Communication method, communication device and communication system

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method, a communication device and a communication system. The method comprises the following steps: receiving a subscription data query request from a network function network element, wherein the subscription data query request is used for querying subscription data of terminal equipment; according to a subscription data rule of the terminal device, subscription data used by the terminal device for accessing a first network is determined, and the subscription data rule is used for indicating corresponding subscription data used by the terminal device for accessing different networks; and sending a subscription data query response to the network function network element, wherein the subscription data query response comprises subscription data used by the terminal device for accessing the first network. According to the scheme, the terminal equipment is indicated to access the corresponding subscription data used by different networks through the subscription data rule of the terminal equipment, so that the terminal equipment uses the corresponding subscription data to access the network, the terminal equipment can support access to different networks, and the user experience can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technologies, and in particular, to a communication method, a communication device, and a communication system. Background Art

[0002] In traditional communication technologies, a terminal device can only access one network. For example, a terminal device (such as a computer) in a campus network can only access the campus network and cannot access other networks (such as the Internet). Another example is that a terminal device of an ordinary user (such as a mobile phone) can only access the Internet but cannot access the campus network.

[0003] To improve the user experience, currently a terminal device is required to support accessing different networks. However, there is currently no corresponding solution on how to enable a terminal device to support accessing different networks. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method, a communication device, and a communication system to enable a terminal device to support accessing different networks, thereby improving the user experience.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a data management network element or a chip applied to the data management network element. The method includes: receiving a subscription data query request from a network function network element, where the subscription data query request is used to query the subscription data of a terminal device; determining, according to the subscription data rule of the terminal device, the subscription data used by the terminal device to access a first network, where the subscription data rule is used to indicate the corresponding subscription data used by the terminal device to access different networks; and sending a subscription data query response to the network function network element, where the subscription data query response includes the subscription data used by the terminal device to access the first network.

[0006] In the above solution, the corresponding subscription data used by the terminal device to access different networks is indicated by the subscription data rule of the terminal device, so that the terminal device uses the corresponding subscription data to access the network, which can enable the terminal device to support accessing different networks and improve the user experience.

[0007] In a possible implementation method, the subscription data query request includes the identification information of the terminal device and the identification information of the first network accessed by the terminal device; the method further includes: determining, according to the subscription data query request, the identification information of the first network accessed by the terminal device.

[0008] In the above solution, the identity information of the first network accessed by the terminal device is carried in the subscription data query request, so that the data management network element can quickly and accurately determine the identity information of the first network accessed by the terminal device, which helps the data management network element accurately determine the subscription data used by the terminal device to access the network.

[0009] In a possible implementation method, the method further includes: receiving a registration request, where the registration request includes the identity information of the terminal device and the identity information of the first network accessed by the terminal device; saving the corresponding relationship between the identity information of the terminal device and the identity information of the first network.

[0010] In a possible implementation method, the subscription data query request includes the identity information of the terminal device; the method further includes: determining the identity information of the first network accessed by the terminal device according to the identity information of the terminal device and the corresponding relationship.

[0011] In the above solution, registering the corresponding relationship between the identity information of the terminal device and the identity information of the first network accessed by the terminal device in advance with the data management network element helps the data management network element accurately determine the subscription data used by the terminal device to access the network according to this corresponding relationship.

[0012] In a possible implementation method, the method further includes: receiving a subscription request from the billing system, where the subscription request includes the identity information of the terminal device and the subscription data rule of the terminal device.

[0013] In the above solution, the billing system determines the subscription data rule of the terminal device and subscribes the subscription data rule to the data management network element, so that the data management network element can determine the subscription data used by the terminal device to access different networks according to this subscription data rule. This method does not require the terminal device to subscribe through the billing system for different accessed networks respectively, but only requires the billing system to generate a subscription data rule, so the complexity of the billing system can be reduced.

[0014] In a possible implementation method, the different networks include at least one of the following networks: campus network, domestic large network or overseas roaming network.

[0015] In a possible implementation method, the subscription data rule includes the identity information of at least one network that the terminal device can access, and the subscription data before replacement and the subscription data after replacement of the terminal device corresponding to the at least one network respectively.

[0016] In a possible implementation method, the method also includes: when the contract data of the terminal device before replacement is updated, receiving updated contract data rules of the terminal device, the updated contract data rules including identification information of the at least one network accessible to the terminal device, and updated contract data before replacement and updated contract data after replacement corresponding to the at least one network, respectively.

[0017] In the above scheme, when the contract data of the terminal device is updated, the accounting system generates updated contract data rules and resends them to the data management network element, so that the data management network element can obtain the correct contract data rules, which helps to accurately determine the contract data used by the terminal device to access different networks.

[0018] In one possible implementation method, the signing data rule includes identification information of at least one network accessible to the terminal device, and replaced signing data of the terminal device corresponding to the at least one network; or, the signing data rule includes identification information of at least one network accessible to the terminal device, and replaced signing data of the terminal device corresponding to the at least one network.

[0019] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a tent system or a chip applied to a tent system. The method includes: obtaining contract information of a terminal device, the contract information including at least one contract data; determining a contract data rule of the terminal device according to the contract information, the contract data rule being used to indicate the corresponding contract data used by the terminal device to access different networks; and sending a contract request to a data management network element, the contract request including identification information of the terminal device and the contract data rule.

[0020] In the above scheme, the contract data rule of the terminal device is used to instruct the terminal device to access the corresponding contract data used by different networks, so that the terminal device uses the corresponding contract data to access the network, which can realize that the terminal device supports access to different networks and improve the user experience. In addition, the method does not require the terminal device to sign contracts through the accounting system for different networks to be accessed, but only requires the accounting system to generate a contract data rule, thereby reducing the complexity of the accounting system.

[0021] In one possible implementation method, obtaining the contract information of the terminal device includes: sending a query request to the data management network element, the query request including the identification information of the terminal device, and the query request is used to query the contract information of the terminal device; receiving a query response from the data management network element, the query response including the contract information.

[0022] In a possible implementation method, the different networks include at least one of the following networks: a campus network, a domestic backbone network, or an overseas roaming network.

[0023] In a possible implementation method, the subscribed data rule includes identification information of at least one network that the terminal device can access, and the subscribed data of the terminal device before replacement and the subscribed data of the terminal device after replacement corresponding to the at least one network respectively.

[0024] In a possible implementation method, the method further includes: when the subscribed data of the terminal device before replacement is updated, sending the updated subscribed data rule of the terminal device to the data management network element, where the updated subscribed data rule includes identification information of the at least one network that the terminal device can access, and the updated subscribed data before replacement and the updated subscribed data after replacement corresponding to the at least one network respectively.

[0025] In the above solution, when the subscribed data of the terminal device is updated, the billing system generates an updated subscribed data rule and resends it to the data management network element, so that the data management network element can obtain the correct subscribed data rule, which helps to accurately determine the subscribed data used by the terminal device to access different networks.

[0026] In a possible implementation method, the subscribed data rule includes identification information of at least one network that the terminal device can access, and the subscribed data of the terminal device after replacement corresponding to the at least one network respectively; or, the subscribed data rule includes identification information of at least one network that the terminal device can access, and the subscribed data of the terminal device corresponding to the at least one network respectively.

[0027] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a data management network element or a chip applied to the data management network element. The method includes: receiving a subscribed data query request from a network function network element, where the subscribed data query request is used to query the subscribed data corresponding to the network function network element; determining the subscribed data corresponding to the network function network element according to the subscribed data rule corresponding to the network to which the network function network element belongs, where the subscribed data rule is used to indicate the subscribed data used by the terminal device accessing the network; and sending a subscribed data query response to the network function network element, where the subscribed data query response includes the subscribed data corresponding to the network function network element.

[0028] In the above solution, the subscribed data used by the terminal device accessing each network is indicated by the subscribed data rules of each network, so that the terminal device uses the corresponding subscribed data to access the network, which can enable the terminal device to support accessing different networks and improve the user experience.

[0029] In a possible implementation method, the subscription data query request includes identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs; the method also includes: obtaining identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs from the subscription data query request.

[0030] The above scheme carries the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs in the contract data query request, so that the data management network element can quickly and accurately determine the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs, which helps the data management network element to accurately determine the contract data used by the terminal device accessing the network.

[0031] In a possible implementation method, the method also includes: receiving a registration request, the registration request including identification information of the network function network element and identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs; and saving the correspondence between the identification information of the network function network element and the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs.

[0032] In a possible implementation method, the contract data query request includes identification information of the network function network element; the method also includes: determining the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs based on the identification information of the network function network element and the corresponding relationship.

[0033] The above scheme registers the correspondence between the identification information of the network function network element and the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs in advance to the data management network element, which helps the data management network element to accurately determine the contract data used by the terminal device accessing the network based on the correspondence.

[0034] In a possible implementation method, the method further includes: receiving a contract signing request from an accounting system, the contract signing request including contract signing data rules corresponding to at least one network, the at least one network including a network to which the network function network element belongs.

[0035] In the above scheme, the accounting system determines the contract data rules corresponding to each network and signs the contract data rules to the data management network element, so that the data management network element can determine the contract data used by the terminal equipment accessing each network according to the contract data rules.

[0036] In a possible implementation method, the subscription data rule includes identification information of the at least one network and subscription data corresponding to the at least one network.

[0037] In a possible implementation method, the at least one network includes at least one of the following networks: a campus network, a large domestic network, or an overseas roaming network.

[0038] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a tent system or a chip applied to a tent system. The method includes: determining a contract data rule corresponding to at least one network, the contract data rule is used to indicate the contract data used by a terminal device accessing the network; sending a contract request to a data management network element, the contract request includes the contract data rule corresponding to the at least one network.

[0039] The above scheme indicates the corresponding contract data used by the terminal device accessing each network through the contract data rules of each network, so that the terminal device uses the corresponding contract data to access the network, which can realize the terminal device supporting access to different networks and improve the user experience.

[0040] In a possible implementation method, the subscription data rule includes identification information of the at least one network and subscription data corresponding to the at least one network.

[0041] In a possible implementation method, the at least one network includes at least one of the following networks: a campus network, a large domestic network, or an overseas roaming network.

[0042] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a data management network element, or a chip for a data management network element. The device has the function of implementing any implementation method of the first aspect or the third aspect. The function may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0043] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a tent system or a chip for a tent system. The device has the function of implementing any implementation method of the second aspect or the fourth aspect. The function may be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0044] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a unit or means for executing each step of any implementation method in the first to fourth aspects above.

[0045] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, including a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices through the interface circuit and execute any implementation method in the first to fourth aspects above. The processor includes one or more.

[0046] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, including a processor configured to call a program to execute any implementation method in the first to fourth aspects above. And the processor may be one or more.

[0047] Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory coupled to the processor. The memory may be located inside or outside the device.

[0048] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, including a processor; when the device is running, the processor executes computer instructions to cause the device to execute any implementation method in the first to fourth aspects above.

[0049] Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory for storing the computer instructions.

[0050] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, including a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are run on a communication device, any implementation method in the first to fourth aspects above is caused to be executed.

[0051] In a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium. Instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium. When they are run on a communication device, any implementation method in the first to fourth aspects above is caused to be executed.

[0052] In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip system, including: a processor configured to execute any implementation method in the first to fourth aspects above.

[0053] In a fourteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, including a data management network element configured to receive a subscription data query request from a network function network element. The subscription data query request is used to query the subscription data of a terminal device; determine the subscription data used by the terminal device to access a first network according to the subscription data rule of the terminal device. The subscription data rule is used to indicate the corresponding subscription data used by the terminal device to access different networks; send a subscription data query response to the network function network element. The subscription data query response includes the subscription data used by the terminal device to access the first network; the network function network element is configured to send the subscription data query request to the data management network element; and receive the subscription data query response from the data management network element.

[0054] In a possible implementation method, the communication system also includes an accounting system; the accounting system is used to obtain the contract information of the terminal device, and the contract information includes at least one contract data; based on the contract information, the contract data rule is determined; a contract request is sent to the data management network element, and the contract request includes the identification information of the terminal device and the contract data rule; the data management network element is also used to receive the contract request.

[0055] In the fifteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, including a data management network element, for receiving a contract data query request from a network function network element, wherein the contract data query request is used to query the contract data corresponding to the network function network element; determining the contract data corresponding to the network function network element according to a contract data rule corresponding to the network to which the network function network element belongs; wherein the contract data rule is used to indicate the contract data used by the terminal device accessing the network; sending a contract data query response to the network function network element, wherein the contract data query response includes the contract data corresponding to the network function network element; the network function network element is used to send the contract data query request to the data management network element; and receiving the contract data query response from the data management network element.

[0056] In one possible implementation method, the communication system also includes an accounting system; the accounting system is used to determine the contract data rules corresponding to at least one network, and the contract data rules are used to indicate the contract data used by the terminal device accessing the network; a contract request is sent to the data management network element, and the contract request includes the contract data rules corresponding to the at least one network, and the at least one network includes the network to which the network function network element belongs; the data management network element is also used to receive the contract request. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0057] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the 5G network architecture based on service-oriented architecture;

[0059] Figure 3 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Figure 4 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Figure 6Schematic diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0063] The present application provides a communication system. Referring to Figure 1 , the system includes a data management network element and a network function (NF) network element. Optionally, the system further includes a billing system.

[0064] Figure 1 The system shown can be used in Figure 2 the fifth generation (5G) network architecture shown. Of course, it can also be used in future network architectures, such as the sixth generation (6G) network architecture, etc. The present application does not make any limitations.

[0065] Figure 1 The data management network element in Figure 2 can be the unified data management (UDM) network element in

[0066] Figure 1 or a network element with the function of the UDM network element in future communications such as 6G communications. The present application does not make any limitations in this regard. Figure 2 The network function network element in

[0067] can be the access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, the session management function (SMF) network element, and the policy control function (PCF) network element in

[0068] In a possible implementation method, the subscription data query request includes the identification information of the terminal device and the identification information of the first network accessed by the terminal device; the data management network element is further configured to determine the identification information of the first network accessed by the terminal device according to the subscription data query request.

[0069] In a possible implementation method, the data management network element is further configured to receive a registration request, where the registration request includes the identification information of the terminal device and the identification information of the first network accessed by the terminal device; and save the corresponding relationship between the identification information of the terminal device and the identification information of the first network.

[0070] In a possible implementation method, the subscription data query request includes the identification information of the terminal device; the data management network element is further configured to determine the identification information of the first network accessed by the terminal device according to the identification information of the terminal device and the corresponding relationship.

[0071] In a possible implementation method, the billing system is configured to obtain the subscription information of the terminal device, where the subscription information includes at least one piece of subscription data; determine the subscription data rule of the terminal device according to the subscription information, where the subscription data rule is used to indicate the corresponding subscription data used by the terminal device to access different networks; and send a subscription request to the data management network element, where the subscription request includes the identification information of the terminal device and the subscription data rule. The data management network element is further configured to receive the subscription request.

[0072] In a possible implementation method, the billing system is configured to obtain the subscription information of the terminal device, specifically including: sending a query request to the data management network element, where the query request includes the identification information of the terminal device, and the query request is used to query the subscription information of the terminal device; and receiving a query response from the data management network element, where the query response includes the subscription information.

[0073] In a possible implementation method, the data management network element is further configured to, when the subscription data before replacement of the terminal device is updated, receive the updated subscription data rule of the terminal device, where the updated subscription data rule includes the identification information of the at least one network that the terminal device can access, and the updated subscription data before replacement and the updated subscription data after replacement corresponding to the at least one network respectively.

[0074] In a second embodiment, a data management network element is configured to receive a subscription data query request from a network function network element, where the subscription data query request is used to query subscription data corresponding to the network function network element; determine the subscription data corresponding to the network function network element according to a subscription data rule corresponding to the network to which the network function network element belongs, where the subscription data rule is used to indicate subscription data used by a terminal device accessing the network; and send a subscription data query response to the network function network element, where the subscription data query response includes the subscription data corresponding to the network function network element. The network function network element is configured to send the subscription data query request to the data management network element; and receive the subscription data query response from the data management network element.

[0075] In a possible implementation method, the subscription data query request includes identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs; the data management network element is further configured to obtain the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs from the subscription data query request.

[0076] In a possible implementation method, the data management network element is further configured to receive a registration request, where the registration request includes identification information of the network function network element and identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs; and save a correspondence between the identification information of the network function network element and the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs.

[0077] In a possible implementation method, the subscription data query request includes identification information of the network function network element; the data management network element is further configured to determine the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs according to the identification information of the network function network element and the correspondence.

[0078] In a possible implementation method, a business support system is configured to determine subscription data rules respectively corresponding to at least one network, where the subscription data rules are used to indicate subscription data used by a terminal device accessing the network, and the at least one network includes the network to which the network function network element belongs; and send a subscription request to the data management network element, where the subscription request includes the subscription data rules respectively corresponding to the at least one network. The data management network element is configured to receive the subscription request from the business support system.

[0079] The interactions between various network elements in the system and the specific implementation can be referred to the following method embodiments and will not be elaborated here. To address the challenges of wireless broadband technology and maintain the leading edge of the 3GPP network, the 3GPP standards group has developed the architecture of the next-generation mobile communication network system (Next Generation System), known as the 5G network architecture. This architecture not only supports the access of radio access technologies defined by the 3GPP standards group (such as long term evolution (LTE) access technology, 5G radio access network (RAN) access technology, etc.) to the 5G core network (core network, CN), but also supports the access to the core network using non-3GPP (non-3GPP) access technologies through the non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF) or the next generation packet data gateway (ngPDG).

[0080] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the 5G network architecture based on the service-based architecture. Figure 2 The 5G network architecture shown may include access network devices and core network devices. The terminal device accesses the data network (DN) through the access network devices and core network devices. Among them, the core network devices include, but are not limited to, some or all of the following network elements: authentication server function (AUSF) network element, UDM network element, unified data repository (UDR) network element, network repository function (NRF) network element, network exposure function (NEF) network element, application function (AF) network element, PCF network element, AMF network element, SMF network element, user plane function (UPF) network element.

[0081] The terminal device can be a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a mobile terminal device, etc. The terminal device can be widely applied to various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, a vehicle, an urban air vehicle (such as an unmanned aircraft, a helicopter, etc.), a ship, a robot, a robotic arm, a smart home device, etc. For ease of description, this application takes the UE as an example of the terminal device for illustration, and the UE that appears at any subsequent position can be replaced by the terminal device.

[0082] The access network device can be a radio access network device (RAN device) or a wired access network device. Among them, the radio access network device includes a 3GPP access network device, a non-trusted non-3GPP access network device, and a trusted non-3GPP access network device. The 3GPP access network device includes but is not limited to: the evolved NodeB (eNodeB) in LTE, the next generation NodeB (gNB) in the 5G mobile communication system, the base station in the future mobile communication system, or a module or unit that completes part of the base station functions, such as a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), etc. The non-trusted non-3GPP access network device includes but is not limited to: a non-trusted non-3GPP access gateway or an N3IWF device, a non-trusted wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP), a switch, a router. The trusted non-3GPP access network device includes but is not limited to: a trusted non-3GPP access gateway, a trusted WLAN AP, a switch, a router. The wired access network device includes but is not limited to: a wireline access gateway, a fixed telephone network device, a switch, a router. For ease of description, this application takes the base station as an example of the access network device for illustration, and the base station that appears at any subsequent position can be replaced by the access network device.

[0083] The base station and the UE can be in fixed positions or movable. The base station and the UE can be deployed on land, including indoor or outdoor, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and can also be deployed on airplanes, balloons, and artificial satellites in the air. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the base station and the UE.

[0084] The AMF network element includes functions such as performing mobility management, access authentication / authorization, etc. In addition, it is also responsible for transmitting user policies between the UE and the PCF.

[0085] The SMF network element includes functions such as performing session management, executing control policies issued by the PCF network element, selecting the UPF network element, or allocating the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the UE.

[0086] The UPF network element includes functions such as completing user plane data forwarding, session / flow-level billing statistics, or bandwidth limitation.

[0087] The UDM network element includes functions such as performing management of subscribed data or user access authorization.

[0088] The UDR includes functions such as accessing data of types such as subscribed data, policy data, or application data.

[0089] The NEF network element is used to support the opening of capabilities and events.

[0090] The AF network element transmits the requirements of the application side to the network side. For example, quality of service (QoS) requirements or user status event subscriptions, etc. The AF can be a third-party functional entity or an application service deployed by the operator, such as an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) voice call service. Among them, the AF network element includes the AF network element within the core network (i.e., the operator's AF network element) and the third-party AF network element (such as an application server of a certain enterprise).

[0091] The PCF network element includes policy control functions such as being responsible for charging, QoS bandwidth guarantee, mobility management, or UE policy decision-making at the session and traffic levels. The PCF network element includes an access and mobility management policy control function (AM PCF) network element and a session management PCF (SM PCF) network element. Among them, the AM PCF network element is used to formulate AM policies and user policies for the UE, and the AM PCF network element can also be called a policy control network element (PCF for a UE) that provides services for the UE. The SM PCF network element is used to formulate session management policies (SM policies) for sessions, and the SM PCF network element can also be called a policy control network element (PCF for a PDU session) that provides services for protocol data unit (PDU) sessions.

[0092] The NRF network element can be used to provide a network element discovery function, and based on the requests of other network elements, provide network element information corresponding to the network element type. The NRF network element also provides network element management services, such as network element registration, update, deregistration, or network element status subscription and push, etc.

[0093] The AUSF network element is responsible for authenticating users to determine whether to allow users or devices to access the network.

[0094] The DN is a network outside the operator's network. The operator's network can access multiple DNs. Multiple services can be deployed on the DN, which can provide services such as data and / or voice for the UE. For example, the DN is a private network of a smart factory. The sensors installed in the workshop of the smart factory can be the UE. A control server for the sensors is deployed in the DN, and the control server can provide services for the sensors. The sensors can communicate with the control server, obtain instructions from the control server, and transmit the collected sensor data to the control server according to the instructions. Another example is that the DN is the internal office network of a company. The mobile phones or computers of the company's employees can be the UE, and the mobile phones or computers of the employees can access information and data resources on the company's internal office network.

[0095] Figure 2Npcf, Nudr, Nudm, Naf, Namf, Nsmf, Nnrf, Nnef, and Nausf are service interfaces provided by the above PCF, UDR, UDM, AF, AMF, SMF, NRF, NEF, and AUSF, respectively, and are used to call corresponding service operations. N1, N2, N3, N4, and N6 are interface serial numbers, and the meanings of these interface serial numbers are as follows:

[0096] 1) N1: The interface between the AMF network element and the UE, which can be used to transmit non-access stratum (NAS) signaling (such as QoS rules from the AMF network element) to the UE.

[0097] 2) N2: The interface between the AMF network element and the base station, which can be used to transmit radio bearer control information from the core network side to the base station.

[0098] 3) N3: The interface between the base station and the UPF network element, mainly used to transmit uplink and downlink user plane data between the base station and the UPF network element.

[0099] 4) N4: The interface between the SMF network element and the UPF network element can be used to transmit information between the control plane and the user plane, including controlling the issuance of forwarding rules, QoS rules, traffic statistics rules, etc. for the user plane and reporting of information on the user plane.

[0100] 5) N6: The interface between UPF network element and DN, used to transmit the uplink and downlink user data flows between UPF network element and DN.

[0101] It is understandable that the above network element or function can be a network element in a hardware device, a software function running on dedicated hardware, or a virtualized function instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). Optionally, the above network element or function can be implemented by one device, or by multiple devices, or a functional module in one device, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0102] The data management network element in this application can be Figure 2 The UDM network element in the data management network may also be a network element having the function of a UDM network element in future communications such as a 6G network, and this application is not limited to this. In the embodiment of the present application, the UDM network element is described as an example of a data management network element.

[0103] Figure 3Schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of this application. This method is executed by a network function network element or a module (such as a chip) applied to the network function network element, and a UDM network element or a module (such as a chip) applied to the UDM network element. Optionally, this method is also executed by a billing system or a module (such as a chip) applied to the billing system. For ease of description, the following takes the network function network element, the UDM network element, and the billing system executing this method as an example for illustration.

[0104] This method includes the following steps:

[0105] Step 301, the network function network element sends a registration request to the UDM network element. Correspondingly, the UDM network element receives the registration request.

[0106] The network function network element can be an AMF network element, an SMF network element, a PCF network element, or other network elements, etc. This application does not limit the specific type of the network function network element.

[0107] The registration request includes the identification information of the UE and the identification information of the first network accessed by the UE. Among them, the first network accessed by the UE can also be understood as the network to which the UE is currently attached or registered.

[0108] For example, when the first network accessed by the UE is a certain campus network, the identification information of the campus network can be the identification information of a certain network element deployed in the campus network, that is, the identification information of the network element is used to indicate the campus network. Exemplarily, the identification information of the campus network can be the identification information of the AMF network element in the campus. For example, the identification information of the AMF network element is {PLMN: 46001, AMFREGION: 111, AMFSET: 11, AMFPOINT: 1}. That is, the identification of the public land mobile network (PLMN) where the AMF network element is located is 46001, the identification of the AMF region (i.e., AMFREGION) where the AMF network element is located is 111, the identification of the AMF set (i.e., AMFSET) where the AMF network element is located is 11, and the identification of the AMF network element (i.e., AMFPOINT) is 1.

[0109] For another example, when the first network accessed by the UE is the domestic large network (i.e., the Internet), and the network function network element provides services for the UE, the identification information of the first network accessed by the UE carried in the registration request can be the identification information of the domestic large network. For example, the identification information of the domestic large network can be the identification of the PLMN. For example, when the identification of the PLMN is 46001, it represents the domestic large network.

[0110] For another example, when the first network accessed by the UE is an overseas roaming network and the network function entity provides services for the UE, the identification information of the first network accessed by the UE carried in the registration request may be the identification information of the overseas roaming network. For example, the identification information of the overseas roaming network may be the identification of the PLMN. For example, when the identification of the PLMN is 56001, it represents the overseas roaming network.

[0111] In the embodiments of the present application, the first network accessed by the UE may also be referred to as the first domain accessed by the UE. The first domain may be a campus area, a domestic large network domain, or an overseas roaming domain. That is, different networks can also be understood as different domains.

[0112] Step 302, the UDM entity saves the correspondence between the identification information of the UE and the identification information of the first network accessed by the UE.

[0113] Step 303, the UDM entity sends a registration response to the network function entity. Correspondingly, the network function entity receives the registration response.

[0114] The registration response is used to indicate successful registration.

[0115] The above steps 301 to 303 are optional steps.

[0116] As an implementation method, it may also be that other network entities register the correspondence between the identification information of the UE and the identification information of the first network accessed by the UE to the UDM entity.

[0117] It should be noted that if the network accessed by the UE changes, the network function entity or other network entities may re-register the network identification information accessed by the UE to the UDM entity. For example, if the network accessed by the UE is updated from the first network to the second network, the network function entity or other network entities may re-send a registration request to the UDM entity. The registration request includes the identification information of the UE and the identification information of the second network accessed by the UE. Then, the UDM entity saves the correspondence between the identification information of the UE and the identification information of the second network accessed by the UE.

[0118] The above steps 301 to 303 may be executed for one or more UEs. That is, for each UE, the identification information of the network accessed by the UE can be stored on the UDM entity according to the above steps 301 to 303.

[0119] Step 304, the billing system obtains the subscription information of the UE.

[0120] The accounting system is also called the business and operation support system (BOSS). The accounting system covers the functions of billing, settlement, business, accounting and customer service systems, and centrally and uniformly plans and integrates various business functions. This is a unified description here, and other embodiments will not be repeated later.

[0121] The subscription information of the UE includes at least one subscription data, and the session data of the UE in each subscription data and other information. Exemplarily, each subscription data includes but is not limited to one or more of the following information: data network name (data network name, DNN), session and service continuity (session and service continuity, SSC) mode, QoS characteristic parameters, DNN default identifier, default PDU session type, subscription evolved packet system (evolved packet system, EPS) interoperability identifier (iwkEpsInd) or DNN online and offline rates, etc. Among them, iwkEpsInd is used to indicate whether the subscription session data supports interoperability.

[0122] As an implementation method, step 304 is specifically as follows: the accounting system sends a query request to the UDM network element, the query request includes the identification information of the UE, and the query request is used to query the subscription information of the UE. The UDM network element sends a query response to the accounting system, the query response includes the subscription information of the UE.

[0123] Step 305: The accounting system determines the subscription data rule of the UE according to the subscription information of the UE.

[0124] The subscription data rule of the UE is used to indicate the corresponding subscription data used by the UE to access different networks. The subscription data used by the UE when accessing different networks may be the same or different.

[0125] Three different specific implementation methods of the signing data rules are given below.

[0126] Implementation method 1: The subscription data rule of the UE includes identification information of at least one network that the UE can access, and the subscription data of the UE before replacement and the subscription data of the UE after replacement corresponding to the at least one network.

[0127] Exemplarily, the following Table 1 gives the subscription data rules of a certain UE (taking UE#1 as an example).

[0128] Table 1

[0129] Name of the network Identification information of the network Subscription data Campus Network #1 Campus Network Identification 1 Replace Subscription Data 1 with Subscription Data a Campus Network #2 Campus Network Identification 2 Replace Subscription Data 1 with Subscription Data b Domestic large network PLMN: 46001 Replace Subscription Data 2 with Subscription Data c Overseas roaming network PLMN: 56001 Do not replace subscription data

[0130] In the example of Table 1, the subscription information of UE#1 includes subscription data 1 and subscription data 2. The subscription data rule of this UE#1 indicates the following information: If this UE#1 is located in campus network #1, then replace the subscription data 1 of UE#1 with subscription data a; if this UE#1 is located in campus network #2, then replace the subscription data 1 of UE#1 with subscription data b; if this UE#1 is located in the national wide network, then replace the subscription data 2 of UE#1 with subscription data c; if this UE#1 is located in the overseas roaming network, no subscription data replacement is performed.

[0131] Exemplarily, Table 2 below gives the subscription data rules of a certain UE (taking UE#2 as an example).

[0132] Table 2

[0133] Name of the network Identification information of the network Subscription data Campus Network #1 Campus Network Identification 1 Replace Subscription Data 3 with Subscription Data d Campus Network #2 Campus Network Identification 2 Replace Subscription Data 3 with Subscription Data e Domestic large network PLMN: 46001 Replace Subscription Data 4 with Subscription Data f Overseas roaming network PLMN: 56001 Do not replace subscription data

[0134] In the example of Table 2, the subscription information of UE#2 includes subscription data 3 and subscription data 4. The subscription data rule of this UE#2 indicates the following information: If this UE#2 is located in campus network #1, then replace the subscription data 3 of UE#2 with subscription data d; if this UE#2 is located in campus network #2, then replace the subscription data 3 of UE#2 with subscription data e; if this UE#2 is located in the national wide network, then replace the subscription data 4 of UE#2 with subscription data f; if this UE#2 is located in the overseas roaming network, no subscription data replacement is performed.

[0135] For implementation method 2, the subscription data rule of the UE includes the identification information of at least one network that the UE can access, and the replaced subscription data of the UE corresponding to at least one network respectively.

[0136] Exemplarily, Table 3 below gives the subscription data rules of a certain UE (taking UE#1 as an example).

[0137] Table 3

[0138] Name of the network Identification information of the network Replaced subscription data Campus Network #1 Campus Network Identification 1 Subscription Data a Campus Network #2 Campus Network Identification 2 Subscription Data b Domestic large network PLMN: 46001 Subscription Data c Overseas roaming network PLMN: 56001 Do not replace subscription data

[0139] In the example of Table 3, the subscription information of UE#1 includes subscription data 1 and subscription data 2. The subscription data rule of this UE#1 indicates the following information: If this UE#1 is located in campus network #1, then the replaced subscription data of UE#1 is subscription data a; if this UE#1 is located in campus network #2, then the replaced subscription data of UE#1 is subscription data b; if this UE#1 is located in the national wide network, then the replaced subscription data of UE#1 is subscription data c; if this UE#1 is located in the overseas roaming network, no subscription data replacement is performed.

[0140] Exemplarily, the following Table 4 gives the subscription data rules of a certain UE (taking UE#2 as an example).

[0141] Table 4

[0142] Name of the network Identification information of the network Replaced subscription data Campus Network #1 Campus Network Identification 1 Subscription Data d Campus Network #2 Campus Network Identification 2 Subscription Data e Domestic large network PLMN: 46001 Subscription Data f Overseas roaming network PLMN: 56001 Do not replace subscription data

[0143] In the example of Table 4, the subscription information of UE#2 includes subscription data 3 and subscription data 4. The subscription data rule of UE#2 indicates the following information: if the UE#2 is located in campus network #1, the replaced subscription data of UE#2 is subscription data d; if the UE#2 is located in campus network #2, the replaced subscription data of UE#2 is subscription data e; if the UE#2 is located in a domestic large network, the replaced subscription data of UE#2 is subscription data f; if the UE#2 is located in an overseas roaming network, the subscription data is not replaced.

[0144] The main difference between implementation method 2 and implementation method 1 is that in implementation method 1, the contract data rule of the UE reflects both the contract data of the UE before replacement and the contract data after replacement; in implementation method 2, the contract data rule of the UE does not reflect the contract data of the UE before replacement, but only reflects the contract data after replacement.

[0145] Implementation method three, the UE's subscription data rule includes identification information of at least one network that the UE can access, and the UE's subscription data corresponding to the at least one network.

[0146] In this implementation method, the accounting system does not determine the subscription data rule of the UE based on the subscription information of the UE obtained from the UDM, but generates the subscription data rule for the UE when the UE signs the contract for the first time.

[0147] Exemplarily, the following Table 5 gives the subscription data rules of a certain UE (taking UE#1 as an example).

[0148] Table 5

[0149]

[0150]

[0151] In the example of Table 5, the contract data rule of UE#1 indicates the following information: if the UE#1 is located in campus network #1, the contract data of UE#1 is contract data a; if the UE#1 is located in campus network #2, the contract data of UE#1 is contract data b; if the UE#1 is located in a domestic large network, the contract data of UE#1 is contract data c; if the UE#1 is located in an overseas roaming network, the contract data of UE#1 is contract data x.

[0152] Exemplarily, the following Table 6 gives the subscription data rules of a certain UE (taking UE#2 as an example).

[0153] Table 6

[0154] Name of the network Identification information of the network Subscription data Campus Network #1 Campus Network Identification 1 Subscription Data d Campus Network #2 Campus Network Identification 2 Subscription Data e Domestic large network PLMN: 46001 Subscription Data f Overseas roaming network PLMN: 56001 Subscription Data y

[0155] In the example of Table 6, the contract data rule of UE#2 indicates the following information: if the UE#2 is located in campus network #1, the contract data of UE#2 is contract data d; if the UE#2 is located in campus network #2, the contract data of UE#2 is contract data e; if the UE#2 is located in the domestic large network, the contract data of UE#2 is contract data f; if the UE#2 is located in the overseas roaming network, the contract data of UE#2 is contract data y.

[0156] The main difference between implementation method three and the above-mentioned implementation methods one and two is: in implementation methods one and two, the UE's contract information has been stored in the UDM network element, and then the accounting system obtains the UE's contract information from the UDM network element, and determines the UE's contract data rules based on the UE's contract information; in implementation method three, when the UE signs a contract for the first time, the accounting system determines the contract data rules for the UE.

[0157] Step 306: The accounting system sends a contract signing request to the UDM network element. Correspondingly, the UDM network element receives the contract signing request.

[0158] The subscription request includes the identification information of the UE and the subscription data rules of the UE.

[0159] Step 307: The UDM network element sends a contract signing response to the account system. Correspondingly, the account system receives the contract signing response.

[0160] The signing response is used to indicate that the signing is successful.

[0161] The above steps 304 to 307 may be performed for one or more UEs, that is, for each UE, the subscription data rules of the UE may be stored on the UDM network element according to the above steps 304 to 307.

[0162] As an implementation method, after the above step 307, if the subscription information of the UE stored in the UDM network element changes, for example, another account system (for example, account system 1) stores the updated subscription information of the UE in the UDM network element, the UDM network element can actively send the subscription information to the UDM network element. Figure 3The accounting system in the embodiment (for example, accounting system 2) sends the updated contract information of the UE, and then the accounting system 2 determines the updated contract data rules of the UE based on the updated contract information of the UE, and sends the updated contract data rules of the UE to the UDM network element for storage. The updated contract data rules include the identification information of at least one network that the UE can access, and the updated contract data before replacement and the updated contract data after replacement respectively corresponding to the at least one network. Alternatively, the updated contract data rules include the identification information of at least one network that the UE can access, and the updated contract data after replacement respectively corresponding to the at least one network. Alternatively, the updated contract data rules include the identification information of at least one network that the UE can access, and the updated contract data respectively corresponding to the at least one network.

[0163] The above steps 304 to 307 are optional steps.

[0164] Step 308: The network function network element sends a subscription data query request to the UDM network element. Correspondingly, the UDM network element receives the subscription data query request.

[0165] The subscription data query request is used to query the subscription data of the UE.

[0166] As an implementation method, the subscription data query request carries the identification information of the UE and the identification information of the first network accessed by the UE, and the UDM network element determines the identification information of the first network accessed by the UE according to the subscription data query request. That is, the UDM network element obtains the identification information of the first network accessed by the UE from the subscription data query request, and then performs the following step 309 after obtaining the identification information of the first network accessed by the UE.

[0167] As another implementation method, the subscription data query request carries the identification information of the UE, and the UDM network element determines the identification information of the first network accessed by the UE based on the identification information of the UE and the correspondence between the identification information of the UE and the identification information of the first network. After learning the identification information of the first network accessed by the UE, the UDM network element performs the following step 309. Exemplarily, the correspondence between the identification information of the UE and the identification information of the first network stored on the UDM network element may be registered to the UDM through the above steps 301 to 303, or may be registered to the UDM by other network elements.

[0168] Step 309: The UDM network element determines the subscription data used by the UE to access the first network according to the subscription data rule of the UE.

[0169] The subscription data rules of the UE on the UDM network element can be subscribed to the UDM network element through the above steps 304 to 307, or can be pre-configured on the UDM network element by other means. For example, the network management system sends the subscription data rules of the UE to the UDM network element. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the method for the UDM network element to obtain the subscription data rules of the UE.

[0170] Taking the examples in Table 1 or Table 3 as an example, if the first network accessed by UE#1 is Campus Network #1, the UDM network element determines that the subscription data used by UE#1 to access Campus Network #1 includes subscription data a; if the first network accessed by UE#1 is Campus Network #2, the UDM network element determines that the subscription data used by UE#1 to access Campus Network #2 includes subscription data b; if the first network accessed by UE#1 is the domestic large network, the UDM network element determines that the subscription data used by UE#1 to access the domestic large network includes subscription data c; if the first network accessed by UE#1 is the overseas roaming network, the UDM network element determines that the subscription data used by UE#1 to access the overseas roaming network includes subscription data 1 and subscription data 2.

[0171] Taking the example in Table 5 as an example, if the first network accessed by UE#1 is Campus Network #1, the UDM network element determines that the subscription data used by UE#1 to access Campus Network #1 includes subscription data a; if the first network accessed by UE#1 is Campus Network #2, the UDM network element determines that the subscription data used by UE#1 to access Campus Network #2 includes subscription data b; if the first network accessed by UE#1 is the domestic large network, the UDM network element determines that the subscription data used by UE#1 to access the domestic large network includes subscription data c; if the first network accessed by UE#1 is the overseas roaming network, the UDM network element determines that the subscription data used by UE#1 to access the overseas roaming network includes subscription data x.

[0172] Step 310, the UDM network element sends a subscription data query response to the network function network element. Correspondingly, the network function network element receives the subscription data query response.

[0173] The subscription data query response includes the subscription data used by the UE to access the first network.

[0174] In the above solution, the corresponding subscription data used by the UE to access different networks is indicated by the subscription data rules of the UE, so that the UE uses the corresponding subscription data to access the network, which can enable the UE to support accessing different networks and improve the user experience. Among them, the subscription data in this embodiment is configured at the UE granularity, that is, the subscription data used by the UE to access different networks is configured through the subscription data rules of one UE.

[0175] Figure 4Schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of this application. This method is executed by a network function network element or a module (such as a chip) applied to the network function network element, and a UDM network element or a module (such as a chip) applied to the UDM network element. Optionally, this method is also executed by a billing system or a module (such as a chip) applied to the billing system. For ease of explanation, the following takes the network function network element, the UDM network element, and the billing system executing this method as an example for illustration.

[0176] This method includes the following steps:

[0177] Step 401, the network function network element sends a registration request to the UDM network element. Correspondingly, the UDM network element receives the registration request.

[0178] This network function network element can be an AMF network element, an SMF network element, a PCF network element, or other network elements, etc. This application does not limit the specific type of the network function network element.

[0179] This registration request includes the identification information of the network function network element and the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs.

[0180] For example, when the network to which the network function network element belongs is a certain campus network, that is, this network function network element is deployed in this campus network, the identification information of this campus network can be the identification information of a certain network element deployed in this campus network, that is, the identification information of this network element is used to indicate this campus network. Exemplarily, the identification information of this campus network can be the identification information of the AMF network element in this campus. For example, the identification information of the AMF network element is {PLMN: 46001, AMFREGION: 111, AMFSET: 11, AMFPOINT: 1}. That is, the identification of the PLMN where this AMF network element is located is 46001, the identification of the AMF region (i.e., AMFREGION) where this AMF network element is located is 111, the identification of the AMF set (i.e., AMFSET) where this AMF network element is located is 11, and the identification (i.e., AMFPOINT) of this AMF network element is 1.

[0181] For another example, when the network to which the network function network element belongs is a national network (i.e., the Internet), that is, this network function network element is deployed in this national network, the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs carried in this registration request can be the identification information of the national network. For example, the identification information of the national network can be the identification of the PLMN. For example, when the identification of the PLMN is 46001, it represents the national network.

[0182] For another example, when the network to which the network function network element belongs is an overseas roaming network, that is, the network function network element is deployed in an overseas roaming network, the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs carried in the registration request may be the identification information of the overseas roaming network. For example, the identification information of the overseas roaming network may be the identification of the PLMN. For example, when the identification of the PLMN is 56001, it represents an overseas roaming network.

[0183] Step 402, the UDM network element saves the correspondence between the identification information of the network function network element and the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs.

[0184] Step 403, the UDM network element sends a registration response to the network function network element. Correspondingly, the network function network element receives the registration response.

[0185] This registration response is used to indicate successful registration.

[0186] The above steps 401 to 403 are optional steps.

[0187] The above steps 401 to 403 can be executed for one or more network function network elements. That is, for each network function network element, the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs can be stored on the UDM network element according to the above steps 401 to 403.

[0188] Step 404, the billing system determines the subscription data rules corresponding to at least one network respectively.

[0189] The subscription data rule corresponding to each network is used to indicate the subscription data used by the UE accessing the network. Among them, the subscription data used by different UEs accessing the same network is the same, and the subscription data used by accessing different networks may be the same or different.

[0190] Exemplarily, the subscription data indicated by the subscription data rule corresponding to each network includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following information: DNN, SSC mode, QoS characteristic parameters, default identification of DNN, default PDU session type, subscription EPS interoperability identification (iwkEpsInd), or DNN up / downlink rate, etc.

[0191] Exemplarily, Table 7 below gives the subscription data rules corresponding to a certain campus network (such as Campus Network #3).

[0192] Table 7

[0193] Name of the network Identification information of the network Subscription data Campus Network #3 Campus Network Identification 3 Subscription Data 1

[0194] In the example of Table 7, the subscription data rule corresponding to Campus Network #3 indicates the following information: The subscription data used by any UE accessing Campus Network #3 is Subscription Data 1.

[0195] Exemplarily, Table 8 below gives the subscription data rules corresponding to a certain campus network (such as Campus Network #4).

[0196] Table 8

[0197] Name of the network Identification information of the network Subscription data Campus Network #4 Campus Network Identification 4 Subscription Data 2

[0198] In the example of Table 8, the subscription data rules corresponding to Campus Network #4 indicate the following information: The subscription data used by any UE accessing Campus Network #4 is Subscription Data 2.

[0199] Exemplarily, Table 9 below gives the subscription data rules corresponding to the national backbone network.

[0200] Table 9

[0201] Name of the network Identification information of the network Subscription data Domestic large network PLMN: 46001 Subscription Data 3

[0202] In the example of Table 9, the subscription data rules corresponding to the national backbone network indicate the following information: The subscription data used by any UE accessing the national backbone network is Subscription Data 3.

[0203] Exemplarily, Table 10 below gives the subscription data rules corresponding to the overseas roaming network.

[0204] Table 10

[0205] Name of the network Identification information of the network Subscription data Overseas roaming network PLMN: 56001 Subscription Data 4

[0206] In the example of Table 10, the subscription data rules corresponding to the overseas roaming network indicate the following information: The subscription data used by any UE accessing the overseas roaming network is Subscription Data 4.

[0207] Step 405, the billing system sends a subscription request to the UDM network element. Correspondingly, the UDM network element receives the subscription request.

[0208] The subscription request includes the identification information of at least one network and the subscription data rules corresponding to at least one network respectively.

[0209] Step 406, the UDM network element sends a subscription response to the billing system. Correspondingly, the billing system receives the subscription response.

[0210] The subscription response is used to indicate successful subscription.

[0211] The above steps 404 to 406 are optional steps.

[0212] Step 407, the network function network element sends a subscription data query request to the UDM network element. Correspondingly, the UDM network element receives the subscription data query request.

[0213] The subscription data query request is used to query the subscription data corresponding to the network function network element.

[0214] As an implementation method, the subscription data query request carries the identification information of the network function network element and the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs. Then, the UDM network element determines the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs according to the subscription data query request. That is, the UDM network element obtains the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs from the subscription data query request, and then executes the following step 408 after obtaining the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs.

[0215] As another implementation method, the subscription data query request carries the identification information of the network function network element. Then, the UDM network element determines the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs according to the identification information of the network function network element and the corresponding relationship between the identification information of the network function network element and the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs. The UDM network element executes the following step 408 after obtaining the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs. Exemplarily, the corresponding relationship between the identification information of the network function network element stored on the UDM network element and the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs can be registered to the UDM through the above steps 401 to 403, or can be registered to the UDM by other network elements.

[0216] Step 408, the UDM network element determines the subscription data corresponding to the network function network element according to the subscription data rule corresponding to the network to which the network function network element belongs.

[0217] The subscription data rule corresponding to the network to which the network function network element belongs on the UDM network element can be subscribed to the UDM network element through the above steps 404 to 406, or can be pre-configured on the UDM network element by other means. For example, the network management system sends the subscription data rule corresponding to the network to which the network function network element belongs to the UDM network element. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the method for the UDM network element to obtain the subscription data rule.

[0218] Taking the example in Table 7, if the network to which the network function network element belongs is the campus network #3, the UDM network element determines that the subscription data corresponding to the network function network element includes subscription data 1. That is, the subscription data used by any UE accessing the campus network #3 includes subscription data 1.

[0219] Taking the example in Table 8, if the network to which the network function network element belongs is the campus network #4, the UDM network element determines that the subscription data corresponding to the network function network element includes subscription data 2. That is, the subscription data used by any UE accessing the campus network #4 includes subscription data 2.

[0220] Taking the example in Table 9, if the network to which the network function network element belongs is the domestic large network, the UDM network element determines that the subscribed data corresponding to the network function network element includes subscribed data 3. That is, the subscribed data used by any UE accessing the domestic large network includes subscribed data 3.

[0221] Taking the example in Table 10, if the network to which the network function network element belongs is an overseas roaming network, the UDM network element determines that the subscribed data corresponding to the network function network element includes subscribed data 4. That is, the subscribed data used by any UE accessing the overseas roaming network includes subscribed data 4.

[0222] Step 409, the UDM network element sends a subscribed data query response to the network function network element. Correspondingly, the network function network element receives the subscribed data query response.

[0223] The subscribed data query response includes the subscribed data corresponding to the network function network element. The subscribed data is the subscribed data determined in the above step 408.

[0224] Exemplarily, if a certain UE served by the network function network element requests the subscribed data of the UE to trigger the network function network element to execute the above step 407, after step 409, the network function network element sends the subscribed data to the UE.

[0225] In the above solution, the subscribed data rules of each network indicate the corresponding subscribed data used by the UEs accessing each network, so that the UEs can use the corresponding subscribed data to access the network, which can enable the UEs to support accessing different networks and improve the user experience. Among them, the subscribed data in this embodiment is configured at the network granularity, that is, the subscribed data used by different UEs accessing the same network is configured through the subscribed data rules corresponding to one network. Therefore, different UEs use the same subscribed data to access the same network.

[0226] It can be understood that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the data management network element or the billing system includes the corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, combined with the units and method steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in the present application, the present 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 form of hardware or computer software driving the hardware depends on the specific application scenarios and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0227] Figure 5 and Figure 6A schematic structural diagram of a possible communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the data management network element or the billing system in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be a data management network element or a billing system, or can also be a module (such as a chip) applied to the data management network element or the billing system.

[0228] Figure 5 The communication device 500 shown includes a processing unit 510 and a transceiver unit 520. The communication device 500 is used to implement the functions of the data management network element or the billing system in the above method embodiments.

[0229] When the communication device 500 is used to implement the functions of the data management network element in the above Figure 3 method embodiments, the transceiver unit 520 is used to receive a subscription data query request from a network function network element, where the subscription data query request is used to query the subscription data of a terminal device; the processing unit 510 is used to determine the subscription data used by the terminal device to access a first network according to the subscription data rule of the terminal device, and the subscription data rule is used to indicate the corresponding subscription data used by the terminal device to access different networks; the transceiver unit 520 is further used to send a subscription data query response to the network function network element, and the subscription data query response includes the subscription data used by the terminal device to access the first network.

[0230] In a possible implementation method, the subscription data query request includes the identification information of the terminal device and the identification information of the first network accessed by the terminal device; the processing unit 510 is further used to determine the identification information of the first network accessed by the terminal device according to the subscription data query request.

[0231] In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 520 is further used to receive a registration request, where the registration request includes the identification information of the terminal device and the identification information of the first network accessed by the terminal device; the processing unit 510 is further used to save the corresponding relationship between the identification information of the terminal device and the identification information of the first network.

[0232] In a possible implementation method, the subscription data query request includes the identification information of the terminal device; the processing unit 510 is further used to determine the identification information of the first network accessed by the terminal device according to the identification information of the terminal device and the corresponding relationship.

[0233] In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 520 is further used to receive a subscription request from a billing system, where the subscription request includes the identification information of the terminal device and the subscription data rule of the terminal device.

[0234] In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 520 is also used to receive updated contract data rules of the terminal device when the contract data of the terminal device before replacement is updated, and the updated contract data rules include identification information of the at least one network accessible to the terminal device, and updated contract data before replacement and updated contract data after replacement corresponding to the at least one network, respectively.

[0235] When the communication device 500 is used to implement the above Figure 3 In the method embodiment, the function of the accounting system is as follows: the processing unit 510 is used to obtain the contract information of the terminal device, and the contract information includes at least one contract data; according to the contract information, the contract data rule of the terminal device is determined, and the contract data rule is used to indicate the corresponding contract data used by the terminal device to access different networks; the transceiver unit 520 is used to send a contract request to the data management network element, and the contract request includes the identification information of the terminal device and the contract data rule.

[0236] In a possible implementation method, the processing unit 510 is used to obtain the contract information of the terminal device, specifically including: sending a query request to the data management network element through the transceiver unit 520, the query request including the identification information of the terminal device, and the query request is used to query the contract information of the terminal device; and receiving a query response from the data management network element, the query response including the contract information.

[0237] In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 520 is also used to send the updated contract data rules of the terminal device to the data management network element when the contract data of the terminal device before replacement is updated, and the updated contract data rules include the identification information of the at least one network accessible to the terminal device, and the updated contract data before replacement and the updated contract data after replacement corresponding to the at least one network, respectively.

[0238] When the communication device 500 is used to implement the above Figure 4In the method embodiment, for the functions of the data management network element, a transceiver unit 520 is configured to receive a subscription data query request from a network function network element, where the subscription data query request is used to query the subscription data corresponding to the network function network element; a processing unit 510 is configured to determine the subscription data corresponding to the network function network element according to the subscription data rule corresponding to the network to which the network function network element belongs, where the subscription data rule is used to indicate the subscription data used by a terminal device accessing the network; the transceiver unit 520 is further configured to send a subscription data query response to the network function network element, where the subscription data query response includes the subscription data corresponding to the network function network element.

[0239] In a possible implementation method, the subscription data query request includes identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs; the processing unit 510 is further configured to obtain the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs from the subscription data query request.

[0240] In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 520 is further configured to receive a registration request, where the registration request includes identification information of the network function network element and identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs; the processing unit 510 is further configured to save the corresponding relationship between the identification information of the network function network element and the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs.

[0241] In a possible implementation method, the subscription data query request includes identification information of the network function network element; the processing unit 510 is further configured to determine the identification information of the network to which the network function network element belongs according to the identification information of the network function network element and the corresponding relationship.

[0242] In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 520 is further configured to receive a subscription request from a billing system, where the subscription request includes subscription data rules corresponding to at least one network, and the at least one network includes the network to which the network function network element belongs.

[0243] When the communication device 500 is used to implement the functions of the billing system in the above Figure 4 method embodiment, the processing unit 510 is configured to determine subscription data rules corresponding to at least one network respectively, where the subscription data rules are used to indicate the subscription data used by a terminal device accessing the network; the transceiver unit 520 is configured to send a subscription request to the data management network element, where the subscription request includes the subscription data rules corresponding to the at least one network respectively.

[0244] For a more detailed description of the above processing unit 510 and transceiver unit 520, reference can be directly made to the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiment, and details are not elaborated here.

[0245] Figure 6 The communication device 600 shown includes a processor 610 and an interface circuit 620. The processor 610 and the interface circuit 620 are coupled to each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 620 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 600 may further include a memory 630, which is used to store instructions executed by the processor 610, or input data required for the processor 610 to run the instructions, or data generated after the processor 610 runs the instructions.

[0246] When the communication device 600 is used to implement the above method embodiments, the processor 610 is used to implement the functions of the above processing unit 510, and the interface circuit 620 is used to implement the functions of the above transceiver unit 520.

[0247] It can be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0248] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in a hardware manner or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in a random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, removable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium well-known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor, so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in the ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in an access network device or a terminal device. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the access network device or the terminal device.

[0249] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are executed in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, an access network device, a terminal device, or other programmable devices. The computer program or instructions can 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 program or instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center in a wired or wireless manner. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer, or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium can be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or can include both volatile and non-volatile types of storage media.

[0250] In various embodiments of the present application, if there is no special description and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0251] In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the written description of the present application, the character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after; in the formulas of the present application, the character " / " represents a "division" relationship between the associated objects before and after.

[0252] 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 do not 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.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Receiving a subscription data query request from a network function network element, where the subscription data query request is used to query the subscription data of a terminal device; Determining, according to the subscription data rule of the terminal device, the subscription data used by the terminal device to access a first network, where the subscription data rule is used to indicate the corresponding subscription data used by the terminal device to access different networks; Sending a subscription data query response to the network function network element, where the subscription data query response includes the subscription data used by the terminal device to access the first network.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The subscription data query request includes the identification information of the terminal device and the identification information of the first network accessed by the terminal device; The method further includes: Determining, according to the subscription data query request, the identification information of the first network accessed by the terminal device.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further includes: Receiving a registration request, where the registration request includes the identification information of the terminal device and the identification information of the first network accessed by the terminal device; Saving the correspondence between the identification information of the terminal device and the identification information of the first network.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein The subscription data query request includes the identification information of the terminal device; The method further includes: Determining, according to the identification information of the terminal device and the correspondence, the identification information of the first network accessed by the terminal device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receiving a subscription request from a billing system, where the subscription request includes the identification information of the terminal device and the subscription data rule of the terminal device.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The different networks include at least one of the following networks: a campus network, a domestic large network, or an overseas roaming network.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The subscription data rule includes the identification information of at least one network that the terminal device can access, and the subscription data before replacement and the subscription data after replacement of the terminal device corresponding to the at least one network respectively.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein The method further includes: When the subscription data before replacement of the terminal device is updated, receiving an updated subscription data rule of the terminal device, where the updated subscription data rule includes the identification information of the at least one network that the terminal device can access, and the updated subscription data before replacement and the updated subscription data after replacement corresponding to the at least one network respectively.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The subscription data rule includes the identification information of at least one network that the terminal device can access, and the subscription data after replacement of the terminal device corresponding to the at least one network respectively; or, The subscription data rule includes the identification information of at least one network that the terminal device can access, and the subscription data of the terminal device corresponding to the at least one network respectively.

10. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Obtaining the subscription information of a terminal device, where the subscription information includes at least one subscription data; Determining, according to the subscription information, the subscription data rule of the terminal device, where the subscription data rule is used to indicate the corresponding subscription data used by the terminal device to access different networks. Send a subscription request to the data management network element, where the subscription request includes the identification information of the terminal device and the subscription data rule.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein The obtaining of the subscription information of the terminal device includes: Send a query request to the data management network element, where the query request includes the identification information of the terminal device, and the query request is used to query the subscription information of the terminal device; Receive a query response from the data management network element, where the query response includes the subscription information.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The different networks include at least one of the following networks: a campus network, a domestic large network, or an overseas roaming network.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that The subscription data rule includes the identification information of at least one network that the terminal device can access, and the subscription data before replacement and the subscription data after replacement of the terminal device corresponding to the at least one network respectively.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein The method further includes: In the case where the subscription data before replacement of the terminal device is updated, send the updated subscription data rule of the terminal device to the data management network element, where the updated subscription data rule includes the identification information of the at least one network that the terminal device can access, and the updated subscription data before replacement and the updated subscription data after replacement corresponding to the at least one network respectively.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that The subscription data rule includes the identification information of at least one network that the terminal device can access, and the subscription data after replacement of the terminal device corresponding to the at least one network respectively; or, The subscription data rule includes the identification information of at least one network that the terminal device can access, and the subscription data of the terminal device corresponding to the at least one network respectively.

16. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, or for executing the method according to any one of claims 10 to 15.

17. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes instructions that, when run on a processor, cause the processor to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, or to execute the method according to any one of claims 10 to 15.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a communication device, implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, or implement the method according to any one of claims 10 to 15.

19. A communication system, characterized in that, Includes: A data management network element for receiving a subscription data query request from a network function network element, where the subscription data query request is used to query the subscription data of a terminal device; Determine the subscription data used by the terminal device to access the first network according to the subscription data rule of the terminal device, where the subscription data rule is used to indicate the corresponding subscription data used by the terminal device to access different networks; Send a subscription data query response to the network function network element, where the subscription data query response includes the subscription data used by the terminal device to access the first network; The network function network element is used to send the subscription data query request to the data management network element; and receive the subscription data query response from the data management network element.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein The communication system further includes a billing system; The camping system is used to obtain the subscription information of the terminal device, where the subscription information includes at least one subscription data; and determine the subscription data rule according to the subscription information. Send a subscription request to the data management network element, where the subscription request includes the identification information of the terminal device and the subscription data rule. The data management network element is further configured to receive the subscription request.

Images