Accordingly, the terminal device determines the terminal device group indicated by the second indication information and receives the paging from the first cell.

[0029] In a fifth aspect, a third communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a first communication device, which can be a communication device or a communication device capable of supporting the communication device to implement the functions required by the method, such as a chip system. The following description takes the communication device as a first core network device as an example. The method includes:

[0030] A first core network device receives grouping policy information from a second core network device and determines a grouping policy for associated terminal devices based on the grouping information. The first core network device and the second core network device are associated with a first cell. The grouping policy information indicates a policy used by the second core network device to group the associated terminal devices.

[0031] Accordingly, in a sixth aspect, a third communication method is provided. This method can be performed by a second communication device, which can be a communication device or a communication device capable of supporting the communication device to implement the functions required by the method, such as a chip system. The following description takes the communication device as a second core network device as an example. The method includes:

[0032] The second core network device determines grouping strategy information and sends the grouping strategy information to the first core network device. The first core network device and the second core network device are associated with the first cell. The grouping strategy information is used to indicate the strategy used by the second core network device to group the associated terminal devices.

[0033] The strategy used to group the associated terminal devices is negotiated between multiple core network devices associated with the first cell, thereby avoiding the grouping of terminal devices between core network devices resulting in the terminal devices associated with different core network devices in the same cell being assigned the same group number, thereby reducing paging false alarms.

[0034] In possible implementations of the fifth or sixth aspects, the grouping policy information is used to indicate one or more of the following: whether the second core network device groups the terminal device, the total number of terminal device groups used by the second core network device, or a value range of terminal device group numbers used by the second core network device. The first core network device may determine a value range of the group number used by the terminal device based on the grouping policy information of the second core network device, such that the value ranges of the group numbers allocated to the terminal device by the first and second core network devices do not overlap, thereby distinguishing terminal devices under different core network devices in the same cell.

[0035] In a possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the method further includes: the first core network device also receives group auxiliary information from the terminal device, and the group auxiliary information is used to indicate the paging probability. The paging probability is the ratio of the first duration to the second duration, the first duration is the duration of the paging for the terminal device received by the terminal device within the second duration, and the second duration is a preset duration. Alternatively, the paging probability is the ratio of the first value and the second value, the first value is the number of paging occasions where the paging for the terminal device is received by the terminal device, and the second value is the number of paging occasions monitored by the terminal device. This solution provides two ways to determine the paging probability, which can more accurately characterize the frequency of the terminal device being paged. In addition, by flexibly adjusting the second duration or the total number of monitored POs, the degree of change in the paging probability can be obtained more accurately or the update of the paging probability can be reduced.

[0036] In a possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the method further includes: the first core network device sending the grouping auxiliary information to the second core network device. The first core network device associated with the terminal device may send the grouping auxiliary information from the terminal device to the second core network device, so that the second core network device can determine a grouping policy to use based on the grouping auxiliary information.

[0037] In a seventh aspect, a fourth communication method is provided. This method can be performed by a first communication device, which can be a communication device or a communication device capable of supporting the communication device to implement the functions required by the method, such as a chip system. The following description uses the communication device as an example of a terminal device. The method includes:

[0038] The terminal device determines the first group number and receives paging from the first cell according to the first group number. The first group number is the group number of the terminal device group to which the terminal device belongs, and the first group number ID satisfies: ID = UE_ID mod N + Q. UE_ID is used to identify the terminal device, N is the total number of groups of terminal devices used by the core network device or the access network device, Q is configured or predefined, or Q is related to N. That is, a new grouping mechanism is provided, which can make the aforementioned CN grouping mechanism and the access network device grouping mechanism based on UE_ID correspond to different value ranges of the grouping group numbers on the access network side, thereby avoiding paging false alarms.

[0039] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which has the function of implementing the behavior in the method embodiment of the first aspect (or the third aspect) above. The beneficial effects can be found in the description of the first aspect (or the third aspect), which will not be repeated here. The communication device may be a terminal device in the first aspect (or the third aspect), or the communication device may be a device capable of implementing the method provided in the first aspect (or the third aspect), such as a chip or a chip system. In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding means (means) or modules for executing the method of the first aspect (or the third aspect). For example, the communication device includes a processing unit (sometimes also referred to as a processing module or processor) and / or a transceiver unit (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver module or transceiver). These units (modules) can perform the corresponding functions in the method example of the first aspect (or the third aspect), and refer to the detailed description in the method example for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0040] Ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which has the function of implementing the behavior in the method embodiment of the second aspect (or fourth aspect) above. The beneficial effects can be found in the description of the second aspect (or fourth aspect), which will not be repeated here. The communication device may be the access network device in the second aspect (or fourth aspect), or the communication device may be a device capable of implementing the method provided in the second aspect (or fourth aspect), such as a chip or a chip system. In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding means (means) or modules for executing the method of the second aspect (or fourth aspect). For example, the communication device includes a processing unit (sometimes also referred to as a processing module or processor) and / or a transceiver unit (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver module or transceiver). These units (modules) can perform the corresponding functions in the method example of the second aspect (or fourth aspect) above. Please refer to the detailed description in the method example for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0041] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which has the function of implementing the behavior in the method example of the fifth aspect above. The beneficial effects can be found in the description of the fifth aspect and will not be repeated here. The communication device may be the first core network device in the fifth aspect, or the communication device may be a device that can support the first core network device in the fifth aspect to implement the functions required by the method provided by the fifth aspect, such as a chip or a chip system. In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding means (means) or modules for executing the method of the fifth aspect. For example, the communication device: includes a processing unit (sometimes also referred to as a processing module or processor) and / or a transceiver unit (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver module or transceiver). These units (modules) can perform the corresponding functions in the method example of the fifth aspect above. Please refer to the detailed description in the method example for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0042] In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which has the function of implementing the behavior in the method example of the sixth aspect above. The beneficial effects can be found in the description of the sixth aspect and will not be repeated here. The communication device may be the second core network device in the sixth aspect, or the communication device may be a device that can support the second core network device in the fifth aspect to implement the functions required by the method provided in the sixth aspect, such as a chip or a chip system. In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding means (means) or modules for executing the method of the sixth aspect. For example, the communication device: includes a processing unit (sometimes also referred to as a processing module or processor) and / or a transceiver unit (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver module or transceiver). These units (modules) can perform the corresponding functions in the above-mentioned sixth aspect method example, please refer to the detailed description in the method example for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0043] In the twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which has the function of implementing the behavior in the method example of the seventh aspect above. The beneficial effects can be found in the description of the seventh aspect and will not be repeated here. The communication device may be the terminal device in the seventh aspect, or the communication device may be a device that can support the terminal device in the seventh aspect to implement the functions required by the method provided by the seventh aspect, such as a chip or a chip system. In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding means (means) or modules for executing the method of the seventh aspect. For example, the communication device: includes a processing unit (sometimes also referred to as a processing module or processor) and / or a transceiver unit (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver module or transceiver). These units (modules) can perform the corresponding functions in the method example of the seventh aspect above. Please refer to the detailed description in the method example for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0044] In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be the communication device in any one of aspects eight to twelfth of the above-mentioned embodiments, or a chip or chip system provided in the communication device in any one of aspects eight to twelfth. The communication device includes a communication interface and a processor, and optionally, further includes a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is coupled to the memory and the communication interface. When the processor reads the computer program or instruction, the communication device executes the method executed by the terminal device or access network device or the first core network device or the second core network device in the above-mentioned method embodiment, or executes the method executed by the network device in the above-mentioned method embodiment.

[0045] In a fourteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising an input / output interface and a logic circuit. The input / output interface is used to input and / or output information. The logic circuit is used to execute the method described in any one of aspects 1 to 7.

[0046] In a fifteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor and may also include a memory and / or a communication interface, for implementing the method described in any one of aspects 1 to 7. In one possible implementation, the chip system also includes a memory for storing a computer program. The chip system can be composed of a chip or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0047] In the sixteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes the communication device described in the eighth aspect and the communication device described in the ninth aspect.

[0048] In the seventeenth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed, the method in any one of the above-mentioned first to seventh aspects is implemented.

[0049] In the eighteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program code, which, when executed, enables the method in any one of the above-mentioned first to seventh aspects to be executed.

[0050] The beneficial effects of the above-mentioned eighth to eighteenth aspects and their implementation methods can refer to the description of the beneficial effects of the first to seventh aspects or the first to seventh aspects and their implementation methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a shared cell provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a network architecture applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a flow chart of a first communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a mapping rule between the second group number and the first group number provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the correspondence between PEI and PLMN provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0056] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the correspondence between the group indication configuration information and the PLMN provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] Figure 7 A flow chart of the second communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a flow chart of a third communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Figure 10 Another structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 11 An exemplary structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Figure 12 An exemplary structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0063] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions provided by the various embodiments of the present application, some technical terms involved in the embodiments of the present application are first explained.

[0064] 1) Terminal equipment, which can be user equipment (UE), sometimes also called terminal, access station, UE station, remote station, wireless communication device, or user device, etc. A terminal device is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities that can send signals to network devices or receive signals from network devices. The terminal device is used to connect people, objects, machines, etc. and can be widely used in various scenarios, such as but not limited to the following scenarios: cellular communication, device-to-device communication (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X), machine-to-machine / machine-type communication (M2M / MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, self-driving, remote medical, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, drones, robots, and other scenarios.

[0065] The terminal device in the embodiment of the present application can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a VR terminal, an AR terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a smart speaker in an IoT network, a wireless terminal device in telemedicine, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, or a wireless terminal device in a smart home, etc. As an example and not a limitation, in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can also be a wearable device. Wearable devices can also be called wearable smart devices or smart wearable devices, etc., which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed by applying wearable technology to daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing and shoes.

[0066] The terminal device may also include a relay. Or it can be understood that anything that can communicate data with a base station can be considered a terminal device. The various terminal devices introduced above, if located on a vehicle (for example, placed in a vehicle or installed in a vehicle), can be considered as vehicle-mounted terminal devices, which are also called on-board units (OBU). In addition, in an embodiment of the present application, a terminal device may refer to a device for realizing the function of a terminal, or a device that can support the terminal device to realize the function, such as a chip system, which can be installed in a terminal device. For example, a terminal device may also be a vehicle detector. In an embodiment of the present application, a chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices. In the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is described by taking the device for realizing the function of a terminal as an example.

[0067] 2) Access network equipment, which is the access equipment that the terminal device uses to access the mobile communication system wirelessly, including access network (AN) equipment, such as base stations. Network equipment can also refer to equipment that communicates with terminal equipment over the air interface. Network equipment may include an evolutionary base station (evolutionary Node B) in an LTE system or long term evolution-advanced (LTE-A), which can be abbreviated as eNB or e-NodeB. eNB is a device deployed in a wireless access network that meets the fourth generation (4G) standard to provide wireless communication functions for terminal equipment. The network device may also be a new radio controller (NR controller), a gNode B (gNB) in a 5G system, a centralized unit, a new wireless base station, a radio frequency remote module, a micro base station (also known as a small station), a relay, a distributed unit, various forms of macro base stations, a transmission reception point (TRP), a transmission measurement function (TMF) or a transmission point (TP) or any other wireless access device, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. The network device may also include a radio network controller (RNC), a node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), a base band unit (BBU), or a wireless fidelity (Wifi) access point (AP), etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form used by the access network equipment. The network equipment may correspond to an eNB in ​​a 4G system and to a gNB in ​​a 5G system.

[0068] In addition, the base station in the embodiment of the present application may include a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), and multiple DUs can be centrally controlled by one CU. CU and DU can be divided according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they possess, for example, the functions of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer and above protocol layers are set in the CU, and the protocol layers below the PDCP, such as the radio link control (RLC) layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer, are set in the DU. It should be noted that this division of the protocol layer is only an example, and it can also be divided in other protocol layers. The radio frequency device can be remote and not placed in the DU, or it can be integrated in the DU, or partially remote and partially integrated in the DU. The embodiment of the present application does not impose any restrictions. In addition, in some embodiments, the control plane (CP) and user plane (UP) of the CU can be separated and divided into different entities for implementation, namely the control plane CU entity (CU-CP entity) and the user plane CU entity (CU-UP entity). In this network architecture, the signaling generated by the CU can be sent to the terminal device through the DU, or the signaling generated by the UE can be sent to the CU through the DU. The DU can directly encapsulate the signaling through the protocol layer and transparently transmit it to the UE or CU without parsing it. In this network architecture, the CU is divided into a network device on the radio access network (RAN) side. In addition, the CU can also be divided as a network device on the core network (CN) side. This application does not limit this.

[0069] 3) CN, as a bearer network, provides an interface to the data network (DN), provides terminal equipment with communication connection, authentication, management, policy control, and data service carrying, etc. CN may include the following network elements: SMF network element, AMF network element, UDM network element, AUSF network element, policy control function (PCF) network element, user plane function (UPF) network element, network slice selection function (NSSF) network element, network exposure function (NEF) network element, NRF and application function (AF) network element, etc. It should be noted that the above-mentioned CN may include one or more CN devices. Among them, the CN device may be a network element for performing the above-mentioned single network function, or a network element for performing the above-mentioned multiple network functions. In the case where a CN device is used to perform the above-mentioned multiple network functions, the CN device may include one or more functional modules for performing the above-mentioned multiple network functions. The functional module may be a software module or a hardware and software module, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0070] 4) Paging. In the new radio (NR) system, the access network device or the core network device can initiate paging to the terminal device to send paging to these terminal devices. For example, the access network device initiates paging (also called RAN paging), and the access network device can initiate paging for the terminal device that is in the radio resource control (RRC) inactive mode. For another example, the core network device initiates paging (also called CN paging), and the core network device can initiate paging for the terminal device that is in the RRC idle mode or the RRC inactive mode. It can be understood that during CN paging, the core network device instructs the access network device to initiate paging to the terminal device in the RRC idle mode. After receiving the instruction from the core network device, the access network device initiates CN paging to the terminal device in the RRC idle mode.

[0071] The basic process of paging is as follows: the access network device or core network device can select a certain paging range, that is, the area where the paging is sent (also called the paging area). For example, for a terminal device in the RRC idle state, the core network device can use the registration area (registration area) to which the terminal device belongs as the paging area. For a terminal device in the RRC inactive state, the access network device or core network device can use the RAN-based notification area (RNA) to which the terminal device belongs as the paging area.

[0072] Typically, when an access network device or core network device needs to page a terminal device, the access network device sends downlink control information (DCI) (also referred to herein as paging indication information) during one or more paging occasions (POs) to indicate the resources that carry the paging message. The terminal device receives / monitors / detects the paging DCI during one or more POs in a paging cycle to receive the paging message and determine whether the access network device has initiated paging for it.

[0073] The paging DCI includes a 2-bit field, which may indicate that the paging DCI includes scheduling information, or includes a short message, or includes scheduling information and a short message. The scheduling information is used to schedule the paging message, for example, the scheduling information includes time-frequency resource information or modulation and coding information of the paging message. The short message may indicate a system information update indication (that is, whether the system information has changed), an earthquake and tsunami warning system (ETWS) notification, or a commercial mobile alert service (CMAS) notification. For example, refer to Table 1 for the indication method of the 2-bit field included in the paging DCI.

[0074] Table 1

[0075]

[0076] After detecting the paging DCI, the terminal device can decode the paging DCI. If the paging DCI includes scheduling information for the paging message, the terminal device continues to receive the paging message. If the paging message includes the terminal device's identifier, the terminal device is paged. If the paging message does not include the terminal device's identifier, the terminal device is not paged. If the paging DCI does not include scheduling information but only includes a short message, the terminal device does not need to receive the paging message.

[0077] 4) Wake-up signal (WUS): If the access network device needs to page a terminal device in a specific PO, it will send a WUS before the PO. The terminal device can detect the WUS to determine whether to monitor the PO or receive a page, thereby reducing the terminal device's energy consumption.

[0078] There are usually two ways to implement WUS, one of which is through signaling. In this implementation method, the presence or absence of WUS can be used to indicate whether wake-up has occurred, that is, if the access network device sends WUS, it indicates that there is paging, and if the access network device does not send WUS, it indicates that there is no paging. The terminal device can determine whether it needs to monitor PO by whether WUS is detected. Alternatively, the information carried by signaling can be used to indicate whether wake-up has occurred, that is, WUS can carry indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate whether wake-up has occurred. For example, the indication information occupies 1 bit, and the value of this 1 bit is 0, indicating that wake-up has occurred. Correspondingly, the value of this 1 bit is 1, indicating that no wake-up has occurred.

[0079] Another implementation of WUS is to indicate whether wake-up has occurred by the state of WUS (for example, using two different sequences or signals). That is, if the access network device sends a WUS in one state, it indicates that there is a paging message, and if the access network device sends a WUS in another state, it indicates that there is no paging message. The terminal device can determine whether it needs to monitor PO by detecting the state of WUS. Alternatively, the presence or absence of WUS can also be used to indicate whether wake-up has occurred, and the terminal device can determine whether it needs to monitor PO by detecting WUS. It should be noted that the above example uses the two states of WUS as an example. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of states of WUS. For example, WUS can have at least two states. In the paging scenario, WUS can also be called paging early indication (PEI). It should be noted that the specific name of the paging early indication is not limited in this article, as long as it can be determined in advance whether to monitor PO by detecting the indication.

[0080] In addition, a WUS can be associated with one or more POs, that is, a WUS can be used to instruct a terminal device to monitor or not monitor one or more POs. For example, a WUS can be associated with multiple POs, and whether to monitor these multiple POs can be indicated by the indication information of the WUS; alternatively, a WUS can include indication information corresponding to these multiple POs, and each indication information can be used to indicate whether to monitor the corresponding PO. For example, a WUS is associated with PO1, PO2, and PO3. In Example 1, the WUS can indicate whether to monitor PO1, PO2, and PO3. For example, if the WUS indicates to receive paging, it can be considered that the terminal devices at PO1, PO2, and PO3 are instructed to receive paging. In Example 2, the WUS may include at least one indication for indicating whether the terminal device at the PO corresponding to the at least one indication receives paging. For example, the WUS includes indication 1 corresponding to PO1, indication 2 corresponding to PO2, and indication 3 corresponding to PO3. For another example, the WUS may include indication 1 corresponding to PO1 and PO2, and indication 2 corresponding to PO3.

[0081] 5) Shared cell, that is, a cell shared by multiple operators, that is, a network-shared cell. Network sharing can also be called radio access network sharing (RAN sharing). Network sharing allows multiple operators to share the resources of the same network according to an agreed allocation mechanism. The shared cell will broadcast relevant information about the PLMN or NPN associated with the shared cell in the system information, including the tracking area code (TAC) and cell identity of the shared cell within the PLMN or NPN. Different operators share RAN, but may not share CN, that is, the shared cell / access network equipment will be connected to multiple CNs. For example, see Figure 1 , which is a schematic diagram of a shared cell. Figure 1 For example, consider a shared cell associated with CN1 and CN2. It can also be considered that a shared cell is associated with multiple PLMNs. It should be understood that the multiple PLMNs associated with a shared cell refer to the PLMNs corresponding to the multiple CNs associated with the shared cell. That is, a shared cell can refer to a cell associated with multiple CNs or a cell associated with multiple PLMNs. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, PLMN and NPN are interchangeable in this document, and the PLMN associated with the first cell and the CN associated with the first cell are also interchangeable. For example, the PLMN to which a paging is directed is also the NPN / CN to which the paging is directed.

[0082] 6) "At least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these more than ten items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, c can be single or plural.

[0083] Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, timing, priority, or importance of the multiple objects. For example, the first core network device and the second core network device are only used to distinguish different core network devices and do not indicate a difference in priority or importance between the two core network devices.

[0084] The foregoing introduces some technical terms involved in the embodiments of this application. The following introduces the technical features involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0085] As mentioned above, the terminal device will monitor the paging DCI on one or more POs. If the terminal device detects the paging DCI, it obtains the scheduling information of the paging according to the paging DCI, and then receives the subsequent physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) according to the scheduling information. The terminal device can determine whether it is paged by the access network device or the core network device based on the paging message carried by the PDSCH. Multiple terminal devices may monitor the same PO. Since the terminal device receives the paging DCI, it only obtains the scheduling information of the paging according to the paging DCI. It needs to receive and decode the subsequent paging message to determine whether there is a paging for itself. In other words, for a terminal device that has not been paged, even if there is no paging for itself, it may receive the paging DCI and receive the paging message based on the scheduling information obtained by the paging DCI. There is unnecessary PDSCH reception and decoding, which generates unnecessary power consumption.

[0086] To this end, a terminal device grouping mechanism (also referred to as a UE subgrouping mechanism herein) is proposed. The terminal device grouping mechanism is used for paging of terminal devices. Therefore, the terminal device grouping mechanism can also be referred to as a paging subgrouping mechanism. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific name of the terminal device grouping mechanism. The basic idea is to group UEs that monitor the same PO, that is, to divide the UEs on the same PO into different subgroups. The access network device indicates the relevant information of the subgroup to which the UE targeted by this paging belongs through paging DCI or PEI (also referred to as a subgroup indication herein). When the UE receives the paging DCI or PEI, it determines whether the paging is for the subgroup to which it belongs based on the grouping indication. If the paging is for the subgroup to which it belongs, the UE receives the paging; if the paging is not for the subgroup to which it belongs, the UE does not receive the paging. It can be seen that the UE grouping mechanism can reduce the number of unnecessary paging received by the UE, thereby reducing the power consumption of the UE. For example, there are UE1, UE2, UE3, UE4, and UE5 monitoring PO1. These five UEs on PO1 can be divided into three groups. For example, UE1 and UE2 are in one group (for example, subgroup 1), UE3 and UE4 are in one group (for example, subgroup 2), and UE5 is in one group (for example, subgroup 3). If this paging is for UE1, the subgroup indicated by the grouping indication sent by the access network device is subgroup 1; if this paging is for UE1 and UE5, the subgroup indicated by the grouping indication sent by the access network device is subgroup 1 and subgroup 3. UE1 receives the grouping indication, determines that the subgroup indicated by the grouping indication is subgroup 1, and UE1 receives the paging. If the subgroup indicated by the grouping indication is not subgroup 1, UE1 does not receive the paging.

[0087] Generally, there are two implementation forms of UE grouping mechanisms. One implementation form is to group UEs through the CN, which can also be considered as CN-controlled UE subgrouping (CN controlled subgrouping). This article does not limit how the CN groups UEs. For example, the CN can group UEs based on the UE's paging probability, or for example, group UEs based on the UE's energy consumption information. Examples are not given here. Another implementation form is to group UEs based on UE identity (ID), which can also be considered as UE_ID based UE subgrouping (UE ID grouping). UE ID grouping is a mechanism that determines the group to which a UE belongs based on the UE's ID information and the total number of groups sent by the access network device. For example, if the total number of UE ID groups is N, then the UE group number (subgroup ID) can satisfy the formula: subgroupID = UE_ID mod N. The UE_ID can be related to the UE's IMSI, such as IMSI mod 1024. IMSI is the international mobile subscriber identity, and each UE has a unique IMSI. In the LTE system, the UE's IMSI is fixed. In the NR system, support is provided for allocating a 5G-globally unique temporary UE identity (GUTI) to the terminal device. The 5G-GUTI includes a 5G-temporary mobile subscription identifier (TMSI) for uniquely identifying the terminal device. The UE_ID can be related to the UE's 5G-TMSI. After the CN groups the UE, the group number of the UE can be sent to the UE and the access network device. When the CN or the access network device needs to initiate paging for the UE, the grouping of the UE can be indicated in the paging indication information.

[0088] Because CNs determine how UEs are grouped, different CNs may use different UE grouping strategies. Since a shared cell may be associated with multiple CNs, UEs from different CNs may coexist within the shared cell. Consequently, the same group ID may be assigned to UEs from different CNs. For example, a shared cell is associated with CN1 and CN2. CN1 assigns subgroup ID 1 to UE1, which has a low paging probability. This means that CN1 assigns the UE, which has a low paging probability, to subgroup 1. CN2 assigns subgroup ID 1 to UE2, which has a high paging probability. This means that CN2 assigns the UE, which has a high paging probability, to subgroup 1. Within the shared cell, the UE group with subgroup ID 1 includes both UEs with a low paging probability (e.g., UE1) and UEs with a high paging probability (e.g., UE2). When access network equipment or core network equipment pages UE1 associated with CN1, UE2 associated with CN2 is also instructed to page. This results in UE2 receiving unnecessary paging. Clearly, in shared cell scenarios, the CN grouping mechanism can cause false paging alarms. In addition, because different CNs may have different strategies for grouping UEs, CNs may affect each other's grouping of terminal devices, resulting in reduced accuracy in UE grouping. Continuing with the above example, the UEs in subgroup 1 associated with CN2 are UEs with a high paging probability and are frequently paged by the network. When access network equipment or core network equipment pages UEs in subgroup 1 associated with CN2, the UEs in subgroup 1 associated with CN1 will also be frequently instructed to receive paging. However, the UEs in subgroup 1 associated with CN1 originally had a low paging probability. This causes subgroup 1 associated with CN1 to lose its low paging probability characteristic, thereby reducing CN1's grouping accuracy.

[0089] In view of this, a technical solution is provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present application. In the technical solution provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present application, a terminal device can clearly identify which terminal device group under which CN the paging is directed to. In other words, the solution provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present application can distinguish between UE groups controlled by multiple CNs, thereby reducing the probability of false paging alarms.

[0090] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to 5G mobile communication systems, such as NR systems, or to LTE systems, or can also be applied to next-generation mobile communication systems or other similar communication systems.

[0091] Please refer to Figure 2 , is an exemplary architecture diagram of a communication system applicable to the embodiment of the present application, the communication system may include at least two core network devices, an access network device and at least one terminal device. Figure 2 Take at least two core network devices as two core network devices and at least one terminal device as two terminal devices as an example. The terminal device is connected to the access network device wirelessly, and the access network device is connected to the core network device wirelessly or wired. The core network device and the access network device can be independent and different physical devices; or the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the access network device are integrated on the same physical device; or the functions of part of the core network device and the functions of part of the access network device are integrated on the same physical device. It should be noted that Figure 2 This is for illustration only. The embodiments of this application do not limit the number of core network devices, access network devices, and terminal devices included in the mobile communication system. In some embodiments, the communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices, wireless backhaul devices, etc. In addition, the solution provided in the embodiments of this application is applied to Figure 1 In the scene shown.

[0092] The following describes the five solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0093] The following four communication methods provided in the embodiments of the present application are applied to Figure 2 The network architecture shown is taken as an example. In addition, these four communication methods can be executed by two communication devices respectively, and these two communication devices are, for example, a first communication device and a second communication device. Among them, the first communication device and the second communication device are different due to different communication methods, which will be introduced below. In the following introduction, the network shared cell is taken as an example as the first cell. It should be understood that the first cell can be associated with multiple PLMNs (or NPNs), that is, the first cell can be associated with a PLMN set. It can be considered that the first cell is associated with one or more CNs corresponding to the PLMN set. Alternatively, the first cell can also be associated with multiple CNs, that is, the first cell can be associated with a CN set. The following takes the first cell associated PLMN set as an example. Unless otherwise specified, the first cell associated PLMN set is similar to the first cell associated CN set. That is, the first cell associated PLMN set can be regarded as the first cell associated PLMN set. The PLMN associated with the terminal device can be the PLMN (selected PLMN) selected by the terminal device (non-access layer).

[0094] First, the first communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application is introduced. The first communication method can be performed by a first communication device and a second communication device. Among them, the first communication device can be an access network device or a communication device that can support the access network device to implement the functions required by the method, and of course it can also be other communication devices, such as a chip system. The second communication device can be a terminal device or a communication device that can support the terminal device to implement the functions required by the method, and of course it can also be other communication devices, such as a chip system. And there is no restriction on the implementation methods of the first communication device and the second communication device. For example, the first communication device can be an access network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device; or the first communication device is a communication device that can support the access network device to implement the functions required by the method, and the second communication device is a terminal device, and so on.

[0095] For the convenience of description, the following takes the first communication method executed by the access network device and the terminal device as an example. Figure 2 The network architecture shown in FIG, the access network equipment described below can be Figure 2 The access network device in the network architecture shown in the figure, the terminal device described below can be Figure 2 It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application is only performed by access network equipment and terminal equipment as an example.

[0096] See Figure 3 , which is a flow chart of the first communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0097] S301. A terminal device obtains first group configuration information corresponding to a first PLMN, where the first PLMN is a PLMN associated with the terminal device. The first PLMN belongs to a PLMN set, and the PLMN set is associated with a first cell.

[0098] The first cell may be a shared network cell. It should be understood that the first cell may be associated with multiple PLMNs, namely, a set of PLMNs associated with the first cell. The PLMN associated with a terminal device located in the first cell may be one of the PLMNs in the set. For example, the PLMN associated with UE1 located in the first cell may be PLMN1 in the set, and the PLMN associated with UE2 located in the first cell may be PLMN2 in the set. Grouping configuration information may indicate the CN grouping mechanism (policy) corresponding to the terminal device associated with the PLMN, enabling the terminal device to determine the grouping group number to use for receiving paging from the first cell and, therefore, whether to receive paging from the first cell. For example, grouping configuration information 1 may indicate the CN grouping mechanism (policy) for UE1 associated with PLMN1. Similarly, grouping configuration information 2 may indicate the CN grouping mechanism for UE2 associated with PLMN2. Optionally, the grouping configuration information corresponding to different PLMNs may be the same or different. For example, if the first cell is associated with PLMN1 and PLMN2, the grouping configuration information corresponding to PLMN1 may be the same as or different from the grouping configuration information corresponding to PLMN2. One or more CNs corresponding to the set of PLMNs associated with the first cell group terminal devices based on their respective grouping strategies. Furthermore, the CNs associated with different PLMNs may be the same or different. Therefore, the P PLMNs associated with the first cell may be associated with Z pieces of grouping configuration information, where P is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and Z is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0099] In this article, taking the case of a terminal device being associated with a first PLMN as an example, before receiving a paging call, the terminal device may obtain the first grouping configuration information corresponding to the first PLMN. Optionally, the first PLMN may be the PLMN indicated by the PLMN information in the system information. For example, the first PLMN is the first PLMN in the "PLMN-IdentityInfoList" information element included in the PLMN information or a PLMN within the first group of PLMNs. This can specify which PLMN the first cell supports for its associated CN grouping mechanism. When the PLMN associated with the terminal device is the specified PLMN, the terminal device may use the CN grouping mechanism corresponding to the specified PLMN by default to receive paging calls from the first cell, which is relatively simple.

[0100] The first grouping configuration information may indicate one or more of the following information, so that the terminal device 1 may determine the grouping number used by the terminal device 1 to receive paging from the first cell according to the first grouping configuration information.

[0101] 1), the first correspondence between the first group number and the second group number (referred to as the first information for short), wherein the first group number is the group number used by the terminal device to receive paging from the first cell, and the second group number is the group number from the core network device. It should be noted that the second group number is the group number assigned by the second core network device to the terminal device. The core network device can send the second group number to the terminal device, or send the second group number to the access network device. The access network device receives the second group number and can forward the second group number to the terminal device. According to the current mechanism, when the core network device initiates paging, it sends the second group number to the access network device, and the access network device sends a paging indication message to indicate the terminal device group corresponding to the second group number. Since different core network devices may assign the same group number to the terminal device, if the first cell needs to page a terminal device under a core network device associated with the first cell, then the terminal devices with the same second group number under other core network devices associated with the first cell will also receive the paging, resulting in unnecessary paging reception.

[0102] However, in an embodiment of the present application, the first group configuration information is the group configuration information corresponding to the first PLMN associated with the terminal device. The access network device receives the second group number assigned to the terminal device from the core network device. The access network device can determine the first group number used by the terminal device to receive paging from the first cell based on the first correspondence between the first group number and the second group number, that is, the access network device sends a paging indication information including the terminal device group corresponding to the first group number. For the terminal device, the terminal device can also determine the first group number used to receive paging from the first cell based on the second group number and the first correspondence between the first group number and the second group number. That is, although the group number assigned by the core network device to the terminal device is the second group number, the group number carried by the paging indication information sent by the access network device is the first group number. Through this solution, even if different CNs associated with the first cell assign the same group number to the terminal device, the group numbers actually used by the access network device to initiate paging for terminal devices associated with different CNs are different, thereby reducing paging false alarms.

[0103] The embodiment of the present application does not limit the implementation of the correspondence between the first group number and the second group number, and may include, for example, one or more of the following implementations: In the following, the first group number is represented by ID, the second group number is represented by k, and mod represents a modulo operation.

[0104] In implementation form one, the first group number and the second group number satisfy the following equation: ID = k mod (n2 - n1 + 1) + n1, where the value range of the first group number is [n1, n2]. [n1, n2] can be considered to be the range of group numbers corresponding to the CN / PLMN / NPN associated with the terminal device on the access network side. That is, the terminal device can map the second group number k assigned to it by the core network device to a value in [n1, n2] using ID = k mod (n2 - n1 + 1) + n1, which serves as the first group number. It is understood that k can be sent to the terminal device by the core network device or forwarded to the terminal device by the core network device via the access network device. n1 and n2 can be sent to the terminal device by either the access network device or the core network device. Furthermore, n1 and n2 can be the same or different, and this is not a limitation in this embodiment of the present application. In this implementation form, the first group configuration can include the value range of the first group number, namely, n1 and n2.

[0105] In the second implementation form, the first group number and the second group number satisfy: ID = k + M. M is the offset value between the first group number and the second group number, which can also be considered as the offset of the group number corresponding to the CN / PLMN / NPN associated with the terminal device on the access network side relative to the group number assigned to the terminal device by the core network device. In other words, the terminal device can use Subgroup ID = k + M, and use the group number obtained by offsetting the second group number k assigned to it by the core network device by M as the first group number. M can be predefined or preconfigured or configured by the access network device or the core network device. Under this implementation form, the first group configuration information may include M.

[0106] In implementation form three, the terminal device may re-determine the group number of the terminal device on the access network side according to the total number of groups corresponding to its associated PLMN on the access network side and / or the total number of groups corresponding to other PLMNs on the access network side.

[0107] For example, assuming that the core network device allocates a group number k to the terminal device, and the first PLMN associated with the terminal device is the first PLMN among the PLMNs associated with the first cell, the terminal device can determine that the first group number is the second group number k through ID=k.

[0108] For another example, assuming that the core network device assigns a group number k to the terminal device, the first PLMN associated with the terminal device is the second PLMN among the PLMNs associated with the first cell, and the total number of groups corresponding to the first PLMN among the PLMNs associated with the first cell in the first cell is M1, then the terminal device can determine that the first group number is the sum of the second group number k and M1 through ID=k+M1.

[0109] It should be noted that the first PLMN among the multiple PLMNs associated with the first cell refers to the group configuration information. For example, multiple PLMNs correspond to multiple group configuration information one by one, and the multiple group configuration information are sorted in order. The PLMN corresponding to the first group configuration information is the first PLMN among the multiple PLMNs.

[0110] In a fourth implementation, the correspondence between the second group number and the first group number satisfies a mapping rule. For example, the correspondence between the second group number and the first group number of a terminal device corresponding to the PLMN associated with the first cell may be indicated. One or more second group numbers may correspond to one first group number. For example, the PLMNs associated with the first cell may be sorted in sequence, and the second group numbers corresponding to the PLMNs associated with the first cell may be numbered according to the sorted order. This allows terminal devices of different CNs in the first cell to have different group numbers on the access network side.

[0111] For example, see Figure 4 , showing a mapping rule between the second group number and the first group number. Figure 4 Take the first cell associating 5 PLMNs as an example. Renumber the second group numbers corresponding to the 5 PLMNs in sequence to obtain the first group number. Figure 4 It can be seen that the terminal devices in the five PLMNs associated with the first cell have different grouping numbers on the access network side.

[0112] The terminal device determines the group number of the terminal device on the access network side through the correspondence between the first group number and the second group number (ie, the first information). This can be considered as the terminal device distinguishing which CN / PLMN / NPN the paging is for, thereby reducing paging false alarms.

[0113] 2) The first group configuration information may be used to indicate information of the first PEI (referred to as second information for short).

[0114] Unlike the terminal device distinguishing which CN / PLMN / NPN the paging is directed to, the embodiment of the present application can distinguish which CN / PLMN / NPN the paging is directed to through the PEI information. Different PLMNs can correspond to different PEI information, so that the terminal devices under each PLMN can clearly know whether the paging sent by the network is directed to themselves based on the corresponding PEI. That is, through this solution, the paging indication information of different CN / PLMN / NPNs is different, so that the terminal device can determine whether it is instructed to receive paging based on the PEI corresponding to the CN / PLMN / NPN to which it belongs, and avoid receiving paging indication information in other irrelevant CN / PLMN / NPNs, thereby reducing paging false alarms.

[0115] In the embodiment of the present application, the PEI information may be implemented in a variety of ways. Taking the first PEI information as an example, the first PEI information may be implemented in the following two ways.

[0116] In the first implementation form, the information of the first PEI may be the first PEI, and different PEIs may correspond to different CN / PLMN / NPNs. That is, different PEIs (sequences or signals) are used to indicate different CN / PLMN / NPNs respectively. For example, the first cell is associated with three PLMNs, namely PLMN1, PLMN2 and PLMN3. The first PEI corresponds to PLMN1, the second PEI corresponds to PLMN2, and the third PEI corresponds to PLMN3. If the terminal device is associated with the first PLMN1, then the terminal device determines that the access network device sends the first PEI, and then receives the paging. Optionally, the PEIs corresponding to different CN / PLMN / NPNs may be the same or different.

[0117] In a second implementation form, the information of the first PEI may be configuration information of the first PEI, and different PEIs may correspond to different CNs / PLMNs / NPNs. Optionally, the configuration information of the PEIs corresponding to different CNs / PLMNs / NPNs may be the same or different. Taking the configuration information of the first PEI as an example, the configuration information of the first PEI may include one or more of the following information: a search space configuration of the first PEI, a control resource set (CORESET) configuration of the first PEI, or monitoring of the time-frequency resource location of the first PEI, for example, monitoring the time domain resource location of the first PEI and / or monitoring the frequency domain resource location of the first PEI.

[0118] Monitoring the frequency domain resource location of the first PEI may include information such as the frequency domain starting location and / or frequency domain resource size of the first PEI. Monitoring the time-frequency resource location of the first PEI may include one or more of the following configurations.

[0119] 1) A starting position configuration, used to determine the start time of monitoring the first PEI. The starting position configuration can be the offset between the start time of monitoring the first PEI and the start time of the PO associated with the first PEI. Alternatively, the starting position configuration can be the offset between the start time of monitoring the first PEI and a synchronization signal block (SSB) or SSB burst.

[0120] 2) End position configuration, used to determine the end time of monitoring the first PEI. The end position configuration can be the offset between the start time of monitoring the first PEI and the start time of the PO associated with the first PEI, or the end position configuration can be the offset between the start time of monitoring the first PEI and the SSB, or the end position configuration can be the offset between the start time of monitoring the first PEI and the SSB set.

[0121] 3) Duration configuration, used to determine the duration of monitoring the first PEI. The duration may include one or more individual PEI monitoring occasions. This configuration may be in units of absolute time lengths such as milliseconds (ms) or seconds (s); or in units of frames, subframes, slots, symbols, etc.; or in units of PDCCH monitoring occasions (e.g., L PDCCH monitoring occasions, where L is a positive number).

[0122] 4) Listening opportunity duration configuration. This configuration determines the duration of a single PEI listening opportunity. This configuration can be in absolute time units such as milliseconds (ms) or seconds (s), or in units such as frames, subframes, slots, and symbols.

[0123] 5) Listening opportunity interval (or period) configuration. This configuration determines the interval between individual PEI listening opportunities or the periodicity of individual PEI listening opportunities. This configuration can be in absolute time units such as milliseconds (ms) or seconds (s), or in units such as frames, subframes, slots, or symbols.

[0124] This implementation uses the PEI configuration information to indicate different PLMNs. The PEI configuration information corresponding to different PLMNs can be the same or different. The terminal device can determine the time domain resource location and / or frequency domain resource location of the monitored PEI based on the associated PLMN, and then determine whether to receive paging from the first cell based on the monitored PEI. For example, see Figure 5 , which is a schematic diagram of the correspondence between PEI configuration information and PLMN. Figure 5Take the configuration information of PEI indicating the time domain resource location of the monitored PEI as an example. Optionally, the frequency domain resource locations of the monitored PEI may be the same or different. The first cell is associated with three PLMNs, namely PLMN1, PLMN2 and PLMN3. The first PEI corresponds to PLMN1, the second PEI corresponds to PLMB2, and the third PEI corresponds to PLMN3. The group configuration information corresponding to PLMN1 is the first group configuration information, the group configuration information corresponding to PLMN2 is the second group configuration information, and the group configuration information corresponding to PLMN3 is the third group configuration information. If the terminal device is associated with the first PLMN1, then the terminal device can determine that the first group configuration information is the configuration information of the first PEI, and thus monitor the first PEI based on the configuration information of the first PEI, and then determine whether to receive paging from the first cell based on the monitored first PEI. For example, if the first PEI indicates not to receive paging, then the terminal device may not receive paging. If the first PEI indicates to receive paging, then the terminal device receives paging.

[0125] 3), group indication configuration information (referred to as the third information for short), can be used to determine the position of the first indication in the paging indication information. The first indication corresponds to the terminal device group to which the terminal device belongs, and can also be understood as a group indication of the terminal device. The first indication can be used to indicate whether to monitor paging, for example, the first indication is used to indicate whether to monitor the PDCCH corresponding to the terminal device group. For example, the first indication is information occupying 1 bit. The value of the first indication is "0" to indicate monitoring the PDCCH corresponding to the terminal device group. Correspondingly, the value of the first indication is "1" to indicate not monitoring the PDCCH corresponding to the terminal device group. Alternatively, the value of the first indication is "0" to indicate not monitoring the PDCCH corresponding to the terminal device group. Correspondingly, the value of the first indication is "1" to indicate monitoring the PDCCH corresponding to the terminal device group. The terminal device can determine to receive the paging indication information or the paging message carried by the PDSCH according to the first indication. The paging indication information can be considered as the paging indication information sent by the access network device. Different PLMNs can correspond to different group indications. For example, assuming that the CN associated with the first PLMN assigns a group number k to the terminal device, and the group indication corresponding to the first PLMN associated with the terminal device indicates that the group indication of the first PLMN starts from the nth bit in the paging indication information, then the position of the group indication of the terminal device in the paging indication information can be the n+(k-1)th bit.

[0126] For example, see Figure 6 , is a schematic diagram of the corresponding relationship between the group indication configuration information and the PLMN. Figure 6As shown, the paging indication information may be a PEI, which may include grouping indicators corresponding to multiple PLMNs. Each grouping indicator corresponds to a terminal device group, and the starting position of grouping indicators for different PLMNs in the paging indication information is different. For example, PLMN1 corresponds to 3 bits, with each bit representing a grouping indicator corresponding to a terminal device group. Assume that the starting position of the PEI is the first bit. For example, the grouping indicator configuration information corresponding to PLMN1 starts at the first bit in the PEI, i.e., n=1; the grouping indicator corresponding to PLMN2 starts at the fourth bit in the PEI, i.e., n=4. Assuming that the CN corresponding to PLMN1 allocates group number 2 to the terminal device, i.e., k=2, and an access network device or core network device sends a paging indication information to page the terminal device associated with the CN corresponding to PLMN1, then the first grouping configuration information may indicate that the starting position of the grouping indicator is 2, i.e., 1+(2-1). This means that the grouping indicator corresponding to PLMN1 starts at the second bit in the paging indication information. The terminal device determines, based on the first group configuration information, that the starting position of the group indication corresponding to the terminal device in the paging indication information is 1+(2-1), that is, the second bit. Figure 6 If the value of the second bit is "1," the terminal device can monitor the PDCCH corresponding to the terminal device group and receive paging from the first cell. That is, the terminal device can determine, based on the PLMN to which the terminal device belongs, which locations in the paging indication information to monitor for paging indication information, and thus determine whether to monitor the PDCCH corresponding to the terminal device group to which the terminal device belongs. This avoids monitoring paging indication information in other unrelated PLMNs, thereby reducing paging false alarms.

[0127] 4) Whether the first cell supports the CN grouping mechanism for the first PLMN (also referred to as the fourth information herein) can also be understood as whether the first cell enables or uses the CN grouping mechanism for the first PLMN. If the first cell does not support the CN grouping mechanism for the first PLMN, the terminal device does not use the grouping group number allocated to the terminal device by the CN associated with the first PLMN to receive paging from the first cell. If the first cell supports the CN grouping mechanism for the first PLMN, the terminal device can determine whether to receive paging from the first cell and how to receive paging from the first cell based on one or more of the first information, second information, and third information as described above.

[0128] It can be understood that, similar to a WUS being associated with one or more POs, group configuration information can also be associated with one or more POs. For details, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned WUS, which will not be repeated here.

[0129] The embodiments of the present application distinguish the CN grouping mechanisms under different CN / PLMN / NPNs through grouping configuration information corresponding to the CN / PLMN / NPN. This allows a terminal device to determine whether a paging message from an access network device or core network device is from the CN / PLMN / NPN to which the terminal device belongs, thereby avoiding receiving paging messages from other CN / PLMN / NPNs and reducing false paging alarms. Furthermore, because terminal device groupings can be differentiated between different CN / PLMN / NPNs, simultaneous paging of terminal devices under multiple CN / PLMN / NPNs is possible. Specifically, a single paging indication message can be sent to paging multiple CN / PLMN / NPNs, thereby reducing the signaling overhead of paging terminal devices under multiple CN / PLMN / NPNs. Furthermore, PEI information can be used to distinguish terminal device groupings under different CN / PLMN / NPNs. In this case, each PEI corresponds to a CN / PLMN / NPN, allowing the number of available groups in the CN grouping mechanism to reach the maximum supported by the access network device, thereby supporting as many UE groups as possible and enhancing the effectiveness of the grouping mechanism.

[0130] The group configuration information corresponding to each PLMN / NPN / CN associated with a cell may be the same or different. In an embodiment of the present application, the cell may transmit the group configuration information of each PLMN / NPN / CN in the cell so that a terminal device can determine to use the group configuration information corresponding to the PLMN / NPN / CN to which it is associated. For example, a terminal device associated with a first PLMN obtains the first group configuration information corresponding to the first PLMN.

[0131] For the PLMN associated with the first cell, the first cell may transmit group configuration information corresponding to the associated PLMN. For example, the first cell may broadcast the group configuration information corresponding to the associated PLMN. The terminal device receives the broadcast from the first cell and determines the corresponding first group configuration information based on the first PLMN associated with the terminal device and the group configuration information corresponding to the associated PLMN broadcast by the first cell.

[0132] In example 1, for the PLMN associated with the first cell, the first cell may broadcast the group configuration information corresponding to the associated PLMN. The PLMN associated with the first cell may be represented by the PLMN's identity or index. The PLMN's identity may be an identifier composed of a mobile country code (MCC) and a mobile network code (MNC). The PLMN's index may be an index assigned by an access network device. For example, the first cell is associated with three PLMNs, and the access network device may assign indexes 1, 2, and 3 to these three PLMNs to mark these three PLMNs respectively. The indexes of different PLMNs may be the same or different. It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application does not restrict whether the PLMN / NPN associated with the first cell and the group configuration information corresponding to each PLMN are carried in one signaling. That is, the PLMN associated with the first cell and the group configuration information corresponding to each PLMN may be carried in one signaling or in multiple signalings. For example, the system information broadcast by the first cell may include an identifier (or index) of the PLMN associated with the first cell and group configuration information corresponding to each PLMN.

[0133] For example, for the first cell, the system information may include the information element "PLMN-CNSubgroupingInfoList", which is used to indicate the various PLMNs associated with the first cell and the grouping configuration information corresponding to each PLMN. "PLMN-CNSubgroupingInfoList" may include at least one "PLMN-CNSubgroupingInfo", and "PLMN-CNSubgroupingInfo" includes an identifier corresponding to a PLMN (i.e., PLMN-Identity) and the grouping configuration information corresponding to the PLMN (CNControlledSubgroupingInfo). It should be understood that the maximum number of "PLMN-CNSubgroupingInfo" is the maximum number of PLMNs associated with the first cell. For example, one implementation form of "PLMN-CNSubgroupingInfoList" may be:

[0134] PLMN-CNSubgroupingInfoList::=SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxPLMN))OF

[0135] PLMN-CNSubgroupingInfo

[0136] PLMN-CNSubgroupingInfo::= SEQUENCE{

[0137] plmn-Identity PLMN-Identity,

[0138] CNControlledSubgroupingInfo CNControlledSubgroupingInfo

[0139] }

[0140] It should be noted that for multiple PLMNs with the same grouping configuration information, each PLMN / NPN in these multiple PLMNs may correspond to a separate grouping configuration information, or each of these multiple PLMNs may correspond to a separate grouping configuration information. For example, assuming that PLMN1 and PLMN2 correspond to grouping configuration information 1, and PLMN3 corresponds to grouping configuration information 2, then the above-mentioned PLMN-CNSubgroupingInfoList may include three PLMN-CNSubgroupingInfo items, corresponding to PLMN1, PLMN2, and PLMN3, respectively. Alternatively, the PLMN-CNSubgroupingInfoList may include two PLMN-CNSubgroupingInfo items, one of which corresponds to PLMN1 and PLMN2 (i.e., the PLMN-CNSubgroupingInfo item includes the identifiers corresponding to PLMN1 and PLMN2, respectively), and the other PLMN-CNSubgroupingInfo item corresponds to PLMN3. A terminal device receives a broadcast from a first cell and, based on the first PLMN associated with the terminal device and the PLMN-CNSubgroupingInfoList, determines the corresponding CNControlledSubgroupingInfo, i.e., the first grouping configuration information.

[0141] Example 2: For the CN associated with the first cell, the first cell may broadcast the group configuration information corresponding to the associated CN, indicating the PLMN / NPN associated with the CN. A CN may be associated with one or more PLMN / NPNs. In this example, it can be considered that the group configuration information broadcast by the first cell is for the CN associated with the first cell and / or the PLMN / NPN corresponding to the CN associated with the first cell. The first cell may broadcast the identifier of the associated CN and the group configuration information corresponding to each CN. Alternatively, the first cell may broadcast the identifier of one or more PLMN / NPNs corresponding to the associated CN and the group configuration information corresponding to the one or more PLMN / NPNs. The identifier of the CN associated with the first cell and the group configuration information corresponding to each CN may be carried in one signaling or in multiple signalings. For example, the system message broadcast by the first cell may include the identifier (or index) of the CN associated with the first cell and the group configuration information corresponding to each CN.

[0142] For example, for the first cell, the system message may include an information element "CNSubgroupingInfoList" to indicate the various CNs associated with the first cell and the group configuration information corresponding to each CN. "CNSubgroupingInfoList" may include at least one "CNSubgroupingInfo", each "CNSubgroupingInfo" includes an identifier corresponding to a CN (i.e., CN-Identity) and the group configuration information corresponding to the CN (CNControlledSubgroupingInfo), or each "CNSubgroupingInfo" includes an identifier (plmn-IdentityLis) of one or more PLMN / NPNs associated with a CN and the group configuration information (CNControlledSubgroupingInfo) corresponding to one or more PLMN / NPNs associated with the CN. The maximum number of "CNSubgroupingInfo" is the maximum number of CNs associated with the first cell. For example, one implementation form of "CNSubgroupingInfoList" may be:

[0143] CNSubgroupingInfoList::= SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxCN))OFCNSubgroupingInfo

[0144] CNSubgroupingInfo::= SEQUENCE{

[0145] cn-Identity CN-Identity,

[0146] CNControlledSubgroupingInfo CNControlledSubgroupingInfo

[0147] }

[0148] For another example, another implementation of "CNSubgroupingInfoList" can be:

[0149] CNSubgroupingInfoList::= SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxCN))OFCNSubgroupingInfo

[0150] CNSubgroupingInfo::= SEQUENCE{

[0151] plmn-IdentityList SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxPLMN))OF PLMN-Identity,

[0152] CNControlledSubgroupingInfo CNControlledSubgroupingInfo

[0153] }

[0154] For multiple CNs with the same grouping configuration information, each CN in these multiple CNs may correspond to one grouping configuration information respectively, or these multiple CNs may correspond to one grouping configuration information. For example, assuming that CN1 and CN2 correspond to grouping configuration information 1, and CN3 corresponds to grouping configuration information 2, then the above-mentioned CNSubgroupingInfoList may contain 3 CNSubgroupingInfo items, corresponding to CN1, CN2, and CN3 respectively. Alternatively, CNSubgroupingInfoList contains 2 CNSubgroupingInfo items, wherein one CNSubgroupingInfo item corresponds to CN1 and CN2 (that is, the CNSubgroupingInfo item contains the identifiers corresponding to CN1 and CN2 respectively), and the other CNSubgroupingInfo item corresponds to CN3. The terminal device receives a broadcast from the first cell, and can determine the corresponding CNControlledSubgroupingInfo, that is, the first grouping configuration information, based on the first CN associated with the terminal device and the CNSubgroupingInfoList.

[0155] S302. The access network device (or core network device) sends indication information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives indication information from the access network device (or core network device), where the indication information is used to indicate the first PLMN, or the indication information is used to indicate the first PLMN and the first group configuration information.

[0156] The access network device or core network device may configure corresponding group configuration information for one or more PLMNs associated with the first cell. Optionally, the group configuration information corresponding to different PLMNs may be the same or different. The access network device or core network device may notify the terminal device, through indication information, to configure corresponding group configuration information for one or more PLMNs associated with the first cell. The terminal device may determine the group configuration information to use based on the indication in the indication information.

[0157] As an example, the correspondence between PLMN and group configuration information can be predefined or preconfigured. In this case, the access network device or the core network device can indirectly indicate the group configuration information through the identification information of the PLMN. For example, the indication information indicates the first PLMN, and the indication information can include the identification information of the first PLMN. The terminal device can obtain the first group configuration information corresponding to the first PLMN based on the first PLMN indicated by the indication information. The terminal device can determine whether to use the CN group mechanism to receive paging from the first cell based on the first PLMN and the first group configuration information, that is, determine whether to use the group group number allocated to the terminal device by the CN associated with the first PLMN to receive paging from the first cell.

[0158] For example, the first cell may broadcast the indication information, which indicates PLMN1, PLMN2, and PLMN3. The protocol predefines or preconfigures PLMN1, PLMN2, and PLMN3 to correspond to group configuration information 1. If UE1 is associated with PLMN1, UE2 is associated with PLMN2, and UE3 is associated with PLMN5, UE1 and UE2 receive paging from the first cell according to group configuration information 1, but UE3 does not receive paging from the first cell according to group configuration information 1.

[0159] As another example, the indication information may be used to indicate the first PLMN and the first grouping configuration information. The terminal device associated with the first PLMN may determine the first grouping configuration information according to the indication information, and thus receive paging from the first cell based on the first grouping configuration information.

[0160] Access network devices and core network devices can use indication information to indicate group configuration information corresponding to one or more PLMNs, which is more flexible. For example, the first cell can broadcast first information, which indicates PLMN1, PLMN2, and PLMN3. The first cell can also broadcast second information, which can indicate group configuration information 1. In this case, the terminal device can default to PLMN1, PLMN2, and PLMN3 corresponding to group configuration information 1. If UE1 is associated with PLMN1, UE2 is associated with PLMN2, and UE3 is associated with PLMN5, then UE1 and UE2 receive paging from the first cell based on group configuration information 1, and UE3 does not receive paging from the first cell based on group configuration information 1. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of PLMNs indicated by the first information, nor do they limit the number of group configuration information indicated by the second information. If the first indication information indicates multiple PLMNs and the second information indicates group configuration information 1, then these multiple PLMNs correspond to group configuration information 1. If the first indication information indicates R PLMNs and the second information indicates S group configuration information, the mapping relationship between R and S can be agreed upon as long as the terminal device can clearly understand the correspondence between PLMNs and group configuration information.

[0161] The first information and the second information may be carried in a single signaling, for example, in indication information. For example, the indication information may be used to indicate the first PLMN and the first grouping configuration information corresponding to the first PLMN. Alternatively, the first information and the second information may be carried in different signaling.

[0162] It should be noted that S302 is an optional step, that is, S302 is not a step that must be performed. Figure 3 Indicated by dotted line.

[0163] S303. The terminal device receives paging from the first cell according to the first grouping configuration information.

[0164] After acquiring the first grouping configuration information, the terminal device receives paging from the first cell according to the first grouping configuration information. Depending on the implementation of the first grouping configuration information, the terminal device receives paging from the first cell in different ways according to the first grouping configuration information.

[0165] Example 1: The first group configuration information indicates the correspondence between the first group number and the second group number. In this case, the terminal device can determine the first group number based on the first group configuration information and the second group number assigned to the terminal device by the CN. If the paging indication information sent by the access network device indicates the terminal device group corresponding to the first group number, then the terminal device receives paging from the first cell. For example, the terminal device determines that the group number indicated by the paging indication information matches the first group number determined by the terminal device according to the correspondence, that is, the group number indicated by the paging indication information includes the first group number determined by the terminal device according to the correspondence, and it can be considered that the paging indication information is used to paging the terminal device group to which the terminal device belongs, then the terminal device receives the paging. If the paging indication information does not indicate the terminal device group corresponding to the first group number, then the terminal device determines that the paging is not for the first PLMN, nor for the terminal device group to which the terminal device belongs, then the terminal device may not receive the paging.

[0166] In Example 2, the first group configuration information indicates information about the first PEI. For example, the first group configuration information indicates the first PEI, or the first group configuration information indicates configuration information of the first PEI. In this case, the paging indication information sent by the network device can be considered to be the first PEI. The terminal device determines whether to receive paging from the first cell based on the received or monitored first PEI. If the first PEI indicates to receive paging, the terminal device receives the paging; if the first PEI indicates not to receive paging, the terminal device does not receive the paging.

[0167] Example three, the first group configuration information indicates the group indication configuration information. In this case, the terminal device can determine the position of the first indication corresponding to the terminal device group to which the terminal device is located in the paging indication information according to the group indication configuration information, and thereby determine whether to monitor the paging according to the received first indication. For example, the terminal device determines whether to monitor the PDCCH corresponding to the terminal device group to which the terminal device is located according to the first indication, or determines whether to receive paging, and then determines whether to receive paging from the first cell, or determines how to receive paging from the first cell. For example, if the first indication indicates to receive paging, then the terminal device receives the paging; if the first indication indicates not to receive paging, then the terminal device does not receive the paging.

[0168] In Example 4, the first grouping configuration information indicates whether the first cell supports the CN grouping mechanism for the first PLMN. If the first grouping configuration information indicates that the first cell supports the CN grouping mechanism for the first PLMN, the terminal device may receive paging based on the grouping group number assigned by the CN. For example, if the first cell is predefined or preconfigured to support the CN grouping mechanism for the first PLMN, the terminal device may receive paging based on the CN grouping mechanism. If the first grouping configuration information indicates that the first cell does not support the CN grouping mechanism for the first PLMN, the terminal device may not receive paging based on the grouping group number assigned by the CN. In this case, the terminal device may receive paging based on the grouping group number assigned by the CN and one or more of the first information, second information, and third information indicated by the first grouping configuration information. For example, the terminal device may determine, based on the first information, whether the paging indication information sent by the access network device is for the first PLMN. If the paging indication information is for the first PLMN, the terminal device may receive paging based on the grouping group number assigned by the CN and the first information. If the paging indication information from the network device is not for the first PLMN, the terminal device may not receive paging.

[0169] It should be understood that in Examples 1 to 4, if the paging indication information sent by the access network device also indicates the terminal device group to be paged, then the terminal device, in addition to determining that the paging indication information is for the first PLMN, also needs to determine that the terminal device belongs to the terminal device group indicated by the paging indication information, and the terminal device receives paging from the first cell. Otherwise, the terminal device determines that the paging indication information is for the first PLMN, but the terminal device belongs to the terminal device group indicated by the paging indication information, and the terminal device does not monitor the paging of the first cell.

[0170] The first communication method mentioned above distinguishes the CN grouping mechanisms under different CN / PLMN / NPNs through the grouping configuration information corresponding to the CN / PLMN / NPN, so that when the terminal device is paging based on the CN grouping, it can clearly determine whether the paging from the access network device is the CN / PLMN / NPN to which the terminal device belongs, thereby avoiding receiving paging in other CN / PLMN / NPNs, that is, reducing paging false alarms.

[0171] As an alternative implementation method, an embodiment of the present application provides a second communication method. The difference from the first communication method is that the CN / PLMN / NPN targeted by the paging can be indicated by paging indication information. The terminal device associated with the CN / PLMN / NPN indicated by the paging indication information receives the paging, and the terminal device not associated with the CN / PLMN / NPN indicated by the paging indication information may not receive the paging. That is, the terminal device associated with one associated CN / PLMN / NPN will not receive paging in other CN / PLMN / NPNs, thereby reducing paging false alarms.

[0172] Similar to the first communication method, the second communication method can be performed by a first communication device and a second communication device. For an introduction to the first and second communication devices, refer to the aforementioned description of the first communication method and will not be repeated here. For ease of description, the following example uses the second communication method performed by an access network device and a terminal device.

[0173] See Figure 7 , which is a flow chart of the second communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0174] S701. An access network device (or core network device) sends third indication information. Accordingly, a terminal device receives first indication information. The third indication information is used to page a terminal device associated with a first PLMN, where the first PLMN belongs to a PLMN set associated with a first cell. It is understood that if a core network device pages a terminal device associated with the first PLMN, the core network device triggers the access network device to send the first indication information, which can also be considered as the core network device sending the third indication information.

[0175] The third indication information may be carried in paging DCI, PEI, or DCI. In other words, the paging indication information sent by the access network device may be used to indicate the first PLMN.

[0176] Exemplarily, the third indication information may include an identifier or index of the first PLMN. Alternatively, the first indication information may include an identifier or index of a CN associated with the first PLMN.

[0177] Exemplarily, the third indication information is a first PEI, which corresponds to a first PLMN. In this case, a correspondence between PEI and PLMN can be defined, and the first PEI can indicate the first PLMN. The PEIs corresponding to different PLMNs can be the same or different.

[0178] In addition, the access network device may further indicate which terminal device group the paging is for. For example, the access network device may further send fourth indication information, and the terminal device may receive the fourth indication information. The fourth indication information may be used to indicate the first terminal device group, so as to indicate the paging of terminal devices belonging to the first terminal device group.

[0179] The third indication information and the fourth indication information may be carried in one signaling. For example, both the third indication information and the fourth indication information may be carried in paging DCI, PEI, or DCI. The third indication information and the fourth indication information may also be carried in two signalings. For example, the third indication information may be the first PEI, and the fourth indication information may be carried in the paging DCI. For another example, the third indication information may be the first PEI (DCI), and the fourth indication information may be the second PEI (DCI).

[0180] S702: The terminal device determines that the associated PLMN is the first PLMN, and the terminal device receives paging from the first cell.

[0181] The terminal device receives the third indication information and, based on the third indication information, determines that the access network device or core network device is paging a terminal device associated with the first PLMN. If the terminal device determines that the associated PLMN is the first PLMN, the terminal device receives the paging. If the terminal device determines that the associated PLMN is not the first PLMN, the terminal device may not receive the paging. It should be understood that if the terminal device also receives the fourth indication information, the terminal device determines that it belongs to the first terminal device group and the terminal device receives the paging. If the terminal device determines that it does not belong to the first terminal device group, the terminal device may not receive the paging.

[0182] The embodiments of the present application distinguish the paging of each CN / PLMN / NPN associated with a shared cell through paging indication information, so that when a terminal device receives paging based on CN grouping, it can clearly determine whether the paging from the access network device is the CN / PLMN / NPN to which the terminal device belongs, thereby avoiding receiving paging within other CN / PLMN / NPNs, that is, reducing paging false alarms. In addition, because paging from different CN / PLMN / NPNs can be distinguished through paging indication information, in this case, each paging corresponds to a CN / PLMN / NPN, which can make the number of groups available in the CN grouping mechanism reach the maximum value supported by the access network device, thereby supporting as many UE groups as possible and enhancing the effectiveness of the grouping mechanism.

[0183] As described above, two methods for distinguishing the paging of each CN / PLMN / NPN associated with a shared cell are introduced. The embodiment of the present application also provides another communication method, namely a third communication method, which can also be used to distinguish the paging of each CN / PLMN / NPN associated with a shared cell. The third communication method refers to a strategy for grouping the associated terminal devices that can be negotiated between multiple core network devices associated with a first cell, thereby avoiding the grouping of terminal devices between core network devices, resulting in the terminal devices associated with different core network devices in the same cell being assigned the same group group number.

[0184] The following introduces the third communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application. The third communication method can be performed by a first communication device and a second communication device. Among them, the first communication device can be a first core network device or a communication device that can support the first core network device to implement the functions required by the method, and of course it can also be other communication devices, such as a chip system. The second communication device can be a second core network device or a communication device that can support the second core network device to implement the functions required by the method, and of course it can also be other communication devices, such as a chip system. There is no restriction on the implementation methods of the first communication device and the second communication device. For example, the first communication device can be a first core network device, and the second communication device is a second core network device; or the first communication device is a communication device that can support the first core network device to implement the functions required by the method, and the second communication device is a second core network device, and so on.

[0185] For the convenience of description, the third communication method is performed by the first core network device and the second core network device as an example. Figure 2 The network architecture shown in FIG, the first core network device and the second core network device described below may be Figure 2 The core network devices in the network architecture shown. It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application takes the first core network device and the second core network device as an example. If the first cell is associated with more core network devices in addition to the first core network device and the second core network device, any two core network devices can interact with each other to use grouping strategies for grouping terminal devices.

[0186] See Figure 8 , which is a flow chart of the third communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0187] S801. The second core network device sends grouping policy information to the first core network device. Correspondingly, the first core network device receives the grouping policy information from the second core network device. The grouping policy information may indicate the policy used by the second core network device to group the associated terminal devices.

[0188] S802. The first core network device determines, based on the grouping policy information, a grouping policy for grouping terminal devices associated with the first core network device.

[0189] The second core network device can inform the first core network device of the grouping strategy it uses to group terminal devices, so as to assist the first core network device in determining to group the terminal devices associated with itself, thereby avoiding the allocation of the same grouping number to different terminal devices associated with the first core network device and the second core network device in the same cell.

[0190] Exemplarily, the grouping policy information can be used to indicate one or more of the following: whether the second core network device groups the terminal devices, the total number of groups of terminal devices used by the second core network device, or the range of values ​​of the group numbers of terminal devices used by the second core network device.

[0191] Accordingly, if the grouping policy information indicates that the second core network device does not group terminal devices, the first core network device may determine that the total number of groupings used can be a specified maximum value or the maximum number of groupings supported by the access network device. If the grouping policy information indicates the total number of groupings used by the second core network device, the first core network device may determine the total number of groupings that can be used based on this total number of groupings. For example, the sum of the total number of groupings used by the second core network device and the total number of groupings used by the first core network device is less than or equal to the specified maximum value or the maximum number of groupings supported by the access network device. If the grouping policy information indicates that the terminal device group numbers used by the second core network device are in the range [n3, n4], the terminal device group numbers used by the first core network device are in the range [n5, n6], where n5 is greater than n4 or n6 is less than n3. In this way, the value ranges of the grouping numbers allocated to terminal devices by the first and second core network devices do not overlap, thereby distinguishing terminal devices under different core network devices in the same cell.

[0192] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the execution order of S801 and S802, and does not limit the number of executions of S801 and S802. That is to say, the first core network device and the second core network device can interact with each other multiple times to use grouping strategies for grouping terminal devices, and the first core network device and the second core network device can also determine the grouping strategies to be used multiple times. For example, the first core network device can determine the grouping strategy it uses and inform the second core network device. The second core network device determines the grouping strategy it uses based on the grouping strategy of the first core network device and then informs the first core network device. The first core network device can redetermine the grouping strategy to be used based on the grouping strategy used by the second core network device.

[0193] S803. The terminal device sends packet assistance information to the first core network device. Correspondingly, the first core network device receives the packet assistance information from the terminal device. The packet assistance information can be used to indicate a paging probability.

[0194] Grouping assistance information can be used to determine the grouping strategy used to group terminal devices. For example, grouping assistance information can be used to indicate paging probability, and the core network device can group associated terminal devices based on the paging probability of the terminal devices. For example, the core network device can group terminal devices with a higher paging probability and group terminal devices with a lower paging probability. Optionally, grouping assistance information can also be used to indicate how the terminal device determines the paging probability.

[0195] The terminal device can report packet auxiliary information to the associated core network device. For example, the first core network device is the core network device associated with the terminal device, and the terminal device sends packet auxiliary information to the first core network device. Similarly, the second core network device is the core network device associated with the terminal device, and the terminal device sends packet auxiliary information to the second core network device. The first embodiment of the present application takes the core network device associated with the terminal device as the first core network device as an example. As shown in S804, after receiving the packet auxiliary information, the first core network device can send the packet auxiliary information to the second core network device, so that the second core network device can determine the packet strategy to be used based on the packet auxiliary information. It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the execution order of S803, S801 and S802.

[0196] Before sending the packet auxiliary information, the terminal device needs to determine the paging probability. The terminal device can determine the paging probability in the following two ways.

[0197] In the first determination method, the terminal device determines the paging probability based on the duration of the paging received for itself within a certain time period. For example, the paging probability is the ratio of the first time period to the second time period, where the first time period is the duration of the paging received by the terminal device for the terminal device within the second time period, and the second time period is a preset time period. For example, the second time period is 12 hours, and within these 12 hours, the terminal device receives paging for itself for 3 hours, that is, the first time period is 3 hours. In this case, the paging probability is 3 / 12 = 0.25.

[0198] It should be noted that the second durations corresponding to different scenarios can be different. For example, between 8:00 AM and 12:00 AM, the terminal device is usually in an active state, and between 12:00 AM and 6:00 AM, the terminal device is usually in a dormant state. In this case, the second duration corresponding to 8:00 AM to 12:00 AM is relatively short, while the second duration corresponding to 12:00 AM to 6:00 AM is relatively long. For example, the second duration corresponding to 8:00 AM to 12:00 AM can be 2 hours, and the second duration corresponding to 12:00 AM to 6:00 AM can be 6 hours. This can provide a more accurate paging probability.

[0199] The second determination method is that the terminal device determines the paging probability based on the number of POs monitored and the number of POs received for its own paging. For example, the paging probability is the ratio of the first value and the second value, wherein the first value is the number of POs where the terminal device receives paging for the terminal device, and the second value is the number of POs monitored by the terminal device. That is, the number N2 of POs for its own paging in a certain number N1 of POs can be counted, and the paging probability is N2 / N1. For example, the terminal device monitors 100 POs, and the terminal device receives paging for the terminal device in 10 of these 100 POs, then the paging probability is 10 / 100=0.1.

[0200] It should be noted that the manner in which the terminal device determines the paging probability in the embodiments of the present application is also applicable to, for example, determining the paging probability of the terminal device by the access network device or the core network device. That is, the access network device or the core network device may also determine the paging probability of the terminal device based on the duration of paging for the terminal device within a certain period of time. Alternatively, the access network device or the core network device may also determine the paging probability of the terminal device based on the total number of POs monitored by the terminal device and the number of POs for which paging for the terminal device has been sent.

[0201] It can be understood that the group auxiliary information indicates the first determination method, and the group auxiliary information may include a first duration and a second duration. The group auxiliary information indicates the second determination method, and the group auxiliary information may include a first value and a second value. Optionally, the group auxiliary information may be carried in a non-access stratum (NAS) message, an RRC message, or a media access control element (MAC CE), etc., and this embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0202] In addition, the embodiments of the present application do not limit the frequency of when the terminal device sends group auxiliary information. For example, the terminal device periodically sends group auxiliary information, and the period may be predefined or preconfigured, or the period may be configured by the access network device. For another example, the terminal device may also send group auxiliary information based on the request of the access network device. For another example, the terminal device may send group auxiliary information based on the triggering of an event (condition). For example, the terminal device determines that the paging probability is less than a certain threshold or greater than a certain threshold, and the terminal device sends group auxiliary information; or, the terminal device determines that the paging duration for the terminal device is less than a certain threshold or greater than a certain threshold, and the terminal device sends group auxiliary information.

[0203] The above two methods of determining the paging probability can more accurately characterize the frequency of the terminal device being paged. In addition, the terminal device can flexibly adjust the second time duration or the total number of monitored POs, so as to obtain the degree of change in the paging probability more accurately or reduce the update of the paging probability. For example, during the period when the terminal device is used more frequently, the paging probability within a shorter total time duration can be counted to more accurately reflect the change in the paging probability; during the period when the terminal device is not used frequently, the paging probability within a longer total time duration can be counted to reduce the update of the paging probability. Since the terminal device determines the paging probability and reports it to the associated core network device, the multiple core network devices associated with the first cell exchange the paging probability of the terminal device with each other, so that each core network device can determine the grouping strategy for the terminal device according to the paging probability of the terminal device, which is more flexible and can be applied to a variety of different application scenarios.

[0204] The present application also provides a fourth communication method, in which a terminal device can determine the group to which it belongs based on its identification information. Essentially, the fourth communication method provides a new grouping mechanism that can differentiate the value ranges of group numbers corresponding to the aforementioned CN grouping mechanism and the UE_ID-based grouping mechanism on the access network side, thereby avoiding false paging alarms.

[0205] For example, the terminal device can determine the group number of the terminal device to which the terminal device belongs based on the following formula, such as the first group number (i.e., ID). The first group number may satisfy: ID = UE_ID mod N + Q, wherein UE_ID is the identifier of the terminal device. For details, please refer to the aforementioned related content and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that UE_ID only needs to be information related to the identifier of the terminal device. For example, UE_ID can be UE_ID / (N*Ns), where N is the number of paging frames in the paging cycle of the terminal device, Ns is the number of POs in a paging frame, and * represents a multiplication sign.

[0206] N in ID=UE_ID mod N+Q is the total number of groups of terminal devices used by the core network device or the access network device. In this article, the total number of groups of terminal devices used by the core network device or the access network device can be the total number of groups of terminal devices used for a PO, or the total number of groups of terminal devices used for the PO corresponding to the terminal device. The PO corresponding to the terminal device is a PO within a paging frame or a PO associated with a PEI. Q can be considered as an offset of the group number, which is used to distinguish the value range of the group number on the access network side corresponding to the aforementioned CN grouping mechanism and the grouping mechanism based on UE_ID of the base station. Q is related to N.

[0207] For example, Q = WN, where W is the maximum number of terminal device groups supported by the access network device, or may be a number specified by the protocol. Q may be sent by the access network device, or may be preconfigured or predefined, and W is an integer greater than N. It is understood that the maximum number of terminal device groups supported by the access network device may be the maximum number of terminal device groups supported by the access network device for a PO. Alternatively, the maximum number of terminal device groups supported by the access network device may be the maximum number of terminal device groups supported by the access network device for the PO corresponding to the terminal device.

[0208] For another example, Q = P*i, where P is the maximum number of terminal device groups supported by the access network device, or P can be a number specified by the protocol. i is the identifier or index of the PO corresponding to the terminal device. That is, the PO corresponding to the terminal device is the i-th PO within a paging frame or a PO associated with a PEI. * represents a multiplication sign.

[0209] For another example, Q = P1 + P2 + ... + P j-1 , j is the identifier or index of the PO corresponding to the terminal device; P1 is the total number of groups of terminal devices used by the core network device or access network device for the first PO in a paging frame or a PO associated with a PEI; P2 is the total number of groups of terminal devices used by the core network device or access network device for the second PO in a paging frame or a PO associated with a PEI, and so on.

[0210] The four communication methods provided in this application are described from the perspective of the interaction between terminal devices, access network devices, and even one or more core network devices. The steps performed by the access network device can be implemented by different functional entities that constitute the access network device. In other words, the functional entities that perform the steps of the access network device can be located in different physical entities. For example, the first functional entity is used to determine indication information. The second functional entity is used to send indication information. In other words, the first functional entity and the second functional entity jointly complete the steps performed by the network device in the embodiment of this application. This application does not limit the specific division method of the functional entities. For example, when the network architecture includes one or more DUs, one or more CUs, and one or more radio units (RUs), the steps performed by the access network device can be implemented by one or more of the DUs, CUs, and RUs. To implement the various functions of the methods provided in the embodiments of this application, the terminal device and the access network device can include hardware structures and / or software modules, and implement the above functions in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or hardware structures plus software modules. Whether a function of the above functions is performed in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or hardware structures plus software modules depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0211] The present application also provides a communication device. The following describes the communication device used to implement the above method in the present application embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0212] Figure 9 Schematic block diagram of a communication device 900 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 900 may include a processing module 910 and a transceiver module 920. Optionally, a storage unit may be further included, which may be used to store instructions (codes or programs) and / or data. The processing module 910 and the transceiver module 920 may be coupled to the storage unit. For example, the processing module 910 may read the instructions (codes or programs) and / or data in the storage unit to implement the corresponding method. The above-mentioned units may be independently provided or partially or fully integrated.

[0213] It should be understood that the processing module 910 can be a processor or controller, for example, a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processing (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute the various exemplary logic blocks, modules and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor can also be a combination that implements computing functions, for example, including a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and so on. The transceiver module 920 is an interface circuit of the device for receiving signals from other devices. For example, when the device is implemented in the form of a chip, the transceiver module 920 is an interface circuit of the chip for receiving signals from other chips or devices, or is an interface circuit of the chip for sending signals to other chips or devices.

[0214] The communication device 900 can be a terminal device or an access network device or a first core network device or a second core network device in the above-mentioned embodiment, and can also be a chip for a terminal device or an access network device or a first core network device or a second core network device. For example, when the communication device 900 is a terminal device or an access network device or a first core network device or a second core network device, the processing module 910 can be, for example, a processor, and the transceiver module 920 can be, for example, a transceiver. Optionally, the transceiver can include a radio frequency circuit, and the storage unit can be, for example, a memory. For example, when the communication device 900 is a chip for a terminal device or an access network device or a first core network device or a second core network device, the processing module 910 can be, for example, a processor, and the transceiver module 920 can be, for example, an input / output interface, a pin or a circuit, etc. The processing module 910 can execute computer-executable instructions stored in a storage unit. Optionally, the storage unit is a storage unit within the chip, such as a register, a cache, etc. The storage unit can also be a storage unit located outside the chip within the network device, terminal device or location management device, such as a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM), etc.

[0215] In a possible implementation, the communication device 900 can implement the behaviors and functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiment, for example, Figure 3or Figure 7 or Figure 8 The communication device 900 may be a terminal device, or a component (such as a chip or circuit) used in a terminal device, or a chip or chipset in the terminal device, or a part of a chip used to perform the functions of the related method.

[0216] In Example 1, processing module 910 may be configured to obtain first grouping configuration information corresponding to a first PLMN, where the first PLMN is associated with communication device 900 and belongs to a PLMN set associated with a first cell. Transceiver module 920 may be configured to receive a paging message from the first cell according to the first grouping configuration information.

[0217] As an optional implementation manner, the transceiver module 920 is further configured to receive indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate the first PLMN, or the indication information is used to indicate the first PLMN and the first grouping configuration information.

[0218] As an optional implementation method, the first grouping configuration information is used to indicate one or more of the following: whether the first cell supports the core network CN grouping mechanism for the first PLMN; the correspondence between the first group number and the second group number, wherein the first group number is the grouping group number used by the terminal device to receive paging from the first cell, and the second group number is the grouping group number from the core network device; information of the first PEI, the first PEI indicates whether to receive paging; or, the grouping indication information is used to determine the position of the first indication in the first message, the first indication corresponds to a terminal device group, the terminal device group includes a communication device 900, and the first indication is used to indicate whether to monitor the PDCCH corresponding to the terminal device group.

[0219] As an optional implementation, the first group configuration information indicates the correspondence between the first group number and the second group number. The first group configuration information may include one or more of the following: the value range of the first group number; or the offset value between the first group number and the second group number.

[0220] As an optional implementation, the first group number and the second group number satisfy one or more of the following relationships:

[0221] ID=k mod(n2-n1+1)+n1, or ID=k+M; where ID is the first group number, k is the second group number, mod is the modulo operation, the value range of the first group number is greater than or equal to n1 and less than or equal to n2, n1 and n2 are integers, M is the offset value, and M is an integer.

[0222] As an optional implementation method, the first group configuration information indicates information of the first PEI, and the first group configuration information includes one or more of the following: search space configuration of the first PEI, control resource set configuration of the first PEI, monitoring time domain resource location of the first PEI, or monitoring frequency domain resource location of the first PEI.

[0223] As an optional implementation method, the first group configuration information indicates the correspondence between the first group number and the second group number, and the transceiver module 920 is specifically used to: receive paging indication information, which indicates the group number of the terminal device; if the group number matches the first group number determined by the processing module 910 according to the correspondence, receive the paging.

[0224] As an optional implementation, the first group configuration information indicates information of the first PEI, and the transceiver module 920 is specifically configured to: monitor the first PEI according to the information of the first PEI, and receive paging according to the first PEI; wherein the first PEI indicates receiving paging.

[0225] In Example 2, the transceiver module 920 is configured to receive first indication information for paging a terminal device associated with a first PLMN, where the first PLMN belongs to a PLMN set associated with a first cell. The processing module 910 determines that the associated PLMN is the first PLMN, and the transceiver module 920 is configured to receive a paging message from the first cell.

[0226] As an optional implementation manner, the first indication information may include an identifier or index of the first PLMN to indicate the first PLMN.

[0227] As an optional implementation, the first indication information is carried in DCI or PEI. Alternatively, the first indication information is a first PEI, where different PEIs may correspond to different PLMNs.

[0228] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 920 is further configured to receive second indication information, where the second indication information is configured to indicate a terminal device group.

[0229] In Example 3, processing module 910 is configured to determine a first group number. Transceiver module 920 is configured to receive a paging call from the first cell based on the first group number. The first group number is the group number of the terminal device group to which communication apparatus 900 belongs, and the first group number ID satisfies the following equation: ID = UE_ID mod N + Q. UE_ID is used to identify a terminal device, where N is the total number of terminal device groups used by the core network device or access network device, and Q is configured or predefined, or is related to N.

[0230] In a possible implementation, the communication device 900 can implement the behaviors and functions of the access network device in the above method embodiment, for example, Figure 3 or Figure 7 For example, the communication device 900 may be an access network device, or a component (such as a chip or circuit) used in an access network device, or a chip or chipset in the access network device, or a portion of a chip used to perform the functions of the relevant method.

[0231] In Example 1, the transceiver module 920 may be configured to transmit first group configuration information corresponding to a first PLMN and to transmit paging indication information. The first PLMN is a PLMN associated with a terminal device, the first PLMN belonging to a PLMN set associated with a first cell. The paging indication information is used to page the terminal device in the first cell.

[0232] As an optional implementation manner, the transceiver module 920 is further configured to send indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate the first PLMN, or the indication information is used to indicate the first PLMN and the first grouping configuration information.

[0233] As an optional implementation method, the first group configuration information is used to indicate one or more of the following: whether the first cell supports the core network CN grouping mechanism for the first PLMN; the correspondence between the first group number and the second group number, wherein the first group number is the grouping group number used by the terminal device to receive paging from the first cell, and the second group number is the grouping group number from the core network device; information of the first PEI, the first PEI indicates whether to receive paging; or, the group indication information is used to determine the position of the first indication in the first message, the first indication corresponds to a terminal device group, the terminal device group includes terminal devices, and the first indication is used to indicate whether to monitor the PDCCH corresponding to the terminal device group.

[0234] As an optional implementation, the first group configuration information indicates the correspondence between the first group number and the second group number, and the first group configuration information includes one or more of the following: a value range of the first group number; or an offset value between the first group number and the second group number.

[0235] As an optional implementation method, the first group number and the second group number satisfy one or more of the following relationships: ID = k mod (n2-n1+1) + n1, or, ID = k + M; where ID is the first group number, k is the second group number, mod is a modulo operation, the value range of the first group number is greater than or equal to n1 and less than or equal to n2, n1 and n2 are integers, M is the offset value, and M is an integer.

[0236] As an optional implementation method, the first group configuration information indicates information of the first PEI, and the first group configuration information includes one or more of the following: search space configuration of the first PEI, control resource set configuration of the first PEI, monitoring the time domain resource location of the first PEI; or, monitoring the frequency domain resource location of the first PEI.

[0237] In Example 2, the processing module 910 is configured to generate first indication information, the first indication information being used to page a terminal device associated with a first PLMN, the first PLMN belonging to a PLMN set associated with a first cell, and the transceiver module 920 is configured to send the first indication information.

[0238] As an optional implementation manner, the first indication information may include an identifier or index of the first PLMN to indicate the first PLMN.

[0239] As an optional implementation, the first indication information is carried in DCI or PEI. Alternatively, the first indication information is a first PEI, where different PEIs may correspond to different PLMNs.

[0240] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 920 is further configured to send second indication information, where the second indication information is configured to indicate a terminal device group.

[0241] In a possible implementation, the communication device 900 can implement the behaviors and functions of the first core network device or the second core network device in the above method embodiment, for example, Figure 8 In the embodiment of the present invention, the method is performed by the first core network device or the second core network device. For example, the communication device 900 can be the first core network device or the second core network device, or can be a component (such as a chip or circuit) used in the first core network device or the second core network device, or can be a chip or chipset in the first core network device or the second core network device, or a part of a chip used to perform the function of the relevant method.

[0242] For example, the communication device 900 can implement the corresponding behaviors and functions of the first core network device in the above-described method embodiment. The transceiver module 920 is configured to receive grouping policy information from the second core network device. The processing module 910 is configured to determine a grouping policy for associated terminal devices based on the grouping information. The communication device 900 is associated with the second core network device in a first cell. The grouping policy information indicates the policy used by the second core network device to group associated terminal devices.

[0243] As an optional implementation method, the grouping strategy information is used to indicate one or more of the following: whether the second core network device groups the terminal devices, the total number of groups of terminal devices used by the second core network device, or the range of values ​​of the group numbers of terminal devices used by the second core network device.

[0244] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 920 is further configured to receive group auxiliary information from the terminal device, where the group auxiliary information is used to indicate a paging probability. The paging probability is the ratio of a first duration to a second duration, where the first duration is the duration of paging received by the terminal device within the second duration, and the second duration is a preset duration. Alternatively, the paging probability is the ratio of a first value to a second value, where the first value is the number of paging opportunities for the terminal device received by the terminal device, and the second value is the number of paging opportunities monitored by the terminal device.

[0245] As an optional implementation manner, the transceiver module 920 is further configured to send packet auxiliary information to the second core network device.

[0246] For another example, communication device 900 can implement the corresponding behaviors and functions of the second core network device in the above-described method embodiment. Processing module 910 can be used to determine grouping policy information. Transceiver module 920 is used to send this grouping policy information to the first core network device. The first core network device and communication device 900 are associated with a first cell. This grouping policy information indicates the policy used by communication device 900 to group associated terminal devices.

[0247] As an optional implementation manner, the transceiver module 920 is further configured to receive packet auxiliary information sent by the first core network device.

[0248] It should be understood that the processing module 910 in the embodiment of the present application can be implemented by a processor or a processor-related circuit component, and the transceiver module 920 can be implemented by a transceiver or a transceiver-related circuit component.

[0249] Figure 10A schematic block diagram of a communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1000 may be a terminal device (or an access network device or a first core network device or a second core network device), capable of implementing the functions of the terminal device (or an access network device or a first core network device or a second core network device) in the method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1000 may also be a device capable of supporting the terminal device (or an access network device or a first core network device or a second core network device) to implement the corresponding functions in the method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1000 may be a chip system. In an embodiment of the present application, the chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices. For specific functions, please refer to the description in the above method embodiment.

[0250] The communication device 1000 includes one or more processors 1001, which are used to implement or support the communication device 1000 to implement the functions of the terminal device (or access network device or first core network device or second core network device) in the method provided in the embodiment of the present application. Please refer to the detailed description in the method example for details, which will not be repeated here. The processor 1001 can also be called a processing unit or a processing module, which can implement certain control functions. The processor 1001 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor. For example, it includes: a baseband processor, a central processing unit, an application processor, a modem processor, a graphics processor, an image signal processor, a digital signal processor, a video codec processor, a controller, a memory, and / or a neural network processor. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data. The central processing unit can be used to control the communication device 1000, execute software programs and / or process data. Different processors can be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors, for example, integrated into one or more dedicated integrated circuits.

[0251] Optionally, the communication device 1000 includes one or more memories 1002 for storing instructions 1004, which can be executed on the processor 1001, so that the communication device 1000 performs the method described in the above method embodiment. The memory 1002 is coupled to the processor 1001. The coupling in the embodiment of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms, for information exchange between devices, units or modules. The processor 1001 may operate in conjunction with the memory 1002. At least one of the at least one memory may be included in the processor. It should be noted that the memory 1002 is not necessary, so in Figure 10 It is indicated by dotted lines.

[0252] Optionally, data may also be stored in the memory 1002. The processor and memory may be provided separately or integrated together. In an embodiment of the present application, the memory 1002 may be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), or a volatile memory (volatile memory), such as a random access memory (RAM). A memory is any other medium that can be used to carry or store a desired program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory in the embodiment of the present application may also be a circuit or any other device that can implement a storage function, for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0253] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may include instructions 1003 (sometimes also referred to as codes or programs), which may be executed on the processor to enable the communication device 1000 to perform the methods described in the above embodiments. The processor 1001 may store data.

[0254] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a transceiver 1005 and an antenna 1006. The transceiver 1005 may be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver module, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, an input / output interface, etc., and is configured to implement the transceiver function of the communication device 1000 through the antenna 1006.

[0255] The processor 1001 and transceiver 1005 described in this application can be implemented on an integrated circuit (IC), an analog IC, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFID), a mixed-signal IC, an ASIC, a printed circuit board (PCB), or an electronic device. The communication device described herein can be a standalone device (e.g., a standalone integrated circuit, a mobile phone, etc.), or can be part of a larger device (e.g., a module that can be embedded in another device). For details, please refer to the aforementioned description of the terminal device and the network device, which will not be repeated here.

[0256] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include one or more of the following components: a wireless communication module, an audio module, an external memory interface, an internal memory, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a power management module, an antenna, a speaker, a microphone, an input / output module, a sensor module, a motor, a camera, or a display screen, etc. It will be appreciated that in some embodiments, the communication device 1000 may include more or fewer components, or some components may be integrated or some components may be separated. These components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0257] It should be noted that the communication device in the above embodiment can be a terminal device (or an access network device or a first core network device or a second core network device), or a circuit, or a chip used in a terminal device (or a network device), or other combined devices, components, etc. having the above terminal device (or an access network device or a first core network device or a second core network device). When the communication device is a terminal device (or an access network device or a first core network device or a second core network device), the transceiver module can be a transceiver, which can include an antenna and a radio frequency circuit, etc., and the processing module can be a processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU). When the communication device is a component having the functions of the above terminal device (or an access network device or a first core network device or a second core network device), the transceiver module can be a radio frequency unit, and the processing module can be a processor. When the communication device is a chip system, the communication device can be a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a CPU, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips. The processing module can be the processor of the chip system. The transceiver module or communication interface can be the input and output interface or interface circuit of the chip system. For example, the interface circuit can be a code / data read and write interface circuit. The interface circuit can be used to receive code instructions (the code instructions are stored in the memory, can be read directly from the memory, or can be read from the memory through other devices) and transmit them to the processor; the processor can be used to run the code instructions to execute the method in the above method embodiment. For another example, the interface circuit can also be a signal transmission interface circuit between the communication processor and the transceiver.

[0258] Figure 11 A simplified schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device is shown. For ease of understanding and illustration, Figure 11 In the example, the communication device is an access network device, such as a base station. The base station can be applied to Figure 2 In the system shown, it can be Figure 2 The access network device in the embodiment performs the functions of the access network device in the above method embodiment.

[0259] The communication device 1100 may include a processor 1122. It may also include a transceiver 1110 and a memory 1121. The processor 1122 is configured to support the communication device 1100 in executing the corresponding functions in the above-described method. The transceiver 1110 may be used for communication, such as transmitting the above-described indication information. The memory 1121 is coupled to the processor 1122 and may be used to store the programs and data necessary for the communication device 1100 to implement various functions.

[0260] Specifically, the transceiver 1110 may be a wireless transceiver, which may be used to support the communication device 1100 to receive and send signaling and / or data through a wireless air interface. The transceiver 1110 may also be referred to as a transceiver unit or a communication unit. The transceiver 1110 may include one or more radio frequency units 1112 and one or more antennas 11111, wherein the radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU), may be specifically used for transmitting radio frequency signals and converting radio frequency signals into baseband signals, and the one or more antennas may be specifically used for radiating and receiving radio frequency signals. Optionally, the transceiver 1110 may only include the above radio frequency units. In this case, the communication device 1100 may include a transceiver 1110, a memory 1121, a processor 1122, and an antenna 1111.

[0261] The memory 1121 and the processor 1122 may be integrated or independent of each other. Figure 11As shown, the memory 1121 and processor 1122 can be integrated into the control unit 1120 of the communication device 1100. For example, the control unit 1120 may include a baseband unit (BBU) of an LTE base station, which may also be called a digital unit (DU). Alternatively, the control unit 1120 may include a DU and / or CU in a base station for 5G and future wireless access technologies. The control unit 1120 may be composed of one or more antenna panels, wherein multiple antenna panels may jointly support a wireless access network of a single access standard (e.g., an LTE network), or multiple antenna panels may separately support wireless access networks of different access standards (e.g., an LTE network, a 5G network, or other networks). The memory 1121 and processor 1122 may serve one or more antenna panels. In other words, the memory 1121 and processor 1122 may be separately provided on each antenna panel. Alternatively, multiple antenna panels may share the same memory 1121 and processor 1122. In addition, each antenna panel may be provided with necessary circuitry, such as circuitry for coupling the memory 1121 and processor 1122. The transceiver 1110 , the processor 1122 , and the memory 1121 may be connected via a bus structure and / or other connection media.

[0262] based on Figure 11 In the illustrated structure, when communication device 1100 needs to transmit data, processor 1122 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the RF unit. The RF unit then performs RF processing on the baseband signal and transmits the RF signal via the antenna in the form of electromagnetic waves. When data is transmitted to communication device 1100, the RF unit receives the RF signal via the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to processor 1122. Processor 1122 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0263] Based on Figure 11 In the illustrated structure, the transceiver 1110 may be configured to execute the steps executed by the transceiver 1005 . And / or, the processor 1122 may be configured to call instructions in the memory 1121 to execute the steps executed by the processor 1001 .

[0264] Figure 12 A simplified schematic diagram of the terminal device is shown. Figure 12 In the example, the terminal device is a mobile phone. Figure 12As shown, the terminal device includes a processor, a memory, a radio frequency circuit, an antenna, and input and output devices. The processor is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, as well as to control the on-board unit, execute software programs, process software program data, etc. The memory is mainly used to store software programs and data. The radio frequency circuit is mainly used to convert baseband signals and radio frequency signals and process radio frequency signals. The antenna is mainly used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input and output devices, such as touch screens, display screens, keyboards, etc., are mainly used to receive data input by users and output data to users. It should be noted that some types of devices may not have input and output devices.

[0265] When data needs to be sent, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be sent and outputs the baseband signal to the RF circuit. The RF circuit performs RF processing on the baseband signal and then transmits the RF signal to the outside in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor. The processor converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data. For ease of explanation, Figure 12 Only one memory and processor are shown. In actual device products, one or more processors and one or more memories may exist. Memory may also be referred to as a storage medium or storage device. The memory may be provided independently of the processor or integrated with the processor, and this is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0266] In the embodiment of the present application, the antenna and the radio frequency circuit with transceiver functions can be regarded as the transceiver unit of the device, and the processor with processing function can be regarded as the processing unit of the device. Figure 12 As shown, the device includes a transceiver unit 1210 and a processing unit 1220. The transceiver unit 1210 may also be referred to as a transceiver, transceiver, or transceiver device. The processing unit 1220 may also be referred to as a processor, processing board, processing module, or processing device. Optionally, the device in the transceiver unit 1210 that implements the receiving function may be considered a receiving unit, and the device in the transceiver unit 1210 that implements the transmitting function may be considered a transmitting unit. That is, the transceiver unit 1210 includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The transceiver unit 1210 may also be referred to as a transceiver, transceiver, or transceiver circuit. The receiving unit may also be referred to as a receiver, receiver, or receiving circuit. The transmitting unit may also be referred to as a transmitter, transmitter, or transmitting circuit.

[0267] It should be understood that the transceiver unit 1210 is used to perform the sending operation and the receiving operation of the terminal device in the above method embodiment, and the processing unit 1220 is used to perform other operations other than the sending and receiving operations on the terminal device in the above method embodiment. For example, in one implementation, the transceiver unit 1210 can be used to perform Figure 3 or Figure 7 or Figure 8 The sending steps, receiving steps, and / or other processes used to support the technology described herein in the embodiment shown. The processing unit 1220 can be used to perform the following steps: Figure 3 or Figure 7 or Figure 8 The illustrated embodiments include steps other than receiving steps or sending steps, and / or other processes for supporting the techniques described herein.

[0268] When the communication device is a chip-type device or circuit, the device may include a transceiver unit and a processing unit, wherein the transceiver unit may be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface; and the processing unit may be an integrated processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit.

[0269] The embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, specifically, the communication system includes an access network device and a terminal device and multiple core network devices, or may also include more access network devices, more core network devices and more terminal devices. Exemplarily, the communication system includes a method for implementing the above Figure 3 or Figure 7 or Figure 8 The access network equipment and terminal equipment of the related functions and the functions of the first core network equipment and the second core network equipment. The network equipment is respectively used to implement the above Figure 3 or Figure 7 or Figure 8 The terminal device is used to implement the functions of the relevant network part. Figure 3 or Figure 7 or Figure 8 The functions of the relevant terminal devices. Please refer to the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments for details, which will not be repeated here. The first core network device is respectively used to implement the above Figure 3 or Figure 7 or Figure 8 The second core network device is used to implement the functions of the first core network device. Figure 3 or Figure 7 or Figure 8 Functions of related second core network equipment.

[0270] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to execute Figure 3 or Figure 7 or Figure 8 A method executed by an access network device in a computer; or when the method is executed on a computer, the computer is caused to execute Figure 3 or Figure 7 or Figure 8 or when it is run on a computer, causing the computer to execute Figure 3 or Figure 7 or Figure 8 The method executed by the first core network device in the embodiment of the present invention; or when it is run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute Figure 3 or Figure 7 or Figure 8 The method is executed by the second core network device.

[0271] The present application also provides a computer program product including instructions, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute Figure 3 or Figure 7 or Figure 8 A method executed by an access network device in a computer; or when the method is executed on a computer, the computer is caused to execute Figure 3 or Figure 7 or Figure 8 or when it is run on a computer, causing the computer to execute Figure 3 or Figure 7 or Figure 8 The method executed by the first core network device in the embodiment of the present invention; or when it is run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute Figure 3 or Figure 7 or Figure 8 The method is executed by the second core network device.

[0272] An embodiment of the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor and may also include a memory, and is configured to implement the functions of the access network device, terminal device, first core network device, or second core network device in the aforementioned method; or to implement the functions of the access network device, terminal device, first core network device, or second core network device in the aforementioned method. The chip system may be composed of a chip or may include a chip and other discrete components.

[0273] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0274] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented using electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professionals and technicians may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0275] Those skilled in the art will 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.

[0276] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0277] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0278] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the part that essentially contributes to the technical solution of the present application or the part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a RAM, a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0279] Those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications 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 intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applicable to a terminal device, and includes: Obtaining first group configuration information corresponding to a first public land mobile network (PLMN), where the first PLMN is a PLMN associated with the terminal device, the first PLMN belonging to a PLMN set, and the PLMN set being associated with a first cell; wherein the first group configuration information is used to indicate core network group configuration information of the terminal device associated with the first PLMN; A paging is received from the first cell according to the first grouping configuration information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The method further comprises: Indication information is received, where the indication information is used to indicate the first PLMN, or the indication information is used to indicate the first PLMN and the first grouping configuration information.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first group configuration information is used to indicate one or more of the following: whether the first cell supports a core network CN grouping mechanism for the first PLMN; A correspondence between a first group number and a second group number, wherein the first group number is a group number used by the terminal device to receive the paging from the first cell, and the second group number is a group number from a core network device; Information of a first paging advance indication PEI, where the first PEI indicates whether to receive paging; or, Group indication configuration information is used to determine the position of a first indication in the paging indication information, where the first indication corresponds to a terminal device group including the terminal device, and the first indication is used to indicate whether to monitor a physical downlink control channel PDCCH corresponding to the terminal device group.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein The first group configuration information indicates a correspondence between a first group number and a second group number, and the first group configuration information includes one or more of the following: the value range of the first group number; or, An offset value between the first group number and the second group number.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein: The first group number and the second group number satisfy one or more of the following relationships: ID = k mod (n2 - n1 + 1) + n1, or ID = k + M; Among them, ID is the first group number, k is the second group number, mod is the modulo operation, the value range of the first group number is greater than or equal to n1 and less than or equal to n2, n1 and n2 are integers, M is the offset value between the first group number and the second group number, and M is an integer.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein The first group configuration information indicates information about the first PEI, and the first group configuration information includes one or more of the following: a search space configuration of the first PEI; Control resource set configuration of the first PEI; monitoring the time domain resource location of the first PEI; or, Monitor the frequency domain resource location of the first PEI.

7. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein: The first group configuration information indicates a correspondence between a first group number and a second group number, and receiving the paging from the first cell according to the first group configuration information includes: receiving paging indication information, where the paging indication information indicates a group number of the terminal device; If the group number matches the first group number determined according to the corresponding relationship, the paging is received.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein The first group configuration information indicates information of a first PEI, and receiving the paging from the first cell according to the first group configuration information includes: monitoring the first PEI according to the information of the first PEI; The paging is received according to the first PEI; wherein the first PEI indicates receiving the paging.

9. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Sending first group configuration information corresponding to a first public land mobile network (PLMN), where the first PLMN is a PLMN associated with a terminal device, the first PLMN belongs to a PLMN set, and the PLMN set is associated with a first cell; Send paging indication information, the paging indication information is used to page the terminal device in the first cell, the paging indication information includes a first group number, the first group number is the group group number used by the terminal device to receive the paging from the first cell, the first group number and the second group number have a corresponding relationship, and the second group number is the group group number from the core network device.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein The method further comprises: Send indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate the first PLMN; or, the indication information is used to indicate the first PLMN and the first grouping configuration information.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein The first group configuration information is used to indicate one or more of the following: whether the first cell supports a core network CN grouping mechanism for the first PLMN; a correspondence between the first group number and the second group number; Information of a first paging advance indication PEI, where the first PEI indicates whether to receive paging; or, Group indication configuration information is used to determine the position of a first indication in the paging indication information, where the first indication corresponds to a terminal device group including the terminal device, and the first indication is used to indicate whether to monitor a physical downlink control channel PDCCH corresponding to the terminal device group.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The first group configuration information indicates a correspondence between a first group number and a second group number, and the first group configuration information includes one or more of the following: the value range of the first group number; or, An offset value between the first group number and the second group number.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein: The first group number and the second group number satisfy one or more of the following relationships: ID = k mod (n2 - n1 + 1) + n1, or ID = k + M; Among them, ID is the first group number, k is the second group number, mod is the modulo operation, the value range of the first group number is greater than or equal to n1 and less than or equal to n2, n1 and n2 are integers, M is the offset value between the first group number and the second group number, and M is an integer.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein The first group configuration information indicates information about the first PEI, and the first group configuration information includes one or more of the following: a search space configuration of the first PEI; Control resource set configuration of the first PEI; monitoring the time domain resource location of the first PEI; or, Monitor the frequency domain resource location of the first PEI.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: It includes a processing module and a transceiver module, wherein: The processing module is configured to obtain first group configuration information corresponding to a first public land mobile network (PLMN), where the first PLMN is a PLMN associated with the communication device, the first PLMN belongs to a PLMN set, and the PLMN set is associated with a first cell; wherein the first group configuration information is used to indicate core network group configuration information of a terminal device associated with the first PLMN; The transceiver module is configured to receive paging from the first cell according to the first grouping configuration information.

16. The communication device according to claim 15, wherein: The transceiver module is also used for: Indication information is received, where the indication information is used to indicate the first PLMN; or, the indication information is used to indicate the first PLMN and the first grouping configuration information.

17. The communication device according to claim 15, wherein: The first group configuration information is used to indicate one or more of the following: whether the first cell supports a core network CN grouping mechanism for the first PLMN; a correspondence between a first group number and a second group number, wherein the first group number is a group number used by the communication device to receive the paging from the first cell, and the second group number is a group number from a core network device; Information of a first paging advance indication PEI, where the first PEI indicates whether to receive paging; or, Group indication configuration information is used to determine the position of a first indication in paging indication information, where the first indication corresponds to a communication device group including the communication device, and the first indication is used to indicate whether to monitor a physical downlink control channel PDCCH corresponding to the communication device group.

18. The communication device according to claim 17, wherein: The first group configuration information indicates a correspondence between a first group number and a second group number, and the first group configuration information includes one or more of the following: the value range of the first group number; or, An offset value between the first group number and the second group number.

19. The communication device according to claim 17 or 18, wherein: The first group number and the second group number satisfy one or more of the following relationships: ID = k mod (n2 - n1 + 1) + n1, or ID = k + M; Among them, ID is the first group number, k is the second group number, mod is the modulo operation, the value range of the first group number is greater than or equal to n1 and less than or equal to n2, n1 and n2 are integers, M is the offset value between the first group number and the second group number, and M is an integer.

20. The communication device according to claim 17, wherein The first group configuration information indicates information about the first PEI, and the first group configuration information includes one or more of the following: a search space configuration of the first PEI; Control resource set configuration of the first PEI; monitoring the time domain resource location of the first PEI; or, Monitor the frequency domain resource location of the first PEI.

21. The communication device according to claim 17 or 18, wherein: The first group configuration information indicates a correspondence between a first group number and a second group number, and the transceiver module is specifically configured to: receiving paging indication information, wherein the paging indication information indicates a group number of the communication device; If the group number matches the first group number determined according to the corresponding relationship, the paging is received.

22. The communication device according to claim 20, wherein: The first group configuration information indicates information of a first PEI, and the transceiver module is specifically configured to: monitoring the first PEI according to the information of the first PEI; The paging is received according to the first PEI; wherein the first PEI indicates receiving the paging.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: It includes a processing module and a transceiver module, wherein: The processing module is configured to determine first grouping configuration information corresponding to a first public land mobile network (PLMN), where the first PLMN is a PLMN associated with a terminal device, the first PLMN belongs to a PLMN set, and the PLMN set is associated with a first cell; The transceiver module is used to send the first group configuration information and paging indication information, the paging indication information is used to page the terminal device in the first cell, the paging indication information includes a first group number, the first group number is the group group number used by the terminal device to receive the paging from the first cell, the first group number and the second group number have a corresponding relationship, and the second group number is the group group number from the core network device.

24. The communication device according to claim 23, wherein: The transceiver module is also used for: Send indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate the first PLMN; or, the indication information is used to indicate the first PLMN and the first grouping configuration information.

25. The communication device according to claim 23 or 24, characterized in that The first group configuration information is used to indicate one or more of the following: whether the first cell supports a core network CN grouping mechanism for the first PLMN; A correspondence between a first group number and a second group number, wherein the first group number is a group number used by the terminal device to receive the paging from the first cell, and the second group number is a group number from a core network device; Information of a first paging advance indication PEI, where the first PEI indicates whether to receive paging; or, Group indication configuration information is used to determine the position of a first indication in the paging indication information, where the first indication corresponds to a terminal device group including the terminal device, and the first indication is used to indicate whether to monitor a physical downlink control channel PDCCH corresponding to the terminal device group.

26. The communication device according to claim 25, wherein The first group configuration information indicates a correspondence between a first group number and a second group number, and the first group configuration information includes one or more of the following: the value range of the first group number; or, An offset value between the first group number and the second group number.

27. The communication device according to claim 25, wherein: The first group number and the second group number satisfy one or more of the following relationships: ID = k mod (n2 - n1 + 1) + n1, or ID = k + M; Among them, ID is the first group number, k is the second group number, mod is the modulo operation, the value range of the first group number is greater than or equal to n1 and less than or equal to n2, n1 and n2 are integers, M is the offset value between the first group number and the second group number, and M is an integer.

28. The communication device according to claim 25, wherein: The first group configuration information indicates information about the first PEI, and the first group configuration information includes one or more of the following: a search space configuration of the first PEI; Control resource set configuration of the first PEI; monitoring the time domain resource location of the first PEI; or, Monitor the frequency domain resource location of the first PEI.

29. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes a processor, a communication interface, and a memory. The processor is coupled to the communication interface and is configured to call computer instructions in the memory so that the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

30. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises a processor, a communication interface and a memory, wherein the processor is coupled to the communication interface and is configured to call computer instructions in the memory so that the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 9 to 14.

31. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, which, when executed, enable the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

32. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, which, when executed, enable the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 9 to 14.

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