Broadcast session establishment method, distribution unit, concentration unit and device

Abstract

Provided are a broadcast session establishment method, a distribution unit, a concentration unit and a device, the method being applied to the distribution unit, the method comprising: receiving a broadcast context request sent by the concentration unit, the broadcast context request comprising indication information, the indication information being used for indicating whether a next generation interface user plane (NG-U) tunnel is established; and according to the indication information, determining whether to establish an F1 interface user plane F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit, the F1-U tunnel and the NG-U tunnel being used for establishing a broadcast session. According to the scheme of the application, the problem of relatively high signaling overhead in the session broadcasting process can be solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a broadcast session establishment method, a distribution unit, a central unit and a device. Background Art

[0002] In the scenario of shared access network devices, the same broadcast service can be provided by multiple different core network devices. The access network devices can determine whether different core network devices broadcast the same content based on the broadcast session identifier and broadcast session service area provided by the core network devices.

[0003] In the scenario where multiple core network devices share access network devices, for broadcast sessions of core network devices that broadcast the same content, the next generation interface user plane (5G Next Generation User Plane Function, NG-U) tunnel is no longer established for each core network device. The establishment of the shared NG-U tunnel is determined by the implementation of the 5G radio access network (NG Radio Access Network, NG-RAN) node. After establishing the NG-U tunnel, it is also necessary to establish the F1-U tunnel to complete the broadcast session establishment process.

[0004] Currently, the process of establishing a broadcast session has a problem of high signaling overhead. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application provides a method, device and apparatus for establishing a broadcast session to solve the problem of large signaling overhead in the broadcast session process.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a method for establishing a broadcast session, which is applied to a distribution unit, and the method includes:

[0007] receiving a broadcast context request sent by a centralized unit, wherein the broadcast context request includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate whether a next generation interface user plane NG-U tunnel is established;

[0008] According to the indication information, it is determined whether to establish an F1 interface user plane F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit, wherein the F1-U tunnel and the NG-U tunnel are used to establish a broadcast session.

[0009] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0010] The first indication information is used to indicate whether a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit;

[0011] The second indication information is used to indicate whether a second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the centralized unit;

[0012] The third indication information is used to indicate that it is desired to establish an F1-U tunnel between the centralized unit and the distributed unit.

[0013] In a possible implementation manner, the core network device connected to the centralized unit is the first core network device, and the indication information includes the first indication information;

[0014] or,

[0015] The core network devices connected to the centralized unit include the first core network device and the second core network device, and the indication information includes the second indication information and the third indication information.

[0016] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes the first indication information; and determining whether to establish an F1 interface user plane F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit according to the indication information includes:

[0017] When the first indication information indicates that the first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit, determine to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit;

[0018] When the first indication information indicates that the first NG-U tunnel is not established between the first core network device and the centralized unit, it is determined not to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit.

[0019] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes the second indication information and the third indication information; and determining, according to the indication information, whether to establish an F1 interface user plane F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit includes:

[0020] When the second indication information indicates that the second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the centralized unit, determine to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit;

[0021] When the second indication information indicates that the second NG-U tunnel is not established between the second core network device and the centralized unit, it is determined not to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the broadcast session is a broadcast session indicated by a broadcast session identifier of a first core network device, and the broadcast session identifier of the first core network device is the same as a broadcast session identifier of at least one second core network device.

[0023] In a second aspect, the present application provides a broadcast session establishment method, which is applied to a centralized unit, and the method includes:

[0024] Receiving a broadcast session request sent by the first core network device;

[0025] According to the broadcast session request, a broadcast context request is sent to the distribution unit, wherein the broadcast context request includes indication information, wherein the indication information is used to indicate whether an NG-U tunnel is established, and the NG-U tunnel is used to establish the broadcast session.

[0026] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0027] first indication information, used to indicate whether a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit;

[0028] The second indication information is used to indicate whether a second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the centralized unit;

[0029] The third indication information is used to indicate that it is desired to establish an F1-U tunnel between the centralized unit and the distributed unit.

[0030] In a possible implementation manner, the core network device connected to the centralized unit is the first core network device, and the indication information includes the first indication information;

[0031] or,

[0032] The core network devices connected to the centralized unit include the first core network device and the second core network device, and the indication information includes the second indication information and the third indication information.

[0033] In a possible implementation manner, sending a broadcast context request to a distribution unit according to the broadcast session request includes:

[0034] The control plane of the centralized unit sends a broadcast bearer context request to the user plane of the centralized unit;

[0035] The user plane of the centralized unit sends a broadcast bearer context response to the control plane of the centralized unit according to the broadcast bearer context request;

[0036] The control plane of the centralized unit sends the broadcast context request to the distributed unit according to the broadcast bearer context response.

[0037] In a possible implementation manner, the core network device to which the centralized unit is connected is the first core network device, wherein:

[0038] The broadcast bearer context response includes the first indication information, NG-U downlink address information between the centralized unit and the first core network device, and F1-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the distributed unit, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit;

[0039] or,

[0040] The broadcast bearer context response includes the first indication information and the F1-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the distributed unit, and the first indication information is used to indicate that a first NG-U tunnel is not established between the first core network device and the centralized unit.

[0041] In a possible implementation manner, the core network device connected to the centralized unit includes the first core network device and the second core network device, wherein:

[0042] The broadcast bearer context response includes the first indication information, the third indication information, the NG-U downlink address information between the centralized unit and the second core network device, and the F1-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the distributed unit.

[0043] In a possible implementation manner, sending the broadcast context request to the distribution unit according to the broadcast bearer context response includes:

[0044] Sending a broadcast distribution establishment request to the second core network device according to the first indication information and the third indication information, wherein the broadcast distribution establishment request includes NG-U downlink address information between the central unit and the second core network device;

[0045] Receive a broadcast distribution establishment response sent by the second core network device, wherein the broadcast distribution establishment response includes NG-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the second core network device, and the NG-U downlink address information and NG-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the second core network device are used to establish the second NG-U tunnel;

[0046] The broadcast context request is sent to the distribution unit, where the broadcast context request includes the second indication information and the third indication information.

[0047] In a possible implementation, the broadcast session is a broadcast session indicated by a broadcast session identifier of a first core network device, and the broadcast session identifier of the first core network device is the same as a broadcast session identifier of at least one second core network device.

[0048] In a third aspect, the present application provides a distribution unit, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor;

[0049] A memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for transmitting and receiving data under the control of the processor; and a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and performing the following operations:

[0050] receiving a broadcast context request sent by a centralized unit, wherein the broadcast context request includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate whether an NG-U tunnel is established;

[0051] According to the indication information, it is determined whether to establish an F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit, wherein the F1-U tunnel and the NG-U tunnel are used to establish a broadcast session.

[0052] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0053] The first indication information is used to indicate whether a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit;

[0054] The second indication information is used to indicate whether a second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the centralized unit;

[0055] The third indication information is used to indicate that it is desired to establish an F1-U tunnel between the centralized unit and the distributed unit.

[0056] In a possible implementation manner, the core network device connected to the centralized unit is the first core network device, and the indication information includes the first indication information;

[0057] or,

[0058] The core network devices connected to the centralized unit include the first core network device and the second core network device, and the indication information includes the second indication information and the third indication information.

[0059] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes the first indication information; and determining whether to establish an F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit according to the indication information includes:

[0060] When the first indication information indicates that the first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit, determine to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit;

[0061] When the first indication information indicates that the first NG-U tunnel is not established between the first core network device and the centralized unit, it is determined not to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit.

[0062] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes the second indication information and the third indication information; and determining whether to establish an F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit according to the indication information includes:

[0063] When the second indication information indicates that the second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the centralized unit, determine to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit;

[0064] When the second indication information indicates that the second NG-U tunnel is not established between the second core network device and the centralized unit, it is determined not to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit.

[0065] In a possible implementation, the broadcast session is a broadcast session indicated by a broadcast session identifier of a first core network device, and the broadcast session identifier of the first core network device is the same as a broadcast session identifier of at least one second core network device.

[0066] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a centralized unit, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor;

[0067] A memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for transmitting and receiving data under the control of the processor; and a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and performing the following operations:

[0068] Receiving a broadcast session request sent by the first core network device;

[0069] According to the broadcast session request, a broadcast context request is sent to the distribution unit, wherein the broadcast context request includes indication information, wherein the indication information is used to indicate whether an NG-U tunnel is established, and the NG-U tunnel is used to establish the broadcast session.

[0070] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0071] first indication information, used to indicate whether a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit;

[0072] The second indication information is used to indicate whether a second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the centralized unit;

[0073] The third indication information is used to indicate that it is desired to establish an F1-U tunnel between the centralized unit and the distributed unit.

[0074] In one possible implementation,

[0075] The core network device connected to the centralized unit is the first core network device, and the indication information includes the first indication information;

[0076] or,

[0077] The core network devices connected to the centralized unit include the first core network device and the second core network device, and the indication information includes the second indication information and the third indication information.

[0078] In a possible implementation manner, sending a broadcast context request to a distribution unit according to the broadcast session request includes:

[0079] The control plane of the centralized unit sends a broadcast bearer context request to the user plane of the centralized unit;

[0080] The user plane of the centralized unit sends a broadcast bearer context response to the control plane of the centralized unit according to the broadcast bearer context request;

[0081] The control plane of the centralized unit sends the broadcast context request to the distributed unit according to the broadcast bearer context response.

[0082] In a possible implementation manner, the core network device to which the centralized unit is connected is the first core network device, wherein:

[0083] The broadcast bearer context response includes the first indication information, NG-U downlink address information between the centralized unit and the first core network device, and F1-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the distributed unit, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit;

[0084] or,

[0085] The broadcast bearer context response includes the first indication information and the F1-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the distributed unit, and the first indication information is used to indicate that a first NG-U tunnel is not established between the first core network device and the centralized unit.

[0086] In a possible implementation manner, the core network device connected to the centralized unit includes the first core network device and the second core network device, wherein:

[0087] The broadcast bearer context response includes the first indication information, the third indication information, the NG-U downlink address information between the centralized unit and the second core network device, and the F1-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the distributed unit.

[0088] In a possible implementation manner, sending the broadcast context request to the distribution unit according to the broadcast bearer context response includes:

[0089] Sending a broadcast distribution establishment request to the second core network device according to the first indication information and the third indication information, wherein the broadcast distribution establishment request includes NG-U downlink address information between the central unit and the second core network device;

[0090] Receive a broadcast distribution establishment response sent by the second core network device, wherein the broadcast distribution establishment response includes NG-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the second core network device, and the NG-U downlink address information and NG-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the second core network device are used to establish the second NG-U tunnel;

[0091] The broadcast context request is sent to the distribution unit, where the broadcast context request includes the second indication information and the third indication information.

[0092] In a possible implementation, the broadcast session is a broadcast session indicated by a broadcast session identifier of a first core network device, and the broadcast session identifier of the first core network device is the same as a broadcast session identifier of at least one second core network device.

[0093] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a broadcast session establishment device, the device comprising:

[0094] A first transceiver module, configured to receive a broadcast context request sent by a centralized unit, wherein the broadcast context request includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate whether an NG-U tunnel is established;

[0095] A processing module is used to determine whether to establish an F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit according to the indication information, wherein the F1-U tunnel and the NG-U tunnel are used to establish a broadcast session.

[0096] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0097] The first indication information is used to indicate whether a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit;

[0098] The second indication information is used to indicate whether a second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the centralized unit;

[0099] The third indication information is used to indicate that it is desired to establish an F1-U tunnel between the centralized unit and the distributed unit.

[0100] In one possible implementation,

[0101] The core network device connected to the centralized unit is the first core network device, and the indication information includes the first indication information;

[0102] or,

[0103] The core network devices connected to the centralized unit include the first core network device and the second core network device, and the indication information includes the second indication information and the third indication information.

[0104] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes the first indication information; and the processing module is specifically configured to:

[0105] When the first indication information indicates that the first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit, determine to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit;

[0106] When the first indication information indicates that the first NG-U tunnel is not established between the first core network device and the centralized unit, it is determined not to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit.

[0107] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes the second indication information and the third indication information; and the processing module is specifically configured to:

[0108] When the second indication information indicates that the second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the centralized unit, determine to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit;

[0109] When the second indication information indicates that the second NG-U tunnel is not established between the second core network device and the centralized unit, it is determined not to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit.

[0110] In a possible implementation, the broadcast session is a broadcast session indicated by a broadcast session identifier of a first core network device, and the broadcast session identifier of the first core network device is the same as a broadcast session identifier of at least one second core network device.

[0111] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a broadcast session establishment device, the device comprising:

[0112] A second transceiver module, used to receive a broadcast session request sent by the first core network device;

[0113] The third transceiver module is used to send a broadcast context request to the distribution unit according to the broadcast session request, and the broadcast context request includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate whether an NG-U tunnel is established, and the NG-U tunnel is used to establish a broadcast session.

[0114] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0115] first indication information, used to indicate whether a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit;

[0116] The second indication information is used to indicate whether a second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the centralized unit;

[0117] The third indication information is used to indicate that it is desired to establish an F1-U tunnel between the centralized unit and the distributed unit.

[0118] In one possible implementation,

[0119] The core network device connected to the centralized unit is the first core network device, and the indication information includes the first indication information;

[0120] or,

[0121] The core network devices connected to the centralized unit include the first core network device and the second core network device, and the indication information includes the second indication information and the third indication information.

[0122] In a possible implementation manner, the third transceiver module is specifically configured to:

[0123] The control plane of the centralized unit sends a broadcast bearer context request to the user plane of the centralized unit;

[0124] The user plane of the centralized unit sends a broadcast bearer context response to the control plane of the centralized unit according to the broadcast bearer context request;

[0125] The control plane of the centralized unit sends the broadcast context request to the distributed unit according to the broadcast bearer context response.

[0126] In a possible implementation manner, the core network device to which the centralized unit is connected is the first core network device, wherein:

[0127] The broadcast bearer context response includes the first indication information, NG-U downlink address information between the centralized unit and the first core network device, and F1-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the distributed unit, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit;

[0128] or,

[0129] The broadcast bearer context response includes the first indication information and the F1-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the distributed unit, and the first indication information is used to indicate that a first NG-U tunnel is not established between the first core network device and the centralized unit.

[0130] In a possible implementation manner, the core network device connected to the centralized unit includes the first core network device and the second core network device, wherein:

[0131] The broadcast bearer context response includes the first indication information, the third indication information, the NG-U downlink address information between the centralized unit and the second core network device, and the F1-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the distributed unit.

[0132] In a possible implementation manner, the third transceiver module is specifically configured to:

[0133] Sending a broadcast distribution establishment request to the second core network device according to the first indication information and the third indication information, wherein the broadcast distribution establishment request includes NG-U downlink address information between the central unit and the second core network device;

[0134] Receive a broadcast distribution establishment response sent by the second core network device, wherein the broadcast distribution establishment response includes NG-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the second core network device, and the NG-U downlink address information and NG-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the second core network device are used to establish the second NG-U tunnel;

[0135] The broadcast context request is sent to the distribution unit, where the broadcast context request includes the second indication information and the third indication information.

[0136] In a possible implementation, the broadcast session is a broadcast session indicated by a broadcast session identifier of a first core network device, and the broadcast session identifier of the first core network device is the same as a broadcast session identifier of at least one second core network device.

[0137] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is used to enable a computer to execute the broadcast session establishment method described in any one of the first aspect to the second aspect.

[0138] The present application provides a broadcast session establishment method, distribution unit, centralized unit and device, where the DU receives a broadcast context request sent by the CU, and the broadcast context request includes indication information, which is used to indicate whether an NG-U tunnel has been established. The DU then determines whether to establish an F1-U tunnel with the CU based on the indication information, and the F1-U tunnel and the NG-U tunnel are used to establish a broadcast session. Through the indication information, the DU can learn about the current NG-U tunnel establishment status, and select the core network device to establish the F1-U tunnel with reference to the current NG-U tunnel establishment status, thereby effectively reducing the need to re-trigger the establishment of a new NG-U tunnel after the F1-U tunnel is established, and reducing the signaling overhead during the broadcast session establishment process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0139] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, a brief introduction will be given below to the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0140] Figure 1 A signalling diagram established for a broadcast MBS session;

[0141] Figure 2 A flowchart of a method for establishing a broadcast session provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0142] Figure 3 Signaling of the broadcast session establishment method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0143] Figure 4 Signaling of the broadcast session establishment method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0144] Figure 5 Signaling of the broadcast session establishment method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 3 ;

[0145] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a distribution unit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0146] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a centralized unit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0147] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of the broadcast session establishment device provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0148] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of the broadcast session establishment device provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 2 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0149] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0150] Multimedia Broadcast Services (MBS) is a technology corresponding to unicast, which can allow multiple terminals to receive the same broadcast data through a set of time-frequency domain resources over the air interface.

[0151] Applying broadcast services requires establishing a broadcast MBS session. For a core network device, the process of establishing a broadcast MBS session can be combined with Figure 1 To understand.

[0152] Figure 1 The signaling diagram established for a broadcast MBS session is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, including:

[0153] S101, the core network device sends a broadcast session establishment request to the control plane of the centralized unit (Centralized Unit-Control Plane, CU-CP) (also known as gNB-CU-CP).

[0154] The broadcast session establishment request is used to request to establish a broadcast session, and the broadcast session establishment request may also be called a Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) broadcast session establishment request.

[0155] The broadcast session establishment request includes the NG-U uplink address information between the centralized unit (CU) (also called gNB-CU) and the core network equipment, also known as the 5GC NG-U transport network layer (TNL).

[0156] 5GC NG-U TNL is the NG-U transport network layer information shared by the core network equipment side, including the transport layer IP address and the GTP Tunnel Endpoint Identifier (GTP-TEID) on the core network equipment side, which is the NG-U uplink GTP-TEID. GTP-TEID is used for user plane transmission between 5G radio access network (NG-RAN) nodes and user plane functions (UPF).

[0157] S102, the gNB-CU-CP sends a broadcast bearer context establishment request to the control plane of the centralized unit (Centralized Unit-User Plane, CU-UP) (also called gNB-CU-UP).

[0158] The broadcast bearer context establishment request may also be referred to as an E1 interface application protocol (E1ApplicationProtocol, E1AP) broadcast bearer context establishment request. The broadcast bearer context establishment request is used to request the establishment of a broadcast bearer context. The broadcast bearer context establishment request includes 5GC NG-U TNL.

[0159] S103, the gNB-CU-UP sends a broadcast bearer context establishment response to the gNB-CU-CP.

[0160] After receiving the broadcast bearer context establishment request, the gNB-CU-UP can know that it is expected to establish a broadcast bearer context. Therefore, the gNB-CU-UP sends a broadcast bearer context establishment response to the gNB-CU-CP. The broadcast bearer context establishment response includes the NG-U downlink address information between the CU and the core network device, also known as the gNB NG-U TNL, and also includes the F1-U uplink address information between the gNB-CU and the distributed unit (Distributed Unit, DU) (also known as gNB-DU), also known as the F1-U TNL CU.

[0161] gNB NG-U TNL is the NG-U unicast transport network layer information shared by the network equipment side, including the transport layer IP address and the GTP-TEID on the network equipment side. gNB NG-UTNL is the NG-U transport network layer information that provides the associated Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session for a pair of NG-RAN nodes - UPF.

[0162] The successful establishment of a shared NG-U unicast tunnel from the core network device to the gNB-CU-UP requires that the gNB-CU-UP side receives the uplink address information 5GC NG-U TNL from the core network device through the gNB-CU-CP, and the core network device receives the downlink address information gNB NG-U TNL from the gNB-CU-UP through the gNB-CU-CP.

[0163] F1-U TNL CU is the gNB-CU side broadcast bearer context F1-U transport network layer information, the gNB-CU endpoint of the F1 transport bearer, including the IP address and GTP-TEID used for F1 user plane transmission. GTP-TEID is used for user plane transmission between gNB-CU and gNB-DU, which is the F1-U uplink GTP-TEID.

[0164] S104, gNB-CU-CP sends a broadcast session establishment response to the core network device.

[0165] The gNB NG-U TNL is included in the broadcast session establishment response. After the above S101 to S104, the gNB-CU-UP has received the 5GC NG-U TNL, and the core network device has received the gNB NG-U TNL, so the NG-U tunnel between the gNB-CU-UP and the core network device can be established for NG-U multicast transmission.

[0166] S105: The gNB-CU-CP sends a broadcast context establishment request to the gNB-DU.

[0167] The broadcast context establishment request is also called an F1 interface application protocol (F1 Application Protocol, F1AP) broadcast context establishment request. The broadcast context establishment request includes an F1-U TNL CU.

[0168] S106, the gNB-DU sends a broadcast context establishment response to the gNB-CU-CP.

[0169] The broadcast context establishment response is also called an F1AP broadcast context establishment response. The broadcast context establishment response includes an F1-U TNL DU.

[0170] F1-U TNL DU is the network layer information of the F1-U transport bearer context broadcast by the gNB-DU side, including the IP address used for F1 user plane transmission and F1-U downlink GTP-TEID. The successful establishment of a F1-U tunnel from gNB-CU-UP to gNB-DU requires that the gNB-DU side receives the uplink address information F1-UTNL CU from the gNB-CU-UP through the gNB-CU-CP, and the gNB-CU-UP receives the downlink address information F1-U TNL DU from the gNB-DU through the gNB-CU-CP.

[0171] S107, the gNB-CU-CP sends a broadcast bearer context modification request to the gNB-CU-UP.

[0172] After receiving the broadcast context establishment response, the gNB-CU-CP obtains the F1-U TNL DU and sends a broadcast bearer context modification request to the gNB-CU-UP. The broadcast bearer context modification request includes the F1-U TNL DU. The broadcast bearer context modification request is also called an E1AP broadcast bearer context modification request.

[0173] S108: The gNB-CU-UP sends a broadcast bearer context modification response to the gNB-CU-CP.

[0174] After S105 to S108, the gNB-DU side has received the F1-U TNL CU, and the gNB-CU-UP has received the F1-UTNL DU, so the F1-U tunnel from gNB-CU-UP to gNB-DU can be established.

[0175] S109, Multicast Control Channel (MCCH) configuration between the terminal and gNB-DU.

[0176] S110, broadcasting MBS media stream.

[0177] The successful establishment of broadcast services is a top-down process, which requires the establishment of an NG-U tunnel for the core network device from the core network device to the gNB-CU-UP. The NG-U tunnel can be a shared NG-U unicast tunnel or join NG-U multicast transmission. The gNB-CU-UP can receive data from the core network device and establish an F1-U tunnel for the core network device from the gNB-CU-UP to the gNB-DU.

[0178] After the NG-U tunnel and F1-U tunnel are established and the MCCH configuration is completed, the MBS media stream can be broadcast to transmit broadcast services.

[0179] In the above embodiment, combined with Figure 1 This article introduces how to establish a broadcast session for a core network device. In a base station sharing scenario, the same broadcast service can be provided by two (or more) core network devices. The base station can infer whether to broadcast the same content from the MBS Associated Session ID and MBS service area information provided by the core network device.

[0180] In the scenario where multiple core network devices share a base station, for the broadcast MBS session of the core network device that broadcasts the same content, the NG-U tunnel is no longer established for each core network device, and the establishment of the shared NG-U tunnel is determined by the implementation of the NG-RAN node. Among them, there are two cases of shared base stations. The first is that the gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP are not shared but only the gNB-DU is shared, and the other is that both the gNB-CU and gNB-DU are shared.

[0181] However, this method of establishing a shared NG-U tunnel and thus establishing a broadcast session has the problem of high signaling overhead.

[0182] In the scenario where the gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP are not shared, but only the gNB-DU is shared, after the shared gNB-DU receives a broadcast context establishment request or a broadcast context modification request from multiple core network devices, since the NG-U tunnel may not exist for all core network devices, the gNB-DU selects the core network device to establish the F1-U tunnel according to its own decision without knowing whether the NG-U tunnel exists for each core network device. This results in the core network device selected to establish the F1-U tunnel not existing in the NG-U tunnel. The gNB-DU cannot obtain data from the 5GC from the gNB-CU-UP to which the above core network device belongs. The gNB-CU-CP to which the above core network device belongs needs to trigger the broadcast bearer context modification procedure, update the NG-U transport network layer downlink information, and establish the NG-U tunnel on the gNB-CU-UP side. In other words, the gNB-DU blindly selects the core network device to establish the F1-U tunnel, which may lead to frequent updates of the transport network layer information required to establish the NG-U tunnel and frequent establishment of the NG-U tunnel, resulting in high signaling overhead and waste of resources.

[0183] For the Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) scenario, that is, the scenario shared by gNB-CU and gNB-DU, there is a situation where only one F1-U tunnel is established for one core network device. When the core network device that established this F1-U tunnel requests the release of the broadcast session, the gNB-CU-CP needs to first send a broadcast context release request to the gNB-DU, and the only F1-U tunnel request is released. The gNB-DU needs to trigger the establishment of F1-U tunnels of other core network devices. The gNB-DU triggers the gNB-CU-CP by itself, and selects other core network devices to establish an F1-U tunnel with the gNB-CU-UP. This bottom-up signaling process cannot achieve the rapid establishment of a new F1-U tunnel, and the signaling process is relatively cumbersome, with high signaling overhead and slow signaling process.

[0184] Therefore, the embodiments of the present application provide a broadcast session establishment method, a distribution unit, a centralized unit and an apparatus, so that during the establishment of broadcast sessions of different PLMNs in a base station sharing scenario, the gNB-CU-CP provides the gNB-DU with an indication of the tunnel establishment status on the gNB-CU-UP plane of the current core network device, so that the gNB-DU can select the core network device to establish the F1-U tunnel based on this indication as a reference, thereby avoiding the gNB-CU-CP of the selected core network device always needing to re-trigger the gNB-CU-UP to establish the NG-U tunnel or the slow F1-U tunnel establishment signaling process due to blind selection, thereby achieving the rapid establishment of NG-U tunnels and F1-U tunnels for broadcast sessions of different core network devices in the base station sharing scenario, so as to solve the problem of high signaling overhead in the current process of establishing broadcast sessions.

[0185] Among them, the method and the device are based on the same application concept. Since the method and the device solve the problem in a similar principle, the implementation of the device and the method can refer to each other, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0186] Figure 2 A flowchart of a method for establishing a broadcast session provided in an embodiment of the present application is provided. The method is applied to a DU, such as Figure 2 As shown, the method includes:

[0187] S21, receiving a broadcast context request sent by the CU, where the broadcast context request includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate whether an NG-U tunnel is established.

[0188] Optionally, an embodiment of the present application is directed to a scenario of network device sharing, where the network device may include a CU and a DU, wherein network device sharing may refer to a scenario where both the CU and the DU are shared, or a scenario where the CU is not shared but the DU is shared.

[0189] The CU sends a broadcast context request to the DU. Optionally, the broadcast context request may be a broadcast context establishment request for requesting to establish a broadcast context; the broadcast context request may also be a broadcast context modification request for requesting to modify a broadcast context.

[0190] The broadcast context request includes indication information, which is used to indicate whether an NG-U tunnel is established. The NG-U interface is the interface between the UPF of the core network device and the CU, and the NG-U tunnel refers to the tunnel between the core network device and the CU, which is mainly used to carry and forward data streams.

[0191] In an embodiment of the present application, the core network devices involved include a first core network device and at least one second core network device. The indication information can be used to indicate whether an NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the CU, and can also be used to indicate whether an NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the CU.

[0192] Optionally, the first core network device sends a broadcast session request to the CU, where the broadcast session request may be a broadcast session establishment request for requesting to establish a broadcast session; the broadcast session request may also be a broadcast session modification request for requesting to modify a broadcast session. After receiving the broadcast session request sent by the first core network device, the CU sends a broadcast context request to the DU according to the broadcast session request, where the broadcast context request includes indication information.

[0193] Optionally, when the broadcast session request is a broadcast session establishment request, the broadcast context request sent by the CU to the DU is a broadcast context establishment request; when the broadcast session request is a broadcast session modification request, the broadcast context request sent by the CU to the DU is a broadcast context modification request.

[0194] S22: Determine whether to establish an F1-U tunnel with the CU according to the indication information. The F1-U tunnel and the NG-U tunnel are used to establish a broadcast session.

[0195] After receiving the broadcast context request, the DU can obtain the indication information included in the broadcast context request, and based on the indication information, learn whether an NG-U tunnel has been established, thereby determining whether to establish an F1-U tunnel with the CU.

[0196] The broadcast session establishment method provided in the embodiment of the present application is applied to the DU. The DU receives the broadcast context request sent by the CU. The broadcast context request includes indication information. The indication information is used to indicate whether an NG-U tunnel is established. Then the DU determines whether to establish an F1-U tunnel with the CU based on the indication information. The F1-U tunnel and the NG-U tunnel are used to establish a broadcast session. Through the indication information, the DU can learn about the current NG-U tunnel establishment status, and select the core network device to establish the F1-U tunnel with reference to the current NG-U tunnel establishment status, thereby effectively reducing the need to re-trigger the establishment of a new NG-U tunnel after the F1-U tunnel is established, thereby reducing the signaling overhead during the broadcast session establishment process.

[0197] Based on any of the above embodiments, the scheme of the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0198] In the embodiment of the present application, the scenario of base station sharing is targeted, which can be a scenario where both CU and DU are shared, or a scenario where CU is not shared and DU is shared. In the scenario of base station sharing, multiple core network devices provide the same broadcast service, and the multiple core network devices include a first core network device and at least one second core network device, wherein the first core network device is any one of the multiple core network devices that provide the same broadcast service, and the at least one second core network device is a core network device other than the first core network device among the multiple core network devices.

[0199] The broadcast context request sent by the CU and received by the DU includes indication information, and the indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0200] The first indication information is used to indicate whether a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the CU;

[0201] The second indication information is used to indicate whether a second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the CU;

[0202] The third indication information is used to indicate that an F1-U tunnel is expected to be established between the CU and the DU.

[0203] In the embodiment of the present application, CU refers to the CU corresponding to the first core network device. In a scenario where multiple CUs are not shared and DUs are shared, each core network device has a corresponding CU, so in this scenario, CU refers to the CU connected to the first core network device. In the case where the core network device connected by the CU is the first core network device, the indication information includes first indication information for indicating whether a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the CU.

[0204] In the scenario where both CU and DU are shared, CU is connected to multiple core network devices and can interact with these multiple core network devices. Therefore, in this scenario, CU is a shared CU, and the core network devices connected to CU include a first core network device and at least one second core network device, and the indication information includes second indication information and third indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate whether a second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and CU, and the third indication information is used to indicate that an F1-U tunnel is expected to be established between CU and DU.

[0205] The following introduces these two different scenarios respectively.

[0206] First, a solution for establishing a broadcast session in a scenario where multiple CUs are not shared but DUs are shared is introduced.

[0207] In a scenario where multiple CUs are not shared but DUs are shared, the core network device to which the CU is connected is the first core network device. The first core network device sends a broadcast session request to the CU, and the broadcast session request is a broadcast session establishment request. Optionally, the broadcast session establishment request also includes a broadcast session identifier of the first core network device, and the broadcast session identifier of the first core network device is the same as the broadcast session identifier of at least one second core network device, and is used to identify the same broadcast session, that is, the first core network device and the at least one second core network device provide the same broadcast service.

[0208] After receiving the broadcast session request, the CU sends a broadcast context request to the DU, where the broadcast context request is a broadcast context establishment request. The broadcast context establishment request includes first indication information for indicating whether a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit.

[0209] The CU includes a CU-CP and a CU-UP. The CU-CP and the CU-UP belong to the same device. The CU-CP and the CU-UP can be in the same position or can be separately arranged. This is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0210] Optionally, in the process of CU sending a broadcast context request to DU, CU-CP first sends a broadcast bearer context request to CU-UP, CU-UP sends a broadcast bearer context response to CU-CP based on the broadcast bearer context request, and then CU-CP sends a broadcast context request to DU based on the broadcast bearer context response.

[0211] Optionally, the broadcast bearer context response includes first indication information and F1-U uplink address information between the CU and the DU, and the first indication information is used to indicate whether a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the CU.

[0212] In one possible implementation, the broadcast bearer context response includes first indication information, NG-U downlink address information between the CU and the first core network device, and F1-U uplink address information between the CU and the DU, and the first indication information is used to indicate that a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the CU.

[0213] In one possible implementation, the broadcast bearer context response includes first indication information and F1-U uplink address information between the CU and the DU, and the first indication information is used to indicate that a first NG-U tunnel is not established between the first core network device and the CU.

[0214] After receiving the broadcast context request, the DU determines whether to establish an F1-U tunnel with the CU based on the indication information.

[0215] Optionally, when the first indication information indicates that a first NG-U tunnel has been established between the first core network device and the CU, the DU determines to establish an F1-U tunnel with the CU. Since a first NG-U tunnel has been established between the first core network device and the CU, that is, a first NG-U tunnel has been established for the first core network device, a broadcast session can be established after the F1-U tunnel is established for the first core network device without establishing a new NG-U tunnel, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0216] Optionally, when the first indication information indicates that the first NG-U tunnel has not been established between the first core network device and the CU, the DU determines not to establish an F1-U tunnel with the CU. Since the first NG-U tunnel has not been established between the first core network device and the CU, that is, the first NG-U tunnel has not been established for the first core network device, after the F1-U tunnel is established for the first core network device, it is necessary to establish an NG-U tunnel for the first core network device before a broadcast session can be established. In an embodiment of the present application, in this case, the core network device that has established the NG-U tunnel is preferentially selected to establish the F1-U tunnel, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0217] Combine the following Figure 3 This implementation is introduced in Figure 3 In the example, the first core network device is 5GC PLMN1, and the CU corresponding to the first core network device is gNB-CU1.

[0218] Figure 3 Signaling of the broadcast session establishment method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ,like Figure 3 As shown, including:

[0219] S301, 5GC PLMN1 sends a broadcast session establishment request to gNB-CU1-CP.

[0220] 5GC PLMN1 sends a broadcast session establishment request to gNB-CU1-CP, which includes the NG-U uplink address information between 5GC PLMN1 and gNB-CU1 (also called 5GC NG-U TNL1) and the broadcast session identifier. Based on the broadcast session identifier and MBS service area, it can be determined whether 5GC PLMN1 and other core network devices provide the same broadcast service and broadcast the same content.

[0221] S302: gNB-CU1-CP sends a broadcast bearer context establishment request to gNB-CU1-UP.

[0222] The broadcast bearer context establishment request is used to request the establishment of MBS session resources for the broadcast session. The broadcast bearer context establishment request includes 5GC NG-U TNL1.

[0223] S303, gNB-CU1-UP sends a broadcast bearer context establishment response to gNB-CU1-CP.

[0224] gNB-CU1-UP replies with a broadcast bearer context establishment response, which includes the NG-U downlink address information between gNB-CU1 and 5GC PLMN1 (also called gNB NG-U TNL1).

[0225] An NG-U tunnel is established between 5GC PLMN1 and CU through 5GC NG-U TNL1 and gNB NG-U TNL1, and the first indication information is carried in the broadcast bearer context establishment response, indicating that an NG-U tunnel is established between 5GC PLMN1 and CU.

[0226] Optionally, the broadcast bearer context establishment response also includes F1-U uplink address information (also called F1-U TNL CU1) between gNB-CU1 and gNB-DU, and F1-U TNL CU1 is used for subsequent establishment of an F1-U tunnel for 5GC PLMN1.

[0227] Optionally, in another implementation, when the NG-U tunnel already exists or the gNB-CU1-UP selects the NG-U multicast transmission mode and joins the 5GC PLMN1 multicast group, the gNB-CU1-UP decides not to establish a shared NG-U tunnel and does not provide gNB NG-U TNL1. The first indication information is carried in the broadcast bearer context establishment response, indicating that the NG-U tunnel is established between the 5GC PLMN1 and the CU.

[0228] That is to say, the NG-U tunnel can be a shared unicast NG-U tunnel or a multicast NG-U tunnel.

[0229] S304: gNB-CU1-CP sends a broadcast context establishment request to gNB-DU.

[0230] The broadcast context establishment request is used to request the establishment of a broadcast context. The broadcast context establishment request includes first indication information, F1-U TNL CU1 and a broadcast session identifier. The first indication information indicates that an NG-U tunnel is established between 5GC PLMN1 and gNB-CU1.

[0231] S305, gNB-DU sends a broadcast context establishment response to gNB-CU1-CP.

[0232] After receiving the broadcast context establishment request, the gNB-DU learns that an NG-U tunnel is established between the 5GC PLMN1 and the gNB-CU1 based on the first indication information. In this case, the gNB-DU can choose to establish an F1-U tunnel with the gNB-CU1. The gNB-DU sends a broadcast context establishment response to the gNB-CU1-CP, and the broadcast context establishment response includes the F1-U downlink address information (also called F1-U TNL DU1) between the gNB-CU1 and the gNB-DU.

[0233] S306. gNB-CU1-CP sends a broadcast bearer context modification request to gNB-CU1-UP.

[0234] The broadcast bearer context modification request is used to request modification of MBS session resources. The broadcast bearer context modification request includes F1-U TNL DU1.

[0235] S307, gNB-CU1-UP sends a broadcast bearer context modification response to gNB-CU1-CP.

[0236] Based on this, gNB-CU1-UP receives F1-U TNL DU1 and gNB-DU receives F1-U TNL CU1, so the F1-U tunnel for 5GC PLMN1 can be established.

[0237] S308, gNB-CU1-CP sends a broadcast session establishment response to 5GC PLMN1.

[0238] The broadcast session establishment response includes gNB NG-U TNL1. For 5GC PLMN1, after the NG-U tunnel and F1-U tunnel are established, the broadcast session can be established.

[0239] In the case of multicast NG-U tunnel, gNB-CU1-CP replies with a broadcast session establishment response to 5GC PLMN1, and no shared NG-U channel is established on 5GC PLMN1.

[0240] In the above Figure 3 In the embodiment, the process of establishing a broadcast session is introduced by taking the first indication information indicating that a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the CU as an example. Figure 4 , the process of establishing a broadcast session is introduced by taking the example that the first indication information indicates that the first NG-U tunnel has not been established between the first core network device and the CU.

[0241] Figure 4 Signaling of the broadcast session establishment method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ,like Figure 4 As shown, including:

[0242] S401, 5GC PLMN2 sends a broadcast session establishment request to gNB-CU2-CP.

[0243] 5GC PLMN2 sends a broadcast session establishment request to gNB-CU2-CP, which includes the NG-U uplink address information between 5GC PLMN2 and gNB-CU2 (also known as 5GC NG-U TNL2) and the broadcast session identifier. Based on the broadcast session identifier and MBS service area, it can be determined whether 5GC PLMN2 and other core network devices provide the same broadcast service and broadcast the same content.

[0244] S402: gNB-CU2-CP sends a broadcast bearer context establishment request to gNB-CU2-UP.

[0245] The broadcast bearer context establishment request is used to request the establishment of MBS session resources for the broadcast session. The broadcast bearer context establishment request includes 5GC NG-U TNL2.

[0246] S403: gNB-CU2-UP sends a broadcast bearer context establishment response to gNB-CU2-CP.

[0247] The gNB-CU2-UP replies with a broadcast bearer context establishment response, which includes first indication information indicating that an NG-U tunnel is not established between the 5GC PLMN2 and the CU. Optionally, the broadcast bearer context establishment response also includes F1-U uplink address information (also called F1-U TNL CU2) between the gNB-CU2 and the gNB-DU.

[0248] S404: gNB-CU2-CP sends a broadcast context establishment request to gNB-DU.

[0249] The broadcast context establishment request is used to request the establishment of a broadcast context. The broadcast context establishment request includes first indication information, F1-U TNL CU2 and a broadcast session identifier. The first indication information indicates that an NG-U tunnel is not established between 5GC PLMN1 and gNB-CU2.

[0250] S405, gNB-DU sends a broadcast context establishment response to gNB-CU2-CP.

[0251] After receiving the broadcast context establishment request, the gNB-DU learns based on the first indication information that no NG-U tunnel is established between the 5GC PLMN2 and gNB-CU2. In this case, the gNB-DU may choose not to establish an F1-U tunnel with gNB-CU2, and the gNB-CU2-CP does not need to trigger the broadcast context modification procedure. The gNB-DU sends a broadcast context establishment response to the gNB-CU2-CP, and the broadcast context establishment response includes the F1-U downlink address information (also called F1-UTNL DU2) between the gNB-CU2 and the gNB-DU.

[0252] S406, gNB-CU2-CP sends a broadcast session establishment response to 5GC PLMN2.

[0253] The gNB-CU2-CP replies a broadcast session establishment response to 5GC PLMN2, indicating that no shared NG-U channel is established on 5GC PLMN2.

[0254] In the case of multicast NG-U tunnel, the gNB-CU2-CP replies a broadcast session establishment response to 5GC PLMN2, and no shared NG-U channel is established on 5GC PLMN2.

[0255] It should be noted that the first core network device in the embodiment of the present application is any one of multiple core network devices that provide the same broadcast service, and does not refer to a specific core network device. For example, multiple core network devices include core network device A, core network device B, core network device C, and core network device D, then these four core network devices can all serve as the first core network device to perform the above operations.

[0256] The following describes a solution for establishing a broadcast session in a scenario where both the CU and the DU are shared.

[0257] In a scenario where both CU and DU are shared, the core network devices connected to the CU include a first core network device and at least one second core network device. The first core network device sends a broadcast session request to the CU, and the broadcast session request is a broadcast session modification request. Optionally, the broadcast session identifier of the first core network device is the same as the broadcast session identifier of at least one second core network device, and is used to identify the same broadcast session, that is, the first core network device and the at least one second core network device provide the same broadcast service.

[0258] After receiving the broadcast session request, the CU sends a broadcast context request to the DU, which is a broadcast context modification request. The broadcast context modification request includes second indication information and third indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate whether a second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the CU, and the third indication information is used to indicate that an F1-U tunnel is expected to be established between the CU and the DU.

[0259] The CU includes a CU-CP and a CU-UP. The CU-CP and the CU-UP belong to the same device. The CU-CP and the CU-UP can be in the same position or can be separately arranged. This is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0260] Optionally, in the process of CU sending a broadcast context request to DU, CU-CP first sends a broadcast bearer context request to CU-UP, CU-UP sends a broadcast bearer context response to CU-CP based on the broadcast bearer context request, and then CU-CP sends a broadcast context request to DU based on the broadcast bearer context response.

[0261] Optionally, the broadcast bearer context response includes the first indication information, the third indication information, the NG-U downlink address information between the CU and the second core network device, and the F1-U uplink address information between the CU and the DU.

[0262] Optionally, in the process of CU sending a broadcast context request to DU based on the broadcast bearer context response, first, the CU sends a broadcast distribution establishment request to the second core network device based on the first indication information and the third indication information, and the broadcast distribution establishment request includes the NG-U downlink address information between the CU and the second core network device; then, the CU receives the broadcast distribution establishment response sent by the second core network device, and the broadcast distribution establishment response includes the NG-U uplink address information between the CU and the second core network device, and the NG-U downlink address information and the NG-U uplink address information between the CU and the second core network device are used to establish a second NG-U tunnel; finally, the CU sends the broadcast context request to DU, and the broadcast context request includes the second indication information and the third indication information.

[0263] After receiving the broadcast context request, the DU determines whether to establish an F1-U tunnel with the CU based on the indication information.

[0264] In a possible implementation, the indication information includes second indication information and third indication information. When the second indication information indicates that a second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the CU, the DU determines to establish an F1-U tunnel with the CU.

[0265] In a possible implementation, the indication information includes second indication information and third indication information, and the second indication information indicates that when a second NG-U tunnel is not established between the second core network device and the CU, the DU determines not to establish an F1-U tunnel with the CU.

[0266] Combine the following Figure 5 This implementation is introduced in Figure 5 In the example, the first core network device is 5GC PLMN1 and the second core network device is 5GC PLMN2.

[0267] Figure 5 Signaling of the broadcast session establishment method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 3 ,like Figure 5 As shown, including:

[0268] S501, 5GC PLMN1 sends a broadcast session release request to the shared gNB-CU-CP.

[0269] Figure 5 The example scenario is that gNB-CU and gNB-DU are shared. Only NG-U tunnel and F1-U tunnel are established in 5GC PLMN1. The broadcast session of 5GC PLMN1 needs to be released for some reason. Therefore, 5GC PLMN1 sends a broadcast session release request to gNB-CU-CP to request the release of the broadcast session of 5GC PLMN1.

[0270] S502: The gNB-CU-CP sends a broadcast context release command to the shared gNB-DU.

[0271] After receiving the broadcast session release request, the gNB-CU-CP sends a broadcast context release command to the gNB-DU to release the broadcast session. Therefore, the F1-U tunnel between the gNB-DU and gNB-CU for 5GC PLMN1 is also disconnected. In order to ensure the continuity of broadcast services, the broadcast session needs to be reestablished.

[0272] S503: The gNB-CU-CP sends a broadcast bearer context modification request to the gNB-CU-UP.

[0273] The broadcast bearer context modification request is also called an E1AP broadcast bearer context modification request, and is used to modify MBS session resources.

[0274] S504: The gNB-CU-UP sends a broadcast bearer context modification response to the gNB-CU-CP.

[0275] After receiving the broadcast bearer context modification request, the gNB-CU-UP replies with a broadcast bearer context modification response, which includes the first indication information, the NG-U downlink address information between the gNB-CU and the second core network device (also called gNB NG-U TNL2), and the F1-U uplink address information between the gNB-CU and the gNB-DU (also called F1-U TNL CU2).

[0276] The first indication information is used to indicate that a first NG-U tunnel is established between 5GC PLMN1 and gNB-CU, and it is expected to establish an F1-U tunnel in 5GC PLMN2. Since the gNB-CU-CP is shared, the gNB-CU-CP can know that the only F1-U tunnel is to be released. The gNB-CU-CP autonomously chooses to establish the F1-U tunnel in 5GC PLMN2, and obtains the uplink address information F1-UTNL CU2 required to establish the F1-U tunnel by triggering a broadcast context modification request, that is, it is ready to establish the F1-U tunnel in PLMN 2.

[0277] S505, gNB-CU-CP sends a broadcast distribution establishment request to 5GC PLMN2.

[0278] In the broadcast distribution establishment request, gNB NG-U TNL2 is included. After receiving the broadcast distribution establishment request, 5GC PLMN2 can obtain gNB NG-U TNL2. That is, gNB-CU-CP provides gNB NG-U TNL2 to 5GC PLMN2 through the broadcast distribution establishment request.

[0279] S506, 5GC PLMN2 sends a broadcast distribution establishment response to gNB-CU-CP.

[0280] The broadcast distribution establishment response includes the NG-U uplink address information (also called 5GC NG-U TNL2) between 5GC PLMN2 and gNB-CU. After the gNB-CU-CP receives the broadcast distribution establishment response from 5GC PLMN2, it can obtain 5GCNG-U TNL2.

[0281] S507: The gNB-CU-CP sends a broadcast context modification request to the gNB-DU.

[0282] The broadcast context modification request is used to request modification of the broadcast context. The broadcast context modification request includes F1-UTNL CU2, and also includes second indication information and third indication information.

[0283] S508: The gNB-DU sends a broadcast context modification response to the gNB-CU-CP.

[0284] According to the second indication information and the third indication information, the gNB-DU learns that the NG-U tunnel between the 5GC PLMN2 and the gNB-CU exists and is ready to establish the F1-U tunnel in the 5GC PLMN2, and can choose to establish the F1-U tunnel in the 5GC PLMN2. The gNB-DU sends a broadcast context modification response to the gNB-CU-CP, and the broadcast context modification response includes the F1-U downlink address information (also called F1-U TNL DU) between the gNB-CU and the gNB-DU.

[0285] S509: The gNB-CU-CP sends a broadcast bearer context modification request to the gNB-CU-UP.

[0286] The gNB-CU-CP sends a broadcast bearer context modification request to the gNB-CU-UP to request modification of the MBS session resources. The broadcast bearer context modification request includes the 5GC NG-UTNL2 and F1-U TNL DU. At this point, the NG-U tunnel and F1-U tunnel for 5GCPLMN2 are successfully established.

[0287] S510, the gNB-CU-UP sends a broadcast bearer context modification response to the gNB-CU-CP.

[0288] S511, the gNB-DU sends a broadcast context release complete message to the gNB-CU-CP.

[0289] The broadcast context release complete message is used to indicate that the broadcast context for 5GC PLMN1 has been released.

[0290] S512, gNB-CU-CP sends a broadcast session release response to 5GC PLMN1.

[0291] After the broadcast context for 5GC PLMN1 is released, the gNB-CU-CP sends a broadcast session release response to 5GC PLMN1, indicating that the broadcast session of 5GC PLMN1 has been released.

[0292] In summary, the solution of the embodiment of the present application, during the broadcast session establishment process of different core network devices in the base station sharing scenario, the CU-CP can provide the DU with an indication of the NG-U tunnel establishment status of the current core network device, so that the DU can select the core network device to establish the F1-U tunnel based on this indication information as a reference, thereby avoiding the problem of slow signaling process caused by the CU-CP of the selected core network device needing to re-trigger the CU-UP to establish the NG-U tunnel or the F1-U tunnel due to blind selection, thereby achieving the rapid establishment of broadcast session NG-U tunnels and F1-U tunnels of different core network devices in the base station sharing scenario.

[0293] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a distribution unit provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 6 As shown, the distribution unit includes a memory 620, a transceiver 600, and a processor 610, wherein:

[0294] The memory 620 is used to store computer programs; the transceiver 600 is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor 610; the processor 610 is used to read the computer program in the memory 620 and perform the following operations:

[0295] receiving a broadcast context request sent by a centralized unit, wherein the broadcast context request includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate whether an NG-U tunnel is established;

[0296] According to the indication information, it is determined whether to establish an F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit, wherein the F1-U tunnel and the NG-U tunnel are used to establish a broadcast session.

[0297] Specifically, the transceiver 600 is used to receive and send data under the control of the processor 610 .

[0298] Among them, Figure 6 In the embodiment, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically linking together various circuits of one or more processors represented by processor 610 and memory represented by memory 620. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and are therefore not further described herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 600 may be a plurality of components, namely, a transmitter and a receiver, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices on a transmission medium, which may include transmission media such as wireless channels, wired channels, optical cables, etc. The processor 610 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 620 may store data used by the processor 610 when performing operations.

[0299] Optionally, the processor 610 may be a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), and the processor may also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0300] The processor calls the computer program stored in the memory to execute any of the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application according to the obtained executable instructions. The processor and the memory can also be arranged physically separately.

[0301] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0302] The first indication information is used to indicate whether a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit;

[0303] The second indication information is used to indicate whether a second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the centralized unit;

[0304] The third indication information is used to indicate that it is desired to establish an F1-U tunnel between the centralized unit and the distributed unit.

[0305] In one possible implementation,

[0306] The core network device connected to the centralized unit is the first core network device, and the indication information includes the first indication information;

[0307] or,

[0308] The core network devices connected to the centralized unit include the first core network device and the second core network device, and the indication information includes the second indication information and the third indication information.

[0309] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes the first indication information; and determining whether to establish an F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit according to the indication information includes:

[0310] When the first indication information indicates that the first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit, determine to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit;

[0311] When the first indication information indicates that the first NG-U tunnel is not established between the first core network device and the centralized unit, it is determined not to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit.

[0312] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes the second indication information and the third indication information; and determining whether to establish an F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit according to the indication information includes:

[0313] When the second indication information indicates that the second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the centralized unit, determine to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit;

[0314] When the second indication information indicates that the second NG-U tunnel is not established between the second core network device and the centralized unit, it is determined not to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit.

[0315] In a possible implementation, the broadcast session is a broadcast session indicated by a broadcast session identifier of a first core network device, and the broadcast session identifier of the first core network device is the same as a broadcast session identifier of at least one second core network device.

[0316] It should be noted here that the above-mentioned distribution unit provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the method embodiment in which the execution subject is the distribution unit, and can achieve the same technical effect. The parts and beneficial effects of this embodiment that are the same as the method embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0317] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a centralized unit provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 7 As shown, the centralized unit includes a memory 720, a transceiver 700, and a processor 710, wherein:

[0318] The memory 720 is used to store computer programs; the transceiver 700 is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor 710; the processor 710 is used to read the computer program in the memory 720 and perform the following operations:

[0319] Receiving a broadcast session request sent by the first core network device;

[0320] According to the broadcast session request, a broadcast context request is sent to the distribution unit, wherein the broadcast context request includes indication information, wherein the indication information is used to indicate whether an NG-U tunnel is established, and the NG-U tunnel is used to establish the broadcast session.

[0321] Specifically, the transceiver 700 is used to receive and send data under the control of the processor 710.

[0322] Among them, Figure 7 In the embodiment, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically linking together various circuits of one or more processors represented by processor 710 and memory represented by memory 720. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and are therefore not further described herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 700 may be a plurality of components, namely, a transmitter and a receiver, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices on a transmission medium, which may include transmission media such as wireless channels, wired channels, optical cables, etc. The processor 710 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 720 may store data used by the processor 710 when performing operations.

[0323] Optionally, the processor 710 may be a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA or a CPLD, and the processor may also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0324] The processor calls the computer program stored in the memory to execute any of the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application according to the obtained executable instructions. The processor and the memory can also be arranged physically separately.

[0325] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0326] first indication information, used to indicate whether a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit;

[0327] The second indication information is used to indicate whether a second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the centralized unit;

[0328] The third indication information is used to indicate that it is desired to establish an F1-U tunnel between the centralized unit and the distributed unit.

[0329] In one possible implementation,

[0330] The core network device connected to the centralized unit is the first core network device, and the indication information includes the first indication information;

[0331] or,

[0332] The core network devices connected to the centralized unit include the first core network device and the second core network device, and the indication information includes the second indication information and the third indication information.

[0333] In a possible implementation manner, sending a broadcast context request to a distribution unit according to the broadcast session request includes:

[0334] The control plane of the centralized unit sends a broadcast bearer context request to the user plane of the centralized unit;

[0335] The user plane of the centralized unit sends a broadcast bearer context response to the control plane of the centralized unit according to the broadcast bearer context request;

[0336] The control plane of the centralized unit sends the broadcast context request to the distributed unit according to the broadcast bearer context response.

[0337] In a possible implementation manner, the core network device to which the centralized unit is connected is the first core network device, wherein:

[0338] The broadcast bearer context response includes the first indication information, NG-U downlink address information between the centralized unit and the first core network device, and F1-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the distributed unit, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit;

[0339] or,

[0340] The broadcast bearer context response includes the first indication information and the F1-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the distributed unit, and the first indication information is used to indicate that a first NG-U tunnel is not established between the first core network device and the centralized unit.

[0341] In a possible implementation manner, the core network device connected to the centralized unit includes the first core network device and the second core network device, wherein:

[0342] The broadcast bearer context response includes the first indication information, the third indication information, the NG-U downlink address information between the centralized unit and the second core network device, and the F1-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the distributed unit.

[0343] In a possible implementation manner, sending the broadcast context request to the distribution unit according to the broadcast bearer context response includes:

[0344] Sending a broadcast distribution establishment request to the second core network device according to the first indication information and the third indication information, wherein the broadcast distribution establishment request includes NG-U downlink address information between the central unit and the second core network device;

[0345] Receive a broadcast distribution establishment response sent by the second core network device, wherein the broadcast distribution establishment response includes NG-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the second core network device, and the NG-U downlink address information and NG-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the second core network device are used to establish the second NG-U tunnel;

[0346] The broadcast context request is sent to the distribution unit, where the broadcast context request includes the second indication information and the third indication information.

[0347] In a possible implementation, the broadcast session is a broadcast session indicated by a broadcast session identifier of a first core network device, and the broadcast session identifier of the first core network device is the same as a broadcast session identifier of at least one second core network device.

[0348] It should be noted here that the above-mentioned centralized unit provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the method embodiment in which the execution subject is the centralized unit, and can achieve the same technical effect. The parts and beneficial effects of this embodiment that are the same as those of the method embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0349] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of the broadcast session establishment device provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ,like Figure 8 As shown, the device comprises:

[0350] A first transceiver module 81 is configured to receive a broadcast context request sent by a centralized unit, wherein the broadcast context request includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate whether an NG-U tunnel is established;

[0351] The processing module 82 is used to determine whether to establish an F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit according to the indication information, and the F1-U tunnel and the NG-U tunnel are used to establish a broadcast session.

[0352] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0353] The first indication information is used to indicate whether a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit;

[0354] The second indication information is used to indicate whether a second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the centralized unit;

[0355] The third indication information is used to indicate that it is desired to establish an F1-U tunnel between the centralized unit and the distributed unit.

[0356] In one possible implementation,

[0357] The core network device connected to the centralized unit is the first core network device, and the indication information includes the first indication information;

[0358] or,

[0359] The core network devices connected to the centralized unit include the first core network device and the second core network device, and the indication information includes the second indication information and the third indication information.

[0360] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes the first indication information; and the processing module 82 is specifically configured to:

[0361] When the first indication information indicates that the first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit, determine to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit;

[0362] When the first indication information indicates that the first NG-U tunnel is not established between the first core network device and the centralized unit, it is determined not to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit.

[0363] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes the second indication information and the third indication information; and the processing module 82 is specifically configured to:

[0364] When the second indication information indicates that the second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the centralized unit, determine to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit;

[0365] When the second indication information indicates that the second NG-U tunnel is not established between the second core network device and the centralized unit, it is determined not to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit.

[0366] In a possible implementation, the broadcast session is a broadcast session indicated by a broadcast session identifier of a first core network device, and the broadcast session identifier of the first core network device is the same as a broadcast session identifier of at least one second core network device.

[0367] Specifically, the broadcast session establishment device provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the method embodiment in which the execution subject is a distribution unit, and can achieve the same technical effect. The parts and beneficial effects of this embodiment that are the same as those of the method embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0368] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of the broadcast session establishment device provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ,like Fig. 9 As shown, the device comprises:

[0369] The second transceiver module 91 is used to receive a broadcast session request sent by the first core network device;

[0370] The third transceiver module 92 is used to send a broadcast context request to the distribution unit according to the broadcast session request, and the broadcast context request includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate whether an NG-U tunnel is established, and the NG-U tunnel is used to establish a broadcast session.

[0371] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0372] first indication information, used to indicate whether a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit;

[0373] The second indication information is used to indicate whether a second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the centralized unit;

[0374] The third indication information is used to indicate that it is desired to establish an F1-U tunnel between the centralized unit and the distributed unit.

[0375] In one possible implementation,

[0376] The core network device connected to the centralized unit is the first core network device, and the indication information includes the first indication information;

[0377] or,

[0378] The core network devices connected to the centralized unit include the first core network device and the second core network device, and the indication information includes the second indication information and the third indication information.

[0379] In a possible implementation manner, the third transceiver module 92 is specifically configured to:

[0380] The control plane of the centralized unit sends a broadcast bearer context request to the user plane of the centralized unit;

[0381] The user plane of the centralized unit sends a broadcast bearer context response to the control plane of the centralized unit according to the broadcast bearer context request;

[0382] The control plane of the centralized unit sends the broadcast context request to the distributed unit according to the broadcast bearer context response.

[0383] In a possible implementation manner, the core network device to which the centralized unit is connected is the first core network device, wherein:

[0384] The broadcast bearer context response includes the first indication information, NG-U downlink address information between the centralized unit and the first core network device, and F1-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the distributed unit, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit;

[0385] or,

[0386] The broadcast bearer context response includes the first indication information and the F1-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the distributed unit, and the first indication information is used to indicate that a first NG-U tunnel is not established between the first core network device and the centralized unit.

[0387] In a possible implementation manner, the core network device connected to the centralized unit includes the first core network device and the second core network device, wherein:

[0388] The broadcast bearer context response includes the first indication information, the third indication information, the NG-U downlink address information between the centralized unit and the second core network device, and the F1-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the distributed unit.

[0389] In a possible implementation manner, the third transceiver module 92 is specifically configured to:

[0390] Sending a broadcast distribution establishment request to the second core network device according to the first indication information and the third indication information, wherein the broadcast distribution establishment request includes NG-U downlink address information between the central unit and the second core network device;

[0391] Receive a broadcast distribution establishment response sent by the second core network device, wherein the broadcast distribution establishment response includes NG-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the second core network device, and the NG-U downlink address information and NG-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the second core network device are used to establish the second NG-U tunnel;

[0392] The broadcast context request is sent to the distribution unit, where the broadcast context request includes the second indication information and the third indication information.

[0393] In a possible implementation, the broadcast session is a broadcast session indicated by a broadcast session identifier of a first core network device, and the broadcast session identifier of the first core network device is the same as a broadcast session identifier of at least one second core network device.

[0394] Specifically, the broadcast session establishment device provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the method embodiment in which the execution subject is a centralized unit, and can achieve the same technical effect. The parts and beneficial effects of this embodiment that are the same as those of the method embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0395] It should be noted that the division of units / modules in the above embodiments of the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0396] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a processor-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions to enable a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or a processor (processor) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), disk or optical disk and other media that can store program codes.

[0397] In some embodiments, a computer-readable storage medium is further provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is used to enable a computer to execute the broadcast session establishment method provided by the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0398] Specifically, the above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the above-mentioned method embodiments, and can achieve the same technical effect. The parts and beneficial effects of this embodiment that are the same as the method embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0399] It should be noted that the computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium or data storage device that can be accessed by the processor, including but not limited to magnetic storage (such as floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes, magneto-optical disks (MO), etc.), optical storage (such as CD, DVD, BD, HVD, etc.), and semiconductor storage (such as ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, non-volatile memory (NAND FLASH), solid-state drive (SSD)), etc.

[0400] It should also be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the terms used in this way can be interchangeable under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described here, and the objects distinguished by "first" and "second" are generally of the same type, and the number of objects is not limited. For example, the first object can be one or more.

[0401] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "and / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0402] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "plurality" refers to two or more than two, and other quantifiers are similar.

[0403] The technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applicable to a variety of systems, especially 5G systems. For example, the applicable system can be a global system of mobile communication (GSM) system, a code division multiple access (CDMA) system, a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) GPRS system, an LTE system, a LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, a LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, an advanced long term evolution (LTE-A) system, a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), a world-wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) system, a 5G NR system, etc. These various systems include terminal equipment and network equipment. The system may also include a core network part, such as an evolved packet system (EPS), a 5G system (5GS), etc.

[0404] The terminal device involved in the embodiment of the present application may be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, a handheld device with a wireless connection function, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. In different systems, the name of the terminal device may also be different. For example, in a 5G system, the terminal device may be called a user equipment (UE). The wireless terminal device can communicate with one or more core networks (CN) via the RAN. The wireless terminal device can be a mobile terminal device, such as a mobile phone (or a "cellular" phone) and a computer with a mobile terminal device. For example, it can be a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-built-in or vehicle-mounted mobile device that exchanges language and / or data with a wireless access network. For example, personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDA) and other devices. The wireless terminal device may also be referred to as a system, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, an access point, a remote terminal device, an access terminal device, a user terminal device, a user agent, and a user device, but is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0405] The network device involved in the embodiment of the present application may be a base station, which may include multiple cells providing services for the terminal. Depending on the specific application scenario, the base station may also be called an access point, or may be a device in the access network that communicates with the wireless terminal device through one or more sectors on the air interface, or other names. The network device may be used to interchange received air frames with IP packets, and serve as a router between the wireless terminal device and the rest of the access network, wherein the rest of the access network may include an IP communication network. The network device may also coordinate the attribute management of the air interface. For example, the network device involved in the embodiments of the present application may be a network device (Base Transceiver Station, BTS) in the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), or a network device (NodeB) in Wide-band Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), or an evolutionary network device (eNB or e-NodeB) in the LTE system, a 5G base station (gNB) in the 5G network architecture (next generation system), or a home evolved Node B (HeNB), a relay node, a home base station (femto), a pico base station (pico), etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In some network structures, the network device may include a CU node and a DU node, and the centralized unit and the distributed unit may also be arranged geographically separately.

[0406] Network devices and terminal devices can each use one or more antennas for multi-input multi-output (MIMO) transmission. MIMO transmission can be single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) or multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO). Depending on the form and number of antenna combinations, MIMO transmission can be 2D-MIMO, 3D-MIMO, FD-MIMO or massive-MIMO, or it can be diversity transmission, precoding transmission or beamforming transmission, etc.

[0407] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application may adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application may adopt the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage and optical storage, etc.) that contain computer-usable program code.

[0408] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that each process and / or box in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the processes and / or boxes in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer executable instructions. These computer executable instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to generate a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the processes in the flowchart and / or block diagram. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0409] These processor executable instructions may also be stored in a processor readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the processor readable memory produce an article of manufacture including an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A function specified in one or more boxes.

[0410] These processor-executable instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operational steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions for executing on the computer or other programmable device to implement the process. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps for the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0411] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a broadcast session, characterized in that: Applied to a distribution unit, the method comprises: receiving a broadcast context request sent by a centralized unit, wherein the broadcast context request includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate whether a next generation interface user plane NG-U tunnel is established; According to the indication information, it is determined whether to establish an F1 interface user plane F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit, wherein the F1-U tunnel and the NG-U tunnel are used to establish a broadcast session.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The indication information includes at least one of the following: The first indication information is used to indicate whether a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit; The second indication information is used to indicate whether a second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the centralized unit; The third indication information is used to indicate that it is desired to establish an F1-U tunnel between the centralized unit and the distributed unit.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The core network device connected to the centralized unit is the first core network device, and the indication information includes the first indication information; or, The core network devices connected to the centralized unit include the first core network device and the second core network device, and the indication information includes the second indication information and the third indication information.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The indication information includes the first indication information; and determining whether to establish an F1 interface user plane F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit according to the indication information includes: When the first indication information indicates that the first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit, determine to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit; When the first indication information indicates that the first NG-U tunnel is not established between the first core network device and the centralized unit, it is determined not to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The indication information includes the second indication information and the third indication information; and determining whether to establish an F1 interface user plane F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit according to the indication information includes: When the second indication information indicates that the second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the centralized unit, determine to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit; When the second indication information indicates that the second NG-U tunnel is not established between the second core network device and the centralized unit, it is determined not to establish the F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The broadcast session is a broadcast session indicated by a broadcast session identifier of a first core network device, and the broadcast session identifier of the first core network device is the same as a broadcast session identifier of at least one second core network device.

7. A method for establishing a broadcast session, characterized in that: Applied to a centralized unit, the method comprises: Receiving a broadcast session request sent by the first core network device; According to the broadcast session request, a broadcast context request is sent to the distribution unit, wherein the broadcast context request includes indication information, wherein the indication information is used to indicate whether an NG-U tunnel is established, and the NG-U tunnel is used to establish the broadcast session.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The indication information includes at least one of the following: first indication information, used to indicate whether a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit; The second indication information is used to indicate whether a second NG-U tunnel is established between the second core network device and the centralized unit; The third indication information is used to indicate that it is desired to establish an F1-U tunnel between the centralized unit and the distributed unit.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The core network device connected to the centralized unit is the first core network device, and the indication information includes the first indication information; or, The core network devices connected to the centralized unit include the first core network device and the second core network device, and the indication information includes the second indication information and the third indication information.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The sending a broadcast context request to a distribution unit according to the broadcast session request includes: The control plane of the centralized unit sends a broadcast bearer context request to the user plane of the centralized unit; The user plane of the centralized unit sends a broadcast bearer context response to the control plane of the centralized unit according to the broadcast bearer context request; The control plane of the centralized unit sends the broadcast context request to the distributed unit according to the broadcast bearer context response.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The core network device to which the centralized unit is connected is the first core network device, wherein: The broadcast bearer context response includes the first indication information, NG-U downlink address information between the centralized unit and the first core network device, and F1-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the distributed unit, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that a first NG-U tunnel is established between the first core network device and the centralized unit; or, The broadcast bearer context response includes the first indication information and the F1-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the distributed unit, and the first indication information is used to indicate that a first NG-U tunnel is not established between the first core network device and the centralized unit.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The core network devices connected to the centralized unit include the first core network device and the second core network device, wherein: The broadcast bearer context response includes the first indication information, the third indication information, the NG-U downlink address information between the centralized unit and the second core network device, and the F1-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the distributed unit.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The sending the broadcast context request to the distribution unit according to the broadcast bearer context response includes: Sending a broadcast distribution establishment request to the second core network device according to the first indication information and the third indication information, wherein the broadcast distribution establishment request includes NG-U downlink address information between the central unit and the second core network device; Receive a broadcast distribution establishment response sent by the second core network device, wherein the broadcast distribution establishment response includes NG-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the second core network device, and the NG-U downlink address information and NG-U uplink address information between the centralized unit and the second core network device are used to establish the second NG-U tunnel; The broadcast context request is sent to the distribution unit, where the broadcast context request includes the second indication information and the third indication information.

14. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 13, characterized in that: The broadcast session is a broadcast session indicated by a broadcast session identifier of a first core network device, and the broadcast session identifier of the first core network device is the same as a broadcast session identifier of at least one second core network device.

15. A distribution unit, characterized in that: Including memory, transceiver, processor; A memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for transmitting and receiving data under the control of the processor; and a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and performing the following operations: receiving a broadcast context request sent by a centralized unit, wherein the broadcast context request includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate whether an NG-U tunnel is established; According to the indication information, it is determined whether to establish an F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit, wherein the F1-U tunnel and the NG-U tunnel are used to establish a broadcast session.

16. A centralized unit, characterized in that: Including memory, transceiver, processor; A memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for transmitting and receiving data under the control of the processor; and a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and performing the following operations: Receiving a broadcast session request sent by the first core network device; According to the broadcast session request, a broadcast context request is sent to the distribution unit, wherein the broadcast context request includes indication information, wherein the indication information is used to indicate whether an NG-U tunnel is established, and the NG-U tunnel is used to establish the broadcast session.

17. A broadcast session establishment device, characterized in that: The device comprises: A first transceiver module, configured to receive a broadcast context request sent by a centralized unit, wherein the broadcast context request includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate whether an NG-U tunnel is established; A processing module is used to determine whether to establish an F1-U tunnel with the centralized unit according to the indication information, wherein the F1-U tunnel and the NG-U tunnel are used to establish a broadcast session.

18. A broadcast session establishment device, characterized in that: The device comprises: A second transceiver module, used to receive a broadcast session request sent by the first core network device; The third transceiver module is used to send a broadcast context request to the distribution unit according to the broadcast session request, and the broadcast context request includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate whether an NG-U tunnel is established, and the NG-U tunnel is used to establish a broadcast session.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is used to enable a computer to execute the broadcast session establishment method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

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