Communication method and system and storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and system and a storage medium, the method is applied to a base station subsystem, the base station subsystem supports sharing of N operator networks, the base station subsystem comprises a base station controller BSC and a base station BTS, and the method comprises the following steps: the BSC generates first information based on M time slots corresponding to the same carrier frequency, the first information comprises information of N public land access networks (PLMNs) of N operator networks, the information of the N PLMNs is carried on N broadcast control channels (BCCHs), the N BCCHs are respectively modulated on N time slots in the M time slots, and N is smaller than M; and the BTS broadcasts the first information on a carrier corresponding to the carrier frequency, so that the terminal accesses a corresponding first operator network. On the basis, under the conditions that the PLMN of an operator is not changed and card changing operation is not carried out, hardware sharing and cell radio frequency resource sharing in a base station subsystem of the GSM are realized based on the MOCN.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular, to communication methods, systems, and storage media. Background Art

[0002] The global system for mobile communication (GSM) with the second generation (2G) mobile communication technology as its communication standard will still need to be retained for a long time due to factors such as difficult replacement and long replacement cycle. To reduce the investment in aspects such as the spectrum, energy consumption, and operation and maintenance of GSM, network merger and sharing can be carried out among operators.

[0003] Among the communication protocols supported by both GSM and terminals with low communication standards (such as 2G), the base station in GSM only allows broadcasting of the public land mobile network (PLMN) information of one operator through a broadcast control channel (BCCH). To achieve sharing of base station side devices and cell radio frequency resources, a GSM cell can choose to reapply for a new PLMN shared by multiple operators and broadcast the new PLMN through the BCCH, or it can also choose to broadcast the PLMN of one of the multiple shared operators (target PLMN).

[0004] However, if a new PLMN shared by multiple operators is reapplied for, there are problems such as a long application cycle and possible garbled operator icons for terminals accessing the network after being put into use. If the target PLMN is broadcast, terminals of other operators may not be able to access the network based on the target PLMN. Because terminals of other operators may have added the target PLMN to the forbidden PLMN (FPLMN) list stored in the subscriber identification module (SIM), resulting in the terminal no longer attempting to access the operator network corresponding to the target PLMN, making the terminal unable to access the network. This requires a SIM replacement operation because the FPLMN list in the new SIM is empty.

[0005] Therefore, how to achieve sharing of the hardware and resources on the base station device side in GSM, as well as sharing of cell radio frequency power consumption and spectrum, without changing the PLMN of the operator and without performing a SIM replacement operation, is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method, system, and storage medium. A base transceiver station (BTS) broadcasts public land mobile network (PLMN) information of N operator networks on N broadcast control channels (BCCHs) on the same carrier, so as to achieve hardware sharing and cell radio frequency resource sharing in a base station subsystem of GSM based on multi-operator core network (MOCN) without changing the PLMN of the operator and without performing a SIM card replacement operation.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a base station subsystem. The base station subsystem supports sharing of N operator networks, where N is greater than or equal to 2. The base station subsystem includes a base station controller (BSC) and a base transceiver station (BTS). The method includes: The BSC generates first information based on M time slots corresponding to the same carrier frequency. The first information includes N PLMN information of the N operator networks. The N PLMN information is carried on N BCCHs, and the N BCCHs are respectively modulated on N of the M time slots. N is less than M. The BTS broadcasts the first information on the carrier corresponding to the carrier frequency, so that a terminal accesses a first operator network corresponding to the terminal based on the first information. The first operator network belongs to the N operator networks.

[0008] By using the method provided in the present application, N of the M time slots in the same carrier frequency (also referred to as the first carrier frequency in the embodiments of the present application) are modulated into BCCHs, so that N PLMNs corresponding to N operator networks can be broadcast on N different BCCHs on the same carrier. Thus, on the one hand, the shared operator does not need to apply for a new shared PLMN. On the other hand, if the terminal's network access is not the first time, the terminal can select a PLMN that is the same as the previously accessed PLMN from the above N PLMNs to correctly access the first operator network. Therefore, the terminal does not need to access other operator networks except the first operator network corresponding to the SIM configured in the terminal, and thus does not need to replace the SIM card to clear the FPLMN list recorded in the SIM card. If the terminal's network access is the first time, the terminal can attempt to access the network based on the above N PLMNs in sequence until it correctly accesses the first operator network. In summary, the communication method provided in the present application can achieve hardware resource sharing and cell radio frequency resource sharing in the base station subsystem of GSM without changing the PLMN of the operator and without performing a SIM card replacement operation.

[0009] In some possible implementations, the first information further includes N pulse signals respectively corresponding to the N operator networks. The N pulse signals are carried on N frequency correction channels (FCCHs), and the N FCCHs are respectively modulated on the time slots corresponding to the N BCCHs. The pulse signals are used to indicate the network signals of the corresponding operators. The method further includes: during the process of the BTS continuously broadcasting the first information, the BTS sequentially adjusts the energies of the N pulse signals carried on the N FCCHs according to a preset period, so that after each adjustment, the energy of one of the N pulse signals is greater than the energies of the other pulse signals.

[0010] Adopting this method, when the terminal first accesses the network and the terminal accesses the operator network with the strongest signal on the same carrier through the energy search method based on the 45008 protocol, the terminal can correctly access the first operator network based on the first information broadcast by the BTS in one of the N preset periods, thereby ensuring the correct network access requirement of the terminal in the scenario of first network access.

[0011] In some possible implementations, in every N adjustments, the pulse signal with the highest energy among the N pulse signals is sequentially one of the N pulse signals.

[0012] In some possible implementations, the preset period is related to a first duration, and the first duration is the maximum duration required for the terminal to perform one network registration attempt. For example, if the first duration is 5 seconds (s), the preset period can be 6 s.

[0013] It can be understood that when the terminal attempts to access the network based on the first information broadcast in a preset period but fails to access the network, it is possible that the pulse signal with the strongest energy in the first information broadcast in the next preset period of this preset period corresponds to the operator network of the terminal. Therefore, setting the value of the preset period based on the first duration can enable the terminal not to miss the first information broadcast by the BTS in two adjacent preset periods when the network access attempt fails.

[0014] In some possible implementations, the method further includes: after the terminal accesses the first operator network, the BTS performs communication interaction with the terminal based on a first time slot and a first offset. The first time slot is the communication time slot allocated by the BTS for the terminal, and the first offset is the offset between the time slot where the BCCH corresponding to the first operator network is located and the first time slot among the M time slots.

[0015] Adopting this method, the BTS performs time slot alignment with the terminal based on the first time slot and the first offset, ensuring the accuracy of the communication between the BTS and the terminal.

[0016] In some possible implementation manners, the BTS communicating and interacting with the terminal based on the first time slot and the first offset includes: the BTS communicating and interacting with the terminal based on a second time slot, where the second time slot is a value obtained by taking the remainder of the quotient of the sum of the first offset and the first time slot divided by M.

[0017] In some possible implementation manners, the second time slot is one or more time slots among the M time slots other than the time slots corresponding to the N BCCHs.

[0018] In some possible implementation manners, the second time slot is the time slot corresponding to the first time slot in a time slot mapping table, where the time slot mapping table is determined based on the first offset, and the time slot mapping table is used to record the correspondence between the communication time slots perceived by the terminals accessing the corresponding operator network and the communication time slots perceived by the BTS.

[0019] In some possible implementation manners, the second time slot is the next time slot of the time slot where the BCCH corresponding to the first operator network is located.

[0020] In some possible implementation manners, the second time slot is modulated into an independent dedicated control channel (SDCCH), a traffic channel (TCH), or a packet data channel (PDCH).

[0021] In some possible implementation manners, there is at least one time slot interval between the time slots corresponding to every two BCCHs among the N BCCHs.

[0022] By adopting this method, interference between different pulse signals on adjacent two BCCH time slots can be avoided.

[0023] In some possible implementation manners, the first information further includes N base station identification codes corresponding to the N operator networks respectively, where the N base station identification codes are carried on N synchronization channels (SCHs), and the N SCHs are respectively modulated on the time slots corresponding to the N BCCHs.

[0024] In a second aspect, the present application further provides a communication system, including: a processing unit, configured to generate first information based on M time slots corresponding to the same carrier frequency, where the first information includes N public land mobile network (PLMN) information of the N operator networks, the N PLMN information are carried on N broadcast control channels (BCCHs), and the N BCCHs are respectively modulated on N time slots among the M time slots, where N is less than M; a transceiver unit, configured to broadcast the first information on a carrier corresponding to the carrier frequency, where the first information is used for a terminal to access a first operator network corresponding to the terminal, and the first operator network belongs to the N operator networks.

[0025] In some possible implementation manners, the first information further includes N pulse signals respectively corresponding to N operator networks. The N pulse signals are carried on N frequency correction channels (FCCHs), and the N FCCHs are respectively modulated on time slots corresponding to the N BCCHs. The pulse signals are used to indicate network signals of corresponding operators. The transceiver unit is further configured to, in the process of continuously broadcasting the first information, the BTS sequentially adjusts the energies of the N pulse signals carried on the N FCCHs according to a preset period, such that after each adjustment, the energy of one of the N pulse signals is greater than the energies of other pulse signals.

[0026] In some possible implementation manners, in every N adjustments, the pulse signal with the highest energy among the N pulse signals is sequentially one of the N pulse signals.

[0027] In some possible implementation manners, the preset period is related to a first duration, and the first duration is the maximum duration required for the terminal to perform one network registration attempt.

[0028] In some possible implementation manners, after the terminal accesses the first operator network, the transceiver unit is further configured to communicate and interact with the terminal based on a first time slot and a first offset. The first time slot is a communication time slot allocated by the BTS for the terminal, and the first offset is an offset between the time slot where the BCCH corresponding to the first operator network is located and the first time slot among the M time slots.

[0029] In some possible implementation manners, the transceiver unit is specifically configured to communicate and interact with the terminal based on a second time slot. The second time slot is a time slot corresponding to a value obtained by taking the remainder of the sum of the first offset and the first time slot divided by M.

[0030] In some possible implementation manners, the second time slot is one or more time slots among the M time slots except for the time slots corresponding to the N BCCHs.

[0031] In some possible implementation manners, the second time slot is the time slot corresponding to the first time slot in a time slot mapping table. The time slot mapping table is determined based on the first offset, and the time slot mapping table is used to record the correspondence between the communication time slots perceived by the terminals accessing the corresponding operator networks and the communication time slots perceived by the BTS.

[0032] In some possible implementation manners, the second time slot is the next time slot after the time slot where the BCCH corresponding to the first operator network is located.

[0033] In some possible implementations, the second time slot is modulated into an independent dedicated control channel SDCCH, a traffic channel TCH, or a packet data channel PDCH.

[0034] In some possible implementations, there is at least one time slot interval between the time slots corresponding to every two of the N BCCHs.

[0035] In some possible implementations, the first information further includes N base station identification codes corresponding to the N operator networks respectively, the N base station identification codes are carried on N synchronization channels SCH, and the N SCHs are respectively modulated on the time slots corresponding to the N BCCHs.

[0036] In some possible implementations, the transceiver unit may be a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, or an input / output interface.

[0037] In a third aspect, the present application provides a base station subsystem that supports sharing of N operator networks, where N is greater than or equal to 2. The base station subsystem includes a base station controller BSC and a base station BTS. The BSC is configured to execute the methods or steps performed by any BSC in the first aspect or any implementation manner of the first aspect, and the BTS is configured to execute the methods or steps performed by any BTS in the first aspect or any implementation manner of the first aspect to implement sharing of the N operator networks.

[0038] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product containing instructions. When the computer program product runs on an electronic device, the electronic device is caused to execute the method shown in any implementation manner in the corresponding aspect of the application embodiment.

[0039] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program. When the computer program is executed, the method shown in any implementation manner in the corresponding aspect of the application embodiment is implemented.

[0040] It can be understood that the above-provided communication device, communication system, computer storage medium, computer program, computer program product, and chip system are all used to execute the method shown in any implementation manner in the corresponding aspect of the application embodiment. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects in the corresponding method, which will not be elaborated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a RAN Sharing communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 2Schematic diagram of the architecture of a MOCN communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 4 Schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of channel allocation for time slots on the same carrier frequency provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the channel composition of a BCCH time slot provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of channel allocation for time slots on the same carrier frequency provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the change of the pulse signal carried in the first information continuously broadcast by a BTS according to a preset period provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Figure 9 Schematic flowchart of a method for a terminal to access the network provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0051] The following introduces the professional terms involved in the present application.

[0052] (1) BCCH, FCCH, SCH, CCCH

[0053] The broadcast control channel (BCCH) is a "one-to-many" unidirectional control channel used by the base transceiver station (BTS) to broadcast public information to terminals to transmit system public control information, such as the number of the common control channel (CCCH) and parameters related to whether it is associated with the standalone dedicated control channel (SDCCH), cell information, cell power, and cell handover. Exemplarily, the BCCH can broadcast various system messages such as system message 3, system message 22, and system message 23.

[0054] The frequency correction channel (FCCH) belongs to the downlink channel and carries information for correcting the terminal frequency. Its function is to enable the terminal to locate the cell channel and demodulate other information of the cell.

[0055] The synchronization channel (SCH) provides key time synchronization data for the mobile station. The information on the SCH contains the information necessary for the terminal to calibrate the time, as well as information on network air interface correction, system data, and paging channel data rate.

[0056] The CCCH is a "one-to-many" bidirectional control channel, and its purpose is to transmit the control signaling and information required for the BTS and the terminal to establish a link during the call connection phase.

[0057] On the same frequency point, the BCCH is used to broadcast system messages, which include the PLMN; the FCCH carries messages for correcting the terminal frequency, enabling the terminal to locate and demodulate other information of the same cell; the SCH channel contains the time division multiple access (TDMA) frame number and the base station identity code (BSIC) of the cell, enabling the terminal to synchronize with the cell; the CCCH is used to transmit the control signaling and information required for the BTS and the terminal to establish a link during the call connection phase, enabling the terminal and the BTS to successfully establish a link.

[0058] (2) SDCCH, TCH, PDCH

[0059] The stand-alone dedicated control channel (SDCCH) is a bidirectional control channel used to carry the signaling plane messages of the voice generated during the communication process between the BTS and the terminal after the terminal establishes a communication link with the BTS.

[0060] The traffic channel (TCH) is used to carry encoded voice or user data. It is divided into a forward traffic channel and a reverse traffic channel. The forward traffic channel is the channel for the base station to transmit service information (such as voice and data) to the mobile station, and the reverse traffic channel is used for the mobile station to transmit voice, data, and necessary signaling information to the base station during the communication process.

[0061] The packet data channel (PDCH) is a downlink channel used to carry the main service data on the terminal side.

[0062] Although the current high-standard Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology is already very mature, due to factors such as the difficulty of replacing the low-standard GSM completely with LTE and the long replacement cycle, it is estimated that GSM will still be retained for a relatively long period of time.

[0063] Specifically, affected by the machine-to-machine (M2M) services in the Internet of Things (IoT), there are still a large number of IoT terminals that only support GSM. Affected by factors such as cost, geographical location, and contract cycle, the replacement cycle of these terminals is long, which will result in GSM still needing to be retained for a relatively long period of time. For example, the Emergency Call for Road Users (eCALL) service will only support the VoLTE protocol mode after 2025, and the replacement cycle of vehicles is generally 10 to 15 years, which leads to most operators generally needing to retain GSM until around 2035; also, meter reading terminals such as water meters and electricity meters, taxis, and buses also widely use GSM, and there are also problems of difficult replacement and long replacement cycle. However, the existence of GSM also brings additional investment. Therefore, in order to reduce the investment in aspects such as the spectrum, energy consumption, and operation and maintenance of GSM, multiple operators have begun to consider the network merger and sharing of GSM.

[0064] Currently, there are the following two common merger methods for network merger and sharing.

[0065] Please refer to Figure 1 , one network merger method is Radio Access Network (RAN) Sharing, which can achieve the sharing of hardware devices such as Base Station Controllers (BSCs) (or Radio Access Networks (RANs)) and BTSs (or NodeBs), but their radio frequency power consumption and spectrum are still provided by each operator independently. Under this sharing scheme, each cell can broadcast the Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) of the corresponding operator (shown as OP1 cell and OP2 cell in Figure 1 ). Therefore, after sharing, no relevant processing on the PLMN is required, which will not affect the residence of users, and no operations such as changing cards or changing devices on the terminal side are required.

[0066] However, after the network merger is carried out in the manner shown in Figure 1 , the cells in the air interface still exist independently, and each operator has its own radio frequency power consumption and spectrum resources, and sharing cannot be achieved, which does not meet the needs of operators to maintain GSM in the network for a long time.

[0067] Please refer to Figure 2 , another network merging method is the multi-operator core network (MOCN). MOCN is a sharing method in which operators can fully share the hardware on the BSC / RAN and BTS / NodeB sides, as well as radio frequency resources.

[0068] Currently, the communication protocol version (reversion, R11) protocol defines that the system message 22 or system message 23 broadcast by the BTS on the same BCCH (such as Figure 2 the common BCCH shown in) can contain multiple PLMN information. That is to say, based on the same BCCH, the attribute information of N PLMNs corresponding to multiple shared operators can be broadcast. The terminal can access the same cell based on the PLMN of the corresponding operator, realizing cell radio frequency power consumption and spectrum sharing. However, this method also requires that the terminal requesting network access needs to support the R11 protocol. Otherwise, the terminal cannot correctly parse the system message 22 or system message 23, and thus cannot obtain the PLMN information, resulting in the terminal being unable to access the network.

[0069] Generally, terminals supporting LTE and NR will support the R11 protocol. Therefore, the BTS / NodeB of the LTE and NR systems can broadcast the PLMNs of multiple shared operators on the same BCCH based on the system message 22 or system message 23, and can achieve network sharing of GSM based on MOCN without changing the PLMN of the operator and without requiring the terminal to perform a SIM card replacement operation. Therefore, the LTE and NR systems based on MOCN generally do not need to use the communication method provided in this application to achieve cell frequency point sharing, but this does not mean that the communication method provided in this application is not applicable to the communication scenarios of the LTE and NR systems.

[0070] However, terminals of GSM or UMTS generally do not support the R11 protocol. If the BTS in GSM or UMTS broadcasts the PLMN information of multiple operator networks through the system message 22 or system message 23 on a single BCCH at the same time, since the terminal does not support the R11 protocol, the terminal cannot correctly parse the system message 22 or system message 23 to obtain the PLMN information, and the terminal cannot access the network. That is to say, in GSM or UMTS based on MOCN, the BTS can only broadcast the PLMN information according to the relevant regulations in the traditional broadcast protocol. In the traditional broadcast protocol, the system message 3 broadcast by the BTS through a single BCCH can only carry one PLMN.

[0071] Exemplarily, the one PLMN carried in the system message 3 broadcast by the BTS may be a public PLMN, which is a newly applied PLMN applicable to multiple operators that need to share. However, this method has problems such as a relatively long application cycle and possible garbled operator icons after being put into use.

[0072] Alternatively, the one PLMN broadcast may also be the PLMN of one of the multiple operators (hereinafter, for the sake of distinction, the broadcast PLMN is referred to as the target PLMN). The terminal can attempt to access any one of the multiple operator networks through this PLMN until the terminal correctly accesses the network. However, with this method, there may still be a problem that terminals of other operators cannot access the network based on the target PLMN.

[0073] Exemplarily, on the one hand, in the communication software of the terminal, it is possible to stipulate that access to operators other than the operator where the SIM card is located is not allowed. On the other hand, in the early stage of network construction, basically no roaming relationships are signed among the operators that need to share. A certain operator generally rejects the access of users of other operators, and the cause value is #11 PLMN NOT ALLOWED. After receiving this rejection message, the terminal will add the PLMN of the rejected operator to the false PLMN (FPLMN) list in the SIM card. The next time the PLMN recorded in the FPLMN is searched, the terminal will no longer access the operator network corresponding to the target PLMN, resulting in the terminal being unable to access the network. This requires the terminal to perform a SIM card replacement operation to solve the problem because the FPLMN list in the new SIM card is empty. It should be noted that the SIM card replacement operation described in this application does not mean that the terminal randomly inserts another SIM card, but refers to replacing the old SIM card with a new SIM card, and the operator of the new SIM card is the same as that of the old SIM card, but the FPLMN list in the new SIM card does not store PLMN information.

[0074] In view of this, the present application provides a communication solution. The BTS broadcasts the PLMN information of N shared operator networks on N BCCH time slots on the same carrier. Exemplarily, the BTS broadcasts N system messages 3 based on N BCCHs of the same carrier frequency, and the N system messages 3 respectively include the PLMN information of different operator networks. Different terminals can access the corresponding operator networks based on the corresponding PLMNs, solving the problem that terminals in GSM generally do not support the R11 protocol and restricting the shared deployment of GSM networks due to the reason that only one PLMN can be broadcast on one BCCH, and realizing the network sharing of GSM without changing the PLMN of the operator and without performing a SIM card replacement operation.

[0075] Please refer to Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by this application.

[0076] As Figure 3 shown, the system architecture includes a base station subsystem (BSS) and the core networks of major operators connected to the BSS (including the core network of Operator A and the core network of Operator B, etc.).

[0077] Specifically, the BSS includes a BSC and a BTS. The BTS corresponds to one or more cells. The BSC can also be understood as a radio access network (RAN), and the BTS can also be understood as a network node (NodeB). The core network of Operator A and the core network of Operator B respectively include corresponding mobile switching centers (MSCs), home location registers (HLRs), and servers (services). The MSC can also be understood as a serving GPRS support node (SGSN).

[0078] Among them, the MSC is used to connect to the BSC. A communication connection is established between the MSC and the HLR, and a communication connection is established between the HLR and the service. Based on the operator's core network and the base station subsystem, the operator's server can establish communication interaction with the terminals in the access network and provide corresponding service functions for the terminals.

[0079] In the embodiments of the present application, a terminal may be an entity on the user side for receiving or transmitting signals, such as a mobile phone. The terminal can be used to connect people, things, and machines. The terminal can communicate with one or more core networks through network devices. The terminal includes a handheld device with wireless connection capabilities, other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, or in-vehicle devices, etc. The terminal can be a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-integrated, or in-vehicle mobile device. The terminal can be widely applied in various scenarios, such as cellular communication, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X), point-to-point (P2P), machine-to-machine (M2M), machine type communication (MTC), IoT, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart city, drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and positioning, autonomous delivery and mobility, etc.Some examples of the terminal are: user equipment (UE) compliant with the 3GPP standard, fixed equipment, mobile equipment, handheld equipment, wearable equipment, cellular phone, smart phone, session initiated protocol (SIP) phone, laptop computer, personal computer, smart book, vehicle, satellite, global positioning system (GPS) device, drone, helicopter, aircraft, ship, remote control device, smart home equipment, industrial equipment, personal communicationservice (PCS) phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless network camera, tablet computer, palm computer, mobile internet device (MID), wearable equipment such as smart watch, VR device, AR device, wireless terminal in industrial control, terminal in vehicle networking system, wireless terminal in self driving, wireless terminal in smart grid, wireless terminal in transportation safety, wireless terminal in smart city such as smart fuel dispenser, terminal on high-speed rail, and wireless terminal in smart home, such as smart speaker, smart coffee machine, smart printer, etc. The terminal can be a wireless device in the above various scenarios or a device used to be set in a wireless device. For example, the communication module, modem or chip in the above devices. The terminal can also be called a terminal, terminal, UE, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc. The terminal can also be a terminal in a future wireless communication system. The terminal can be used in dedicated network equipment or general equipment. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technologies and specific device forms adopted by the terminal.

[0080] It should be noted that the communication solution provided in this application is applicable to any scenario of a communication system that can achieve hardware and resource sharing on the base station device side, as well as sharing of cell radio frequency power consumption and spectrum. For example, it is applicable to scenarios of network sharing based on MOCN in GSM, universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), long term evolution (LTE), or New Radio (NR) communication systems.

[0081] Based on Figure 3 the shown communication system architecture diagram, the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will be introduced below in conjunction with Figure 4 the schematic diagram of the method flow. As Figure 4 shown, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0082] S401, The BSC generates first information based on M time slots included in the same carrier frequency. The first information includes N PLMN information of N operator networks. The N PLMN information is carried on N BCCHs, and the N BCCHs are respectively modulated on N of the M time slots.

[0083] For ease of description in the embodiments of this application, the same carrier frequency is referred to as the first carrier frequency.

[0084] In the embodiments of this application, the first carrier frequency can be any main broadcast control channel (also referred to as the main BCCH or main B) carrier frequency.

[0085] In the embodiments of this application, N is less than M. Among them, the N PLMNs of the N operator networks refer to the PLMNs respectively corresponding to the N operator networks. The N PLMN information being carried on N BCCHs means that the N PLMN information is respectively carried on N BCCHs, and the N BCCHs are respectively modulated on the above N time slots.

[0086] In some possible implementation manners, to avoid interference between different pulse signals on adjacent BCCH time slots, there is at least one time slot interval between every two of the N BCCHs.

[0087] In this article, for ease of description, the time slot corresponding to the BCCH is referred to as the BCCH time slot.

[0088] Generally, the first time slot (TS0) on the carrier frequency will be modulated as the BCCH time slot, and other time slots are modulated as common traffic channels (CTCH). In the communication solution provided in this application, the BSC modulates N of the M time slots on the carrier frequency as BCCHs.

[0089] As an example, M is 8, that is, the first carrier frequency includes 8 physical channels, and N is 3, that is, the operators to be shared include Operator A, Operator B, and Operator C. The 8 physical channels respectively correspond to 8 time slots (TS), and the 8 IoT time slots are respectively denoted as TS0 - TS7. The BCCH time slot corresponding to Operator A is denoted as BCCH1, the BCCH time slot corresponding to Operator B is denoted as BCCH2, and the BCCH time slot corresponding to Operator C is denoted as BCCH3. Then, as Figure 5 shown, the BSC can modulate TS0, TS2, and TS4 in the first carrier frequency into BCCH1 time slot, BCCH2 time slot, and BCCH3 time slot in sequence.

[0090] In some possible implementation manners, the first information further includes N pulse signals respectively corresponding to N operator networks. The N pulse signals are carried on N FCCHs, and the N FCCHs are respectively modulated on the time slots corresponding to the above N BCCHs. The pulse signal is used to indicate the network signal of the corresponding operator.

[0091] In some possible implementation manners, the first information further includes N base station identification code (BSIC) identifiers respectively corresponding to N operator networks. The N BSIC identifiers are carried on N synchronization channels SCH, and the N SCHs are respectively modulated on the time slots corresponding to the N BCCHs. A PLMN and a BSIC can be used to identify a cell of an operator network.

[0092] Exemplarily, the N FCCHs and N SCHs are respectively modulated on the N BCCH time slots, and the BCCH, FCCH, and SCH on each BCCH time slot all correspond to the same operator network. The terminal can identify the existence of the operator network signal by searching for the pulse signal carried on the FCCH. It can also be understood that the terminal can identify the signal of the SCH carrying the BSIC identifier and the signal of the BCCH channel carrying the PLMN by searching for the pulse signal carried on the FCCH.

[0093] Generally, the terminal can search for the pulse signal carried on the FCCH, and after searching for the pulse signal, receive the synchronization signal based on the BSIC identifier carried in the SCH. Then obtain the PLMN information of the operator network based on the BCCH, and then execute the link establishment process between the terminal and the BSS on the time slot corresponding to the CCCH. Different CCCHs are used to process the link establishment processes of different terminals and the BSS.

[0094] As an example, as Figure 6As shown, a BCCH time slot on the first carrier frequency corresponds to a multiframe including 51 TDMA frames. These 51 TDMA frames are modulated into five sub-channels and an end channel. Each sub-channel includes 10 TDMA frames, and the starting channel of each sub-channel is FCCH. Among them, the first sub-channel successively includes FCCH, SCH, BCCH, and CCCH, and the latter four sub-channels successively include FCCH, SCH, and two CCCHs. The time slot corresponding to the end channel is shown in Figure 6 as shown in I, which is used to indicate the end point of the network signal broadcast here. Among them, a pulse signal is carried on FCCH, multiple FCCHs on one BCCH time slot respectively generate network signals of multiple same operators, a BSIC identifier is carried on SCH, and PLMN information is carried on BCCH.

[0095] In some possible implementation manners, a broadcast control channel allocation table (BCCH allocation table1, BA table) and an allowed network color code (vetwork color code - permit, NCC - Permit) are also carried on BCCH. Among them, the PLMN, BA table, and NCC - Permit carried on BCCH all belong to the system messages of the operator network. The BA table is used to define the neighboring cell list of the cell, and the NCC - Permit is used to define the NCC list allowed for handover, that is, the neighboring cells corresponding to these NCCs can be used as reselection target neighboring cells. The combination of the BA table and NCC - Permit is used to define the target neighboring cells that the terminals of each operator can finally reselect or handover to.

[0096] S402, the BSC sends the first information to the BTS.

[0097] Correspondingly, the BTS receives the first information.

[0098] In the embodiment of the present application, the BSC sends the first information to the BTS to instruct the BTS to broadcast the first information based on the carrier frequency corresponding to the first carrier frequency.

[0099] S403, the BTS broadcasts the first information on the carrier frequency corresponding to the above carrier.

[0100] Specifically, the BST broadcasts the first information on the carrier frequency corresponding to the above first carrier frequency. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first information.

[0101] Exemplarily, the BTS broadcasts the first information on the same carrier of the same transceiver (TRX). Multiple PLMNs broadcast by the BTS on one TRX can all be detected by the terminals within the communication range.

[0102] In a possible implementation, the broadcasting method in which the BTS continuously broadcasts the first information based on the carrier frequency corresponding to the first carrier frequency (that is, broadcasts the signals of N operator networks) can be a periodically degraded broadcasting method.

[0103] In the embodiments of the present application, the periodically degraded broadcasting method may include: during the process of the BTS continuously broadcasting the first information, the BTS sequentially adjusts the energies of the N pulse signals carried on the N FCCHs according to a preset period, so that after each adjustment, the energy of one of the N pulse signals is greater than the energies of the other pulse signals. It can be understood that the energy of the pulse signal on an FCCH refers to the peak value of a section of the pulse signal generated on the FCCH.

[0104] In a possible implementation, the above preset period is related to the first duration, and the first duration is the maximum duration required for the terminal to perform a single network registration attempt. As an example, referring to the 45008 protocol, the duration required for the terminal to attempt a network access is 3 seconds (s) to 5 s, then the first duration is 5 s, and the preset period can be set to 6 s.

[0105] In some possible implementations, in every N adjustments, the pulse signal with the highest energy among the above N pulse signals is sequentially one of the above N pulse signals.

[0106] As an example, the operators that need to share the network include Operator A, Operator B, and Operator C, the preset period is 6 seconds, the BTS adjusts the energy of the pulse signal carried on the BCCH every 6 s, so that after each adjustment, the energy of one of the 3 pulse signals is greater than the energies of the other pulse signals, and in every three adjustments, the pulse signals with the highest energy among the 3 pulse signals respectively correspond to Operator A, Operator B, and Operator C.

[0107] Exemplarily, the energy of the pulse signal can be adjusted by adjusting the power of the pulse signal. For example, please refer to Figure 8 , Figure 8 in which A, B, and C respectively represent the pulse signals of Operator A, Operator B, and Operator C, the starting broadcasting moment is the 0th s, the preset period is 6 seconds, at the 0th s, the BTS first reduces the power of the pulse signals of Operator B and Operator C carried on different FCCHs in the first information by 2 decibels (dB) based on the base power, and sets the power of the pulse signal of Operator A to the base power (in Figure 8Shown as 'level', so that the pulse signal with the highest power is the pulse signal corresponding to operator A, and then broadcast the first information. At the 6th second, the BTS first reduces the power of the pulse signals of operator A and operator C carried on the FCCH in the first information by 2 dB based on the base power, and adjusts the power of the pulse signal of operator B to the base power, so that the pulse signal with the highest power is the pulse signal corresponding to operator B, and then broadcast the first information. At the 12th second, the BTS first reduces the power of the pulse signals of operator A and operator B carried on different FCCHs in the first information by 2 dB based on the base power, and adjusts the power of the pulse signal of operator C to the base power, so that the pulse signal with the highest power is the pulse signal corresponding to operator C, and then broadcast the first information. And so on.

[0108] It should be noted that the BTS updates the energy of the N pulse signals in the first information according to a preset period, which does not mean that the BTS broadcasts the first information only once every other preset period. In this application, the BTS can broadcast the first information with unchanged network signal strengths of each operator multiple times within a preset period, and this is not limited in this article.

[0109] In the embodiment of this application, in the case of the first network access, based on the 45008 protocol, after receiving a first information, the terminal attempts to access the operator network based on the pulse signal with the highest energy among the N pulse signals carried in the first information. If the network access fails, the terminal continues to receive the first information broadcast in the next preset period, and then attempts to access the operator network based on the pulse signal with the highest energy among the N pulse signals in this first information, until the operator network corresponding to the pulse signal with the highest energy among the N pulse signals carried in the first information is the same as the operator network of the terminal (hereinafter, for the convenience of description, the operator network corresponding to the terminal is called the first operator network), and the terminal can correctly access the network based on this first information. In the case of non-first network access, still based on the 45008 protocol, the terminal can select the correct PLMN from the N PLMNs corresponding to the N pulse signals broadcast by the BTS based on the PLMN of the operator network accessed before for network registration.

[0110] As an example, still referring to Figure 8, the operator network corresponding to the above terminal is the network of Operator B. When the terminal first accesses the network, the terminal receives the first piece of information 1 at the 0th second. The pulse signal with the highest energy in the first piece of information 1 is the network of Operator A. Then the terminal attempts to access the network of Operator A based on the configured SIM. However, since the SIM configured in the terminal does not belong to Operator A, Operator A will reject the access of the terminal. The terminal fails to access the network this time and it takes 3 to 5 seconds. After that, the terminal receives the first piece of information 2 at the 6th second. The pulse signal with the highest energy in the first piece of information 2 is the network of Operator B. Then the terminal attempts to access the network of Operator B. Since the SIM configured in the terminal belongs to Operator B, Operator B will accept the network access request of the terminal, and the terminal successfully accesses the network this time.

[0111] Generally, if the PLMN is not stored in the terminal, the terminal's current network access is the first network access. If the PLMN is stored in the terminal (in this article, for the convenience of description, this PLMN is also referred to as the historical PLMN), the terminal's current network access is a non-first network access. Among them, the historical PLMN is the PLMN of the operator network that the terminal accessed before or can also be understood as the PLMN of the operator network corresponding to the SIM of the terminal. For the first network access and non-first network access, please refer to Figure 9 , based on the 45008 protocol, when the terminal is in a non-first network access situation, the terminal can select the correct PLMN from the N PLMNs broadcast by the BTS based on the historical PLMN to camp on the network, so as to access the correct network. Among them, accessing the correct network means that the terminal camps on the operator network corresponding to the SIM configured in the terminal. When the terminal's current network access is the first network access, the terminal uses the energy search method to select the strongest network signal on the same carrier to access.

[0112] That is to say, if the terminal's current network access is the first network access, referring to the 45008 protocol, for the same frequency point, the terminal only selects the network with the strongest signal to camp on the network. If no periodic derating process is performed, that is, the pulse signal energies of the N operator networks on the same carrier are the same, the terminal will think that there is only one signal on this carrier and randomly select a network to access. Then the terminal has a high probability (for example, there is probability) of selecting the wrong network, and the network randomly selected by the terminal each time may be the same wrong network, thus unable to guarantee the correct network access requirements of the terminal.

[0113] By adopting the periodic power-down broadcast method provided in this application, the BTS broadcasts N types of first information in N preset cycles. The pulse signals with the highest energy among the N types of first information respectively correspond to N operators. Therefore, in the case of the first network access, the terminal can surely receive the target first information within the N preset cycles. The pulse signal with the highest energy in the target first information corresponds to the first operator network. Thus, the terminal can successfully access the first operator network based on the pulse signal with the highest energy in the target first information, thereby ensuring the correct network access requirement of the terminal in the scenario of the first network access.

[0114] For example, still referring to Figure 8 , the terminal B of operator B, after receiving the first information at the 0s, tries to access the network corresponding to operator A based on the fact that the pulse signal of operator A in the first information has the strongest energy, which belongs to incorrect network access, and the network access result is network access failure. The terminal B continues to search for network signals; after the terminal B receives the first information again at the 6s, based on the fact that the pulse signal of operator B in the first information has the strongest energy, the terminal B accesses the network corresponding to operator B, and the network access result is network access success.

[0115] In another possible implementation manner, the energies of the N pulse signals included in the first information continuously broadcast by the BTS may also be equal to each other. For example, being equal to each other means that the energies of the N pulse signals are the same or have a slight difference, for example, the power difference is less than 0.5 dB. In this case, some improvements need to be made on the terminal side. As an example, after the terminal obtains N PLMN information based on the first information, it stores the N PLMN information obtained this time in the to-be-tried list, and tries to access the networks corresponding to different PLMNs in sequence based on the to-be-tried list until it successfully accesses the network corresponding to the first operator based on the first PLMN information. Instead of randomly selecting a network to access each time, the correct network access requirement of the terminal can be ensured.

[0116] S404, the terminal accesses the first operator network corresponding to the terminal based on the first information, and the first operator network belongs to the above N operator networks.

[0117] In the embodiment of this application, the first operator network may be the network of any one of the N operator networks corresponding to the SIM configured in the terminal. The terminal accessing the corresponding first operator network specifically means that the terminal accesses the network of the first operator corresponding to the SIM based on the configured SIM. The SIM configured in the terminal may be one or more, and this is not limited herein.

[0118] In an embodiment of the present application, the first information may also be understood as a broadcast packet. After receiving the first information, the terminal selects to access the target operator network with the strongest FCCH pulse signal energy. As an example, the terminal attempts to access the target operator network based on the BASIC carried in the SCH corresponding to the FCCH pulse signal with the strongest energy and the PLMN carried in the corresponding BCCH. If the target operator network is the first operator network mentioned above, the terminal can correctly access the network. If the target operator network is not the first operator network, the terminal cannot correctly access the network this time. The terminal continues to receive the first information broadcast by the BTS and attempts to access the operator network with the strongest FCCH pulse signal energy until the terminal correctly accesses the first operator network. Specifically, reference may also be made to the description of Figure 9 in step S403.

[0119] S405. The BTS communicates with the terminal based on the first time slot and the first offset.

[0120] In a possible implementation manner, the first time slot is one or more communication time slots among the M time slots of the first carrier frequency allocated by the base station subsystem for the terminal. The first time slot is included in the above M time slots, and the first offset is the offset between the time slot where the BCCH corresponding to the first operator network is located and the first time slot among the above M time slots. Specifically, the first time slot may be determined by the BSC and sent by the BSC to the BTS, and then the BTS sends it to the terminal; or, the first time slot may also be directly determined by the BTS, and this is not limited herein.

[0121] It should be noted that the time slots allocated by the base station subsystem for the terminal may include the idle time slots (the first time slot) on the first carrier frequency, and may also include the idle time slots on other non-primary BCCH carrier frequencies except the first carrier frequency, and this is not limited herein.

[0122] As an example, after the terminal accesses the first operator network, the BTS sends the first indication information to the terminal. The first indication information is used to indicate that the communication time slot assigned by the BTS for the terminal is the above first time slot. After receiving the first indication information, the terminal needs to receive and send data based on the first time slot in the communication with the BTS. For example, the BTS may assign the communication time slot for the terminal through the following program, where "time-slot:tn4(4)" indicates that the first time slot is TS4.

[0123] "assignment-command;

[0124] description-of-the-first-channel-after-time;

[0125] channel-number;

[0126] channel-type:bm-acch(1);

[0127] time-slot:tn4(4);

[0128] tsc:0x0(0);

[0129] ”

[0130] Generally, the BCCH is modulated on the first time slot (TS0) of the carrier frequency, so that the terminal side will consider the time slot where the pulse signal is detected (also called the BCCH time slot) as the first time slot. In this application, N BCCHs are modulated on N time slots of the same carrier frequency, but the terminal side will still perceive the BCCH time slot as the TS0 time slot, resulting in an offset between the communication time slots respectively considered by the BTS and the terminal. For example, if the BTS assigns TS4 to the terminal, but the TS4 considered by the terminal is actually TS6 for the BTS, rather than TS4. The terminal will send uplink data on the TS4 it considers (i.e., TS6), but the BTS cannot correctly receive the uplink data on the channel of TS4. The BTS can correctly receive the uplink data only on the channel of TS6. That is to say, the BTS needs to send and receive data based on the above first time slot and the first offset.

[0131] In some possible implementation manners, step S405 specifically includes: The BTS receives the second information sent by the terminal based on the second time slot, and the second time slot is the time slot corresponding to the value obtained by taking the remainder of the sum of the first offset and the first time slot divided by M. That is to say, the first time slot, the second time slot, M, and the first offset satisfy the following formula 1.

[0132] Second time slot = [(First time slot + First offset) mod M] Formula 1

[0133] As an example, the terminal belongs to operator B, the BCCH time slot corresponding to operator B is TS2, the first time slot among the M time slots is TS0, then the first offset is 2, specifically 2 - 0 = 2. It is also assumed that the first time slot assigned by the BTS to the terminal is TS4, then the second time slot is 6, specifically: (2 + 4) mod M = 6.

[0134] In some possible implementation manners, the first time slot allocated by the BTS for the terminal includes one or more time slots, and the second time slot corresponding to the first time slot is one or more time slots among the above-mentioned M time slots except the time slots corresponding to the above-mentioned N BCCHs. Thereby, the phenomenon of the same time slot multiplexing (both used as the BCCH time slot and used as the data transceiver time slot) can be avoided, and the correctness of the communication link between the terminal and the BTS can be guaranteed.

[0135] In some possible implementation manners, the BTS may store the correspondence between the identifier of the terminal and the above-mentioned second time slot. When the BTS receives uplink data from the terminal or needs to send downlink data to the terminal, the BTS determines the second time slot based on the identifier of the terminal, and then receives and sends data based on the second time slot.

[0136] In some other possible implementation manners, the second time slot is the time slot corresponding to the first time slot in the time slot mapping table, and the time slot mapping table is determined based on the above-mentioned first offset. The time slot mapping table is used to record the correspondence between the M communication time slots perceived by the terminals accessing the corresponding operator network and the M communication time slots perceived by the BTS. For ease of description below, the communication time slots perceived by the terminals of a certain operator network are called the MS time slots of that operator network.

[0137] As an example, when the BTS needs to perform uplink and downlink service scheduling (for example, the BTS receives uplink data from the terminal or needs to send downlink data to the terminal), the BTS determines the first time slot based on the identifier of the terminal, then determines the second time slot based on the first time slot and the time slot mapping table, and finally performs uplink and downlink service scheduling according to the second time slot.

[0138] It can be understood that directly storing the correspondence between each terminal and the second time slot can enable the BTS to directly determine the second time slot based on the identifier of the terminal when the BTS receives uplink data from the terminal or needs to send downlink data to the terminal. Compared with determining the first time slot based on the identifier of the terminal first and then determining the second time slot based on the first time slot and the time slot mapping table, the response duration is shorter. However, since the correspondence rule between the MS time slots of the same operator network and the time slots of the BTS is the same, all terminals of the same operator network can share the same correspondence rule. Therefore, only the correspondence between the M MS time slots of each such operator network and the M time slots of the BTS needs to be stored in the time slot mapping table. Compared with storing the correspondence between each terminal and the second time slot, the storage overhead is smaller.

[0139] In another possible implementation, the above time slot mapping table is also used to record the inassignable MS communication time slots corresponding to each operator. The inassignable MS communication time slots are the communication time slots that are prohibited from being assigned by the BTS to the terminals accessing the network of the corresponding operator, including recording which time slots the first time slot can be and which time slots it cannot be, so that the second time slot is one or more of the M time slots except for the time slots corresponding to N BCCHs.

[0140] As an example, the time slot mapping table can be as shown in Table 1 below. The operators that need to be shared include 3 operators. For the BTS, the BCCH1 time slot corresponding to Operator A is TS0, the BCCH2 time slot corresponding to Operator B is TS2, and the BCCH3 time slot corresponding to Operator C is TS4. However, from the perspective of the terminals of the operators, each terminal regards each BCCH time slot as TS0. Since TS6 and TS2 in the MS time slots correspond to TS0 (BCCH1 time slot) and TS4 (BCCH3 time slot) in the BTS time slots respectively, the time slots that the BTS is not allowed to assign to the terminals of Operator B include TS6 and TS2.

[0141] Table 1

[0142]

[0143] In some possible implementations, when the BCCH time slot corresponding to the target operator network is TS0, the MS time slot of the target operator network is consistent with the BTS time slot, and there is no offset. Therefore, the BTS may not store the correspondence between the MS time slot of the target operator network and the BTS time slot. For example, as shown in Table 1 above, the time slot mapping table may not store the correspondence between the MS time slot of Operator A and the BTS time slot, and store the time slots that are not allowed to be assigned by the BTS to the MS of Operator A through other means.

[0144] In some possible implementations, the above first time slot assigned by the BTS to the terminal includes one time slot, and the above second time slot corresponding to the first time slot is the next time slot of the time slot where the BCCH corresponding to the first operator network is located among the above M time slots.

[0145] As an example, please refer to Figure 7 , if the BTS modulates TS0, TS2, and TS4 on the first carrier frequency into BCCH time slots to broadcast the first information, then after the terminals of the corresponding operator access the network based on the BTS, the BTS can modulate TS1 into SDCCH based on the requirements of the terminals of Operator A (in Figure 7modulate TS1 to SDCCH (shown as SD in the figure) and allocate TS1 to the terminal of operator A, modulate TS3 to SDCCH based on the requirements of the terminal of operator B and allocate TS3 to the terminal of operator B, modulate TS5 to SDCCH based on the requirements of the terminal of operator C and allocate TS5 to the terminal of operator C, so that two dedicated channels occupied by each operator are adjacent on the M time slots corresponding to the first carrier frequency.

[0146] In addition, it should be noted that, based on specific requirements, Figure 7 the time slot corresponding to SDCCH in the figure can also be modified and modulated from SDCCH to CTCH, PDCH, etc., which is not limited in this article.

[0147] By using the method provided in this application, the BSC can configure N time slots out of the M time slots corresponding to one carrier frequency as BCCHs. The BTS broadcasts first information based on the N BCCH time slots on the same carrier. The first information includes N PLMN information respectively corresponding to N shared operators, so that different terminals can correctly access the corresponding operator network based on the N PLMN information included in the first information, so as to achieve GSM network sharing without changing the PLMN of the operator and without performing a SIM card replacement operation.

[0148] In some possible implementation manners provided in the embodiments of this application, the software versions of the existing BSC and BTS can be upgraded, so that the BSC is used to configure N time slots out of the M time slots on the same carrier frequency as N BCCH time slots, and determine the pulse signals of each operator network and the system messages (including PLMN and BSIC, etc.) required to be carried by the N BCCH time slots. In addition, the BSC is also used to perform some uplink and downlink service scheduling and resource scheduling for communicating with the terminal (such as determining the communication time slots assigned to the terminal and the communication time slots that cannot be assigned to the terminal, etc.). The BTS is used to implement air interface data sending and parsing, logical mapping of uplink and downlink channels, cooperate with the uplink and downlink service scheduling and resource scheduling on the BSC side, and periodically adjust the power of the N operator network signals sent on the same carrier.

[0149] In this application, "sending information to... (such as BTS)" or the relevant schematic in the drawings can be understood as the destination terminal of the information being BTS. It can include directly or indirectly sending information to BTS. "Receiving information from... (such as BSC)" or "receiving information sent from... (such as BSC)", or the relevant schematic in the drawings can be understood as the source of the information being BSC, and it can include directly or indirectly receiving information from BSC. Necessary processing may be performed on the information between the source and the destination terminal of the information sending, such as format change, etc., but the destination terminal can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood similarly and will not be elaborated here.

[0150] It can be understood that in this application, BTS, BSC, and the terminal are used as examples of the execution entities of the interaction schematic for illustration, but this application does not limit the execution entities of the interaction schematic. For example, the terminal in the solution provided by this application can also be a communication device, chip, chip system, or processor applied to the terminal, and can also be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal. BTS can also be a communication device, chip, chip system, or processor applied to BTS, and can also be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of BTS. BSC can also be a communication device, chip, chip system, or processor applied to BSC, and can also be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of BSC.

[0151] It can be understood that in each of the above embodiments, the methods and / or steps implemented by the terminal can also be implemented by components applicable to the terminal (such as chips or circuits). The methods and / or steps implemented by BTS can also be implemented by components applicable to BTS (such as chips or circuits). The methods and / or steps implemented by BSC can also be implemented by components applicable to BSC (such as chips or circuits).

[0152] Based on the same concept of the above communication method, this application also provides a communication system. As Figure 10 shown, it is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system provided by an embodiment of this application. The communication system includes:

[0153] A processing unit 1001, configured to generate first information based on M time slots corresponding to a first carrier frequency. The first information includes N public land mobile network (PLMN) information of N operator networks. The N PLMN information is carried on N broadcast control channels (BCCHs). The N BCCHs are respectively modulated on N of the M time slots, where N is less than M;

[0154] A transceiver unit 1002 is configured to broadcast the first information on a carrier corresponding to the first carrier frequency. The first information is used for a terminal to access a first operator network corresponding to the terminal, and the first operator network belongs to the N operator networks.

[0155] In some possible implementation manners, the first information further includes N pulse signals respectively corresponding to the N operator networks. The N pulse signals are carried on N frequency correction channels FCCHs, and the N FCCHs are respectively modulated on time slots corresponding to the N BCCHs. The pulse signals are used to indicate network signals of corresponding operators. The transceiver unit 1002 is further configured to, in a process of continuously broadcasting the first information, the BTS sequentially adjusts energies of the N pulse signals carried on the N FCCHs according to a preset period, so that after each adjustment, the energy of one of the N pulse signals is greater than the energies of other pulse signals.

[0156] In some possible implementation manners, after the terminal accesses the first operator network, the transceiver unit 1002 is further configured to perform communication interaction with the terminal based on a first time slot and a first offset. The first time slot is a communication time slot allocated by the BTS for the terminal, and the first offset is an offset between a time slot where the BCCH corresponding to the first operator network is located and a first time slot among the M time slots.

[0157] In some possible implementation manners, the transceiver unit 1002 is specifically configured to perform communication interaction with the terminal based on a second time slot. The second time slot is a time slot corresponding to a value obtained by taking the remainder of the sum of the first offset and the first time slot divided by M.

[0158] Descriptions of the N pulse signals, the preset period, the N time slots, the M time slots, and the second time slot may refer to relevant descriptions in the method embodiment above, and will not be elaborated here.

[0159] In some possible implementation manners, the processing unit 1001 may be a BSC, and the transceiver unit 1002 may be a BTS.

[0160] Specific implementations of the processing unit 1001 and the transceiver unit 1002 may refer to Figure 4 relevant descriptions in the illustrated embodiments, and will not be described in detail here.

[0161] An embodiment of the present application further provides a base station subsystem, and the base station subsystem includes a BSC and a BTS.

[0162] Among them, the BSC is used to generate first information based on M time slots corresponding to a first carrier frequency. The first information includes N public land mobile network (PLMN) information of the N operator networks. The N PLMN information is carried on N broadcast control channels (BCCHs). The N BCCHs are respectively modulated on N of the M time slots.

[0163] The BTS is used to broadcast the first information on the carrier corresponding to the first carrier frequency. The first information is used for a terminal to access a first operator network corresponding to the terminal, and the first operator network belongs to the N operator networks.

[0164] In some possible implementation manners, the BTS is further used to sequentially adjust the energies of N pulse signals carried on the N FCCHs according to a preset period during the process of continuously broadcasting the first information, so that after each adjustment, the energy of one of the N pulse signals is greater than the energies of other pulse signals.

[0165] In some possible implementation manners, the BTS is further used to perform communication interaction with the terminal based on a first time slot and a first offset after the terminal accesses the first operator network. The first time slot is a communication time slot allocated by the BTS for the terminal, and the first offset is the offset between the time slot where the BCCH corresponding to the first operator network is located and the first time slot among the M time slots.

[0166] In some possible implementation manners, the BTS is specifically used to perform communication interaction with the terminal based on a second time slot. The second time slot is the time slot corresponding to the value obtained by taking the remainder of the sum of the first offset and the first time slot divided by M.

[0167] The descriptions of the N pulse signals, the preset period, the N time slots, the M time slots, and the second time slot can refer to the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, and will not be elaborated here.

[0168] Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in the embodiments disclosed in this article, this application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is executed in the way of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraint conditions of the technical solution. Professional technicians can use different methods to implement the described function for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of this application.

[0169] It should be noted that the specific steps or functions executed in the above communication system and base station subsystem can refer to the relevant descriptions in the above communication method, and will not be elaborated here.

[0170] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer-readable storage medium, in which computer programs or instructions are stored. When the computer programs or instructions are executed, the methods in the above embodiments are implemented.

[0171] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product containing instructions. When the instructions run on a computer, the computer is enabled to execute the methods in the above embodiments.

[0172] The present application also provides a computer program, which is used to implement the methods in the above embodiments.

[0173] The embodiments of the present application further provide a circuit, which is coupled to a memory and is used to execute the methods shown in the above embodiments. The circuit may include a chip circuit.

[0174] It should be noted that one or more of the above units can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of both. When any of the above units is implemented by software, the software exists in the form of computer program instructions and is stored in a memory. The processor can be used to execute the program instructions and implement the above method flow.

[0175] In the present application, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components. Or, all or part of the circuits in the foregoing devices for implementing the processing function can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the present application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed in combination with the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0176] When the above unit or units are implemented by hardware, the hardware can be any one or any combination of a CPU, a microprocessor, a digital signal processing (DSP) chip, a microcontroller unit (MCU), an artificial intelligence processor, an ASIC, an SoC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device (PLD), a dedicated digital circuit, a hardware accelerator, or a non-integrated discrete device, which can run the necessary software or execute the above method flow without relying on software.

[0177] Optionally, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip system, including: at least one processor and an interface. The at least one processor is coupled to a memory through the interface. When the at least one processor runs a computer program or instruction in the memory, the chip system is caused to execute the method in any of the above method embodiments. Optionally, the chip system may be composed of chips, or may include chips and other discrete devices. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations thereon.

[0178] The memory in the present application may also be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing a storage function, for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory is any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. For example, the memory may be a non-volatile memory, such as a digital versatile disc (DVD), a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid-state drive (SSD), etc., or may also be a volatile memory, such as a random-access memory (RAM).

[0179] It should be understood that in the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B may represent A or B; where A and B may be singular or plural. Also, in the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "a plurality of" means two or more than two. "At least one (item)" or its similar expression refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of a single item or plural items. For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c may represent: a, b, c, a - b, a - c, b - c, or a - b - c, where a, b, and c may be single or multiple. Additionally, for the convenience of clearly describing the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, in the embodiments of this application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish identical or similar items with basically the same functions and roles. Those skilled in the art can understand that terms such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and terms such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily mean different. For example, for the prefix "first" in the first carrier frequency, it is only for the convenience of distinguishing the first carrier frequency provided by the embodiments of this application for broadcasting N different PLMNs from some other carrier frequencies with similar functions, and does not indicate the sorting of the first carrier frequency among one or more primary B carrier frequencies. Another example is that for the prefix "first" in the first operator network, it is only to specifically refer to the operator network corresponding to the terminal, and does not indicate the sorting of the first operator network among the above N operator networks. At the same time, in the embodiments of this application, words such as "as an example", "exemplary", or "for example" are used to represent examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design solution described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or having more advantages than other embodiments or design solutions. Exactly speaking, using words such as "exemplary" or "for example" aims to present relevant concepts in a specific way for easy understanding.

[0180] The "embodiments" mentioned herein mean that the specific features, structures, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiments may be included in one or more embodiments of this application. The occurrence of this phrase at various positions in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. Those skilled in the art can explicitly and implicitly understand that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0181] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from a website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center by wire (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wirelessly (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.).

[0182] Although the present application has been described in conjunction with various embodiments herein, however, in the process of implementing the claimed present application, those skilled in the art can understand and realize other variations of the disclosed embodiments by viewing the accompanying drawings, the disclosure content, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "one" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may implement several functions recited in the claims. Certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims, but this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0183] It can be understood that the various numerical numbers involved in the embodiments of the present application are only for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The magnitude of the sequence numbers of the above processes does not mean the order of execution, and the order of execution of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

[0184] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of the respective embodiments have their own emphases. For the parts not detailed in a certain embodiment, reference may be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0185] The components in the device of the embodiments of the present application can be combined, divided, and deleted according to actual needs. Those skilled in the art can combine or combine the different embodiments and the features of different embodiments described in this specification.

[0186] In this application, on the premise of no logical contradiction, the examples can refer to each other. For example, the methods and / or terms between method embodiments can refer to each other, for example, the functions and / or terms between device embodiments can refer to each other, for example, the functions and / or terms between device examples and method examples can refer to each other.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a base station subsystem, the base station subsystem supports sharing of N operator networks, where N is greater than or equal to 2, the base station subsystem includes a base station controller BSC and a base station BTS, and the method includes: The BSC generates first information based on M time slots corresponding to a first carrier frequency. The first information includes N public land mobile network (PLMN) information of the N operator networks. The N PLMN information is carried on N broadcast control channels (BCCHs). The N BCCHs are respectively modulated on N of the M time slots, and N is less than M; The BTS broadcasts the first information on the carrier corresponding to the first carrier frequency, so that the terminal accesses the first operator network corresponding to the terminal based on the first information, and the first operator network belongs to the N operator networks.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first information further includes N pulse signals respectively corresponding to the N operator networks. The N pulse signals are carried on N frequency correction channels (FCCHs). The N FCCHs are respectively modulated on the time slots corresponding to the N BCCHs. The pulse signals are used to indicate the network signals of the corresponding operators. The method further includes: During the process of the BTS continuously broadcasting the first information, the BTS sequentially adjusts the energies of the N pulse signals carried on the N FCCHs according to a preset period, so that after each adjustment, the energy of one of the N pulse signals is greater than the energies of the other pulse signals.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein In every N adjustments, the pulse signal with the highest energy among the N pulse signals is sequentially one of the N pulse signals.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The preset period is related to a first duration, and the first duration is the maximum duration required for the terminal to perform a single network registration attempt.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: After the terminal accesses the first operator network, the BTS communicates with the terminal based on a first time slot and a first offset. The first time slot is one or more communication time slots among the M time slots allocated by the BTS for the terminal, and the first offset is the offset between the time slot where the BCCH corresponding to the first operator network is located and the first time slot among the M time slots.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The BTS communicating with the terminal based on the first time slot and the first offset includes: The BTS communicates with the terminal based on a second time slot. The second time slot is the time slot corresponding to the remainder obtained by dividing the sum of the first offset and the first time slot by M.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein The second time slot includes one time slot, and the second time slot is one or more time slots among the M time slots other than the time slots corresponding to the N BCCHs.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that A time slot mapping table is stored in the BTS. The time slot mapping table is determined based on the first offset. The time slot mapping table is used to record the correspondence between the communication time slots perceived by the terminals accessing the corresponding operator networks and the communication time slots perceived by the BTS. The second time slot is the time slot corresponding to the first time slot in the time slot mapping table.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 - 8, characterized in that, The second time slot is the next time slot of the time slot where the BCCH corresponding to the first operator network is located.

10. The method according to any one of claims 6-9, characterized in that, The second time slot is modulated into an independent dedicated control channel SDCCH, a traffic channel TCH, or a packet data channel PDCH.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, There is at least one time slot interval between the time slots corresponding to every two BCCHs among the N BCCHs.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, The first information further includes N base station identification codes respectively corresponding to the N operator networks. The N base station identification codes are carried on N synchronization channels SCH, and the N SCHs are respectively modulated on the time slots corresponding to the N BCCHs.

13. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes: A processing unit, configured to generate first information based on M time slots corresponding to a first carrier frequency. The first information includes N public land mobile network PLMN information of the N operator networks. The N PLMN information is carried on N broadcast control channels BCCH, and the N BCCHs are respectively modulated on N of the M time slots, where N is less than M. A transceiver unit, configured to broadcast the first information on the carrier corresponding to the first carrier frequency. The first information is used for a terminal to access the first operator network corresponding to the terminal, and the first operator network belongs to the N operator networks.

14. A base station subsystem, characterized in that, The base station subsystem supports sharing of N operator networks, where N is greater than or equal to 2. The base station subsystem includes a base station controller BSC and a base transceiver station BTS. The BSC is configured to execute the method or step performed by any BSC in claims 1-1, and the BTS is configured to execute the method or step performed by any BTS in claims 1-12 to implement sharing of the N operator networks.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium is used to store a computer program, and when the computer program is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1-12 is executed.

16. A computer program, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1-12 is executed.

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