A method of selecting a public land mobile network and related apparatus

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application provides a selection method of a public land mobile network, which is used for instructing a terminal to access a PLMN to be accessed. The method comprises the following steps: an access and mobility management network element periodically acquires positioning information of the terminal, and determines first information according to the positioning information of the terminal, and sends the first information to the terminal, so that the terminal accesses the PLMN corresponding to the first information.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication, and in particular to a method for selecting a public land mobile network and related apparatuses. BACKGROUND

[0002] A communication satellite has a large coverage range, and there are often multiple regions within the coverage range of the communication satellite. According to regulatory principles, a terminal should access a public land mobile network (PLMN) corresponding to a region in which the terminal is currently located.

[0003] In existing technologies, in the process of accessing a PLMN, an access and mobility management function (AMF) judges whether the PLMN selected by the terminal for access is consistent with the PLMN corresponding to the region in which the terminal is located. If consistent, the terminal is allowed to access; if not consistent, the terminal is not allowed to access. After the terminal successfully accesses the PLMN corresponding to the region in which the terminal is currently located, the AMF allocates a registration area for the terminal. Since the coverage range of a communication satellite is large, the registration area can cover multiple regions.

[0004] However, due to factors such as travel, the terminal can move out of the boundary of the region within the registration area. After the terminal moves out of the boundary of the region, the terminal does not trigger a process of re-accessing the PLMN, and thus the terminal cannot access the PLMN corresponding to the region in which the terminal is currently located, which violates the regulatory principles. SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide a method for selecting a public land mobile network and related apparatuses, to ensure that a terminal can access a PLMN corresponding to a region in which the terminal is currently located in a timely manner after moving out of a boundary of the region.

[0006] A first aspect of embodiments of the present application provides a method for selecting a public land mobile network:

[0007] When a terminal accesses a communication network through a satellite, an access and mobility management function can start to periodically acquire positioning information of the terminal. After acquiring the positioning information of the terminal, the access and mobility management function can determine first information for the terminal to determine a public land mobile network to be accessed according to the positioning information of the terminal, and send the first information to the terminal.

[0008] In the embodiments of the present application, the access and mobility management network element determines the first information according to the positioning information periodically, and sends the first information to the terminal, so that the terminal can access the public land mobile network to be accessed, that is, the terminal can access the public land mobile network corresponding to the current area of the terminal, without violating the regulatory principle.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect, in the first implementation manner of the first aspect of the embodiments of the present application, the first information can include the identification information of the public land mobile network and the identification information of the area, or the first information can also include the identification information of the area.

[0010] In the embodiments of the present application, the specific content of the first information is limited, and the realizability of the scheme is improved.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect or the first implementation manner of the first aspect, in the second implementation manner of the first aspect of the embodiments of the present application, the access and mobility management network element can obtain the positioning information by periodically sending a positioning request to the positioning management function, and the access and mobility management network element can receive the positioning information from the positioning management function after sending the positioning request to the positioning management function, or the access and mobility management network element can also send a first subscription request to the positioning management function, and the first subscription request is used for the positioning management function to periodically send the positioning information to the access and mobility management network element.

[0012] In the embodiments of the present application, the specific manner in which the access and mobility management network element obtains the positioning information is limited, and the realizability of the scheme is improved.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect or the first implementation manner of the first aspect, in the third implementation manner of the first aspect of the embodiments of the present application, the access and mobility management network element first receives a second subscription request from the unified data management network element, and then the access and mobility management network element periodically sends a positioning request to the positioning management function according to the second subscription request to obtain the positioning information, or after receiving the second subscription request from the unified data management network element, the access and mobility management network element can also send a first subscription request to the positioning management function, and the first subscription request is used for the positioning management function to periodically send the positioning information to the access and mobility management network element.

[0014] In the embodiments of the present application, another manner in which the access and mobility management network element obtains the positioning information is limited, and the realizability of the scheme is improved.

[0015] In combination with the third implementation manner of the first aspect, in the fourth implementation manner of the first aspect of the embodiments of the present application, the second subscription request can include second information, and the second information is used to determine that the terminal moves across the areas.

[0016] In a fifth implementation form of the first aspect, the access and mobility management network element can send the positioning information to the unified data management network element, and then the access and mobility management network element can receive the first information from the unified data management network element, and then the access and mobility management network element can send the first information to the terminal.

[0017] In the embodiments of the present application, the manner in which the access and mobility management network element sends the first information to the terminal is limited, and the implementability of the scheme is improved.

[0018] In a sixth implementation form of the first aspect, in combination with the fifth implementation form of the first aspect, the access and mobility management network element can receive the SOR information from the unified data management network element, the SOR information carrying the first information, and the access and mobility management network element can send the SOR information to the terminal after receiving the SOR information.

[0019] In a seventh implementation form of the first aspect, in combination with the fifth implementation form or the sixth implementation form of the first aspect, the access and mobility management network element can send the positioning information to the unified data management network element again when determining that the terminal moves across the areas.

[0020] In the embodiments of the present application, the access and mobility management network element sends the positioning information again when the terminal moves across the areas, and the consumption of network resources is reduced.

[0021] In an eighth implementation form of the first aspect, in combination with any one of the first aspect, the first implementation form to the second implementation form of the first aspect, the access and mobility management network element can send the positioning information to the terminal again when determining that the terminal moves across the areas.

[0022] In the embodiments of the present application, the access and mobility management network element sends the positioning information to the terminal again when the terminal moves across the areas, and the consumption of network resources is reduced.

[0023] In a ninth implementation form of the first aspect, in combination with any one of the first aspect, the first implementation form to the eighth implementation form of the first aspect, the access and mobility management network element can obtain the positioning measurement parameter in the process of initial authentication of the terminal before periodically obtaining the positioning information of the terminal, and the access and mobility management network element can send the positioning measurement parameter to the location management function after obtaining the positioning measurement parameter, and the positioning measurement parameter is used to determine the positioning information.

[0024] In the initial process of the terminal, the access and mobility management network element can obtain the positioning measurement information used to determine the positioning information, and send the positioning measurement information to the positioning management function, thereby improving the selection efficiency of the public land mobile network.

[0025] The second aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a public land mobile network selection method.

[0026] When the terminal accesses the communication network through the satellite, the unified data management network element can receive the positioning information of the terminal from the access and mobility management network element, and after receiving the positioning information, the unified data management network element determines the first information according to the positioning information, and sends the first information to the terminal, the first information being used to determine the public land mobile network to be accessed.

[0027] In the embodiments of the present application, the unified data management network element sends the first information to the terminal according to the positioning information of the terminal, the first information being used for the terminal to access the public land mobile network to be accessed, i.e., the terminal can access the public land mobile network corresponding to the location where the terminal is currently located, thereby not violating the regulatory principle.

[0028] In combination with the second aspect, in the first implementation manner of the second aspect of the embodiments of the present application, the first information can include the identification information of the public land mobile network and the identification information of the area, or the first information also includes the identification information of the area.

[0029] In combination with the second aspect or the first implementation manner of the second aspect, in the second implementation manner of the second aspect of the embodiments of the present application, the unified data management network element can send a first subscription request to the access and mobility management network element, the first subscription request being used to subscribe to the positioning information, and after sending the first subscription request, the unified data management network element can receive the positioning information from the access and mobility management network element.

[0030] In combination with the second implementation manner of the second aspect, in the third implementation manner of the second aspect of the embodiments of the present application, the first subscription request can include second information, the second information being used to determine that the terminal moves across the areas, and at this time, the first subscription request used to subscribe to the positioning information is the first subscription request used to subscribe to the positioning information when the terminal moves across the areas.

[0031] In combination with the third implementation manner of the second aspect, in the fourth implementation manner of the second aspect of the embodiments of the present application, after receiving the positioning information, the unified data management network element can send the first information to the terminal.

[0032] With reference to the second aspect, in any one of the first implementation of the second aspect or the second implementation of the second aspect, in a fifth implementation of the second aspect, the unified data management network element can determine that the terminal has moved across regions according to the positioning information, and when it is determined that the terminal has moved across regions, the unified data management network element sends the first information to the terminal.

[0033] In the embodiments of the present application, the unified data management network element sends the first information to the terminal after determining that the terminal has moved across regions, thereby reducing the load degree of the network.

[0034] With reference to any one of the second aspect, the first implementation of the second aspect to the fifth implementation of the second aspect, in a sixth implementation of the second aspect, the unified data management network element can send the first information to the terminal through the access and mobility management network element.

[0035] In the embodiments of the present application, the way in which the unified data management network element sends the first information to the terminal is limited, thereby improving the realizability of the scheme.

[0036] With reference to the sixth implementation of the second aspect, in a seventh implementation of the second aspect, the unified data management network element can send an acquisition request to the roaming preference application function, the acquisition request can carry the positioning information, and the roaming preference application function can send the first information to the unified data management network element after receiving the acquisition request.

[0037] In the embodiments of the present application, the unified data management network element can also determine the first information through the roaming preference application function, thereby improving the realizability of the scheme.

[0038] The third aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a device for public land mobile network selection, which has a function of realizing the behavior of the access and mobility management network element in the first aspect. The function can be realized by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0039] The fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a device for public land mobile network selection, which has a function of realizing the behavior of the unified data management network element in the second aspect. The function can be realized by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0040] The fifth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a device for public land mobile network selection, which includes a processor, a memory, an input and output device, and a bus.

[0041] The processor, the memory, the input and output device, and the bus are connected.

[0042] The processor is configured to execute the method of any one of the first aspect.

[0043] With reference to the fifth aspect, in a possible implementation, the device can be a chip or a chip system. When the device is a chip system, the device can be composed of a chip or can contain a chip and other discrete devices.

[0044] The sixth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a device for public land mobile network selection, including a processor, a memory, an input and output device, and a bus;

[0045] The processor, the memory, the input and output device, and the bus are connected.

[0046] The processor is configured to execute the method of any one of the second aspect.

[0047] With reference to the sixth aspect, in a possible implementation, the device can be a chip or a chip system. When the device is a chip system, the device can be composed of a chip or can contain a chip and other discrete devices.

[0048] The seventh aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a system for public land mobile network selection, including the device of any one of the first aspect to the second aspect, and the device of any one of the third aspect to the sixth aspect.

[0049] The eighth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a computer storage medium, and the computer readable storage medium stores a program. When the computer executes the program, the method of any one of the first aspect or the second aspect is executed.

[0050] The ninth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a computer program product, when the computer program product is executed on a computer, the computer executes the method of any one of the first aspect or the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0051] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture in the embodiments of the present application;

[0052] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is another schematic diagram of a communication system architecture in the embodiments of the present application;

[0053] Figure 3 FIG. 3 is another schematic diagram of a communication system architecture in the embodiments of the present application;

[0054] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of PLMN selection in the embodiments of the present application;

[0055] Figure 5A flowchart of a PLMN selection method in an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] Figure 6 A flowchart of another PLMN selection method in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] Figure 7 A flowchart of another PLMN selection method in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figure 8 A structural diagram of an access and mobility management network element device in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Figure 9 A structural diagram of a unified data management network element device in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Figure 10 A structural diagram of another access and mobility management network element device in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 11 A structural diagram of another unified data management network element device in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] The embodiments of the present application provide a PLMN selection method and related apparatus, which are used to ensure that a terminal is instructed to access a PLMN corresponding to a current country in time when the terminal moves across a country border within a tracking area.

[0063] Please refer to Figure 1 , the system framework of 5G (5th generation mobile networks, 5G) mainly includes the following several key logical network elements: a radio access network (RAN), an access and mobility management network element (AMF), a session management network element (SMF), a user plane network element (UPF), a policy control network element (PCF) and a unified data management network element (UDM).

[0064] The AMF is mainly responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as user location update, user registration network, and user handover. The SMF is mainly responsible for session management in the mobile network, such as session establishment, session modification, and session release. The UPF is mainly responsible for allocating an internet protocol (IP) address for the user and providing message forwarding functions. The PCF is responsible for providing policies to the AMF and the SMF, such as quality of service policies and slice selection policies. The UDM is responsible for storing user data, such as subscription information, authorization information, and authentication information. The application function (AF) is responsible for providing services to the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) network, such as influencing service routing and interacting with the PCF for policy control. The network data analytics function (NWDAF) is responsible for providing network analysis information to network function (NF) network elements, such as the AMF, SMF, and PCF. The NWDAF notifies the subscribed NF of the network analysis information, or the NF can directly obtain specific network analysis information from the NWDAF. The data network (DN) can be an operator network that provides data transmission services for users, such as IP multimedia services and the Internet. The terminal can be a terminal device such as a mobile phone or an Internet of Things terminal. The terminal accesses the DN by establishing a session between the terminal, the RAN, the UPF, and the DN.

[0065] The RAN can be a device that provides satellite access for the terminal. According to the function of the satellite, the RAN can include a satellite, a ground station, and a base station (next generation Node B, gNB). In one case, please refer to Figure 2 , the satellite acts as a radio remote unit and mainly performs intermediate frequency processing on the signal, such as I / Q modulation and demodulation, upconversion and downconversion, and analog-to-digital conversion. The satellite can also perform radio frequency processing and implement the duplex function. This satellite communication mode is called transparent satellite enabled NR-RAN. In another case, please refer to Figure 3In the 5G architecture, a satellite can act as a gNB, and this satellite transmission mode is referred to as a regenerative satellite enabled NR-RAN. It should be noted that in the regenerative satellite enabled NR-RAN, the satellite can also act as a gNB data unit (gNB-DU). In the regenerative satellite enabled NR-RAN, the satellite has on-board processing capability.

[0066] It should be noted that the 5G architecture described above is one of the architectures to which the embodiments of the present application can be applied. The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various mobile communication systems, such as a future mobile communication system.

[0067] It should be noted that the 5G architecture described above is one of the architectures to which the embodiments of the present application can be applied. The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various mobile communication systems, such as a future mobile communication system. Figure 4 For example, when the terminal is located in country B, the terminal can receive the PLMNs of country A (PLMN-A) and country B (PLMN-B) through the satellite. According to the regulatory principle, the terminal should access the PLMN corresponding to the current location, that is, the PLMN-B of country B. It is assumed that the terminal accesses the PLMN-B when it is located in country B, and then moves to country A. According to the regulatory principle, the terminal should access the PLMN corresponding to the current location, that is, the PLMN-A of country A.

[0068] However, because the coverage of the communication satellite is large, country A and country B can be located in the coverage of the communication satellite. At this time, if the terminal moves from country B to country A due to travel or other reasons, the terminal will not trigger the PLMN selection process again, and therefore the terminal cannot obtain the PLMN-A of country A, and cannot access the PLMN-A, which violates the regulatory principle.

[0069] In the embodiments of the present application, the AMF can periodically determine the current location of the terminal. After determining the current location of the terminal, the AMF can obtain the first information corresponding to the location of the terminal according to the positioning information of the terminal, and send the first information to the terminal. The first information is used to determine the public land mobile network element to be accessed. That is, after receiving the first information, the terminal determines the public land mobile network corresponding to the current location according to the first information.

[0070] The first information can be replaced by information indicating that the terminal accesses a public land mobile network corresponding to the location where the terminal is located. It should be noted that the first information can indirectly or directly indicate that the terminal accesses the public land mobile network corresponding to the location where the terminal is located. For example, the first information indicates a public land mobile network, and the terminal determines that the terminal needs to access the public land mobile network according to the first information. Alternatively, the first information indicates a region where the terminal is currently located, and the terminal determines a public land mobile network element corresponding to the region according to the first information. It can be understood that information enabling the terminal to access the public land mobile network in the current location can be understood as the first information of the present application, and the present application is not limited in this regard.

[0071] The first information can specifically include identification information of the public land mobile network and identification information of the region, or include the identification information of the region. Specifically, the identification information of the region can be a mobile country code (MCC). The identification information of the public land mobile network can include a public land mobile network identifier (PLMN ID) or a mobile network code (MNC). The first information can also be presented in other forms, and the present application is not limited in this regard.

[0072] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below.

[0073] Referring to Figure 5 , a flow of the PLMN selection method in the embodiments of the present application, it should be noted that the flow takes network elements in a 5G architecture as an example, and the example does not limit the embodiments of the present application. The RAN involved in the flow can be replaced by a radio access network, the AMF can be replaced by an access and mobility management network element, and the LMF can be replaced by a positioning management function. The flow includes the following steps.

[0074] 501. The terminal and the RAN perform positioning measurement to obtain positioning measurement parameters of the terminal and positioning measurement parameters of the RAN.

[0075] The terminal and the RAN perform positioning measurement for the terminal, specifically, one or more of the following methods can be adopted: downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) measurement method, uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) measurement method, multi-cell round-trip time (MULTI-RTT) measurement method, uplink angle of arrival (UL-AOA) measurement method, and downlink angle of departure (DL-AOD) measurement method. Specifically, when the terminal adopts the DL-TDOA measurement method, the positioning measurement parameter of the terminal is the reference signal time difference of different cells received by the terminal; when the terminal adopts the DL-AOD measurement method, the positioning measurement parameter of the terminal is the reference signal received power received by the terminal from multiple transmission points; when the terminal can connect to both a satellite and a terrestrial base station, the positioning measurement parameter of the terminal is the identifier of the terrestrial base station connected by the terminal. When the RAN adopts the UL-TDOA measurement method, the positioning measurement parameter of the RAN is the relative arrival time of the uplink signal received from the terminal; when the RAN adopts the UL-AOA measurement method, the positioning measurement parameter of the RAN is the azimuth angle and the zenith angle of the received uplink signal of the terminal. The positioning measurement parameter of the terminal and the positioning measurement parameter of the RAN can be used to determine the positioning information of the terminal.

[0076] It should be noted that in this step, the positioning measurement can be performed only by the terminal, or only by the RAN, or neither the terminal nor the RAN performs the positioning measurement, which is not limited here.

[0077] 502. The terminal sends an AN message to the RAN;

[0078] The terminal can send an AN message to the RAN, and the AN message can carry a registration request and a positioning measurement parameter of the terminal, wherein the positioning measurement parameter of the terminal can be included in the registration request.

[0079] Optionally, the AN message can also carry the ID of the PLMN selected by the terminal.

[0080] It should be noted that if the terminal does not perform positioning measurement in step 501, the AN message sent by the terminal to the RAN in this step does not carry the positioning measurement parameter of the terminal.

[0081] 503. The RAN sends an N2 message to the AMF;

[0082] After receiving the AN message sent by the terminal, the RAN can send an N2 message to the AMF, where the N2 message can carry a registration request, the positioning measurement parameter of the terminal, and the positioning measurement parameter of the RAN;

[0083] Optionally, the N2 message can further carry the ID of the PLMN selected by the terminal.

[0084] It should be noted that, if only the terminal performs the positioning measurement in step 501, in this step, the N2 message sent by the RAN to the AMF only carries the positioning measurement parameter of the terminal, and does not carry the positioning measurement parameter of the RAN, or, after receiving the AN message sent by the terminal, the RAN starts to perform the positioning measurement, or according to the positioning measurement of the UE performed by the RAN in step 501, the N2 message sent by the RAN to the AMF can carry the positioning measurement parameter of the terminal and the positioning measurement parameter of the RAN. Or, if neither the terminal nor the RAN performs the positioning measurement in step 501, in this step, the RAN must perform the positioning measurement, and the N2 message sent by the RAN to the AMF carries the positioning measurement parameter of the RAN.

[0085] It should be noted that, the AMF can determine the access technology of the terminal as satellite access according to the N2 message sent by the RAN, for example, determine the access technology of the terminal through the indication information carried in the N2 message, which is used to indicate that the terminal accesses the network through the satellite, or can also determine the access technology of the terminal as satellite access according to the identity of the RAN, or can also determine the access technology of the terminal as satellite access according to the tracking area of the RAN, which is not limited here.

[0086] 504. The AMF sends the positioning measurement parameter of the terminal and the positioning measurement parameter of the RAN to a location management function (LMF);

[0087] After receiving the positioning measurement parameter of the terminal and the positioning measurement parameter of the RAN sent by the RAN, the AMF can send the positioning measurement parameter of the terminal and the positioning measurement parameter of the RAN to the LMF.

[0088] It should be noted that, if the AMF only receives one of the positioning measurement parameter of the terminal and the positioning measurement parameter of the RAN, for example, only receives the positioning measurement parameter of the terminal, the AMF only needs to send the positioning measurement parameter of the terminal to the LMF.

[0089] 505. The LMF determines the positioning information according to the positioning measurement parameter of the terminal and the positioning measurement parameter of the RAN;

[0090] After receiving the positioning measurement parameter sent by the AMF, the LMF can determine the positioning information of the terminal, i.e., determine the current location of the terminal. Specifically, the positioning information can be latitude and longitude information and height information.

[0091] 506. The LMF sends the positioning information to the AMF.

[0092] After determining the positioning information of the terminal, the LMF can send the positioning information of the terminal to the AMF.

[0093] 507. The AMF determines that the ID of the PLMN accessed by the terminal corresponds to the PLMN corresponding to the positioning information of the terminal.

[0094] After receiving the positioning information sent by the LMF, the AMF can determine whether the PLMN corresponding to the positioning information of the terminal corresponds to the ID of the PLMN accessed by the terminal. If they correspond, the AMF allows the terminal to access the PLMN; if they do not correspond, the AMF does not allow the terminal to access the PLMN, and sends a registration rejection message to the terminal. The registration rejection message can carry information indicating that the terminal accesses the PLMN corresponding to the positioning information of the terminal.

[0095] 508. The AMF sends a registration acceptance message to the terminal.

[0096] After determining that the PLMN ID selected by the terminal corresponds to the PLMN corresponding to the positioning information of the terminal, the AMF can send a registration acceptance message to the terminal, indicating that the terminal can access the PLMN through the satellite.

[0097] 509. The AMF periodically sends a positioning request to the LMF.

[0098] After sending the registration acceptance message to the terminal, i.e., the terminal has accessed through the satellite, the AMF can periodically send a positioning request to the LMF.

[0099] Alternatively, the AMF can not send a positioning request to the LMF, but send a first subscription request to the LMF, so as to periodically subscribe to the positioning information of the terminal.

[0100] 510. The LMF sends the positioning information to the AMF.

[0101] After receiving the positioning request sent by the AMF, the LMF obtains the positioning information of the terminal and sends the positioning information to the AMF. Alternatively, after receiving the first subscription request sent by the AMF, the LMF periodically obtains the positioning information of the terminal and sends the positioning information to the AMF.

[0102] 511. The AMF sends first information to the terminal according to the positioning information.

[0103] After the AMF receives the positioning information sent by the LMF, the AMF can determine the first information corresponding to the positioning information according to the positioning information, and send the determined first information to the terminal.

[0104] In a possible implementation, the AMF can be configured with second information, which is information representing the coverage of an area, and can be in the form of longitude and latitude, a tracking area, a cell, and the like. After receiving the positioning information, the AMF can determine the first information corresponding to the positioning information according to the configured second information and the positioning information, and send the first information to the terminal. Optionally, the AMF can send the first information to the terminal only when the terminal moves across an area. Specifically, the second information can represent the coverage of a country territory. In this case, when the terminal moves across a country, for example, when the terminal moves from China to Russia, the AMF sends the first information to the terminal, and the first information should instruct the terminal to access the network in Russia.

[0105] In another possible implementation, the AMF is not configured with the second information, and the AMF determines the first information according to the positioning information after receiving the positioning information. It should be noted that, in a specific implementation, when the first information determined by the AMF according to the positioning information is consistent with the first information determined by the AMF last time, the AMF can not send the first information to the terminal; when the first information determined by the AMF according to the positioning information is inconsistent with the first information determined by the AMF last time, the AMF sends the first information to the terminal.

[0106] It should be noted that the first information can be sent to the terminal in the form of operator control or in the form of user control.

[0107] 512、The terminal accesses the PLMN to be accessed according to the first information.

[0108] After receiving the first information sent by the AMF, the terminal can access the PLMN to be accessed according to the first information, that is, access the PLMN corresponding to the first information.

[0109] It should be noted that steps 509 to 512 of the embodiment can also be implemented without relying on steps 501 to 508. In a specific implementation, as long as the terminal successfully accesses through the satellite, steps 509 to 512 can be executed, and the specific implementation of the terminal successfully accessing is not limited here.

[0110] In the embodiment of the present application, the AMF can periodically obtain the positioning information of the terminal after the terminal accesses the PLMN, determine the first information corresponding to the positioning information of the terminal according to the positioning information of the terminal, and send the first information to the terminal. The terminal can access the corresponding PLMN according to the received first information without violating the regulatory principles.

[0111] Please refer to Figure 6 Another flow of the PLMN selection method in the embodiment of the present application is described. It should be noted that the flow takes the network element in the 5G architecture as an example, and the example does not constitute a limitation of the embodiment of the present application. The RAN involved in the flow can be replaced by a wireless access network, the AMF can be replaced by an access and mobility management network element, and the LMF can be replaced by a positioning management function. The flow includes the following steps:

[0112] Steps 601 to 602 in the embodiment are similar to steps 501 to 502 in the embodiment shown in Figure 5 The steps 501 to 502 in the embodiment shown in

[0113] 603. The RAN sends an N2 message to the AMF.

[0114] After receiving the AN message sent by the terminal, the RAN can send an N2 message to the AMF. The N2 message can carry a registration request, positioning measurement parameters of the terminal, and positioning measurement parameters of the RAN.

[0115] Optionally, the N2 message can also carry the PLMN ID selected by the terminal.

[0116] It should be noted that the AMF can determine that the access technology of the terminal is satellite access according to the N2 message sent by the RAN, or can determine that the access technology of the terminal is satellite access according to the identifier of the RAN. The specific implementation is not limited here.

[0117] 604. The AMF sends a radio access technology type (RATtype) message to the UDM.

[0118] After determining that the access technology of the terminal is satellite access, the AMF can send an AMF ID, a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI), and a RATtype message to the UDM through an Nudm_Registration message. The SUPI represents the identifier of the terminal, and the RAT type represents the access mode of the terminal, i.e., satellite access.

[0119] Steps 605 to 609 in the embodiment are similar to steps 505 to 509 in the embodiment shown in Figure 5The steps 504 to 508 in the described embodiment are similar, and details are not repeated here.

[0120] 610、The AMF receives the second subscription request sent by the UDM;

[0121] After the AMF sends the registration acceptance message to the terminal, that is, the terminal has accessed through the satellite, the AMF can receive the second subscription request sent by the UDM, and the second subscription request carries the UDM ID, the terminal ID, and the event ID, wherein the terminal ID can be used to indicate the current location of the terminal, and the event ID can be used to indicate that the UDM subscribes to the positioning information of the terminal.

[0122] Optionally, the second subscription request can also include indication information, which is used to indicate that the UDM periodically subscribes to the positioning information of the terminal, and specifically, the indication information can be a timer value.

[0123] Optionally, the second subscription request can also include second information, which is information indicating the coverage range of the area, and specifically, the second information can be in the form of latitude and longitude, a tracking area, a cell, etc. When the second subscription request includes the second information, the second subscription request is used to instruct the AMF to send the positioning information of the terminal to the UDM only when the terminal moves across the area. It should be noted that when the second information is configured on the UDM, the UDM can send the second information to the AMF through the second subscription request; when the second information is configured on the AMF, the UDM can not send the second information to the AMF, and the AMF can send the positioning information to the UDM according to its own configuration, or only when the terminal moves across the area.

[0124] It should be noted that the step 610 can also be executed after the step 604 and before the step 605.

[0125] 611、The AMF periodically sends a positioning request to the LMF;

[0126] After receiving the second subscription request sent by the UDM, the AMF can periodically send a positioning request to the LMF, and the positioning request is used for the LMF to obtain the positioning information of the terminal and send the positioning information to the AMF.

[0127] Alternatively, the AMF can also send a first subscription request to the LMF for subscribing to the positioning information of the terminal. Optionally, the first subscription request in this step can also carry target information, which is used to identify the target receiving end of the subscription notification. The target information can be an identifier of the AMF or an identifier of the UDM. Optionally, the first subscription request can also carry second information. The second information can be obtained by the AMF and sent to the LMF, for example, the AMF obtains the second information from the UDM and then sends it to the LMF; or the AMF can also obtain the second information from local configuration and then send it to the LMF, which is not limited here. When the LMF is configured with the second information, the AMF can not send the second information to the LMF. It should be noted that the first subscription request can be the same as the second subscription request in step 610.

[0128] It should be noted that in actual application, step 610 can also not be executed, and step 611 can be directly executed, that is, after the AMF sends the registration acceptance message to the terminal, the AMF can directly send the positioning request to the LMF.

[0129] 612, the LMF sends the positioning information to the AMF;

[0130] After receiving the positioning request, the LMF obtains the positioning information of the terminal and sends the positioning information to the AMF.

[0131] It should be noted that when the target information contained in the first subscription request in step 611 is the identifier of the UDM, the LMF can directly send the positioning information to the UDM.

[0132] 613, the AMF sends the positioning information to the UDM;

[0133] After receiving the positioning information sent by the LMF, the AMF can send the positioning information to the UDM. Specifically, the AMF can send the positioning information to the UDM through the service interface information Nudm_ParameterProvision_Update provided by the UDM, or the AMF can also send the positioning information to the UDM through the service interface information Namf_EventExsposure_Notify provided by the UDM.

[0134] Optionally, the AMF can send the positioning information to the UDM only when the terminal moves across regions. Specifically, the AMF determines that the terminal moves across regions according to the second information configured on the AMF or according to the second information received from the UDM.

[0135] It should be noted that in the case where the LMF directly sends the positioning information to the UDM in step 612, step 613 can also not be executed, and step 614 can be directly executed.

[0136] 614、UDM sends an acquisition request to a roaming preference application function SOR-AF, the acquisition request carrying the positioning information;

[0137] After receiving the positioning information sent by the AMF, the UDM can send an acquisition request to the SOR-AF, the acquisition request carrying the positioning information.

[0138] Optionally, the UDM can also send an acquisition request to the SOR-AF only when it is determined according to the positioning information that the terminal sends a cross-area movement.

[0139] 615、The SOR-AF sends first information to the UDM;

[0140] After receiving the acquisition request sent by the UDM, the SOR-AF determines the first information according to the positioning information in the acquisition request, and sends the first information to the UDM.

[0141] 616、The UDM sends the first information to the AMF;

[0142] After receiving the first information sent by the SOR-AF, the UDM can send the first information to the AMF.

[0143] 617、The AMF sends the first information to the terminal;

[0144] After receiving the first information sent by the UDM, the AMF can send the first information to the terminal.

[0145] It should be noted that the first information can be sent to the terminal in the form of operator control or in the form of user control.

[0146] 618、The terminal accesses the PLMN to be accessed according to the first information.

[0147] After receiving the first information sent by the AMF, the terminal can access the PLMN to be accessed, that is, access the PLMN corresponding to the first information.

[0148] It should be noted that the steps 610 to 618 of the embodiment can also be implemented without relying on the basis of the steps 601 to 609. In specific implementation, only the terminal successfully accesses through the satellite, the steps 610 to 618 can be executed, and the specific implementation of the terminal successfully accessing is not limited.

[0149] In the embodiment of the application, the UDM can acquire the first information through the SOR-AF, and send the first information to the terminal through the AMF, so as to timely instruct the terminal to access the PLMN corresponding to the current location, without violating the regulatory principles.

[0150] Please refer to Figure 7Another flow of the PLMN selection method in the embodiment of the present application is provided, and it is to be noted that the flow takes the network element in the 5G architecture as an example, and the example does not constitute a limitation of the embodiment of the present application. The RAN involved in the flow can be replaced by a radio access network, the AMF can be replaced by an access and mobility management network element, and the LMF can be replaced by a location management function. The flow includes the following steps.

[0151] Steps 701 to 713 in the embodiment are similar to steps 601 to 613 in the embodiment shown in Figure 6 Steps 601 to 613 in the embodiment are similar to steps 601 to 613 in the embodiment shown in

[0152] 714. The UDM sends the first information to the AMF.

[0153] After receiving the positioning information sent by the AMF, the UDM can determine the first information according to the positioning information, and then send the first information to the AMF.

[0154] Optionally, the UDM can also send the first information to the AMF after determining that the terminal sends a cross-area movement according to the positioning information.

[0155] Steps 715 to 716 in the embodiment are similar to steps 617 to 618 in the embodiment shown in Figure 6 Steps 617 to 618 in the embodiment are similar to steps 617 to 618 in the embodiment shown in

[0156] In the embodiment of the present application, the UDM can also determine the first information by itself after receiving the positioning information sent by the AMF, and does not need to obtain the first information from the SOR-AF.

[0157] The access and mobility management network element device in the embodiment of the present application is described as follows:

[0158] Please refer to Figure 8 In the embodiment of the present application, the access and mobility management network element device 800 includes an acquisition module 801 and a sending module 801.

[0159] The acquisition module 801 is configured to periodically acquire positioning information of the terminal when the terminal accesses the communication network through the satellite.

[0160] The sending module 802 is configured to send first information to the terminal according to the positioning information, and the first information is used to determine a public land mobile network to be accessed.

[0161] Based on the access and mobility management network element device 800 shown in Figure 8 Based on the access and mobility management network element device 800 shown in

[0162] The acquisition module 801 is specifically configured to periodically send a positioning request to a location management function LMF, and the positioning request is used to request the positioning information.

[0163] The obtaining module 801 is further configured to send a first subscription request to the LMF, where the first subscription request is used to subscribe to the positioning information.

[0164] The obtaining module 801 is further configured to periodically receive the positioning information from the LMF.

[0165] The obtaining module 801 is specifically configured to receive a second subscription request from a unified data management network element.

[0166] The obtaining module 801 is further configured to periodically send a positioning request to the LMF according to the second subscription request, where the positioning request is used to request the positioning information.

[0167] The obtaining module 801 is further configured to send a first subscription request to the LMF according to the second subscription request, where the first subscription request is used to subscribe to the positioning information.

[0168] The obtaining module 801 is further configured to periodically receive the positioning information from the LMF.

[0169] The sending module 802 is specifically configured to send the positioning information to the unified data management network element.

[0170] The sending module 802 is further configured to receive first information from the unified data management network element.

[0171] The sending module 802 is further configured to send the first information to the terminal.

[0172] The sending module 802 is specifically configured to send the positioning information to the unified data management network element when the terminal moves across areas.

[0173] The sending module 802 is specifically configured to send the first information to the terminal when the terminal moves across areas.

[0174] The obtaining module 801 is further configured to obtain positioning measurement parameters in an initial registration process.

[0175] The sending module 802 is further configured to send the positioning measurement parameters to the LMF, where the positioning measurement parameters are used to determine the positioning information.

[0176] The unified data management network element device in the embodiments of the present application is described as follows:

[0177] Please refer to Figure 9 In the embodiments of the present application, the unified data management network element device 900 includes a receiving module 901 and a sending module 902.

[0178] The receiving module 901 is configured to receive positioning information of a terminal from an access and mobility management network element when the terminal accesses a communication network through a satellite.

[0179] The sending module 902 is configured to send first information to the terminal according to the positioning information, where the first information is used to determine a public land mobile network to be accessed.

[0180] In a case where the terminal is located in a first area, the first information is sent to the terminal according to the positioning information. Figure 9 Based on the unified data management network element device shown in the above,

[0181] The receiving module 901 is configured to send a first subscription request to an access and mobility management network element, where the first subscription request is used to subscribe to the positioning information.

[0182] The receiving module 901 is further configured to receive the positioning information from the access and mobility management network element.

[0183] The sending module 902 is configured to send the first information to the terminal after receiving the positioning information.

[0184] The sending module 902 is configured to send the first information to the terminal when the terminal moves across areas.

[0185] The sending module 902 is configured to send the first information to the terminal through the access and mobility management network element.

[0186] The sending module 902 is further configured to send an obtaining request to a service of roaming preference (SOR-AF), where the obtaining request carries the positioning information, and the obtaining request is used to request the first information.

[0187] Figure 10 FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an access and mobility management network element device provided by an embodiment of the present application. The access and mobility management network element device 1000 can include one or more central processing units (CPUs) 1001 and a memory 1005, where the memory 1005 stores one or more application programs or data.

[0188] The memory 1005 can be volatile storage or persistent storage. The programs stored in the memory 1005 can include one or more modules, and each module can include a series of instruction operations in the server. Further, the central processing unit 1001 can be configured to communicate with the memory 1005 and execute the series of instruction operations in the memory 1005 on the server 1000.

[0189] The server 1000 can further include one or more power supplies 1002, one or more wired or wireless network interfaces 1003, one or more input and output interfaces 1004, and / or one or more operating systems, such as Windows ServerTM, Mac OS XTM, UnixTM, LinuxTM, FreeBSDTM, etc.

[0190] The central processor 1001 can execute the operations of the access and mobility management network element device in the embodiments described above, which will not be repeated here. Figures 5 to 7 The central processor 1101 can execute the operations of the unified data management network element device in the embodiments described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0191] Figure 11 FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a unified data management network element device according to an embodiment of the present application. The unified data management network element device 1100 can include one or more central processing units (CPUs) 1101 and a memory 1105, and the memory 1105 stores one or more application programs or data.

[0192] The memory 1105 can be volatile memory or persistent storage. The programs stored in the memory 1105 can include one or more modules, and each module can include a series of instruction operations in the server. Further, the central processor 1101 can be configured to communicate with the memory 1105 and execute the series of instruction operations in the memory 1105 on the server 1100.

[0193] The server 1100 can also include one or more power supplies 1102, one or more wired or wireless network interfaces 1103, one or more input / output interfaces 1104, and / or one or more operating systems, such as Windows ServerTM, Mac OS XTM, UnixTM, LinuxTM, FreeBSDTM, etc.

[0194] The central processor 1101 can execute the operations of the unified data management network element device in the embodiments described above, which will not be repeated here. Figures 5 to 7 The central processor 1101 can execute the operations of the unified data management network element device in the embodiments described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0195] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0196] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other manners. For example, the described device embodiments are merely schematic. The division of the units is merely a logical function division. There can be another division manner for the actual implementation, for example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections between the units can be indirect couplings or communication connections through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be electrical, mechanical or in other forms.

[0197] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, i.e., can be located in one place, or can be distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

[0198] In addition, each functional unit in the various embodiments of the present application can be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit can be a physically independent unit, or two or more units can be integrated into a unit. The integrated unit can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0199] When the integrated unit is realized in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or the whole or part of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM, read-only memory), a random access memory (RAM, random access memory), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store program codes.

Claims

1. A method of selecting a public land mobile network, characterized by, Comprising: In an initial registration procedure, an access and mobility management network element acquires positioning measurement parameters; The access and mobility management network element sends the positioning measurement parameters to a location management function, the positioning measurement parameters being used to determine positioning information of a terminal; When the terminal accesses a communication network through a satellite, the access and mobility management network element periodically acquires the positioning information of the terminal; The access and mobility management network element sends first information to the terminal according to the positioning information, the first information being used to determine a public land mobile network to be accessed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first information comprises identification information of a public land mobile network and identification information of a region; Or, the first information comprises the identification information of the region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The access and mobility management network element periodically acquires the positioning information of the terminal comprises: The access and mobility management network element periodically sends a positioning request to a location management function, the positioning request being used to request the positioning information; or The access and mobility management network element periodically receives the positioning information from the location management function.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The access and mobility management network element periodically acquires the positioning information of the terminal comprises: The access and mobility management network element receives a second subscription request from a unified data management network element; the access and mobility management network element periodically sends a positioning request to a location management function according to the second subscription request, the positioning request being used to request the positioning information; or The access and mobility management network element receives the second subscription request from the unified data management network element; the access and mobility management network element sends a first subscription request to the location management function according to the second subscription request, the first subscription request being used to subscribe to the positioning information; the access and mobility management network element periodically receives the positioning information from the location management function.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The second subscription request comprises second information, the second information being used to determine that the terminal moves across regions.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that, The access and mobility management network element sends first information to the terminal according to the positioning information comprises: The access and mobility management network element sends the positioning information to a unified data management network element; The access and mobility management network element receives the first information from the unified data management network element; The access and mobility management network element sends the first information to the terminal.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The access and mobility management network element sends the positioning information to the unified data management network element comprises: If the access and mobility management network element determines that the terminal moves across regions, the access and mobility management network element sends the positioning information to the unified data management network element.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The access and mobility management network element sends first information to the terminal according to the positioning information, and the first information comprises: If the access and mobility management network element determines that the terminal moves across regions according to the positioning information, the access and mobility management network element sends the first information to the terminal.

9. A method of selecting a public land mobile network, characterized by, Comprise: When the terminal accesses a communication network through a satellite, a unified data management network element receives positioning information of the terminal from an access and mobility management network element, comprising: the unified data management network element sends a first subscription request to the access and mobility management network element, and the first subscription request is used to subscribe to the positioning information; the unified data management network element receives the positioning information from the access and mobility management network element; The unified data management network element sends first information to the terminal according to the positioning information, and the first information is used to determine a public land mobile network to be accessed.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The first information comprises identification information of a public land mobile network and identification information of a region; Or, the first information comprises the identification information of the region.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein, The second information in the first subscription request is used to determine that the terminal moves across regions, Then the first subscription request used to subscribe to the positioning information comprises: the first subscription request is used to subscribe to the positioning information when the terminal moves across regions.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The unified data management network element sends first information to the terminal according to the positioning information, and the first information comprises: After the unified data management network element receives the positioning information, the unified data management network element sends the first information to the terminal.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein, The unified data management network element sends first information to the terminal according to the positioning information, and the first information comprises: If the unified data management network element determines that the terminal moves across regions according to the positioning information, the unified data management network element sends the first information to the terminal.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that, The unified data management network element sends first information to the terminal, and the first information comprises: The unified data management network element sends the first information to the terminal through the access and mobility management network element.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The method further comprises: The unified data management network element sends an acquisition request to a roaming preference application function (SOR-AF), and the acquisition request carries the positioning information, and the acquisition request is used to request the first information.

16. An apparatus for public land mobile network selection, the apparatus comprising: Comprise: The acquisition module is further used to acquire positioning measurement parameters in an initial registration process; The sending module is further used to send the positioning measurement parameters to a positioning management function, and the positioning measurement parameters are used to determine positioning information of a terminal; The acquisition module is used to periodically acquire the positioning information of the terminal when the terminal accesses a communication network through a satellite; The sending module is used to send first information to the terminal according to the positioning information, and the first information is used to determine a public land mobile network to be accessed.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein, The first information comprises identification information of a public land mobile network and identification information of a region; Or, the first information comprises the identification information of the region.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein The obtaining module is specifically configured to periodically send a positioning request to a positioning management function, the positioning request being used to request the positioning information; and the obtaining module is further configured to periodically receive the positioning information from the positioning management function. The obtaining module is further configured to send a first subscription request to the positioning management function, the first subscription request being used to subscribe to the positioning information; and the obtaining module is further configured to periodically receive the positioning information from the positioning management function.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein, The obtaining module is specifically configured to receive a second subscription request from a unified data management network element; the obtaining module is further configured to periodically send a positioning request to a positioning management function according to the second subscription request, the positioning request being used to request the positioning information; the obtaining module is further configured to send a first subscription request to the positioning management function according to the second subscription request, the first subscription request being used to subscribe to the positioning information; and the obtaining module is further configured to periodically receive the positioning information from the positioning management function.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein, The second information included in the second subscription request is used to determine that the terminal moves across regions.

21. The device of any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein, The sending module is specifically configured to send the positioning information to a unified data management network element. The sending module is further configured to receive the first information from the unified data management network element. The sending module is further configured to send the first information to the terminal.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein, The sending module is specifically configured to send the positioning information to the unified data management network element when the access and mobility management network element determines that the terminal moves across regions.

23. The device of any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein, The sending module is specifically configured to send the first information to the terminal when the terminal moves across regions.

24. An apparatus for public land mobile network selection, the apparatus comprising: Comprising: a receiving module configured to receive positioning information of a terminal from an access and mobility management network element when the terminal accesses a communication network through a satellite; a sending module configured to send first information to the terminal according to the positioning information, the first information being used to determine a public land mobile network to be accessed; The receiving module is specifically configured to send a first subscription request to the access and mobility management network element, the first subscription request being used to subscribe to the positioning information. The receiving module is further configured to receive the positioning information from the access and mobility management network element.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein, The first information includes identification information of a public land mobile network and identification information of a region. Or, the first information includes the identification information of the region.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein, The second information included in the first subscription request is used to determine that the terminal moves across regions, The first subscription request used to subscribe to the positioning information includes the first subscription request used to subscribe to the positioning information when the terminal moves across regions.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein, the sending module is specifically configured to send the first information to the terminal after receiving the positioning information.

28. The device of claim 24, wherein, the sending module is specifically configured to send the first information to the terminal when the terminal moves across regions.

29. The device of any one of claims 24 or 28, wherein, the sending module is specifically configured to send the first information to the terminal through the access and mobility management network element.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein, the sending module is further configured to send an obtaining request to a service of roaming preference, SOR-AF, the obtaining request carrying the positioning information, the obtaining request being used to request the first information.

31. An apparatus for public land mobile network selection, the apparatus comprising: a processor, a memory, an input output device, and a bus; the processor, the memory, the input output device, and the bus are connected; the processor is used to execute the method in any one of claims 1 to 8.

32. An apparatus for public land mobile network selection, the apparatus comprising: a processor, a memory, an input output device, and a bus; the processor, the memory, the input output device, and the bus are connected; the processor is used to execute the method in any one of claims 9 to 15.

33. A system for public land mobile network selection, the system comprising: the system comprises the device in any one of claims 16 to 32.

34. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, the computer readable storage medium has a program saved therein, and when the computer executes the program, the method in any one of claims 1 to 15 is executed.

35. A computer program product, characterised in that, when the computer program product is executed on the computer, the computer executes the method in any one of claims 1 to 15.

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