Communication method and related equipment

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a communication method and related equipment, and relates to the technical field of communication. The method provided in one embodiment is executed by a terminal, and the method comprises the following steps: acquiring pre-configuration resource information of early data transmission sent by a first network device; a radio resource control (RRC) connection request related message is sent to the first network device, the RRC connection request related message comprises an uplink data packet, and uplink resources used by the uplink data packet are included in pre-configured resources of early data transmission; and receiving an RRC connection completion related message sent by the first network device, so as to solve the competition conflict of the pre-configured resource of the early data transmission.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular, to a communication method, a terminal, a first network device, a second network device, a communication system, a communication device, a computer readable storage medium, and a computer program product. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the research of wireless communication technology, satellite communication is considered as an important direction for the development of future wireless communication technology. Satellite communication refers to a technology in which wireless communication devices on the ground access a network through a satellite, or a technology in which wireless communication devices on the ground communicate through a satellite as a relay. Satellite communication has the characteristics of large communication range and not being easily affected by land disasters. As a supplement to mobile communication, satellite communication well solves the problems of small coverage range and high construction cost of mobile communication systems.

[0003] Satellite communication systems are integrated with terrestrial mobile networks (such as 4th Generation mobile communication technology (4G) and 5th Generation mobile communication technology (5G) networks) to form a global seamless coverage of sea, land, air, and space integrated communication network, which meets the needs of users for various services everywhere. SUMMARY

[0004] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, the method is performed by a terminal, and the method comprises: obtaining preconfigured resource information of early data transmission sent by a first network device; sending a radio resource control (RRC) connection request related message to the first network device, the RRC connection request related message comprises an uplink data packet, and uplink resources used by the RRC connection request related message are included in preconfigured resources of early data transmission; and receiving an RRC connection complete related message sent by the first network device, to solve a competition conflict for the preconfigured resources of early data transmission.

[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, the method is performed by a first network device, and the method comprises: sending preconfigured resource information of early data transmission to a terminal; receiving an RRC connection request related message sent by the terminal, the RRC connection request related message comprises an uplink data packet, and uplink resources used by the RRC connection request related message are included in preconfigured resources of early data transmission; and sending an RRC connection complete related message to the terminal, to solve a competition conflict for the preconfigured resources of early data transmission.

[0006] This disclosure provides a communication method executed by a second network device. The method includes: receiving a pre-configured resource update request sent by a first network device; responding to the pre-configured resource update request and determining pre-configured resource information for early data transmission; sending a pre-configured resource update completion message to the first network device; receiving a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection request related message sent by a terminal, wherein the RRC connection request related message includes uplink data packets and the uplink resources used by the message are included in the pre-configured resources for early data transmission; and sending an RRC connection completion related message to the terminal to resolve contention for pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0007] This disclosure provides a terminal, including: a first receiving unit, configured to acquire pre-configured resource information for early data transmission sent by a first network device; a first sending unit, configured to send a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection request related message to the first network device, wherein the RRC connection request related message includes uplink data packets, and the uplink resources used by the packets are included in the pre-configured resources for early data transmission; the first receiving unit is further configured to receive an RRC connection completion related message sent by the first network device to resolve contention for the pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0008] This disclosure provides a first network device, including: a second sending unit, configured to send pre-configured resource information for early data transmission to a terminal; a second receiving unit, configured to receive a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection request related message sent by the terminal, wherein the RRC connection request related message includes uplink data packets and the uplink resources used by the message are included in the pre-configured resources for early data transmission; the second sending unit is further configured to send an RRC connection completion related message to the terminal to resolve contention for the pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0009] This disclosure provides a second network device, comprising: a third receiving unit for receiving a pre-configured resource update request sent by a first network device; a third processing unit for responding to the pre-configured resource update request and determining pre-configured resource information for early data transmission; and a third sending unit for sending a pre-configured resource update completion message to the first network device. The third receiving unit is further configured to receive a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection request related message sent by a terminal, wherein the RRC connection request related message includes uplink data packets, and the uplink resources used by the message are included in the pre-configured resources for early data transmission. The third sending unit is further configured to send an RRC connection completion related message to the terminal to resolve contention for pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0010] This disclosure provides a communication system, including: a terminal as described in any embodiment of this disclosure and a first network device as described in any embodiment of this disclosure.

[0011] This disclosure provides a communication device, comprising: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor. The processor is configured to perform a method according to any embodiment of this disclosure by executing the executable instructions.

[0012] This disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method in any embodiment of this disclosure.

[0013] This disclosure provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when run, executes the methods in any embodiment of this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a system architecture diagram of a 5G network provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0016] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a network architecture for a transparent forwarding mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0017] Figure 4 A network architecture diagram of a regeneration mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated schematically.

[0018] Figure 5 A network architecture diagram of a regeneration mode according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated schematically.

[0019] Figure 6 A network architecture diagram of a regeneration mode according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated schematically.

[0020] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0021] Figure 8 This diagram illustrates an interaction diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating a pre-configured early data transmission request in an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0023] Figure 10This diagram illustrates a data transmission flowchart in an embodiment of the present disclosure that omits the MSG1 and MSG2 messages.

[0024] Figure 11 A flowchart illustrating a pre-configured resource update in an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0025] Figure 12 This illustration shows a competition-based non-terrestrial network data transmission diagram according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 13 A flowchart illustrating another communication method in an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0027] Figure 14 A flowchart of yet another communication method according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0028] Figure 15 A structural block diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0029] Figure 16 A structural block diagram of a first network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0030] Figure 17 A structural block diagram of a second network device according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0031] Figure 18 A schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this disclosure more apparent, exemplary embodiments according to this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same elements throughout. It should be understood that the embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure.

[0033] In this disclosure, the terms "module" or "unit" refer to a computer program or part of a computer program that has a predetermined function and works with other related parts to achieve a predetermined goal, and can be implemented wholly or partially using software, hardware (such as processing circuitry or memory), or a combination thereof. Similarly, a processor (or multiple processors or memory) can be used to implement one or more modules or units. Furthermore, each module or unit can be part of an overall module or unit that includes the functionality of that module or unit.

[0034] First, some of the terms used in the embodiments of this disclosure will be explained.

[0035] Service link: The link between the terminal and the satellite, mainly used for terminal access.

[0036] Feeder link: The link between the gateway station and the satellite, mainly used for communication between the satellite and the ground network, and can also be called a feedback link.

[0037] IoT (Internet of Things) devices: Various devices that are connected to the Internet and equipped with various sensors and actuators, and are capable of collecting, exchanging, processing and performing operations.

[0038] EDT (Early Data Transmission): A technique for transmitting small data packets in the idle state, where data transmission occurs before the terminal enters the connected state.

[0039] UE (User Equipment): User-end equipment that accesses the network.

[0040] NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network): A network that provides coverage by introducing, for example, satellite nodes, and can be based on network standards under the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) framework.

[0041] Time Advance (TA): This is the amount of time a UE needs to send data packets (e.g., uplink packets) in advance to align with the network's time slots. It's primarily used to adjust the signal transmission time difference between the mobile station (e.g., UE) and the base station, compensating for propagation delays caused by distance, ensuring uplink synchronization and avoiding interference. Since the distance between the UE and the base station varies, the signal propagation delay also differs. TA adjusts the uplink transmission time of the UE so that uplink signals from different UEs arrive at the base station simultaneously, thus maintaining uplink synchronization. If uplink signals from different UEs overlap in time, the base station may be unable to decode them correctly, leading to interference. TA avoids this interference by ensuring uplink synchronization.

[0042] In related technologies, a closed-loop adjustment mechanism is typically used to dynamically adjust the TA value. The base station calculates the required TA value for each mobile station based on the measured uplink signal arrival time and sends it to the mobile station via a TAC (Time Advance Command), informing it of the required advance time. The mobile station adjusts its uplink transmission time according to the received TAC and feeds back the adjustment result to the base station. The base station further adjusts the TAC based on the feedback result.

[0043] RNTI (Radio Network Temporary Identity): In a wireless network, it serves as a temporary identifier for the UE or a specific communication process. It is used to scramble relevant information to ensure that a specific user can receive data. It is primarily used within the signal information between the UE and the base station (such as eNodeB or gNB) as an identifier for the UE, ensuring the accuracy and efficiency of communication. By scrambling and descrambling information using RNTI, the security of the communication process is enhanced.

[0044] The technical solutions of this disclosure can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Global System of Mobile communication (GSM) system, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication system, 5G system, or future evolved mobile communication systems, etc.

[0045] For example, the communication system 100 used in this disclosure embodiment is as follows: Figure 1As shown. This communication system can be a communication system based on cellular mobile communication technology. The communication system 100 may include a network device 110, which can be a device that communicates with a terminal 120 (or a communication terminal, terminal). The network device 110 can provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area and can communicate with terminals located within that coverage area. Optionally, the network device 110 can be a base station (BTS) in a GSM or CDMA system, a base station (NodeB, NB) in a WCDMA system, an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in an LTE (also known as 4G) system, a base station (gNB) in a 5G communication system, or a radio controller in a Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN). Alternatively, the network device can be a mobile switching center, relay station, access point, vehicle-mounted equipment, wearable device, hub, switch, bridge, router, network-side equipment in a 5G network, network-side equipment in a 5G network and satellite system convergence system, network-side equipment in a 5G system with New Radio satellite access technology, network-side equipment in a 5G network that uses satellite transmission as base station backhaul, or network equipment in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), etc.

[0046] The base station may be equipped with a protocol stack of Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), Radio Link Control (RLC), Media Access Control (MAC), and Physical (PHY) layer. The specific implementation of the base station is not limited in the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0047] The communication system 100 also includes at least one terminal 120 located within the coverage area of ​​network device 110. As used herein, "terminal" includes, but is not limited to, devices configured to receive / transmit communication signals via wired connections, such as via Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN), Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), digital cable, direct cable connection; and / or another data connection / network; and / or via a wireless interface, such as for cellular networks, Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), such as digital television networks, satellite networks, broadcast transmitters; and / or another terminal. A terminal configured to communicate via a wireless interface may be referred to as a "wireless communication terminal," "wireless terminal," or "mobile terminal." Examples of mobile terminals include, but are not limited to, satellite or cellular phones; personal communications system (PCS) terminals that can combine cellular radiotelephony with data processing, fax, and data communication capabilities; personal digital assistants (PDAs) that may include radiotelephones, pagers, internet / intranet access, web browsers, notebooks, calendars, and / or Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers; and conventional laptop and / or handheld receivers or other electronic devices that include radiotelephone transceivers. A terminal can refer to an access terminal, user equipment / terminal (UE), user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user equipment. Access terminals can be cellular phones, cordless phones, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) stations, handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, devices in unmanned aerial vehicles, in-vehicle devices (such as a vehicle computer with wireless communication capabilities, or a wireless communication device connected to an external vehicle computer), wearable devices, terminals in 5G networks or terminals in future PLMNs, roadside devices (such as streetlights, traffic lights, or other roadside devices with wireless communication capabilities), etc.

[0048] A wireless connection can be established between a base station and a terminal via a wireless air interface. This wireless air interface can be based on the 4G standard; or it can be based on the 5G standard, for example, it is a new air interface; or it can be a wireless air interface based on the next-generation mobile communication network technology standard of 5G.

[0049] In some embodiments, the communication system described above may further include a network management device (not shown in the figures). One or more (two or more) base stations are connected to the network management device. The network management device may be a core network device (including core network elements) in the wireless communication system. For example, the network management device may be a Mobility Management Entity (MME) in an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), providing non-access stratum (NAS) signaling transmission with the UE (providing encryption and integrity protection for NAS signaling), and processing the UE's ESM (EPS Session Management) and EMM (EPS Mobility Management) transactions through the NAS layer. Alternatively, the network management device may be other core network devices, such as a Serving Gateway (S-GW), a Public Data Network Gateway (P-GW), a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), or a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), etc. The implementation form of the network management device is not limited in this disclosure.

[0050] Figure 1 An exemplary network device and two terminals are shown. Optionally, the communication system 100 may include multiple network devices and each network device may include other numbers of terminals within its coverage area. This disclosure does not limit the scope of the embodiments.

[0051] It should be understood that devices with communication functions in the network / system of this disclosure embodiment may be referred to as communication devices. Figure 1 Taking the communication system 100 shown as an example, the communication equipment may include a network device 110 and a terminal 120 with communication functions. The network device 110 and the terminal 120 may be the specific devices described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0052] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably in this paper. The term "and / or" in this paper is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone.

[0053] Figure 2 This is a system architecture diagram of a 5G network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the equipment involved in the 5G network system includes: UE (User Equipment), Radio Access Network (RAN), User Plane Function (UPF) network element, Data Network (DN), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network element, Session Management Function (SMF) network element, Policy Control Function (PCF) network element, Application Function (AF) network element, Authentication Server Function (AUSF) network element, Unified Data Management (UDM) network element, and Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF).

[0054] exist Figure 2 In the network architecture shown, the various network elements can communicate with each other through the interfaces shown in the diagram. For example... Figure 2As shown, the UE and AMF can interact via interface N1, used to transmit Quality of Service (QoS) control rules to the UE. N2 is the interface between the AMF and RAN, used to transmit radio bearer control information from the core network side to the RAN. The N2 interface can also be used for sending NAS messages. The RAN and UPF can interact via interface N3, which can be used to transmit user plane data. N4 is the interface between the SMF and UPF, used to transmit information between the control plane and user plane, including the distribution of control plane forwarding rules, QoS control rules, traffic statistics rules, etc., and the reporting of user plane information. The UPF and DN can interact via interface N6, which can be used to transmit user plane data. N7 is the interface between the PCF and SMF, used to distribute Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session granularity and service data stream granularity control policies. N15 is the interface between the PCF and AMF, used to distribute UE policies and access control related policies. N5 is the interface between AF and PCF, used for issuing application service requests and reporting network events. N11 is the interface between SMF and AMF, used for transmitting PDU session tunnel information between RAN and UPF, transmitting control messages sent to the UE, and transmitting radio resource control information sent to the RAN. N8 is the interface between AMF and UDM, used by AMF to obtain access and mobility management related subscription and authentication data from UDM, and by AMF to register UE's current mobility management information with UDM. N10 is the interface between SMF and UDM, used by SMF to obtain session management related subscription data from UDM, and by SMF to register UE's current session information with UDM. N12 is the interface between AMF and AUSF, used by AMF to initiate authentication procedures with AUSF, which may carry SUCI as the subscription identifier. N13 is the interface between UDM and AUSF, used by AUSF to obtain the user authentication vector from UDM to execute the authentication procedure. N22 is the interface between AMF and NSSF.

[0055] It should be understood that the naming in the embodiments of this disclosure is defined only for the convenience of distinguishing different functions and should not constitute any limitation on this disclosure. This disclosure does not preclude the possibility of using other naming in 5G networks and other future networks. For example, in 6G networks, some or all of the above-mentioned network elements may use the terminology from 5G, or may use other names, etc. Figure 2 The interface names between the various network elements are merely examples; in actual implementations, the interface names may differ, and this disclosure does not impose any specific limitations on them. Furthermore, the names of the messages (or signaling) transmitted between the aforementioned network elements are also merely examples and do not constitute any limitation on the function of the messages themselves.

[0056] It is understood that the aforementioned network elements or functions can be network components in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). For ease of explanation, this disclosure will subsequently use a base station as an example of a radio access network (RAN).

[0057] It should be understood that the network architecture described above for the embodiments of this disclosure is merely an example, and the network architecture applicable to the embodiments of this disclosure is not limited thereto. Any network architecture capable of implementing the functions of the above-described network elements is applicable to the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0058] The network architecture and business scenarios described in this disclosure are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of this disclosure and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in this disclosure. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in this disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0059] The solutions provided in this disclosure relate to wireless communication technologies and terminals, and can be applied to satellite communications and integrated air-space-ground scenarios. In some embodiments, the integration of 5G with satellite networks is an important technological direction for integrated air-space-ground networks, and represents a shift from transparent forwarding mode to regenerative mode.

[0060] The solution provided in this disclosure can be applied to transparent forwarding mode. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the core network (e.g., EPC / 5G core network (5GC)) 33 and base stations (e.g., eNB in ​​4G or gNB in ​​5G) 34 are deployed on the ground. The service link and feedback link of satellite 31 serve as the underlying link carrier of the Uu interface, providing support for communication between the base station and the UE. The Uu interface is the interface between the base station and the UE, used for transmitting signaling and data. The non-terrestrial network gateway (NTN-GW) 32 communicates with the EPC / 5GC 33 via the eNB / gNB 34. The EPC / 5GC 33 communicates with the application server 35. Figure 3 In the transparent forwarding mode shown, the satellite link only relays signals between the UE and the eNB / gNB 34; all 4G / 5G related protocol processing is performed within the 4G / 5G network. This transparent forwarding mode suffers from high latency because the base station and core network equipment are deployed on the ground. Furthermore, the path between the satellite and the base station is relatively long, resulting in significant latency.

[0061] The solution provided in this disclosure can also be applied to regeneration mode, which can be applied to both 5G and 4G systems. Placing the base station (optionally, at least part of the 4G / 5G core network) on a satellite can shorten link processing latency and enable satellite networking through ISL (Inter-Satellite Link).

[0062] exist Figure 4 In the network architecture shown, base stations (e.g., eNB / gNB) 34 are deployed on satellites 31 and are referred to as spaceborne base stations. The functional entities of the core network are deployed on the ground and are referred to as terrestrial core network elements (e.g., EPC / 5GC) 33. Figure 4 In this embodiment, no core network equipment / core network elements are deployed on satellite 41.

[0063] exist Figure 5 In the network architecture shown, base station 34 and some core network functional entities are deployed on satellite 31, while other core network functional entities are deployed on the ground. That is, the core network (e.g., EPC / 5GC) functional entities can be distributed both on satellites and on the ground. The core network functional entities deployed on the ground are called ground core network elements (EPC / 5GC-groundpart, i.e., some core network functional entities deployed on the ground) 331, and the core network functional entities deployed on satellites are called onboard core network elements (EPC / 5GC-onboardpart, i.e., some core network functional entities deployed on satellites) 332. In other words, satellite 31 simultaneously deploys onboard base station 34 and onboard core network elements 332.

[0064] exist Figure 6 In the network architecture shown, the functional entities of base station 34 and core network (e.g., EPC / 5GC) are deployed on satellite 31. The functional entity of the core network deployed on the satellite is called the onboard core network element 332. At this time, a corresponding application server (AS) can also be deployed on satellite 31. Optionally, another core network functional entity and its corresponding application server can be deployed on the ground. For distinction, the core network element and its corresponding application server deployed on satellite 31 are labeled as the first core network element (EPC / 5G5GC 1) 332 and the first application server (Application Server 1, AS1) 352, respectively, and the core network element and its corresponding application server deployed on the ground are labeled as the second core network element (EPC / 5G 5GC 2) 331 and the second application server (Application Server 2, AS2) 351, respectively.

[0065] Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) significantly improve network coverage by introducing satellite nodes. For Internet of Things (IoT) services, a large number of IoT devices are located in mountainous areas, deserts, wilderness, and other regions where terrestrial cellular network coverage is difficult to provide. Therefore, utilizing NTNs to provide coverage and data transmission for a large number of IoT devices has become a promising solution.

[0066] Considering the characteristics of IoT devices (also known as IoT terminals), most data packet transmissions involve small data packets. Frequently establishing and releasing RRC (Radio Resource Control) connections for these small packet transmissions wastes significant radio resources, thus reducing system data capacity. Therefore, IoT terminals transmitting small data packets through the control plane during idle states becomes a means to improve data capacity; this technique is called Early Data Transmission (EDT). While terrestrial cellular network protocols already support this function, considering the unique characteristics of NTN scenarios, the communication latency between satellites and IoT devices is much greater than that of terrestrial cellular networks, and the extended waiting time also leads to a decrease in system capacity.

[0067] In this embodiment of the disclosure, a small data packet refers to a data packet or information unit with a relatively small data volume and short length transmitted in network communication. In an IoT environment, these data packets may contain information such as sensor readings, device status updates, and control commands. Data generated by IoT devices is often characterized by small scale and high frequency, therefore small data packets dominate IoT communication. Since IoT devices are typically used to monitor and control real-time events, the transmission of small data packets requires a high degree of real-time performance.

[0068] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 7 The method provided in this embodiment can be executed by any communication device, such as a terminal. Figure 7 As shown, the method provided in this disclosure embodiment may include the following steps.

[0069] In an exemplary embodiment, the terminal includes an Internet of Things (IoT) device. However, this disclosure is not limited to this; for example, it could also be a wearable device.

[0070] In an exemplary embodiment, the terminal includes a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) device. In this embodiment, NB-IoT can be combined with NTN.

[0071] In S710, pre-configured resource information of the early data transmission (EDT) sent by the first network device is obtained.

[0072] EDT (End Data Transmission) is a data transmission technology primarily used to improve communication efficiency, especially in the transmission of small data packets. EDT allows terminals to send data without performing RRC (Redirect Relay) state transitions while in an idle or inactive state. It is particularly suitable for scenarios requiring low-latency, low-power communication, such as IoT devices and wearable devices. The introduction of EDT makes data transmission more flexible and efficient, reducing the overhead associated with state transitions.

[0073] In this disclosure, "pre-configured resources" (e.g., pre-configured radio resources) refer to resources on which a wireless device (e.g., a terminal) can transmit data and / or signaling when it has not received dynamic (and / or explicit) scheduling authorization from a radio network node (e.g., a first network device), such as when it has not received dynamic scheduling authorization on the downlink control channel. Specifically, the pre-configured resources in this disclosure are for early data transmission. In some embodiments, for example, pre-configured resources can be distinguished from SPS resources based on their non-recurrence with semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) resources, or their recurrence at a longer period than SPS resources. Pre-configured resources can be resources on which a wireless device can transmit even in idle or inactive modes. In this disclosure, by pre-configuring resources, radio resources that can be immediately used by the UE in uplink transmission can be configured, thereby reducing signaling overhead, reducing UE power consumption, and improving transmission efficiency.

[0074] In this embodiment of the disclosure, pre-configured resource information refers to any information related to pre-configured resources, such as the subframe number and / or subcarrier number of the pre-configured resources. Therefore, it can also be referred to as pre-configured resource related information.

[0075] In this embodiment of the disclosure, when the first network device is deployed on a satellite, the terminal can obtain the pre-configured resource information of the EDT from the satellite-based base station. When the first network device is deployed on the ground, the terminal can obtain the pre-configured resource information of the EDT sent by the first network device through satellite relay.

[0076] In an exemplary embodiment, the method provided by this disclosure further includes: obtaining ephemeris information from the first network device; and compensating for timing advance (TA) based on the ephemeris information from the first network device and the location information of the terminal.

[0077] In this embodiment of the disclosure, ephemeris information is a data set used to describe the precise orbital parameters and positional information of a celestial body (such as a satellite) at a specific time and location. It is a function of time, reflecting the precise position and trajectory of the celestial body as it changes over time. In the following explanation, a satellite is used as an example, and the ephemeris information can also be referred to as satellite ephemeris information. Ephemeris information may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: the date and time of observation or prediction; the name of the celestial body; orbital parameters describing the shape, size, direction, and velocity of the celestial body's orbit; positional information, including the precise position of the celestial body at a specific point in time, and possibly the distance from the observer to the celestial body; and possibly the velocity and acceleration information of the celestial body at a specific point in time.

[0078] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the terminal obtains ephemeris information from the first network device and determines its current location information. Based on the ephemeris information from the first network device and the location information of the terminal, the distance between the terminal and the first network device can be determined, thereby enabling autonomous compensation for TA.

[0079] In an exemplary embodiment, the method provided in this disclosure further includes: receiving an RRC connection release message sent by the first network device, the RRC connection release message including a terminal TA compensation indication, the terminal TA compensation indication being used to instruct the terminal to perform TA compensation.

[0080] In this embodiment, the terminal is located within the coverage area of ​​the first network device, i.e., the terminal is located within the cell corresponding to the first network device. An RRC connection release message is a control message sent by a base station to a UE in a mobile communication network, used to instruct the UE to release the established RRC connection and its associated radio bearers and radio resources. In this embodiment, when a terminal in the connected state receives an RRC connection release message from the first network device, it can enter either the RRC_IDLE (idle state) or RRC_INACTIVE (inactive state) state after performing corresponding processing.

[0081] In this embodiment of the disclosure, a terminal TA compensation indicator may be added to the RRC connection release message to instruct the terminal to perform TA compensation, that is, to instruct the terminal to perform autonomous TA compensation instead of adjusting TA according to a TAC command. This disclosure does not limit the naming or the manner of the terminal TA compensation indicator. For example, the terminal TA compensation indicator may be named Instruction Information, Instruction, First Instruction Information, Instruction Field, etc. As another example, the terminal TA compensation indicator can be included in the RRC connection release message to instruct the terminal to perform autonomous TA compensation. When the RRC connection release message does not include the terminal TA compensation indicator, the terminal is instructed to perform TA compensation according to a TAC command. As yet another example, when the terminal TA compensation indicator included in the RRC connection release message takes a certain preset value (for distinction, it can be called the first value; this disclosure does not limit its value), the terminal is instructed to perform autonomous TA compensation. When the terminal TA compensation indicator included in the RRC connection release message takes another preset value (for distinction, it can be called the second value; this disclosure does not limit its value), the terminal is instructed to perform TA compensation according to a TAC command.

[0082] In an exemplary embodiment, compensating for timing advance (TA) based on the ephemeris information of the first network device and the location information of the terminal includes: compensating for TA based on the ephemeris information of the first network device and the location information of the terminal according to the terminal TA compensation instruction.

[0083] In an exemplary embodiment, when the number of users requesting pre-configured resources from the first network device is less than a threshold, the RRC connection release message also includes the pre-configured resource information of the earlier data transmission.

[0084] In this embodiment of the disclosure, if the number of users (also referred to as the number of UEs, terminals, or user equipment) simultaneously requesting pre-configured EDT resources from the first network device is less than a threshold value, the RRC connection release message may also include the pre-configured resource information for the aforementioned early data transmission. This threshold value can be set according to actual needs, and this disclosure does not limit its size. That is, when the number of users simultaneously requesting pre-configured EDT resources from the first network device is relatively small, carrying the pre-configured EDT resource information in the RRC connection release message can reduce signaling transmission between the first network device and the terminals, thereby improving the transmission efficiency of the pre-configured EDT resource information.

[0085] In an exemplary embodiment, obtaining ephemeris information from the first network device includes: the terminal in an idle state receiving a first broadcast message broadcast by the first network device within its cell, the first broadcast message including ephemeris information from the first network device for TA compensation.

[0086] In some embodiments, after receiving the aforementioned RRC connection release message from the first network device, the terminal enters an idle state. The terminal in the idle state can receive messages broadcast by the first network device within the cell (referred to as first broadcast messages for distinction) to obtain ephemeris information for TA compensation.

[0087] In an exemplary embodiment, when the number of users requesting pre-configured resources from the first network device is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the first broadcast message also includes pre-configured resource information for the early data transmission.

[0088] In this embodiment of the disclosure, when the number of users simultaneously requesting pre-configured resources for EDT from the first network device is greater than or equal to a threshold value, i.e. when the number of users is large, the first network device can transmit the pre-configured resource information of EDT to the terminals in the cell by broadcasting messages, which can improve the transmission efficiency of the pre-configured resource information of EDT.

[0089] In an exemplary embodiment, the method provided in this disclosure further includes: receiving a second broadcast message broadcast by the first network device, the second broadcast message including a pre-configured early data transmission indication; and sending a pre-configured early data transmission request to the first network device according to the pre-configured early data transmission indication to request pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0090] In this embodiment of the disclosure, a first network device can broadcast a message (referred to as a second broadcast message for distinction) to terminals within its cell, and carry a pre-configured early data transmission indication in the second broadcast message to inform the terminals within the cell that the cell supports the pre-configured early data transmission, i.e., supports pre-configuring resources for early data transmission. This disclosure does not limit the naming and indication method of the pre-configured early data transmission indication. For example, the pre-configured early data transmission indication can be named indication information, indication, first indication information, indication field, etc. As another example, the cell supports pre-configured early data transmission by including the pre-configured early data transmission indication in the second broadcast message; when the second broadcast message does not contain the pre-configured early data transmission indication, it indicates that the cell does not support pre-configured early data transmission. As yet another example, when the pre-configured early data transmission indication included in the second broadcast message takes a certain preset value (referred to as a first value for distinction; this disclosure does not limit its value), it indicates that the cell supports pre-configured early data transmission. When the pre-configured early data transmission indication contained in the second broadcast message takes another preset value (for distinction, it may be referred to as the second value; this disclosure does not limit its value), it indicates that the cell does not support the pre-configured early data transmission.

[0091] When a terminal in the cell receives the second broadcast message, it learns that the cell supports pre-configured early data transmission. If the terminal decides to perform early data transmission, it can send a pre-configured early data transmission request to the first network device to request pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0092] In S720, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection request related message is sent to the first network device. The RRC connection request related message includes uplink data packets, and the uplink resources used by the packets are included in the pre-configured resources of the earlier data transmissions.

[0093] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, when the terminal receives pre-configured resource information for early data transmission sent by the first network device, it can select the corresponding pre-configured resource according to the pre-configured resource information, and then use the selected pre-configured resource (for example, randomly select the target subframe number and target subcarrier number from the subframe number and subcarrier number in the pre-configured resource information) to perform early data transmission, that is, to send the uplink data packet to be sent, which may be, for example, the small data packet mentioned above.

[0094] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the uplink data packet can be carried in an RRC connection request related message and sent to the first network device.

[0095] In an exemplary embodiment, the RRC connection request related message further includes a connection establishment indication using pre-configured resources, which indicates that the terminal is establishing a connection using pre-configured resources.

[0096] This disclosure does not limit the naming and indication method of the pre-configured resource connection establishment indication. For example, the pre-configured resource connection establishment indication can be named indication information, indication, first indication information, indication field, etc. As another example, the pre-configured resource connection establishment indication can be included in the RRC connection request related message to indicate that the terminal is using the pre-configured resource to establish a connection. When the RRC connection request related message does not contain the pre-configured resource connection establishment indication, it indicates that the terminal is using the pre-configured resource to establish a connection. As yet another example, when the pre-configured resource connection establishment indication included in the RRC connection request related message takes a certain preset value (for distinction, it can be called the first value; this disclosure does not limit its value), it indicates that the terminal is using the pre-configured resource to establish a connection. When the pre-configured resource connection establishment indication included in the RRC connection request related message takes another preset value (for distinction, it can be called the second value; this disclosure does not limit its value), it indicates that the terminal is using the pre-configured resource to establish a connection.

[0097] In an exemplary embodiment, the RRC connection request related message also includes a Short-Term Mobile Subscriber Identity (S-TMSI).

[0098] Among them, RRC connection request related messages refer to a control message sent by the UE to the base station through the radio interface when it needs to establish or restore a communication connection with the network. This message may contain the UE's identification information (such as a random value or S-TMSI (Short Term Mobile Subscriber Identity)), the reason for establishment, and other information, which is used to trigger the base station to initiate the RRC connection establishment or restoration process.

[0099] S-TMSI is primarily used to temporarily identify user equipment (UE) in mobile networks. It can protect user privacy, reduce the risk of exposing IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity), and improve communication efficiency and security. When a UE transitions from idle to connected mode, it initiates a service request to establish a connection with the network. During this process, S-TMSI can be used to identify the UE so that the network can respond quickly to the service request.

[0100] In an exemplary embodiment, the RRC connection request related message includes the RRC Early Data Request (RRCEarlyDataRequest) message.

[0101] In S730, an RRC connection completion message sent by the first network device is received to resolve contention for pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0102] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the pre-configured resources reserved by the first network device for early data transmission can be contention-based. That is, these pre-configured resources are public or shared resources, and there is a possibility of data transmission conflicts between the UE and other UEs. Furthermore, multiple UEs may select the same pre-configured resource. In the event of contention, it is necessary to resolve the contention for pre-configured resources. When a UE successfully acquires a pre-configured resource, the RRC connection completion message returned to that UE indicates that the acquisition was successful, meaning that the UE has resolved the contention for the pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0103] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the RRC connection completion related message refers to the message sent by the base station (e.g., the first network device) to the UE during wireless communication to confirm that the connection has been successfully established.

[0104] In an exemplary embodiment, the RRC connection completion related message includes a downlink data packet and a terminal contention resolution identifier, wherein the terminal contention resolution identifier indicates that the terminal's data transmission was successful.

[0105] In this embodiment of the disclosure, when there is downlink data to be sent to the UE on the network side, the first network device can include the corresponding downlink data packet in the RRC connection completion related message and send it to the UE.

[0106] In some embodiments, a terminal contention resolution identifier may be carried in the RRC connection completion message to indicate that the UE has competed for pre-configured resources for early data transmission, that is, to indicate that the UE's data has been successfully transmitted to the network side. Successful data transmission may include uplink data packets and / or downlink data packets.

[0107] In an exemplary embodiment, the RRC connection completion related message includes the RRC Early Data Complete (RRCEarlyDataComplete) message.

[0108] In an exemplary embodiment, the method provided in this disclosure further includes: if the RRC connection completion related message does not carry the terminal resolution identifier, then resend the RRC connection request related message to the first network device.

[0109] In this embodiment of the disclosure, if a UE fails to compete for pre-configured resources for early data transmission, the UE can re-initiate the aforementioned RRC connection request message to the first network device.

[0110] In an exemplary embodiment, the method provided in this disclosure further includes: determining the target subframe number and target subcarrier number used by the terminal based on the pre-configured resource information; and determining the Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) of the terminal based on the target subframe number and the target subcarrier number. The RRC connection completion related message is scrambled using the terminal's RNTI. Receiving the RRC connection completion related message sent by the first network device to resolve contention for pre-configured resources for early data transmission includes: descrambling the RRC connection completion related message using the terminal's RNTI to resolve contention for pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0111] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal can calculate its RNTI based on the selected target subframe number and target subcarrier number. When the terminal receives an RRC connection completion related message sent by the first network device, if the RRC connection completion related message is scrambled with the terminal's RNTI, the terminal can descramble the RRC connection completion related message with its own RNTI to confirm that the RRC connection completion related message was sent to the terminal.

[0112] In an exemplary embodiment, the first network device is a base station, which performs transparent forwarding via satellite, or the base station is located on a satellite.

[0113] In an exemplary embodiment, the method provided by this disclosure further includes: obtaining ephemeris information from a second network device; compensating for TA based on the ephemeris information from the second network device and the location information of the terminal; sending an RRC connection request related message to the second network device, the RRC connection request related message including an uplink data packet and a connection establishment indication using pre-configured resources, the connection establishment indication using pre-configured resources being used to indicate that the terminal is establishing a connection using pre-configured resources.

[0114] In this embodiment of the disclosure, if the network device corresponding to the terminal changes, for example, from the first network device to the second network device, the terminal can obtain ephemeris information from the second network device. Based on the ephemeris information from the second network device, the location of the second network device can be determined. Since the distance between the second network device and the terminal can be determined based on the location of the second network device and the location information of the terminal, TA compensation can be performed based on the distance.

[0115] In some embodiments, the terminal may also send an RRC connection request related message to the second network device. This RRC connection request related message may include an uplink data packet that uses pre-configured resources from earlier data transmissions. In other embodiments, the RRC connection request related message sent by the terminal to the second network device may further include a connection establishment indication using pre-configured resources to inform the second network device that the terminal is establishing a connection using pre-configured resources.

[0116] In an exemplary embodiment, the method provided in this disclosure further includes: receiving an RRC connection completion related message sent by the second network device; if the RRC connection completion related message includes a downlink data packet and a terminal contention resolution identifier, then indicating that the terminal's data transmission was successful.

[0117] In some embodiments, the second network device sends an RRC connection completion message to the terminal. When the network side has downlink data packets to be transmitted sent to the terminal, the RRC connection completion message includes the downlink data packets.

[0118] In other embodiments, the RRC connection completion message sent by the second network device to the terminal includes a terminal contention resolution identifier to indicate that the terminal has successfully competed for pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0119] In an exemplary embodiment, the first network device and the second network device are the source base station and the target base station corresponding to the satellite, respectively.

[0120] In an exemplary embodiment, the second network device is a base station, which performs transparent forwarding via satellite, or the base station is located on a satellite.

[0121] The communication method provided in this disclosure configures pre-configured resources for early data transmission based on contention for a terminal using a network device (including a first network device), and sends the pre-configured resource information to the terminal. This allows the terminal to select pre-configured resources for uplink data packet transmission. The terminal can indicate that it has successfully acquired the pre-configured resources for early data transmission through an RRC connection completion message returned by the network device, thereby improving network capacity. When the method provided in this disclosure is applied to non-terrestrial networks, it can provide a contention-based non-terrestrial network capacity improvement method.

[0122] Figure 8 The embodiment provides a flowchart of small data packet transmission in the EDT control plane. For example... Figure 8 As shown, the method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps.

[0123] In S81, the UE sends a Random Access Preamble to the eNB.

[0124] The Random Access Preamble in this embodiment can also be referred to as the MSG1 message. By sending a Random Access Preamble as MSG1, the UE indicates to the network its willingness to establish a connection.

[0125] In S82, the eNB sends a Random Access Response (RAR) to the UE.

[0126] The Random Access Response in this embodiment can also be referred to as the MSG2 message. Upon receiving MSG1, the network sends a Random Access Response (RAR) in response, which includes a temporary identity identifier and uplink synchronization information for the UE to use in subsequent steps. MSG2 may include a TAC to allow adjustment of the TA.

[0127] In S83, the UE sends an RRCEarlyDataRequest to the eNB.

[0128] The "RRCEarlyDataRequest" message is related to EDT and is a request signaling message used to trigger the EDT process. This signaling message can be initiated by the terminal to request network permission to send data before an RRC connection is established. This can occur when the terminal has urgent or low-latency data to transmit. To support the EDT process, this signaling message can carry information such as the terminal's identity, the amount of data requested, and the data priority. This information helps the network determine whether to accept the EDT request and allocate appropriate resources accordingly. In this embodiment, the RRCEarlyDataRequest message can also be referred to as the MSG3 message.

[0129] In an exemplary embodiment, RRCEarlyDataRequest may include S-TMSI, establishmentCause, and dedicatedInfoNAS.

[0130] `establishmentCause` is a parameter triggered by the NAS layer and passed to the RRC layer during the RRC connection establishment process. It indicates the specific reason or purpose for establishing the RRC connection. Possible values ​​for `establishmentCause` include: `emergency`; `highPriorityAccess`; `mt-Access`; `mo-Signalling`; `mo-Data`; `mo-VoiceCall`; `mo-VideoCall`; `mo-SMS`; `mps-PriorityAccess`; and `mcs-PriorityAccess`. These values ​​are triggered in different scenarios and implicitly link the UE (User Equipment) identity to the establishment reason.

[0131] The `dedicatedInfoNAS` field (specifically used for transmitting NAS information) is a field used to transmit NAS layer signaling during the RRC connection establishment process. NAS layer signaling may include information such as user authentication, registration requests, and service requests.

[0132] In S84, the eNB sends an initial UE message (NAS message) to the MME (Mobility Management Entity) through the S1-AP interface.

[0133] S1-AP (S1 Application Protocol) is an application layer protocol used for communication between the eNB and MME in LTE networks. S1-AP operates on the S1 interface. It is primarily responsible for control plane signaling interactions, such as user context management, mobility management, and session management. In S1-AP, the Initial UE message is a signaling message sent by the eNB to the MME when the user equipment (UE) first attempts to connect to the network. This message contains the UE's initial access information so that the MME can recognize and process the UE's access request.

[0134] In S85, the MME interacts with the S-GW (Serving Gateway) to modify the bearer.

[0135] During the Modify Bearer process, the MME receives the Path Switch Request message from the eNB and determines whether the S-GW can continue to serve the UE based on the information in the message (such as the TAI+ECGI and EPS bearers list). Subsequently, the MME sends a Modify Bearer Request message to the S-GW to modify the eNB address and TEIDs (Tunnel Endpoint Identifiers) of the downlink user plane, thereby completing the bearer modification.

[0136] During the Modify Bearer process, the S-GW receives a Modify Bearer Request message from the MME and begins sending downlink packets to the eNB based on the new eNB address and TEIDs in the message. Additionally, if the S-GW receives User Location Information (IE) sent by the MME during the Modify Bearer process, it will also notify the PDN GW (Packet Data Network Gateway) of this information.

[0137] Modify Bearer is a process used in LTE networks to modify bearer parameters. When a UE switches from one eNB to another, the downlink user plane path of the bearer needs to be modified to maintain data transmission continuity. This process typically involves signaling interactions between the MME, S-GW, and PDN GW.

[0138] In S86, the MME sends uplink data (UL data) to the S-GW.

[0139] In S87, optionally, the S-GW sends downlink data (DL data) to the MME.

[0140] In S88a, optionally, the MME sends downlink NAS transfers (DL NASTRANSPORT) to the eNB via the S1-AP interface.

[0141] In the S1-AP protocol, DL NAS TRANSPORT (downlink NAS transfer or downlink non-access stratum direct transfer) is a message type used to transmit NAS signaling between the eNB and MME.

[0142] In S88b, optionally, the MME sends a connection establishment indication to the eNB via the S1-AP interface.

[0143] In S89, the eNB sends RRCEarlyDataComplete(dedicatedInfoNAS) to the UE.

[0144] The RRCEarlyDataComplete message in this embodiment can also be referred to as the MSG4 message.

[0145] In S810, the eNB and MME perform the S1 release procedure, and the MME and S-GW interact to modify the bearer.

[0146] 3GPP's research on IoT devices accessing satellite networks faces challenges such as large satellite node access latency and the need for IoT devices to frequently establish and release RRC connections in order to transmit small amounts of data.

[0147] In this embodiment of the disclosure, Early Data Transmission (EDT) in the idle state is supported, but MSG1 and MSG2 messages need to be sent. Considering the special characteristics of the NTN scenario, the communication latency between satellite and IoT devices is much greater than that of terrestrial cellular networks, and the long waiting time will also lead to a decrease in system capacity.

[0148] To address the aforementioned issues, this disclosure proposes a competition-based method for enhancing the capacity of non-terrestrial networks. By competing for pre-configured resources, IoT devices omit MSG1 and MSG2 messages during the random access process and directly transmit small data packets in the idle state, effectively improving data transmission capacity.

[0149] To address the issue of limited capacity in non-terrestrial networks, embodiments of this disclosure introduce competitive pre-configured resources, allowing IoT devices to omit MSG1 and MSG2 messages in idle state and directly begin small data packet transmission.

[0150] In other embodiments, this disclosure can ensure effective compensation for TA through the cooperation of the network and the terminal, thereby enabling the direct transmission of MSG3 messages carrying IoT-related service data (such as uplink data packets), which can overcome the latency problem introduced by satellite nodes and improve data transmission capacity.

[0151] The embodiments disclosed herein firstly enable IoT devices to quickly acquire wireless resources for data transmission when there are data packets (e.g., uplink data packets) being transmitted, thereby improving data transmission capacity, through the pre-configuration of resources (i.e., reserving pre-configured resources).

[0152] In other embodiments, location information of IoT devices and satellite ephemeris information can be used to compensate for timing advance (TA), further omitting MSG1 and MSG2 messages and reducing transmission latency.

[0153] In some other embodiments, a conflict resolution mechanism is designed to quickly resolve conflicts when multiple IoT devices select the same resource, thereby improving system transmission efficiency.

[0154] Figure 9 In this embodiment, the first network device serves as the base station. The base station communicates with the terminal via satellite. The base station can transparently relay data via satellite from the ground, or it can act as a satellite payload to communicate directly with the terminal. Figure 9 As shown, the method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps.

[0155] In S91, the terminal is in RRC connected state.

[0156] In S92, the base station broadcasts to the terminal an indication that the cell supports pre-configured early data transmission (i.e., a pre-configured early data transmission indication).

[0157] The base station broadcasts (e.g., via the second broadcast message described above) an indication that the cell supports pre-configured early data transmission. This second broadcast message can be received by all UEs within the cell, regardless of whether they are in connected or idle state. This second broadcast message is primarily intended for all connected UEs within the cell.

[0158] In S93, the terminal decides to request pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0159] In S94, the terminal sends a pre-configured early data transmission request to the base station.

[0160] When the terminal receives an indication (e.g., a pre-configured early data transmission indication) in a cell broadcast message (e.g., a second broadcast message), it decides to request pre-configured resources and sends a pre-configured early data transmission request to the base station.

[0161] In S95, base stations reserve pre-configured resources.

[0162] In some embodiments, considering the limited satellite communication radio resources, the network reserves resources (e.g., the pre-configured resources mentioned above) for early data transmission only when the terminal requests pre-configured early data transmission (e.g., sends the aforementioned pre-configured early data transmission request). How much and which resources the network reserves can be determined based on the specific algorithm implementation, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0163] In S96, the base station sends an RRC connection release message to the terminal. This RRC connection release message includes: a terminal TA compensation indication and optional information related to adding pre-configured resources.

[0164] The base station sends an RRC connection release message to the terminal, and adds a terminal TA compensation indication to the message.

[0165] Optionally, if the number of users requesting pre-configured resources is below a threshold, pre-configured resource information can be added to the RRC connection release message.

[0166] It's important to note that having fewer users requesting pre-configured resources than the threshold doesn't mean there's no contention; contention arises because pre-configured resources are shared. This step illustrates that when the number of users is relatively small, resources can be configured using dedicated messages (such as RRC connection release messages).

[0167] Figure 10 This diagram illustrates a data transmission flowchart in an embodiment of the present disclosure that omits the MSG1 and MSG2 messages. Omitting the transmission of MSG1 and MSG2 messages saves transmission and radio resources, reduces signaling overhead, and improves uplink transmission efficiency and UE power consumption. Figure 10 As shown, the method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps.

[0168] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the base station communicates with the terminal via satellite. The base station can transparently relay data via satellite from the ground, or it can act as a satellite payload to communicate directly with the terminal.

[0169] In S101, the base station broadcasts (e.g., via a first broadcast message) to the terminal the pre-configured resources of the cell for early data transmission (e.g., by sending pre-configured resource information) and satellite ephemeris information for TA compensation.

[0170] If the number of users requesting pre-configured resources is greater than or equal to a threshold, pre-configured resource information is added to the first broadcast message (when the base station sends this first broadcast message, the UE that received the RRC connection release message is already in an idle state). In other words, when the number of users requesting pre-configured resources is too large, pre-configuration is performed via broadcast messages, which is more efficient.

[0171] The base station broadcasts pre-configured resource information for early data transmission and ephemeris information for TA compensation within its cell. If the RRC connection release message already includes pre-configured resource information, then in S101, the base station broadcasts ephemeris information and does not need to broadcast pre-configured resource information for early data transmission.

[0172] Idle state is a state of user equipment (UE) in a mobile communication system, indicating that the UE is not currently establishing an RRC connection with the network. In idle state, the UE does not continuously listen to the network's control channel but is in a low-power sleep state. The introduction of EDT technology allows the UE to send data even in idle state, thereby improving the flexibility and efficiency of data transmission.

[0173] In S102, the terminal compensates for TA based on ephemeris information and terminal location information, omitting MSG1 and MSG2 messages.

[0174] The terminal compensates for the TA (Transmission Aspect) based on ephemeris information and its location, thus allowing it to omit MSG1 and MSG2 messages and directly initiate a connection. For example, the terminal can calculate the distance between itself and the satellite using ephemeris information and its location, and then compensate for the TA accordingly.

[0175] It should be noted that TA compensation and the time slot of the call are two different dimensions. TA compensation is not considered when considering pre-configuration.

[0176] In this embodiment of the disclosure, in the NTN scenario, it is assumed that all terminals have GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) capabilities and can autonomously compensate for TA (Target Aspect Ratio). GNSS provides high-precision position and time information, enabling terminals to more accurately calculate the distance between themselves and the base station and adjust their TA accordingly. Assuming all terminals have GNSS capabilities and can autonomously compensate for TA, the base station can reduce or eliminate the transmission of TAC (Target Aspect Ratio Compensation) commands, thereby reducing signaling overhead and improving network efficiency. Due to accurate TA adjustment, uplink signals from different UEs can be better synchronized at the base station, which helps reduce interference and collisions between signals and improves the overall network performance. Furthermore, accurate TA also helps improve uplink coverage and capacity. In high-speed mobile scenarios, the distance between the UE and the base station changes rapidly, requiring frequent TA adjustments. Terminals can utilize GNSS for autonomous compensation, adapting to these changes more quickly and maintaining good synchronization with the base station.

[0177] In S103, the terminal sends an MSG3 message to the base station, which includes S-TMSI, an indication to establish a connection using pre-configured resources, and uplink data packets.

[0178] The terminal transmits uplink data packets via an MSG3 message, which also includes an S-TMSI and a connection establishment indication using pre-configured resources. In other words, the UE uses this indication to inform the base station that it is using pre-configured resources to transmit the MSG3 message.

[0179] In S104, the base station and the core network exchange data.

[0180] The base station interacts with the core network to establish a data path and transmit data. The transmitted data includes uplink data, and optionally, downlink data as well.

[0181] In S105, the base station sends an MSG4 message to the terminal, which contains the UE contention resolution identifier and downlink data packets.

[0182] The base station transmits downlink data packets via MSG4 messages, including a UE contention resolution flag. The UE contention resolution flag indicates that the terminal's data transmission was successful.

[0183] As satellites change, the pre-configured resources may also change along with the base stations corresponding to those satellites. Therefore, interaction between the source and target base stations is necessary. Figure 11 As shown, the method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps.

[0184] In S111, optionally, the source base station broadcasts to the terminal the pre-configured resources of the cell for early data transmission and satellite ephemeris information for TA compensation.

[0185] The base station broadcasts pre-configured resource information for early data transmission and ephemeris information for TA compensation within its cell. For details on how this broadcasting is performed, please refer to the above embodiment.

[0186] In S112, the terminal compensates for TA based on ephemeris information and terminal location information.

[0187] The terminal compensates for the TA based on the ephemeris information broadcast by the base station and the terminal's location, thus omitting the MSG1 and MSG2 messages and directly initiating a connection.

[0188] In S113, the source base station sends a pre-configured resource update request to the target base station.

[0189] If a base station change necessitates updating the pre-configured resources, the aforementioned base station is referred to as the source base station, and the changed base station is referred to as the target base station. The source base station initiates a pre-configured resource update request to the target base station.

[0190] In S114, the target base station sends the pre-configured resource update to the source base station.

[0191] After the target base station completes its configuration, it sends a notification to the source base station indicating that the pre-configured resources have been updated.

[0192] In S115, optionally, the target base station broadcasts to the terminal the pre-configured resources of the cell for early data transmission and satellite ephemeris information for TA compensation.

[0193] Based on the update results, the target base station broadcasts pre-configured resource information for early data transmission and ephemeris information for TA compensation.

[0194] In some embodiments, the pre-configured resource update request sent by the source base station to the target base station may include pre-configured resource information configured by the source base station. That is, if the target base station determines, based on the pre-configured resource update request, that the pre-configured resources for earlier data transmission can continue to use the pre-configured resources configured by the source base station, then in S115, the target base station may broadcast the pre-configured resource information configured by the source base station to the terminal, or it may carry an indication message indicating that the target base station still uses the pre-configured resource information of the source base station. Alternatively, if the source base station does not broadcast the pre-configured resource information to the terminal, the target base station may still carry the pre-configured resource information configured by the source base station to the terminal.

[0195] In other embodiments, regardless of whether the pre-configured resource update request sent by the source base station to the target base station carries the pre-configured resource information configured by the source base station, the target base station can configure pre-configured resources for early data transmission according to the network status and its own situation. The target base station can broadcast its configured pre-configured resource information to its cell so that it can be received by the terminal.

[0196] In S116, the terminal compensates for TA based on the new ephemeris information (i.e., the ephemeris information sent by the target base station) and the terminal location information, omitting the MSG1 and MSG2 messages.

[0197] The terminal compensates for the TA based on the nova ephemeris information and the terminal location, thus allowing it to skip MSG1 and MSG2 messages and directly initiate a connection.

[0198] In S117, the terminal sends an MSG3 message to the target base station. The MSG3 message contains S-TMSI, an indication to establish a connection using pre-configured resources, and uplink data packets.

[0199] The terminal transmits uplink data packets via MSG3 messages, which also include S-TMSI and an indication to establish a connection using pre-configured resources.

[0200] In S118, the target base station sends an MSG4 message to the terminal, which contains the UE contention resolution identifier and downlink data packets.

[0201] The target base station transmits downlink data packets via MSG4 messages and adds a UE contention resolution identifier.

[0202] This disclosure provides a pre-configured resource conflict contention solution. Because MSG1 and MSG2 messages are omitted, RA (Random Access)-RNTI and TC (Temporary Cell)-RNTI are unusable, and pre-configured early data transmission requires a new RNTI to scramble related messages (e.g., MSG4).

[0203] The UE calculates the RNTI value based on the specific subframe number and subcarrier number (referred to as the target subframe number and target subcarrier number for distinction) in the pre-configured resources it uses, and sends an MSG3 message to the base station. The pre-configured resources may contain multiple subframe numbers and multiple subcarrier numbers. There are various ways to calculate the RNTI value; examples are given below, but this disclosure is not limited to these methods.

[0204] After receiving the MSG3 message, the base station calculates the RNTI value based on its corresponding subframe number and subcarrier number (i.e., the target subframe number and target subcarrier number). Since the same formula is used as the terminal, the RNTI value calculated by the base station is consistent with the result calculated by the UE. It should be noted that the MSG3 message itself may not carry the RNTI; instead, the base station and UE use the same algorithm to calculate the RNTI separately. This is because the RNTI is resource-bound; the specific subframe and subcarrier used can be used to calculate it.

[0205] If no UE selects the same resource for transmission, there is no conflict, and the network can transmit the corresponding data by scrambling the MSG4 message with RNTI.

[0206] A conflict occurs if multiple UEs select the same resource for MSG3 message transmission.

[0207] When the base station sends the MSG4 message, it uses the RNTI value for scrambling, adds a UE contention resolution identifier to the MSG4 message, selects one of multiple UEs for data transmission, and increases the priority of subsequent responses for UEs that have not resolved contention conflicts.

[0208] In an exemplary embodiment, the base station may select a target UE from among the multiple UEs for data transmission based on factors such as UE priority and signal quality.

[0209] If a UE fails to resolve a contention conflict and re-initiates a pre-configured early data transmission procedure, and if the conflict continues, the base station will prioritize responding to UEs that repeatedly initiate pre-configured early data transmission procedures.

[0210] For example, the priority of each UE can be stored on the base station side, and the priority of the UE that re-initiates the pre-configured early data transmission procedure is incremented by 1. However, this disclosure is not limited to this.

[0211] by Figure 12 For example, assume that UE1 (first terminal), UE2 (second terminal), and UE3 (second terminal) are simultaneously covered by the NTN network, i.e., all are within the network coverage area of ​​satellite 31, and the cell holds a pre-configured early data transmission indication and has reserved pre-configured resources. When a UE enters the idle state from the connected state, it has already sent a pre-configured early data transmission request to the NTN network (e.g., via satellite 31 and gateway station 32, to base station 34, where the base station in the NTN network can be referred to as the NTN base station).

[0212] NTN base stations broadcast pre-configured resource information for early data transmission and ephemeris information for TA compensation in their cells.

[0213] Assuming UE1 and UE2 are in an idle state and need to send small data packets, they compensate for TA based on the ephemeris information broadcast by the NTN base station and the terminal location.

[0214] UE1 and UE2 independently select (e.g., randomly select) the relevant subframe number and subcarrier in the pre-configured resources (i.e., the target subframe number and target subcarrier number of UE1 and UE2 respectively) to directly transmit the MSG3 message (omitting the MSG1 and MSG2 messages), and add the uplink data packet to the MSG3 message for transmission. The MSG3 message also includes S-TMSI and a connection establishment indication using the pre-configured resources.

[0215] Each UE (e.g., UE1 and UE2 mentioned above) calculates the RNTI value based on the specific subframe number and subcarrier number in the pre-configured resources it uses, and sends an MSG3 message to the base station. The calculation formula can be, for example, the following formula:

[0216] RNTI= 1 + t_id + 10*f_id (1)

[0217] Where t_id is the subframe number selected by the UE, and f_id is the subcarrier number selected by the UE.

[0218] After receiving the MSG3 message, the base station calculates the RNTI value based on its corresponding subframe number and subcarrier number. Since the same formula is used, the RNTI value calculated by the base station is consistent with the result calculated by the UE.

[0219] The NTN base station receives the MSG3 message transmitted by UE1 and UE2, and interacts with the core network to establish a data path and transmit data.

[0220] If UE1 and UE2 select the same time-frequency resources, a contention occurs. The NTN base station determines that UE1 has successfully competed for the resources and UE2 has failed to compete for the resources based on demodulation.

[0221] The NTN base station transmits downlink data packets via MSG4 messages and adds a UE1 contention resolution flag to indicate that UE1 has successfully contented. The MSG4 message is scrambled with the calculated RNTI value and prioritizes the subsequent responses of UE2, which has not resolved the contention conflict.

[0222] UE2 re-initiates the pre-configured early data transmission process. If contention continues, the NTN base station will respond to UE2 first and add the UE1 contention resolution identifier to the MSG4 message sent to UE2.

[0223] The method provided in this disclosure, on the one hand, designs a contention-based small data packet transmission method for non-terrestrial networks. Terminals, through contention for pre-configured resources, can omit MSG1 and MSG2 messages for early data packet transmission, making it suitable for the small data packet service characteristics of IoT devices and overcoming the high latency of non-terrestrial networks, thus improving system data capacity. On the other hand, compensation for TA (Transmission Time) is achieved through cooperation between the terminal and the network. The network side broadcasts ephemeris information and issues instructions to the terminal to compensate for TA, guiding the terminal to autonomously compensate the TA value based on ephemeris information and terminal location information. In some embodiments, to address the issue of frequent satellite changes in non-terrestrial networks, updates to pre-configured resources and ephemeris information are supported, ensuring that the terminal can initiate pre-configured early data transmission under different satellites, improving service continuity. This disclosure also effectively solves the conflict problem caused by different UEs selecting the same subframe and subcarrier for data transmission through a pre-configured resource conflict resolution mechanism. By calculating RNTI to scramble MSG4, it can effectively ensure that UEs with resolved contention receive data packets. For terminals with unresolved contention conflicts, their priority for subsequent contention conflict resolution is increased, avoiding long waiting times. The method proposed in this disclosure can increase network capacity and improve service quality on non-terrestrial networks.

[0224] The method provided in this disclosure can be applied to NTN scenarios. By adding ephemeris information and pre-configured resource information to broadcast messages, the terminal can autonomously perform TA compensation and quickly send small data packets, effectively resolving conflicts when contention occurs, avoiding excessive terminal waiting time, and greatly improving communication efficiency and data capacity.

[0225] Figure 13 A flowchart illustrating another communication method in an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 13 The method provided in this embodiment can be executed by any communication device, such as a first network device. Figure 13 As shown, the method provided in this disclosure embodiment may include the following steps.

[0226] In S1310, pre-configured resource information for early data transmission is sent to the terminal.

[0227] In S1320, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection request related message sent by the terminal is received. The RRC connection request related message includes uplink data packets, and the uplink resources used by the message are included in the pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0228] In S1330, an RRC connection completion message is sent to the terminal to resolve contention for pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0229] In an exemplary embodiment, the method provided in this disclosure further includes: sending the ephemeris information of the first network device to the terminal.

[0230] In an exemplary embodiment, the method provided in this disclosure further includes: sending an RRC connection release message to the terminal, the RRC connection release message including a terminal TA compensation indication, the terminal TA compensation indication being used to instruct the terminal to perform TA compensation.

[0231] In an exemplary embodiment, when the number of users requesting pre-configured resources from the first network device is less than a threshold, the RRC connection release message also includes the pre-configured resource information of the earlier data transmission.

[0232] In an exemplary embodiment, sending the ephemeris information of the first network device to the terminal includes: broadcasting a first broadcast message within the cell of the first network device, wherein the first broadcast message includes the ephemeris information of the first network device for TA compensation.

[0233] In an exemplary embodiment, when the number of users requesting pre-configured resources from the first network device is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the first broadcast message also includes pre-configured resource information for the early data transmission.

[0234] In an exemplary embodiment, the RRC connection request related message further includes a connection establishment indication using pre-configured resources, which indicates that the terminal is establishing a connection using pre-configured resources.

[0235] In an exemplary embodiment, the method provided in this disclosure further includes: broadcasting a second broadcast message within the cell of the first network device, the second broadcast message including a pre-configured early data transmission indication.

[0236] In an exemplary embodiment, the method provided in this disclosure further includes: receiving a pre-configured early data transmission request sent by the terminal; and responding to the pre-configured early data transmission request by reserving pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0237] In an exemplary embodiment, the method provided in this disclosure further includes: the first network device interacting with the core network to establish a data path and transmit data.

[0238] In an exemplary embodiment, the method provided in this disclosure further includes: determining the target subframe number and target subcarrier number selected by the terminal based on the pre-configured resource information; and determining the Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) of the terminal based on the target subframe number and the target subcarrier number. The RRC connection completion related message is scrambled using the terminal's RNTI. Receiving the RRC connection completion related message sent by the first network device to resolve contention for pre-configured resources for early data transmission includes: descrambling the RRC connection completion related message using the terminal's RNTI to resolve contention for pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0239] In an exemplary embodiment, sending an RRC connection completion related message to the terminal includes: scrambling the RRC connection completion related message using the terminal's RNTI; and sending the scrambled RRC connection completion related message to the terminal.

[0240] In an exemplary embodiment, sending an RRC connection completion related message to the terminal includes: if multiple terminals select the same pre-configured resources to transmit the RRC connection request related message, then selecting a target terminal from the multiple terminals to send an RRC connection completion related message including downlink data packets and a terminal contention resolution identifier.

[0241] In an exemplary embodiment, the method provided in this disclosure further includes: for the remaining terminals that have not been selected, increasing the priority of the remaining terminals so that when an RRC connection request related message is subsequently received from the remaining terminals, the pre-configured early data transmission initiated by the remaining terminals is responded to first.

[0242] In an exemplary embodiment, the method provided in this disclosure further includes: sending a pre-configured resource update request to a second network device; and receiving a pre-configured resource update completion message returned by the second network device in response to the pre-configured resource update request.

[0243] Figure 13 Other aspects of the embodiments can be found in the other embodiments described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0244] Figure 14 A flowchart of yet another communication method according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 14 The method provided in this embodiment can be executed by any communication device, such as a second network device. Figure 14 As shown, the method provided in this disclosure embodiment may include the following steps.

[0245] In S1410, a pre-configured resource update request sent by the first network device is received.

[0246] In S1420, in response to the pre-configured resource update request, the pre-configured resource information for the early data transmission is determined.

[0247] In S1430, a pre-configured resource update completion message is sent to the first network device.

[0248] In S1440, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection request related message sent by the terminal is received. The RRC connection request related message includes uplink data packets, and the uplink resources used by the message are included in the pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0249] In S1450, an RRC connection completion message is sent to the terminal to resolve contention for pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0250] In an exemplary embodiment, the method provided in this disclosure further includes: sending the ephemeris information of the second network device to the terminal, so that the terminal compensates for the timing advance (TA) based on the ephemeris information of the second network device and the location information of the terminal.

[0251] In an exemplary embodiment, the method provided in this disclosure further includes: sending pre-configured resource information for early data transmission to the terminal.

[0252] Figure 14 Other aspects of the embodiments can be found in the other embodiments described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0253] Figure 15 A structural block diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 15 As shown, the terminal 1500 provided in this embodiment includes a first receiving unit 1510 and a first transmitting unit 1520.

[0254] The first receiving unit 1510 is used to obtain pre-configured resource information of early data transmission sent by the first network device.

[0255] The first sending unit 1520 is used to send a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection request related message to the first network device. The RRC connection request related message includes an uplink data packet, and the uplink resources used by the packet are included in the pre-configured resources of the early data transmission.

[0256] The first receiving unit 1510 is also configured to receive an RRC connection completion related message sent by the first network device to resolve contention for pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0257] In an exemplary embodiment, the first receiving unit 1510 is further configured to acquire ephemeris information from the first network device. The terminal 1500 also includes a first processing unit configured to compensate for timing advance (TA) based on the ephemeris information from the first network device and the location information of the terminal.

[0258] In an exemplary embodiment, the first receiving unit 1510 is further configured to receive an RRC connection release message sent by the first network device, the RRC connection release message including a terminal TA compensation indication, the terminal TA compensation indication being used to instruct the terminal to perform TA compensation. The first processing unit is further configured to perform TA compensation based on the terminal TA compensation indication, using the ephemeris information of the first network device and the location information of the terminal.

[0259] In an exemplary embodiment, when the number of users requesting pre-configured resources from the first network device is less than a threshold, the RRC connection release message also includes the pre-configured resource information of the earlier data transmission.

[0260] In an exemplary embodiment, the first receiving unit 1510 is further configured to: receive a first broadcast message broadcast by the first network device within its cell, the first broadcast message including ephemeris information from the first network device for TA compensation.

[0261] In an exemplary embodiment, when the number of users requesting pre-configured resources from the first network device is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the first broadcast message also includes pre-configured resource information for the early data transmission.

[0262] In an exemplary embodiment, the RRC connection request related message further includes a connection establishment indication using pre-configured resources, which indicates that the terminal is establishing a connection using pre-configured resources.

[0263] In an exemplary embodiment, the first receiving unit 1510 is further configured to: receive a second broadcast message broadcast by the first network device, the second broadcast message including a pre-configured early data transmission indication. The first sending unit 1520 is further configured to send a pre-configured early data transmission request to the first network device according to the pre-configured early data transmission indication, to request pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0264] In an exemplary embodiment, the RRC connection request related message also includes a Short-Term Mobile Subscriber Identity (S-TMSI).

[0265] In an exemplary embodiment, the RRC connection completion related message includes a downlink data packet and a terminal contention resolution identifier, wherein the terminal contention resolution identifier indicates that the terminal's data transmission was successful.

[0266] In an exemplary embodiment, the RRC connection completion related message includes an RRC early data completion message.

[0267] In an exemplary embodiment, the first sending unit 1520 is further configured to: if the RRC connection completion related message does not carry the terminal resolution identifier, then resend the RRC connection request related message to the first network device.

[0268] In an exemplary embodiment, the first receiving unit 1510 is further configured to: acquire ephemeris information from the second network device. The terminal 1500 also includes a first processing unit configured to compensate for TA based on the ephemeris information from the second network device and the location information of the terminal. The first sending unit 1520 is further configured to send an RRC connection request related message to the second network device, the RRC connection request related message including an uplink data packet and a connection establishment indication using pre-configured resources, the connection establishment indication using pre-configured resources indicating that the terminal is establishing a connection using pre-configured resources.

[0269] In an exemplary embodiment, the first receiving unit 1510 is further configured to: receive an RRC connection completion related message sent by the second network device. If the RRC connection completion related message includes a downlink data packet and a terminal contention resolution identifier, it indicates that the terminal's data transmission was successful.

[0270] In an exemplary embodiment, the first network device and the second network device are the source base station and the target base station corresponding to the satellite, respectively.

[0271] In an exemplary embodiment, terminal 1500 further includes a first processing unit, configured to: determine the target subframe number and target subcarrier number adopted by the terminal based on the pre-configured resource information; and determine the Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) of the terminal based on the target subframe number and the target subcarrier number. The RRC connection completion related message is scrambled using the terminal's RNTI. The first receiving unit 1510 is further configured to: descramble the RRC connection completion related message using the terminal's RNTI to resolve contention for pre-configured resources in early data transmission.

[0272] In an exemplary embodiment, the terminal includes an Internet of Things (IoT) device.

[0273] In an exemplary embodiment, the terminal includes a narrowband Internet of Things (IoT) device.

[0274] In an exemplary embodiment, the RRC connection request related message includes an RRC early data request message.

[0275] In an exemplary embodiment, the first network device is a base station, which performs transparent forwarding via satellite, or the base station is located on a satellite.

[0276] Figure 15 Other aspects of the embodiments can be found in the other embodiments described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0277] Figure 16 A structural block diagram of a first network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 16 The first network device 1600 provided in the embodiment includes a second transmitting unit 1610 and a second receiving unit 1620.

[0278] The second sending unit 1610 is used to send pre-configured resource information for early data transmission to the terminal.

[0279] The second receiving unit 1620 is used to receive a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection request related message sent by the terminal. The RRC connection request related message includes uplink data packets, and the uplink resources used by the message are included in the pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0280] The second sending unit 1610 is also used to send an RRC connection completion related message to the terminal to resolve contention for pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0281] In an exemplary embodiment, the second receiving unit 1620 is further configured to receive a pre-configured early data transmission request sent by the terminal.

[0282] The first network device 1600 further includes a second processing unit for responding to the pre-configured early data transmission request and reserving pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0283] In an exemplary embodiment, the first network device 1600 is used to interact with the core network, establish a data path, and transmit data.

[0284] In an exemplary embodiment, the first network device 1600 further includes a second processing unit, configured to determine the target subframe number and target subcarrier number selected by the terminal according to the pre-configured resource information; and to determine the Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) of the terminal according to the target subframe number and the target subcarrier number.

[0285] The second processing unit is further configured to scramble the RRC connection completion related message using the terminal's RNTI. The second sending unit 1610 is further configured to send the scrambled RRC connection completion related message to the terminal.

[0286] In an exemplary embodiment, the second sending unit 1610 is further configured to: if multiple terminals select the same pre-configured resources to transmit the RRC connection request related message, select a target terminal from the multiple terminals to send an RRC connection completion related message including downlink data packets and a terminal contention resolution identifier.

[0287] In an exemplary embodiment, the first network device 1600 further includes a second processing unit for increasing the priority of the remaining terminals that have not been selected, so that when an RRC connection request related message is subsequently received from the remaining terminals, the pre-configured early data transmission initiated by the remaining terminals is responded to preferentially.

[0288] Figure 16 Other aspects of the embodiments can be found in the other embodiments described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0289] Figure 17 A structural block diagram of a second network device according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 17 The second network device 1700 provided in the embodiment includes a third receiving unit 1710, a third processing unit 1720, and a third sending unit 1730.

[0290] The third receiving unit 1710 is used to receive the pre-configured resource update request sent by the first network device.

[0291] The third processing unit 1720 is used to respond to the pre-configured resource update request and determine the pre-configured resource information for early data transmission.

[0292] The third sending unit 1730 is used to send a pre-configured resource update completion message to the first network device.

[0293] The third receiving unit 1710 is also configured to receive a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection request related message sent by the terminal, wherein the RRC connection request related message includes uplink data packets and the uplink resources used by it are included in the pre-configured resources of the early data transmission.

[0294] The third sending unit 1730 is also used to send an RRC connection completion related message to the terminal to resolve contention for pre-configured resources for early data transmission.

[0295] Figure 17 Other aspects of the embodiments can be found in the other embodiments described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0296] Furthermore, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a communication system, including: a terminal as described in any embodiment of this disclosure and a first network device as described in any embodiment of this disclosure.

[0297] In an exemplary embodiment, the communication system further includes a second network device as described in any embodiment of this disclosure.

[0298] Furthermore, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a communication device, including: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor. The processor is configured to execute the method described in any one of the embodiments of this disclosure by executing the executable instructions.

[0299] Furthermore, this disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program thereon, characterized in that the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the method described in any one of the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0300] Furthermore, this disclosure also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program that, when run, executes the method described in any one of the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0301] Figure 18 A schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1800 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The communication device may be a terminal, such as a UE, or a network device, such as a base station, and may also be an AMF and / or UPF and / or PCF and / or NEF and / or AF and / or SMF network element and / or MME and / or P-GW and / or S-GW and / or HSS. Figure 18 The communication device 1800 shown includes a processor 1810, which can call and run computer programs from memory to implement the methods in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0302] Optionally, such as Figure 18 As shown, the communication device 1800 may further include a memory 1820. The processor 1810 can retrieve and run computer programs from the memory 1820 to implement the methods described in this embodiment.

[0303] The memory 1820 can be a separate device independent of the processor 1810, or it can be integrated into the processor 1810.

[0304] Optionally, such as Figure 18 As shown, the communication device 1800 may also include a transceiver 1830, and the processor 1810 may control the transceiver 1830 to communicate with other devices. Specifically, it may send information or data to other devices or receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0305] The transceiver 1830 may include a transmitter (which can be used as the transmitting unit in the above embodiments) and a receiver (which can be used as the receiving unit in the above embodiments). The transceiver 1830 may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0306] Optionally, the communication device 1800 may be any of the network devices (including a first network device and a second network device) in the embodiments of this disclosure, and the communication device 1800 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by each network device in the various methods of the embodiments of this disclosure. For the sake of brevity, these will not be described in detail here.

[0307] Optionally, the communication device 1800 may specifically be a mobile terminal / terminal in the embodiments of this disclosure, and the communication device 1800 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the mobile terminal / terminal in the various methods of the embodiments of this disclosure. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described in detail here.

[0308] Optionally, the processor 1810, memory 1820, and transceiver 1830 can communicate bidirectionally with each other via communication bus 1840.

[0309] It should be understood that the processor in this embodiment of the disclosure may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, the steps of the above method embodiments can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by software instructions.

[0310] The aforementioned processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure can be directly embodied in the execution of a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory; the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above methods.

[0311] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this disclosure can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), Enhanced Synchronous DRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and Direct Rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory. It should be understood that the above-described memory is exemplary and not limiting.

[0312] This disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing computer programs.

[0313] Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to various network devices in the embodiments of this disclosure, and the computer program causes the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by each network device in the various methods of the embodiments of this disclosure, which will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0314] Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the mobile terminal / terminal in the embodiments of this disclosure, and the computer program causes the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the mobile terminal / terminal in the various methods of the embodiments of this disclosure. For the sake of brevity, these will not be described in detail here.

[0315] This disclosure also provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions.

[0316] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to various network devices in the embodiments of this disclosure, and the computer program instructions cause the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by each network device in the various methods of the embodiments of this disclosure. For the sake of brevity, these will not be described in detail here.

[0317] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the mobile terminal / terminal in the embodiments of this disclosure, and the computer program instructions cause the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the mobile terminal / terminal in the various methods of the embodiments of this disclosure. For the sake of brevity, these will not be described in detail here.

[0318] This disclosure also provides a computer program.

[0319] Optionally, the computer program can be applied to each network device in the embodiments of this disclosure. When the computer program is run on a computer, it causes the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by each network device in the various methods of the embodiments of this disclosure. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described in detail here.

[0320] Optionally, the computer program can be applied to the mobile terminal / terminal in the embodiments of this disclosure. When the computer program is run on a computer, it causes the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the mobile terminal / terminal in the various methods of the embodiments of this disclosure. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described in detail here.

[0321] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this disclosure.

[0322] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0323] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this disclosure, but the scope of protection of this disclosure is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is performed by a terminal, and the method comprises: obtaining preconfigured resource information of early data transmission sent by a first network device; sending a radio resource control (RRC) connection request related message to the first network device, wherein the RRC connection request related message comprises an uplink data packet, and uplink resources used by the uplink data packet are included in preconfigured resources of early data transmission; receiving an RRC connection complete related message sent by the first network device, so as to solve a competition conflict for the preconfigured resources of early data transmission.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising: obtaining ephemeris information from the first network device; compensating for timing advance (TA) based on the ephemeris information from the first network device and position information of the terminal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, Further comprising: receiving an RRC connection release message sent by the first network device, wherein the RRC connection release message comprises a terminal TA compensation indication, and the terminal TA compensation indication is used to instruct the terminal to compensate for TA; wherein compensating for TA based on the ephemeris information from the first network device and the position information of the terminal comprises: compensating for TA based on the ephemeris information from the first network device and the position information of the terminal according to the terminal TA compensation indication.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, When a number of users requesting preconfigured resources from the first network device is less than a threshold value, the RRC connection release message further comprises the preconfigured resource information of early data transmission.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, Obtaining ephemeris information from the first network device comprises: receiving a first broadcast message broadcast by the first network device in a cell thereof, wherein the first broadcast message comprises ephemeris information from the first network device used for TA compensation.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, When the number of users requesting preconfigured resources from the first network device is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the first broadcast message further comprises the preconfigured resource information of early data transmission.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, The RRC connection request related message further comprises a preconfigured resource connection establishment indication, and the preconfigured resource connection establishment indication is used to instruct the terminal to establish a connection using preconfigured resources.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising: receiving a second broadcast message broadcast by the first network device, wherein the second broadcast message comprises a preconfigured early data transmission support indication; sending a preconfigured early data transmission request to the first network device according to the preconfigured early data transmission support indication, so as to request preconfigured resources for early data transmission.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, The RRC connection request related message further comprises a short-term mobile user identification (S-TMSI).

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, The RRC connection complete related message comprises a downlink data packet and a terminal competition resolution identification, and the terminal competition resolution identification indicates successful transmission of data of the terminal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The RRC connection complete related message comprises an RRC early data complete message.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein, Further comprising: if the RRC connection complete related message does not carry the terminal competition resolution identification, re-sending the RRC connection request related message to the first network device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising: obtaining ephemeris information from a second network device; compensating for TA based on the ephemeris information from the second network device and position information of the terminal. The first network device sends an RRC connection request related message to the second network device, the RRC connection request related message including an uplink data packet and an indication of establishing a connection using preconfigured resources, the indication of establishing a connection using preconfigured resources indicating that the terminal establishes a connection using preconfigured resources.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, Also comprising: The first network device receives an RRC connection completion related message sent by the second network device. If the RRC connection completion related message includes a downlink data packet and a terminal contention resolution identifier, it indicates that the data of the terminal is successfully transmitted.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein, The first network device and the second network device are source base stations and target base stations corresponding to a satellite, respectively.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein, Also comprising: According to the preconfigured resource information, determine the target subframe number and the target subcarrier number adopted by the terminal; According to the target subframe number and the target subcarrier number, determine the radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) of the terminal; The RRC connection completion related message is scrambled using the RNTI of the terminal; the first network device receives an RRC connection completion related message to resolve the contention conflict for the preconfigured resources for early data transmission, including: The RRC connection completion related message is descrambled using the RNTI of the terminal to resolve the contention conflict for the preconfigured resources for early data transmission.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein, The terminal includes an Internet of Things device.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein, The RRC connection request related message includes an RRC early data request message.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first network device is a base station, which is transparently forwarded by a satellite, or the base station is arranged on a satellite.

20. A method of communication, comprising: The method is performed by a first network device, and the method comprises: The first network device sends preconfigured resource information for early data transmission to a terminal; The first network device receives an RRC connection request related message sent by the terminal, the RRC connection request related message including an uplink data packet, and the uplink resource used by the RRC connection request related message being included in the preconfigured resources for early data transmission; The first network device sends an RRC connection completion related message to the terminal to resolve the contention conflict for the preconfigured resources for early data transmission.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein, Also comprising: The first network device sends ephemeris information of the first network device to the terminal.

22. The method of claim 20 or 21, wherein, Also comprising: The first network device sends an RRC connection release message to the terminal, the RRC connection release message including a terminal TA compensation indication, the terminal TA compensation indication indicating that the terminal performs TA compensation.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein, When the number of users requesting preconfigured resources from the first network device is less than a threshold value, the RRC connection release message further includes the preconfigured resource information for early data transmission.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein, The first network device sends ephemeris information of the first network device to the terminal, including: The first network device broadcasts a first broadcast message in a cell of the first network device, the first broadcast message including ephemeris information of the first network device for TA compensation.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein, When the number of users requesting preconfigured resources from the first network device is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the first broadcast message further includes the preconfigured resource information for early data transmission.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein, The RRC connection request related message further comprises a preconfigured resource connection establishment indication, which is used to indicate that the terminal establishes connection using preconfigured resources.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein, Further comprising: Broadcasting a second broadcast message in a cell of the first network device, wherein the second broadcast message comprises a preconfigured early data transmission support indication.

28. The method of claim 20 or 27, wherein, Further comprising: Receiving a preconfigured early data transmission request sent by the terminal; Reserving preconfigured resources for early data transmission in response to the preconfigured early data transmission request.

29. The method of claim 20, wherein, Further comprising: The first network device interacts with a core network for data exchange, establishes a data path, and transmits data.

30. The method of claim 20, wherein, Further comprising: Determining target subframe numbers and target subcarrier numbers selected by the terminal according to the preconfigured resource information; Determining a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) of the terminal according to the target subframe numbers and the target subcarrier numbers; The RRC connection completion related message sent to the terminal comprises: Scrambling the RRC connection completion related message using the RNTI of the terminal; Sending the scrambled RRC connection completion related message to the terminal.

31. The method of claim 20, wherein, The RRC connection completion related message sent to the terminal comprises: If multiple terminals select the same preconfigured resources for RRC connection request related message transmission, a target terminal is selected from the multiple terminals to send an RRC connection completion related message comprising a downlink data packet and a terminal contention resolution identifier.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein, Further comprising: For the remaining terminals that are not selected, the priority of the remaining terminals is increased so that when the RRC connection request related message of the remaining terminals is subsequently received, the preconfigured early data transmission initiated by the remaining terminals is preferentially responded to.

33. The method of claim 20, wherein, Further comprising: Sending a preconfigured resource update request to a second network device; Receiving a preconfigured resource update completion message returned by the second network device in response to the preconfigured resource update request.

34. A method of communication, comprising: The method is performed by a second network device, and the method comprises: Receiving a preconfigured resource update request sent by a first network device; In response to the preconfigured resource update request, determining preconfigured resource information for early data transmission; Sending a preconfigured resource update completion message to the first network device; Receiving a radio resource control (RRC) connection request related message sent by the terminal, wherein the RRC connection request related message comprises an uplink data packet, and the uplink resources used by the RRC connection request related message are included in the preconfigured resources for early data transmission; Sending an RRC connection completion related message to the terminal to resolve contention conflicts for the preconfigured resources for early data transmission.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein, Further comprising: Sending ephemeris information of the second network device to the terminal, so that the terminal compensates for timing advance (TA) based on the ephemeris information of the second network device and position information of the terminal.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein, Further comprising: Sending preconfigured resource information for early data transmission to the terminal.

37. A terminal, characterized by Comprise: A first receiving unit configured to acquire preconfigured resource information for early data transmission sent by a first network device; The first sending unit is configured to send a radio resource control (RRC) connection request related message to the first network device, wherein the RRC connection request related message comprises an uplink data packet, and uplink resources used by the uplink data packet are included in the preconfigured resources for early data transmission. The first receiving unit is further configured to receive an RRC connection complete related message sent by the first network device, so as to solve a competition conflict for the preconfigured resources for early data transmission.

38. A first network device, comprising: The method comprises the following steps: The second sending unit is configured to send preconfigured resource information for early data transmission to a terminal. The second receiving unit is configured to receive an RRC connection request related message sent by the terminal, wherein the RRC connection request related message comprises an uplink data packet, and uplink resources used by the uplink data packet are included in the preconfigured resources for early data transmission. The second sending unit is further configured to send an RRC connection complete related message to the terminal, so as to solve a competition conflict for the preconfigured resources for early data transmission.

39. A second network device, comprising: The method comprises the following steps: The third receiving unit is configured to receive a preconfigured resource update request sent by a first network device. The third processing unit is configured to determine preconfigured resource information for early data transmission in response to the preconfigured resource update request. The third sending unit is configured to send a preconfigured resource update complete message to the first network device. The third receiving unit is further configured to receive an RRC connection request related message sent by the terminal, wherein the RRC connection request related message comprises an uplink data packet, and uplink resources used by the uplink data packet are included in the preconfigured resources for early data transmission. The third sending unit is further configured to send an RRC connection complete related message to the terminal, so as to solve a competition conflict for the preconfigured resources for early data transmission.

40. A communication system, characterized by The method comprises the following steps: The terminal of claim 37 and the first network device of claim 38.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein, The method further comprises the following steps: The second network device of claim 39.

42. A communications device, characterized by The method comprises the following steps: A processor; And A memory configured to store executable instructions of the processor; The processor is configured to execute the executable instructions to perform the method of any one of claims 1-19, or perform the method of any one of claims 20-33, or perform the method of any one of claims 34-36.

43. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program, characterized in that, The computer program is executed by the processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1-19, or perform the method of any one of claims 20-33, or perform the method of any one of claims 34-36.

44. A computer program product comprising a computer program which, when executed by a processor, performs the method of any one of claims 1-19, or performs the method of any one of claims 20-33, or performs the method of any one of claims 34-36.

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