Communication method and communication device

Abstract

[0013] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication method and a communication device. The communication method includes the steps of: a network device obtaining user contract information, where the user contract information indicates that MPS information of the terminal device will change; and the network device sending a first message to the terminal device, where the first message is for triggering the terminal device to re-register, whereby the terminal device updates an MPS indicator in the re-registration process; and the network device supporting using a CUC message to trigger the terminal device to update the MPS indicator. According to the communication method and communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application, when the MPS information of the terminal device changes, even if the terminal device does not support using a CUC message to update the MPS indicator, the terminal device can be triggered to update the MPS indicator in a re-registration manner, thereby avoiding the execution of an erroneous access attempt during unified access control due to a mismatch between a link establishment cause mapped when the terminal device requests the start of a service and the user's actual contract information, thereby improving the user experience.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202310125169.9, entitled "Communication Method and Communication Apparatus," filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on February 10, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and more particularly to a communication method and a communication device. [Background technology]

[0003] Multimedia priority service (MPS) allows users who subscribe to the service to access system resources with higher priority in some scenarios, such as congestion scenarios, to ensure completion of high-priority sessions. Such users may be government authorized personnel, emergency managers, etc.

[0004] Some protocols of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®) support a network device instructing a terminal device to update a stored MPS indicator using a newly added priority indicator information element (IE) item in a configuration update command (CUC) message. The MPS indicator indicates whether a user is a multimedia priority service type user. The value of the MPS indicator may be for mapping a link establishment cause when the terminal later requests the initiation of a service. If the MPS indicator indicates that the user is a multimedia priority service type user, the user will have priority access when the initiation of a service is requested.

[0005] However, if the terminal device complies with a protocol other than the aforementioned protocols, it will not be able to parse the priority indicator information element item contained in the CUC message, and the next time a service initiation is requested, there will be a mismatch between the mapped link establishment cause and the user's actual subscription information, which will result in the user making an incorrect access attempt during unified access control. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To reduce the possibility that a terminal device's connection is rejected or that it is unable to obtain appropriate high-priority service, and to improve user experience, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and a communication apparatus, whereby when the MPS information, i.e., access identity, of a terminal device changes, the terminal device can be triggered to re-register and update its MPS indicator, even if the terminal device does not support updating its MPS indicator using a CUC message. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a network device, and which supports triggering a terminal device to update a Multimedia Priority Service (MPS) indicator using a CUC message. The method includes: obtaining user subscription information, where the user subscription information indicates that the MPS information of the terminal device will change, and the MPS information indicates an MPS access ID of the terminal device; and sending a first message to the terminal device, where the first message is for triggering the terminal device to re-register, whereby the terminal device updates the MPS indicator in the re-registration process, and the MPS indicator indicates the MPS information of the terminal device. If the user subscription information indicates that the Mission Critical Service (MCS) information of the terminal device will change, and the MCS information indicates an MCS access ID of the terminal device, the first message may be sent to trigger the terminal device to re-register, to help the terminal device update the MCS indicator, and the MCS indicator indicates the MCS information of the terminal device. The following MPS scenarios also apply to MCS scenarios, but this is not limited thereto.

[0008] In this embodiment, the network device may be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, and the AMF network element may obtain user subscription information (sometimes referred to as user subscription context) from a unified data management (UDM) network element and determine that the MPS information of the terminal device has changed. The MPS access identity (ID) of the terminal device may be represented by “0” or “1”, where “0” indicates that the terminal device is not an MPS access type user, and “1” indicates that the terminal device is an MPS access type user. The network device supports using a CUC message to trigger the terminal device to update the MPS indicator. In other words, the network device can trigger the terminal device to update the MPS indicator by sending a CUC message carrying changed MPS information to the terminal device. In some 3GPP protocols, using a CUC message to update the MPS indicator is newly added. After determining that the MPS information of the terminal device has changed, the network device can use a first message to directly instruct the terminal device to re-register. In this way, the terminal device can update the MPS indicator in the re-registration process and store the changed MPS information for later requesting the initiation of a service process. When the MPS information of the terminal device changes, the network device directly triggers the terminal device to re-register, so that even if the terminal device does not support using a CUC message to update the MPS indicator, the terminal device can update the MPS indicator to obtain the corresponding service, which reduces the possibility that the connection of the terminal device will be rejected because the terminal device cannot perform analysis due to the CUC message being directly sent to update the MPS information, and improves the user experience.

[0009] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, before sending the first message to the terminal device, the method further includes a step of obtaining capability information indicating that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a configuration update command CUC message.

[0010] In this embodiment, the network device can use the first message to instruct the terminal device to re-register only after learning that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0011] Optionally, if the network device learns that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, the network device may send a CUC message carrying updated MPS information to the network, so that the terminal device can update the MPS indicator. In this way, for terminal devices with different capabilities, the terminal devices are triggered to update the MPS indicator in different manners, thereby reducing signaling exchanges between the terminal device and the network device.

[0012]

[0013] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the step of obtaining capability information indicating that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message includes the steps of: sending a second CUC message to the terminal device, where the second CUC message includes changed MPS information; receiving a configuration update response message from the terminal device, where the configuration update response message does not include a third instruction item, and the third instruction item indicates that the terminal device has successfully updated the MPS indicator; and determining that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message based on the configuration update response message not including the third instruction item. The configuration update response message may be a Configuration Update Complete message specified in the current standard.

[0013] In other words, only terminal devices that support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message will send a configuration update response message carrying the third instruction item to the network device, so that the network device can determine the capability of the terminal device based on whether the configuration response message includes the third instruction item. In this way, there is no need to modify the signaling of terminal devices that support earlier protocol versions (which do not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message), and the technical solution of this embodiment of the present application is more conveniently implemented.

[0014] Optionally, if the configuration update response message includes a third instruction item, the network device can determine that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0015] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the step of obtaining capability information indicating that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message includes the steps of: sending a second CUC message to the terminal device, where the second CUC message includes changed MPS information; receiving a configuration update response message from the terminal device, where the configuration update response message includes a third instruction item, where the third instruction item indicates that the terminal device failed to decode or update the second CUC message; and determining that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message based on the third instruction item indicating that the terminal device failed to decode the second CUC message.

[0016] In this embodiment, the network device may send a second CUC message carrying the changed MPS information to the terminal device, and the terminal device indicates in the returned configuration response information whether the second CUC message was successfully decoded or updated. If the terminal device does not decode or update the second CUC message, the network device may infer that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, and then may send a first message to the terminal device to instruct the terminal device to re-register, so that the terminal device can update the MPS indicator in the re-registration process.

[0017] Optionally, if the terminal device indicates in the returned configuration response information that the second CUC message has been successfully decoded to complete the update, the terminal device can update the MPS indicator based on the second CUC message, and the network device can use the configuration response information to know that the terminal device has updated the MPS indicator, and the MPS indicator update procedure is terminated.

[0018] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the step of obtaining capability information indicating that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message includes the steps of receiving a first registration request message from the terminal device, and determining, based on the first registration request message, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0019] In this embodiment, the network device can determine that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message based on the first registration request message sent by the terminal device during registration. In other words, during registration of the terminal device, the network device can determine that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, and then directly trigger the terminal device to update the MPS indicator in a re-registration process by sending a first message when the MPS information of the terminal device changes later.

[0020] Optionally, if the terminal device determines, using the first registration request message, that the terminal device supports updating the MPS using a CUC message, when the MPS information of the terminal device changes, a CUC message carrying the changed MPS information may be sent, so that the terminal device updates the MPS indicator based on the CUC message. In this way, signaling exchange between the terminal device and the network device and the impact on the service quality of the terminal device can be reduced.

[0021] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the step of determining, based on the first registration request message, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message includes the step of determining, based on the first registration request message not including the first instruction item, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, wherein the first instruction item indicates that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0022] Optionally, the network device may determine, based on the first registration request message including the first instruction item, that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0023] In other words, when a terminal device that supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message sends the first registration request message, the first instruction item is carried to indicate that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, and the network device determines the capability of the terminal device by determining whether the first registration request message includes the first instruction item.

[0024] In this way, the technical solution of this embodiment of the present application is more convenient to implement, since only the signaling of terminal devices that support more recent protocol versions needs to be modified.

[0025] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first registration request message includes a first instruction item, and the first instruction item indicates that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0026] In other words, the terminal device uses the first indication item to report that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0027] Optionally, the terminal device may instead report that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message by using the first indication item.

[0028] The first indication item can explicitly indicate whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, so that the network device can directly and accurately obtain the capability information of the terminal device.

[0029] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the step of determining, based on a first registration request message, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message comprises determining, based on the first registration request message not including a second instruction item, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, wherein the second instruction item is one of the following: Enhanced Rejected Network Slice Selection Assistance Information ER-NSSAI, 5G Proximity Services Direct Discovery 5G ProSe-dd, 5G Proximity Services Direct Communication 5G ProSe-dc, 5G Proximity Services Layer 2 User Equipment Network Relay 5G ProSe-l2relay, 5G Proximity Services Layer 3 User Equipment Network Relay 5G ProSe-l3relay, 5G Proximity Services Layer 2 User Equipment Network Remote User Equipment 5G ProSe-l2rmt, 5G Proximity Services Layer 3 User Equipment Network Remote User Equipment 5G The method includes steps including at least one of ProSe-l3rmt, New Radio Paging Subgroup Support Indication NR-PSSI, N1 Non-Access Stratum Signaling Connection Release NCR, Paging Indication for Voice Services PIV, Paging Reject Request RPR, Paging Restriction PR, Network Slice Simultaneous Registration Group NSSRG, Minimization of Service Interruption MINT, Event Notification EventNotification, Extended Closed Access Group Information List Support Ex-CAG, and Network Slice Access Group NSAG.

[0030] In this embodiment, the network device can infer that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message based on the registration request message sent by the terminal device during registration without including the second instruction item. Because the second instruction item is a newly added item in a specific protocol, the network device can infer the capability of the terminal device based on whether the second instruction item exists, and then trigger the terminal device to update the MPS indicator in a re-registration manner or by using a CUC message.

[0031] First, some of the terminal devices do not support the related protocol (the protocol that does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message). After the upgrade, some of the capability information can be obtained in the related protocol, so that some of the second indication items are present in the registration request message of the terminal device, which causes an error in the determination by the network device when determining whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message.

[0032] Optionally, the network device may determine, based on a second instruction item present in the first registration request message, that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0033] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first message is any one of the following: a service denial message, a first CUC message, and a deregistration message, wherein the first CUC message includes a registration request indicator bit, and the registration request indicator bit instructs the terminal device to re-register.

[0034] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes receiving a second registration request message from the terminal device, and sending a second registration accept message to the terminal device, wherein the second registration accept message includes changed MPS information, whereby the terminal device updates its MPS indicator based on the second registration accept message.

[0035] According to a second aspect, a communication method is provided, applied to a terminal device, the method including: receiving a first message from a network device, the first message for triggering the terminal device to re-register, the first message being sent by the network device based on a change in Multimedia Priority Service (MPS) information of the terminal device, the MPS information indicating an MPS access ID of the terminal device; and updating an MPS indicator in the re-registration process, the MPS indicator indicating the MPS information of the terminal device.

[0036] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first message is sent by the network device based on the terminal device not supporting updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0037] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, before receiving the first message from the network device, the method further includes: receiving a second configuration update command CUC message from the network device, where the second CUC message includes changed MPS information; and sending a configuration update response message to the network device, where the configuration update response message does not include a third instruction item, and therefore the network device determines, based on the configuration update response message not including the third instruction item, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message, and the third instruction item indicates that the terminal device has successfully updated the MPS indicator.

[0038] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, before receiving the first message from the network device, the method further includes: receiving a second configuration update command CUC message from the network device, where the second CUC message includes changed MPS information; and sending a configuration update response message to the network device, where the configuration update response message includes a third instruction item, where the third instruction item indicates that the terminal device failed to decode or update the second CUC message, so that the network device determines, based on the configuration update response message, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message.

[0039] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, before receiving the first message from the network device, the method further includes a step of sending a first registration request message to the network device, whereby the network device determines, based on the first registration request message, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0040] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first registration request message does not include the first instruction item, and the fact that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message is determined by the network device based on the first registration request message not including the first instruction item, and the first instruction item indicates that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0041] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first registration request message includes a first instruction item, and the first instruction item indicates that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0042] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the fact that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message is determined based on a first registration request message that does not include a second instruction item, and the second instruction item is one of the following: extended rejected network slice selection assistance information ER-NSSAI, 5G proximity service direct discovery 5G ProSe-dd, 5G proximity service direct communication 5G ProSe-dc, 5G proximity service Layer 2 user equipment network relay 5G ProSe-l2relay, 5G proximity service Layer 3 user equipment network relay 5G ProSe-l3relay, 5G proximity service Layer 2 user equipment network remote user equipment 5G ProSe-l2rmt, 5G proximity service Layer 3 user equipment network remote user equipment 5G ProSe-l3rmt, New Radio Paging Subgroup Support Indication NR-PSSI, N1 Non-Access Stratum Signaling Connection Release NCR, Paging Indication for Voice Services PIV, Paging Reject Request RPR, Paging Restriction PR, Network Slice Simultaneous Registration Group NSSRG, Minimization of Service Interruption MINT, Event Notification EventNotification, Extended Closed Access Group Information List Support Ex-CAG, and Network Slice Access Group NSAG.

[0043] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first message is any one of the following: a service denial message, a first CUC message, and a deregistration message, wherein the first CUC message includes a registration request indicator bit, and the registration request indicator bit instructs the terminal device to re-register.

[0044] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the step of updating the MPS indicator in the re-registration process includes the steps of sending a second registration request message to the network device, receiving a second registration accept message from the network device, where the second registration accept message includes changed MPS information, and updating the MPS indicator based on the second registration accept message.

[0045] According to a third aspect, there is provided a communication method, applied to a network device, comprising: obtaining capability information indicating whether a terminal device supports updating a Multimedia Priority Service (MPS) indicator using a Configuration Update Command (CUC) message, where the MPS indicator indicates MPS information of the terminal device; obtaining user subscription information, where the user subscription information indicates that the MPS information of the terminal device is to change, and where the MPS information indicates an MPS Access ID of the terminal device; and if the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, sending a first message to the terminal device, where the first message is for triggering the terminal device to re-register, whereby the terminal device updates the MPS indicator in the re-registration process; or if the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, sending a second CUC message to the terminal device, where the second CUC message includes the changed MPS information. The order of the steps of obtaining capability information indicating whether the terminal device supports updating the Multimedia Priority Service MPS indicator using the Configuration Update Command CUC message and obtaining user subscription information is not limited.

[0046] In this embodiment, the network device can know capability information indicating whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, and then trigger the terminal device to update the MPS indicator after the MPS information of the terminal device changes based on the various capability information of the terminal device. Specifically, for a terminal device that supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, the network device triggers the terminal device to update the MPS indicator by sending a CUC message carrying updated MPS information to the terminal device, or for a terminal device that does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, the network device instructs the terminal device to re-register, so that the terminal device can update the MPS indicator in the re-registration process, and the possibility of affecting the user's service due to failure to update the MPS indicator due to the capability of the terminal device is reduced, thereby improving the user experience.

[0047] Referring to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the step of obtaining capability information indicating whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message includes the steps of receiving a first registration request message from the terminal device, and determining, based on the first registration request information, capability information indicating whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0048] Referring to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the step of determining capability information indicating whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message includes the step of determining that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message if the first registration request message includes a first instruction item, or determining that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message if the first registration request message does not include the first instruction item, wherein the first instruction item indicates that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0049] In this embodiment, when a terminal device that supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message sends a first registration request message, the first indication item may be carried, so that the network device can determine the capability of the terminal device based on whether the first registration request message carries the first indication item. Because the signaling of a terminal device that supports a previous protocol version does not need to be modified, the technical solution of this embodiment of the present application is easier to implement.

[0050] Referring to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first registration request message includes a first instruction item, and the first instruction item indicates whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0051] In this embodiment, the first instruction item can be set by the terminal device based on the capability of the terminal device regarding whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, and can explicitly indicate the capability of the terminal device. After receiving the registration request message, the network device can intuitively determine whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator based on a CUC message based on the first instruction item, and then can use various procedures to trigger the terminal device to update the MPS indicator or instruct the terminal device to update the MPS indicator.

[0052] Referring to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the step of determining capability information indicating whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message includes a step of determining that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message if the first registration request message includes a second instruction item, or a step of determining that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message if the first registration request message does not include the second instruction item, wherein the second instruction item is one of the following: Enhanced Rejected Network Slice Selection Assistance Information ER-NSSAI, 5G Proximity Services Direct Discovery 5G ProSe-dd, 5G Proximity Services Direct Communication 5G ProSe-dc, 5G Proximity Services Layer 2 User Equipment Network Relay 5G ProSe-l2relay, 5G Proximity Services Layer 3 User Equipment Network Relay 5G ProSe-l3relay, 5G Proximity Services Layer 2 User Equipment Network Remote User Equipment 5G ProSe-l2rmt, 5G Proximity Services Layer 3 User Equipment Network Remote User Equipment 5G The method includes steps including at least one of ProSe-l3rmt, New Radio Paging Subgroup Support Indication NR-PSSI, N1 Non-Access Stratum Signaling Connection Release NCR, Paging Indication for Voice Services PIV, Paging Reject Request RPR, Paging Restriction PR, Network Slice Simultaneous Registration Group NSSRG, Minimization of Service Interruption MINT, Event Notification EventNotification, Extended Closed Access Group Information List Support Ex-CAG, and Network Slice Access Group NSAG.

[0053] In this embodiment, if the first registration request message sent by the terminal device to the network device during registration includes the second instruction item, and the second instruction item is a newly added instruction item in a protocol that supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, the network device can infer the protocol type supported by the terminal device based on the first registration request message including the second instruction item, and then infer that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message. If the first registration request message does not include the second instruction item, the network device can infer that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message. In this way, the network device can determine the capabilities of the terminal device based on existing information in the registration request message and trigger the terminal device to update the MPS indicator in various manners based on the information.

[0054] Referring to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first message is any one of the following: a service denial message, a first CUC message, and a deregistration message, and the first CUC message includes a registration request indicator bit (REG bit), and the registration request indicator bit instructs the terminal device to re-register.

[0055] In this embodiment, the network device can trigger the terminal device to re-register in various ways to help the terminal device update its MPS indicator in the re-registration process.

[0056] Referring to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, if the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, the method further includes the steps of receiving a second registration request message from the terminal device, and sending a second registration accept message to the terminal device, wherein the registration accept message includes changed MPS information, thereby causing the terminal device to update the MPS indicator based on the second registration accept message.

[0057] In this embodiment, the terminal device obtains the changed MPS information using the registration accept message received in the re-registration process, and then updates the MPS indicator based on the changed MPS information.

[0058] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a communication method, applied to a terminal device, comprising: sending a first registration request message to a network device, the first registration request message including a first instruction item, the first instruction item indicating that the terminal device does not support updating a Multimedia Priority Service (MPS) indicator using a Configuration Update Command (CUC) message, the MPS indicator indicating MPS information of the terminal device; receiving a first message from the network device, the first message being sent when the network device determines that the MPS information of the terminal device has changed, the MPS information indicating an MPS Access ID of the terminal device, the first message being for triggering the terminal device to re-register; and updating the MPS indicator in the re-registration process.

[0059] In this embodiment, when the terminal device sends a first registration request message to the network device in the registration process, a first instruction item can be carried in the first registration request message to indicate that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message. In this way, after the subscription information of the terminal device changes, the network device can send a first message to the terminal device instructing the terminal device to re-register, so that the terminal device updates the MPS indicator in the re-registration process.

[0060] Optionally, the first indication item may instead indicate that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message. In this way, after the MPS information of the terminal device changes, the network device can send a second CUC message to the terminal device, where the second CUC message includes the changed MPS information of the terminal device, so that the terminal device can update the MPS indicator based on the second CUC message. The first indication item may indicate the capability of the terminal device based on bits such as “0” and “1”, where “1” indicates that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message and “0” indicates that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0061] Alternatively, to avoid signaling modification for terminal devices that support earlier protocol versions, a terminal device that supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message sends a first registration request message carrying a first instruction item. Since the network device can determine whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message based on whether the first instruction item is carried, the technical solution of this embodiment of the present application is more conveniently implemented.

[0062] Referring to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the first message includes any one of the following: a service denial message, a first CUC message, and a deregistration message, wherein the first CUC message includes a registration request indicator bit, and the registration request indicator bit instructs the terminal device to re-register.

[0063] Referring to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the step of updating the MPS indicator in the re-registration process includes the steps of sending a second registration request message to the network device, receiving a second registration accept message from the network device, where the second registration accept message includes changed MPS information, and updating the MPS indicator based on the second registration accept message.

[0064] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a communication method, applied to a network device, the method including the steps of: obtaining user subscription information, where the user subscription information indicates that Multimedia Priority Service (MPS) information of the terminal device is to change, and the MPS information indicates an MPS access ID of the terminal device; sending a second configuration update command (CUC) message to the terminal device, where the second CUC message includes the changed MPS information; receiving a configuration update response message from the terminal device; and, if the configuration update response message does not include a third instruction item, sending a second message to the terminal device, where the second message is for triggering the terminal device to re-register, whereby the terminal device updates an MPS indicator in the re-registration process, and the third instruction item indicates that the terminal device has successfully updated the MPS indicator.

[0065] In this embodiment, only terminal devices that support using a CUC message to update the MPS indicator send a configuration update response message carrying the third instruction item, so that the network device determines the capability of the terminal device based on whether the configuration update response message contains the third instruction item. In this way, the signaling of terminal devices that support earlier protocol versions does not need to be modified, so that the technical solution of this embodiment of the present application is more conveniently implemented.

[0066] Optionally, the communication method includes the steps of obtaining user contract information, where the user contract information indicates that Multimedia Priority Service MPS information of the terminal device is to change, and the MPS information indicates an MPS access ID of the terminal device; sending a second configuration update command CUC message to the terminal device, where the second CUC message includes the changed MPS information; receiving a configuration update response message from the terminal device, where the configuration update response message includes a third instruction item, where the third instruction item indicates whether the terminal device has successfully decoded or updated the second CUC message; and if the terminal device fails to decode or update the second CUC message, sending a second message to the terminal device, where the second message is for triggering the terminal device to re-register, whereby the terminal device updates an MPS indicator in the re-registration process, and the MPS indicator indicates the MPS information of the terminal device.

[0067] In this embodiment, after determining that the MPS information of the terminal device has changed using the user agreement information, the network device can send a second configuration update command message to the terminal device. Because the terminal device may not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, the network device can instruct the terminal device to reply to the second CUC message in the second CUC message. In addition, the terminal device can use the third instruction item in the returned configuration update response message to indicate whether the terminal device successfully decoded or updated the second CUC message. If the terminal device successfully decoded or updated the second CUC message, the terminal device can obtain the changed MPS information and update the MPS indicator based on the changed MPS information. If the terminal device fails to decode or update the CUC message, the terminal device cannot obtain the relevant item in the changed MPS information stored in the second CUC message through decoding. The network device can infer that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message and instruct the terminal device to re-register, so that the terminal device updates the MPS indicator in the re-registration process.

[0068] Referring to the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the second message is a first CUC message or a deregistration message, the first CUC message includes a registration request indicator bit, and the registration request indicator bit instructs the terminal device to re-register.

[0069] Because the terminal device is already in a connected state after the network device sends the second CUC message to the terminal device, the network device can send the first CUC message or the deregistration message including the registration request indicator bit to instruct the terminal device to re-register.

[0070] Referring to the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, if the configuration update response message does not include the third instruction item, the method further includes the steps of receiving a second registration request message from the terminal device, and sending a second registration accept message to the terminal device, wherein the registration accept message includes changed MPS information, thereby causing the terminal device to update its MPS indicator based on the second accept information.

[0071] Optionally, if the terminal device fails to decode or update the second CUC message, the method further includes receiving a second registration request message from the terminal device, and sending a second registration accept message to the terminal device, where the registration accept message includes changed MPS information, whereby the terminal device updates its MPS indicator based on the second accept information.

[0072] According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a communication method, applied to a terminal device, the method including: receiving a second configuration update command CUC message from a network device, the second CUC message being sent based on a change in Multimedia Priority Service MPS information of the terminal device, the MPS information indicating an MPS access ID of the terminal device, and the second CUC message including the changed MPS information; and sending a configuration update response message to the network device, the configuration update response message including a third indication item, the third indication item indicating that the terminal device has successfully updated an MPS indicator.

[0073] In other words, in some embodiments, only terminal devices that have successfully updated their MPS indicators (terminal devices that support updating their MPS indicators using a CUC message) include the third instruction item in the configuration update response message. In this way, there is no need to modify the signaling of terminal devices that support earlier protocol versions, and the network device can determine the capability of the terminal device based on whether the configuration update response message includes the third instruction item, which facilitates the implementation of the technical solution of this embodiment of the present application.

[0074] Optionally, the method includes the steps of: receiving a second configuration update command CUC message from the network device, the second CUC message being sent based on a change in Multimedia Priority Service MPS information of the terminal device, the MPS information indicating an MPS access ID of the terminal device, and the second CUC message including the changed MPS information; sending a configuration update response message to the network device, the configuration update response message including a third instruction item, the third instruction item indicating that the terminal device failed to decode the second CUC message; receiving a second message from the network device, the second message for triggering the terminal device to re-register; and updating an MPS indicator in the re-registration process, the MPS indicator indicating the MPS information of the terminal device.

[0075] Optionally, if the third indication item indicates that the terminal device has successfully decoded the second CUC message, the network device can determine that the terminal device has updated the stored MPS indicator after successful decoding, the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message, and the MPS indicator update procedure is terminated.

[0076] In other words, the terminal device can report whether the received second CUC message is successfully decoded by including the third instruction item in the configuration update response message. A terminal device that fails to decode is a terminal device that does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message. The network device can intuitively determine the capability of the terminal device by using the third instruction item and trigger the terminal device that does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message to re-register in order to update the MPS indicator in the re-registration process. Here, decoding the second CUC message may be understood as whether the entire content in the second CUC message (including the priority indicator IE item that stores the MPS information) is decoded, or whether the MPS information is parsed.

[0077] Referring to the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the second message is a first CUC message or a deregistration message, the first CUC message includes a registration request indicator bit, and the registration request indicator bit instructs the terminal device to re-register.

[0078] Referring to the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the step of updating the MPS indicator in the re-registration process includes the steps of sending a second registration request message to the network device, receiving a second registration accept message from the network device, where the second registration accept message includes changed MPS information, and updating the MPS indicator based on the second registration accept message.

[0079] According to a seventh aspect, there is provided a communications apparatus, which is a network device, supporting using a CUC message to trigger a terminal device to update a Multimedia Priority Service (MPS) indicator, the apparatus including: a transceiver unit configured to obtain user subscription information, where the user subscription information indicates that MPS information of the terminal device is to change, and the MPS information indicates an MPS access ID of the terminal device, the transceiver unit being further configured to: send a first message to the terminal device, the first message to trigger the terminal device to re-register, whereby the terminal device updates the MPS indicator in the re-registration process, and the MPS indicator indicates the MPS information of the terminal device.

[0080] With reference to the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the apparatus further includes a processing unit configured to obtain capability information indicating that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a configuration update command CUC message.

[0081] With reference to the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to: send a second CUC message to the terminal device, where the second CUC message includes changed MPS information; receive a configuration update response message from the terminal device, where the configuration update response message does not include a third instruction item, where the third instruction item indicates that the terminal device has successfully updated the MPS indicator; and determine, based on the configuration update response message not including the third instruction item, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message.

[0082] With reference to the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, a second CUC message is sent to a terminal device, the second CUC message including changed MPS information; a configuration update response message is received from the terminal device, the configuration update response message including a third instruction item, the third instruction item indicating that the terminal device has failed to decode or update the second CUC message; and it is determined that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message based on the third instruction item indicating that the terminal device has failed to decode the second CUC message.

[0083] Referring to the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to receive a first registration request message from the terminal device, and determine, based on the first registration request message, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0084] With reference to the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to: determine, based on the first registration request message not including the first instruction item, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message; and the first instruction item indicates that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0085] Referring to the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the first registration request message includes a first instruction item, and the first instruction item indicates that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0086] Referring to the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the processing unit determines that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message based on the first registration request message not including the second instruction item, and the second instruction item is one of the following: Extended Rejected Network Slice Selection Assistance Information ER-NSSAI, 5G Proximity Services Direct Discovery 5G ProSe-dd, 5G Proximity Services Direct Communication 5G ProSe-dc, 5G Proximity Services Layer 2 User Equipment Network Relay 5G ProSe-l2relay, 5G Proximity Services Layer 3 User Equipment Network Relay 5G ProSe-l3relay, 5G Proximity Services Layer 2 User Equipment Network Remote User Equipment 5G ProSe-l2rmt, 5G Proximity Services Layer 3 User Equipment Network Remote User Equipment 5G Specifically configured to include at least one of ProSe-l3rmt, New Radio Paging Subgroup Support Indication NR-PSSI, N1 Non-Access Stratum Signaling Connection Release NCR, Paging Indication for Voice Services PIV, Paging Reject Request RPR, Paging Restriction PR, Network Slice Simultaneous Registration Group NSSRG, Minimization of Service Interruption MINT, Event Notification EventNotification, Extended Closed Access Group Information List Support Ex-CAG, and Network Slice Access Group NSAG.

[0087] Referring to the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the first message is any one of the following: a service denial message, a first CUC message, and a deregistration message, wherein the first CUC message includes a registration request indicator bit, and the registration request indicator bit instructs the terminal device to re-register.

[0088] Referring to the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a second registration request message from the terminal device and send a second registration accept message to the terminal device, the second registration accept message including changed MPS information, whereby the terminal device updates its MPS indicator based on the second registration accept message.

[0089] According to an eighth aspect, there is provided a communications apparatus, the communications apparatus being a terminal device, including: a transceiver unit configured to receive a first message from a network device, the first message being for triggering the terminal device to re-register, the first message being sent by the network device based on a change in Multimedia Priority Service (MPS) information of the terminal device, the MPS information indicating an MPS Access ID of the terminal device; and a processing unit configured to update an MPS indicator in the re-registration process, the MPS indicator indicating the MPS information of the terminal device.

[0090] Referring to the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the first information is transmitted by the network device based on the fact that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0091] Referring to the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a second configuration update command CUC message from the network device, where the second CUC message includes changed MPS information, and to send a configuration update response message to the network device, where the configuration update response message does not include a third instruction item, so that the network device determines, based on the configuration update response message not including the third instruction item, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message, where the third instruction item indicates that the terminal device has successfully updated the MPS indicator.

[0092] Referring to the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a second configuration update command CUC message from the network device, where the second CUC message includes changed MPS information, and to send a configuration update response message to the network device, where the configuration update response message includes a third instruction item, where the third instruction item indicates that the terminal device failed to decode the second CUC message, such that the network device determines, based on the configuration update response message, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message.

[0093] Referring to the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to send a first registration request message to the network device, whereby the network device determines, based on the first registration request message, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0094] Referring to the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the first registration request message does not include the first instruction item, and the fact that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message is determined by the network device based on the first registration request message not including the first instruction item, and the first instruction item indicates that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0095] Referring to the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the first registration request message includes a first instruction item, and the first instruction item indicates that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0096] Referring to the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, not supporting the terminal device updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message may be a second indication item, i.e., extended rejected network slice selection assistance information ER-NSSAI, 5G proximity service direct discovery 5G ProSe-dd, 5G proximity service direct communication 5G ProSe-dc, 5G proximity service Layer 2 user equipment network relay 5G ProSe-l2relay, 5G proximity service Layer 3 user equipment network relay 5G ProSe-l3relay, 5G proximity service Layer 2 user equipment network remote user equipment 5G ProSe-l2rmt, 5G proximity service Layer 3 user equipment network remote user equipment 5G It is determined based on the first registration request message not including ProSe-l3rmt, New Radio Paging Subgroup Support Indication NR-PSSI, N1 Non-Access Stratum Signaling Connection Release NCR, Paging Indication for Voice Services PIV, Paging Reject Request RPR, Paging Restriction PR, Network Slice Simultaneous Registration Group NSSRG, Minimization of Service Interruption MINT, Event Notification EventNotification, Extended Closed Access Group Information List Support Ex-CAG, and Network Slice Access Group NSAG.

[0097] Referring to the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the first message is any one of the following: a service denial message, a first CUC message, and a deregistration message, wherein the first CUC message includes a registration request indicator bit, and the registration request indicator bit instructs the terminal device to re-register.

[0098] Referring to the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to send a second registration request message to the network device, receive a second registration accept message from the network device, the second registration accept message including changed MPS information, and update the MPS indicator based on the second registration accept message.

[0099] According to a ninth aspect, there is provided a communications apparatus, which is a network device, including: a processing unit configured to: acquire capability information indicating whether a terminal device supports updating a Multimedia Priority Service (MPS) indicator using a configuration update command (CUC) message, the MPS indicator indicating the MPS information of the terminal device; and a transceiver unit configured to: acquire user subscription information, the user subscription information indicating that the MPS information of the terminal device changes, the MPS information indicating an MPS access ID of the terminal device; and: if the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message, send a first message to the terminal device, the first message to trigger the terminal device to re-register, whereby the terminal device updates the MPS indicator in the re-registration process; or if the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message, send a second CUC message to the terminal device, the second CUC message including the changed MPS information.

[0100] Referring to the ninth aspect, in some implementations of the ninth aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to receive a first registration request message from a terminal device, and determine, based on the first registration request information, capability information indicating whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0101] With reference to the ninth aspect, in some implementations of the ninth aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to: determine that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message if the first registration request message includes a first instruction item; or determine that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message if the first registration request message does not include the first instruction item, and the first instruction item indicates that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0102] Referring to the ninth aspect, in some implementations of the ninth aspect, the first registration request message includes a first instruction item, and the first instruction item indicates whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0103] Referring to the ninth aspect, in some implementations of the ninth aspect, the processing unit determines that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message if a second instruction item is present in the first registration request message, or determines that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message if the second instruction item is not present in the first registration request message, and the second instruction item is one of the following: Enhanced Rejected Network Slice Selection Assistance Information ER-NSSAI, 5G Proximity Services Direct Discovery 5G ProSe-dd, 5G Proximity Services Direct Communication 5G ProSe-dc, 5G Proximity Services Layer 2 User Equipment Network Relay 5G ProSe-l2relay, 5G Proximity Services Layer 3 User Equipment Network Relay 5G ProSe-l3relay, 5G Proximity Services Layer 2 User Equipment Network Remote User Equipment 5G ProSe-l2rmt, 5G Proximity Services Layer 3 User Equipment Network Remote User Equipment 5G Specifically configured to include at least one of ProSe-l3rmt, New Radio Paging Subgroup Support Indication NR-PSSI, N1 Non-Access Stratum Signaling Connection Release NCR, Paging Indication for Voice Services PIV, Paging Reject Request RPR, Paging Restriction PR, Network Slice Simultaneous Registration Group NSSRG, Minimization of Service Interruption MINT, Event Notification EventNotification, Extended Closed Access Group Information List Support Ex-CAG, and Network Slice Access Group NSAG.

[0104] Referring to the ninth aspect, in some implementations of the ninth aspect, the first message is any one of the following: a service denial message, a first CUC message, and a deregistration message, and the first CUC message includes a registration request indicator bit (REG bit), and the registration request indicator bit instructs the terminal device to re-register.

[0105] Referring to the ninth aspect, in some implementations of the ninth aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a second registration request message from the terminal device and send a second registration accept message to the terminal device, the registration accept message including changed MPS information, whereby the terminal device updates its MPS indicator based on the second registration accept message.

[0106] According to a tenth aspect, there is provided a communications apparatus, the communications apparatus being a terminal device, including: a transceiver unit configured to: send a first registration request message to a network device, the first registration request message including a first instruction item, the first instruction item indicating whether the terminal device supports updating a Multimedia Priority Service (MPS) indicator using a Configuration Update Command (CUC) message, the MPS indicator indicating MPS information of the terminal device; and if the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message, receive a first message from the network device, the first message being sent when the network device determines that the MPS information of the terminal device has changed, the MPS information indicating an MPS Access ID of the terminal device, and the first message being for triggering the terminal device to re-register; and a processing unit configured to update the MPS indicator in the re-registration process.

[0107] Optionally, the first instruction item may instead indicate that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message. Thus, after the MPS information of the terminal device changes, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a second CUC message, the second CUC message including the changed MPS information of the terminal device, so that the processing unit of the terminal device can update the MPS indicator based on the second CUC message.

[0108] In the above embodiment, the first indication item may be, for example, a 1-bit indicator bit, and the capability of the terminal device (indicating whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message) is directly indicated using "0" or "1". Alternatively, only terminal devices that support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message may include the first indication item in the first registration request message, so that when the network device finds that the first registration request message does not include the first indication item, it triggers the terminal device to perform a re-registration process using the first message. In this way, there is no need to modify the signaling of terminal devices that support earlier protocol versions, and the technical solution of this embodiment of the present application is more conveniently implemented.

[0109] Referring to the tenth aspect, in some implementations of the tenth aspect, the first message includes any one of the following: a service denial message, a first CUC message, and a deregistration message, wherein the first CUC message includes a registration request indicator bit, and the registration request indicator bit instructs the terminal device to re-register.

[0110] Referring to the tenth aspect, in some implementations of the tenth aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to send a second registration request message to the network device, receive a second registration accept message from the network device, the second registration accept message including changed MPS information, and update the MPS indicator based on the second registration accept message.

[0111] According to an eleventh aspect, there is provided a communications apparatus, which is a network device, including: a processing unit configured to obtain user subscription information, where the user subscription information indicates that Multimedia Priority Service (MPS) information of the terminal device is to change, where the MPS information indicates an MPS access ID of the terminal device, and configured to send a second configuration update command (CUC) message to the terminal device, where the second CUC message includes the changed MPS information; and a transceiver unit configured to receive a configuration update response message from the terminal device, and if the configuration update response message does not include a third instruction item, to send a second message to the terminal device, where the second message is for triggering the terminal device to re-register, whereby the terminal device updates its MPS indicators in the re-registration process, and where the third instruction item indicates that the terminal device has successfully updated its MPS indicators.

[0112] Optionally, the apparatus includes a transceiver unit configured to: obtain user contract information, wherein the user contract information indicates that Multimedia Priority Service MPS information of the terminal device is to change, the MPS information indicating an MPS access ID of the terminal device; send a second configuration update command CUC message to the terminal device, wherein the second CUC message includes the changed MPS information; receive a configuration update response message from the terminal device, wherein the configuration update response message includes a third instruction item, wherein the third instruction item indicates whether the terminal device has successfully decoded the second CUC message; and if the terminal device fails to decode the second CUC message, send a second message to the terminal device, wherein the second message is for triggering the terminal device to re-register, whereby the terminal device updates an MPS indicator in the re-registration process, and the MPS indicator indicates the MPS information of the terminal device.

[0113] Referring to the eleventh aspect, in some implementations of the eleventh aspect, the second message is a first CUC message or a deregistration message, the first CUC message includes a registration request indicator bit, and the registration request indicator bit instructs the terminal device to re-register.

[0114] Referring to the eleventh aspect, in some implementations of the eleventh aspect, when the configuration update response message does not include the third instruction item, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a second registration request message from the terminal device and send a second registration accept message to the terminal device, the registration accept message including changed MPS information, whereby the terminal device updates the MPS indicator based on the second accept information.

[0115] Optionally, if the terminal device fails to decode the second CUC message, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a second registration request message from the terminal device and send a second registration accept message to the terminal device, the registration accept message including changed MPS information, whereby the terminal device updates its MPS indicator based on the second accept information.

[0116] According to a twelfth aspect, there is provided a communications apparatus, the communications apparatus being a terminal device, including: a transceiver unit configured to: receive a second configuration update command (CUC) message from a network device, the second CUC message being sent based on a change in Multimedia Priority Service (MPS) information of the terminal device, the MPS information indicating an MPS access ID of the terminal device, the second CUC message including the changed MPS information; and send a configuration update response message to the network device, the configuration update response message including a third indication item, the third indication item indicating that the terminal device has successfully updated its MPS indicator.

[0117] Optionally, the apparatus includes: a transceiver unit configured to receive a second configuration update command CUC message from the network device, the second CUC message being sent based on a change in Multimedia Priority Service MPS information of the terminal device, the MPS information indicating an MPS access ID of the terminal device, and the second CUC message including the changed MPS information; to send a configuration update response message to the network device, the configuration update response message including a third instruction item, the third instruction item indicating that the terminal device failed to decode the second CUC message; and to receive a second message from the network device, the second message being for triggering the terminal device to re-register; and a processing unit configured to update an MPS indicator in the re-registration process, the MPS indicator indicating the MPS information of the terminal device.

[0118] Optionally, if the third indication item indicates that the terminal device has successfully decoded the second CUC message, the network device can determine that the terminal device has updated the stored MPS indicator after successful decoding, the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message, and the MPS indicator update procedure is terminated.

[0119] Referring to the twelfth aspect, in some implementations of the twelfth aspect, the second message is a first CUC message or a deregistration message, the first CUC message includes a registration request indicator bit, and the registration request indicator bit instructs the terminal device to re-register.

[0120] Referring to the twelfth aspect, in some implementations of the twelfth aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to send a second registration request message to the network device, receive a second registration accept message from the network device, the second registration accept message including changed MPS information, and update the MPS indicator based on the second registration accept message.

[0121] According to a thirteenth aspect, there is provided a communication device, comprising a module or unit configured to perform the method of any one of the first, third, or fifth aspects and possible implementations of the first, third, or fifth aspects. The module or unit may be a hardware circuit, may be software, or may be implemented by a hardware circuit in combination with software.

[0122] According to a fourteenth aspect, there is provided a communication device, comprising a module or unit configured to perform the method of any one of the second, fourth, or sixth aspects and possible implementations of the second, fourth, or sixth aspects. The module or unit may be a hardware circuit, may be software, or may be implemented by a hardware circuit in combination with software.

[0123] According to a fifteenth aspect, there is provided a communications device, comprising at least one processor, the processor coupled to a memory, the memory configured to store instructions for performing the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect, the fourth aspect, the fifth aspect, or the sixth aspect and a method of the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect, the fourth aspect, the fifth aspect, or the sixth aspect.

[0124] Optionally, the apparatus further comprises a memory. The memory and the processor may be separately located or centrally located. Optionally, the apparatus further comprises a communication interface, the processor being coupled to the communication interface.

[0125] According to a sixteenth aspect, there is provided a communication device including at least one logic circuit and an input / output interface, wherein the logic circuit is coupled to the input / output interface and configured to transmit data through the input / output interface to perform the method of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth aspect.

[0126] According to a seventeenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to perform a method of any one of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth aspects and possible implementations of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth aspects.

[0127] According to an eighteenth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising computer program code which, when executed, enables a computer to perform the first, second, third, fourth, fifth or sixth aspect and the method of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth or sixth aspect.

[0128] According to a nineteenth aspect, there is provided a chip including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor reads instructions stored in a memory through the communication interface to perform a method of any one of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth aspects and possible implementations of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth aspects.

[0129] Optionally, in one implementation, the chip further includes a memory. The memory stores a computer program or instructions. The processor is configured to execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the processor is configured to perform a method of any one of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth aspects, and possible implementations of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth aspects.

[0130] According to a twentieth aspect, there is provided a communication system, comprising the communication device according to the thirteenth aspect and / or the communication device according to the fourteenth aspect. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0131] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram of a network architecture to which an embodiment of the present application is applicable; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic flow chart of an MPS indicator update process. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 6] 1 is a block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 7] 1 is a block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 8] 1 is a block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0132] The following describes the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0133] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application may be applied to various communication systems, such as a global system for mobile communications (GSM), a code division multiple access (CDMA) system, a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, a general packet radio service (GPRS) system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a future fifth generation (5G) system, or a new radio (NR) system.

[0134] The technical solutions provided in this application can be further applied to future communication systems, such as sixth generation mobile communication systems, which are not limited in this application.

[0135] 1 is a diagram of a network architecture to which an embodiment of the present application can be applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system of this embodiment of the present application may include a network device 110 and a terminal device (FIG. 1 shows two terminal devices, namely, terminal device 120 and terminal device 130).

[0136] The terminal device may be a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user equipment. Alternatively, the terminal device may be a carrier phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device, another processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal device of a future 5G network, or a terminal device of a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN). This is not limited to the embodiments of the present application.

[0137] The network device may be a device configured to communicate with a terminal device, and the network device may be an access and mobility management function (AMF), which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0138] The following describes the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0139] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following description is provided.

[0140] In the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is no logical contradiction, the terms and / or descriptions of various embodiments are consistent and can be cross-referenced, and the technical features of various embodiments can be combined based on their internal logical relationships to form new embodiments.

[0141] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "plurality" means two or more. "And / or" describes an association relationship between related objects and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can indicate the following cases: when only A is present, when both A and B are present, and when only B is present, where A and B may be singular or plural. In the description of the main text of this application, the character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between related objects. "At least one item (moiety) of" or similar expressions means a singular item (moiety) or any combination of these items, including any combination of multiple items (moieties). For example, at least one item (moiety) of a, b, or c can refer to a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b, and c, where a, b, and c may be singular or plural.

[0142] In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "first," "second," and various numerals are used merely for distinction purposes to facilitate description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application, for example, numerals are used to distinguish different instruction information.

[0143] In an embodiment of the present application, the protocol definition may be implemented by pre-storing a corresponding code, table, or another method capable of indicating related information in a device (e.g., a terminal device and a network device). The specific implementation of the protocol definition is not limited in this application. The "protocol" in the embodiment of the present application may be a standard protocol in the communication field, and may include, for example, an LTE protocol, an NR protocol, and protocols applied to future communication systems. This is not limited in this application. The "related protocol" referred to in this application is a protocol in which updating of the MPS indicator using a CUC message is provided.

[0144] In the embodiments of the present application, descriptions such as "when...", "in the case of...", and "if..." all mean that a device (e.g., a terminal device or a network device) performs corresponding processing in a specific target situation, but are not intended to limit the time, do not require the device (e.g., a terminal device or a network device) to have a judgmental act during implementation, and do not imply any other restrictions.

[0145] The multimedia priority service allows subscribed users to obtain prioritized session service over public networks, which allows normal communication to occur in the event of network congestion.

[0146] For terminal devices and network devices that do not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, the network device can only update the MPS information for the terminal device in a registration procedure initiated by the terminal device, so that the MPS indicator stored in the terminal device matches the changed MPS information. As shown in (a) of Figure 2, the MPS indicator update process may include the following steps:

[0147] S210: The network device learns that the MPS information of the user's terminal device has changed.

[0148] S212: The terminal device sends a registration request message to the network device.

[0149] S214: The network device sends a registration acceptance message to the terminal device.

[0150] In S214, the registration accept message includes an MPS indicator bit, which indicates the changed MPS access identity of the terminal device.

[0151] S216: The terminal device updates the MPS indicator.

[0152] In S216, the terminal device can update an MPS indicator stored in the terminal device, and can later map a link establishment cause based on the value of the MPS indicator when there is a service requirement.

[0153] For a terminal device and a network device that support related protocols, a new step is added in which the network device instructs the terminal to update the MPS indicator by using a configuration update command message. As shown in (b) of Figure 2, the MPS indicator update process may include the following steps:

[0154] S220: The network device sends a configuration update command message to the terminal device.

[0155] At S220, the configuration update command message includes MPS indicator bits corresponding to the changed MPS information.

[0156] S222: The terminal device sends configuration update completion information to the network device (this step is optional).

[0157] The configuration update complete information indicates that the terminal device has successfully received the configuration update command message.

[0158] S224: The terminal device updates the MPS indicator.

[0159] If the network device supports the associated protocol (supports using a CUC message to update the MPS indicator or supports using a CUC message to trigger the terminal device to update the MPS indicator), when the MPS information of the terminal device changes, the network device sends a CUC message carrying an MPS indicator bit directly to the terminal device, and the MPS indicator bit indicates the changed MPS access identity of the terminal device. If the terminal device does not support the associated protocol (does not support using a CUC message to update the MPS indicator), the MPS indicator bit in the CUC message cannot be decoded. However, the network device can assume that the terminal device has updated the MPS indicator based on the received configuration update complete message, and an access attempt problem will occur when the terminal later requests to start a service.

[0160] To reduce the possibility of terminal device connection problems occurring due to the terminal device not supporting updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message and to improve user experience, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, whereby, when a network device supports triggering a terminal device to update an MPS indicator using a CUC message, the terminal device can be triggered to update the MPS indicator in various manners.

[0161] As shown in Figure 3, the network device supports using a CUC message to trigger the terminal device to update the MPS indicator. The communication method includes the following steps:

[0162] S310: The network device obtains user contract information, and the user contract information indicates that the MPS information of the terminal device is to change.

[0163] In S310, the change in the MPS information may be a change from a state in which the terminal device initially subscribes to an MPS service to a state in which it does not subscribe to an MPS service, or a change from a state in which the terminal device initially does not subscribe to an MPS service to a state in which it subscribes to an MPS service. The MPS information indicates the MPS access identity of the terminal device. The network device of method 300 may be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element. The AMF network element can obtain the MPS information of the terminal device from user subscription information received from a unified data management (UDM) function network element and determine that the MPS information of the terminal device has changed. The MPS information, sometimes referred to as MPS subscription information, indicates the MPS access identity of the terminal device.

[0164] S320: The network device sends a first message to the terminal device, where the first message is for triggering the terminal device to re-register, so that the terminal device updates an MPS indicator in the re-registration process.

[0165] In response, the terminal device receives a first message from the network device.

[0166] In S320, the MPS indicator may be stored in a USIM card or non-volatile memory of the terminal device, and indicates the MPS information of the terminal device currently stored in the terminal device. The stored MPS information may be different from the MPS information of the terminal device corresponding to the user subscription information during a period before the terminal device updates the stored MPS indicator after the MPS information of the terminal device has changed, for example.

[0167] According to the technical solution provided in this embodiment of the present application, although a network device supports using a CUC message to trigger a terminal device to update its MPS indicator (i.e., supports sending a CUC message carrying the MPS information of the terminal to the terminal device, which is also referred to as a network device supporting using a CUC message to update its MPS indicator), the network device does not know whether the terminal device supports using a CUC message to update its MPS indicator (whether the terminal device can decode the item in the CUC message indicating the MPS information), after the MPS information of the terminal device changes, the network device directly instructs the terminal device to re-register, so that the terminal device updates its MPS indicator in the re-registration process.

[0168] In this way, the network device does not need to use complicated procedures to determine the capability information of the terminal device (whether the MPS indicator can be updated using a CUC message), and the terminal device can timely update the MPS indicator for later service use; and the network device directly sends a CUC message carrying the MPS information of the terminal to the terminal device, but the terminal device cannot perform decoding, thereby reducing the possibility of not being able to enjoy the appropriate service or being denied access during later service use.

[0169] Specifically, during re-registration, the terminal device can send registration request information to the network device, and in response, the network device receives a registration request message from the terminal device.

[0170] After receiving the registration request message, the network device can send a registration accept message to the terminal device, and in response, the terminal device receives the registration accept message.

[0171] In this embodiment of the present application, the registration accept message may include changed MPS information of the terminal device, including that the changed MPS information of the terminal device may be carried using an MPS indicator bit in a 5G system feature support information element (5GS feature support IE). For example, if the MPS indicator bit is 1, this indicates that the access identity of the terminal device is 1 and the terminal device is an MPS access type user, or if the MPS indicator bit is 0, this indicates that the access identity of the terminal device is 0 and the terminal device is not an MPS access type user. In this way, the terminal device can update the MPS indicator using the registration accept message.

[0172] If the terminal device is an MPS access type user, the RRC establishment cause may be mapped to MPS priority access (mps-PriorityAccess) during the later access.

[0173] In this embodiment of the present application, before sending the first message to trigger the terminal device to re-register, the network device can obtain capability information indicating that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message. In other words, only after determining that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, the network device sends the first message to the terminal device to trigger the terminal device to update the MPS indicator in the re-registration process.

[0174] The capability information indicating whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message may be related to the protocol version supported by the terminal device. After receiving a CUC message carrying updated MPS information (MPS indicator bits) sent by the network device, the terminal device can decode the relevant item in the CUC message and update the stored MPS indicator. In this way, when a service initiation is requested later, a link establishment cause can be mapped based on the updated MPS indicator. The MPS information is stored in a priority indicator information element (priority indicator IE) item in the CUC message. If the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, the terminal device cannot decode the priority indicator information element item even if the network device sends the terminal device a CUC message carrying updated MPS information.

[0175] In some embodiments, the network device may determine, using a first registration request message sent by the terminal device during registration with the network device, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0176] During registration with a network device, the terminal device sends a registration request message to the network device. The registration request message may include a 5G mobility management capability information element (5GMM capability IE) item and may also include some information about the terminal device required during registration. After receiving the registration request message, the network device sends a registration accept message to the terminal device to complete the registration process of the terminal device.

[0177] For example, the network device can determine, based on the first registration request message of the terminal device not including the first instruction item, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, and the first instruction item can indicate that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message. In other words, the network device can determine, based on whether the first registration request message includes the first instruction item, whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, and then trigger the terminal device that does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message to re-register, so that the terminal device updates the MPS indicator in the re-registration process.

[0178] In this way, only the first registration request message of a terminal device that supports the relevant protocol (a terminal device that supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message) needs to be modified, and the signaling of a terminal device that does not support the above protocol (that does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message) does not need to be modified, so that the technical solution of this embodiment of the present application is easier to implement. Optionally, an instruction item (first instruction item) in the first registration request message of the terminal device can indicate that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message. In this way, since the network device can determine in the registration process of the terminal device that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, the network device can directly send a first message to the terminal device to instruct the terminal device to re-register in order to update the MPS indicator in the re-registration process if the MPS information of the terminal device changes later.

[0179] It should be understood that the indication item may be an indication item already present in the registration request message, and the capability of the terminal device is indicated using an indicator bit in the indication item. For example, if the indicator bit is 0, this indicates that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, or if the indicator bit is 1, this indicates that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message. Alternatively, the indication item may be an indication item newly added to the registration request message. The value of the indicator bit (or indication item) indicating whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message may be set by the terminal device based on whether the terminal device has the corresponding capability. The first indication item may explicitly indicate the corresponding capability of the terminal device.

[0180] As another example, the content of the 5GMM capability IE item included in the registration request message is related to the protocol version supported by the terminal device. Therefore, upon receiving the registration request message, the network device can infer the protocol version used or supported by the terminal device based on the content of the 5GMM capability IE item and infer whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message. Specifically, if the registration request message sent by the terminal device does not include a second instruction item, the network device can infer that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, and the second instruction item can be one of the following: Extended rejected network slice selection assistance information (ER-NSSAI), 5G proximity based services direct discovery (5G ProSe-dd), 5G proximity services direct communication (5G ProSe-dc), 5G proximity services layer-2 user equipment network relay (5G ProSe-l2relay), 5G proximity services layer-3 user equipment network relay (5G ProSe-l3relay), 5G proximity services layer-2 user equipment network remote user equipment (5G ProSe layer-2 UE-to-network-relay), 5G proximity services layer-3 user equipment network remote user equipment (5G ProSe layer-2 UE-to-network-relay), 5G proximity services layer-2 ... ProSe-l2rmt), 5G Proximity Services Layer-3 User Equipment Network Remote User Equipment (5G ProSe layer-3 UE-to-network-remote, 5G ProSe-l3rmt), new radio paging subgroup support indicationindication (NR-PSSI), N1 non-access stratum signaling connection release (NCR), Paging indication for voice services (PIV), Reject paging request (RPR), Paging restriction (PR), network slice simultaneous registration group (NSSRG), Minimization of service interruption (MINT), Event notification, Extended closed access group information list support (Ex-CAG), and network slice access group (NSAG).

[0181] It should be understood that the second instruction item may not be limited to the above corresponding items. Any characteristic information included in a protocol that supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message may be used as the second instruction item (an instruction item or information different from a protocol that does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message).

[0182] Optionally, when the network device determines, based on the registration request message of the terminal device, that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message. For example, the first indication directly indicates that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message. Alternatively, when the registration request message sent by the terminal device includes the second indication, the network device can infer that, when the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, the network device can send a second CUC message to the terminal device and include modified MPS information in the second CUC message. In response, the terminal device receives the second CUC message and updates the MPS indicator based on the first CUC message. The modified MPS information may be stored in an MPS indicator bit of a priority indicator information element in the second CUC message. For example, if the terminal device subscribes to MPS, the indicator bit may be 1, or if the terminal device does not subscribe to MPS, the indicator bit may be 0.

[0183] In this way, for terminal devices with different capabilities, the network device supports triggering the terminal device to update the MPS indicator in different manners. For terminal devices that do not support updating the MPS using a CUC message, a CUC message is directly sent. However, since the terminal device cannot perform decoding, the terminal device updates the MPS in a re-registration manner to avoid access problems caused by a mismatch between the MPS information of the network and the MPS information of the terminal device. For terminal devices that support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, a CUC message carrying updated MPS information is directly sent, so that the terminal device can update the MPS indicator based on the CUC message. In this way, signaling exchanges between the terminal device and the network device can be reduced, and the impact on the terminal device's service can be minimized, i.e., the MPS indicator update is completed.

[0184] In an embodiment in which the network device directly sends the first message to the terminal device to instruct the terminal device to re-register based on a change in the MPS information of the terminal device, or the network device uses the first registration request message to determine that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, and then sends the first message to the terminal device to instruct the terminal device to re-register, the first message may be any one of a service reject message, a first CUC message, or a deregistration message, where the first CUC message includes a registration request indicator bit (REG bit), and the registration request indicator bit instructs the terminal device to re-register.

[0185] When the network device determines that the MPS information of the terminal device has changed, the terminal device may be in an idle state. The network device may initiate paging to the terminal device, which causes the terminal device to send a service request message to the network device, and the network device then sends a service reject message to the terminal device. The terminal device performs a re-registration process based on the service reject message.

[0186] Alternatively, upon receiving the service request message, the network device sends a service accept message to the terminal device, and then sends a deregistration message or a first CUC message including a registration request indicator bit to the terminal device. After receiving the deregistration message or the first CUC message, the terminal device can re-register. The re-registration process has been described above and will not be described in detail again here.

[0187] In some other embodiments, the network device may send a CUC message to the terminal device, include the changed MPS information in the CUC message, and receive a configuration update response message returned by the terminal device. If the terminal device successfully updates its MPS indicator based on the CUC message, a third instruction item may be carried in the configuration update response message. In this manner, the network device may determine the capabilities of the terminal device based on whether the configuration update response message includes the third instruction item, and then trigger a terminal device that does not include the third instruction item to re-register, so that the terminal device can update its MPS indicator in the re-registration process.

[0188] In this way, without modifying the signaling of the terminal device that does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, the network device can determine the capability of the terminal device and then determine whether to trigger a re-registration process based on the capability, so that the technical solution of this embodiment of the present application can be implemented more conveniently.

[0189] Alternatively, the network device may send a CUC message to the terminal device, include the changed MPS information in the CUC message, and receive a configuration update response message returned by the terminal device. The terminal device may include a third indication item in the configuration update response message to indicate whether the terminal device has successfully decoded the CUC message.

[0190] For example, if the indicator bit of the third instruction item is 0, this indicates that the terminal device failed to decode the CUC message. Because the Priority Indicator IE item storing MPS information is newly added to the protocol that supports updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message, if the terminal device does not support the above protocol, the terminal device cannot decode the item, and the network device can infer that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message. If the indicator bit of the third instruction item is 1, this indicates that the terminal device successfully decoded the CUC message. In this case, the terminal device updates the MPS indicator based on the CUC message, and the network device can also infer that the terminal device has updated the MPS indicator, and the MPS indicator update process ends.

[0191] If the third indication indicates that the terminal device failed to decode the CUC message, the network device determines that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS using the CUC message. In other words, the terminal device can be triggered to re-register using the first message, and the terminal device can update the MPS indicator in the re-registration process.

[0192] For example, the configuration update response message may be configuration update complete information.

[0193] According to the terminal device using the third instruction item in the message returned in response to the CUC message to indicate whether the terminal device has successfully decoded the CUC message, the network device can infer whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message, and if the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message, can send a first message to the network device to instruct the terminal device to re-register, so that the terminal device updates the MPS indicator in the re-registration process. According to the technical solution provided in this embodiment of the present application, in order to reduce signaling exchange procedures between the terminal device and the network device, the network device can simply determine the capability of the terminal device, and trigger the terminal device to re-register in a timely manner if it finds that the capability of the terminal device is insufficient.

[0194] When the network device uses the configuration response information to learn that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message and uses a first message to trigger the terminal device to re-register, the terminal device receives a CUC message carrying the changed MPS information and is in a connected state when the terminal device is paged by the network device. The first message may be a CUC message carrying a registration request indicator bit or a deregistration message.

[0195] The following will describe in detail the communication method shown in Figure 3 with reference to Figures 4 and 5. As shown in Figure 4, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0196] S410: The network device obtains capability information indicating whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, and the MPS indicator indicates the access type (MPS information) subscribed by the terminal device. In response, the terminal device sends a first registration request message to the network device.

[0197] S420: The network device obtains user contract information, and the user contract information indicates that the MPS information of the terminal device is to change.

[0198] S430a: If the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, send a first message to the terminal device, the first message being for triggering the terminal device to re-register. In response, the terminal device receives the first message from the network device.

[0199] S430b: If the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, send a second CUC message to the terminal device, where the second CUC message includes the changed MPS information. In response, the terminal device receives the second CUC message from the network device.

[0200] S440: The terminal device updates the MPS indicator.

[0201] At S410, the network device can obtain capability information indicating whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message based on the registration request message. In some embodiments, the first registration request message may include a first instruction item, which directly indicates whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message. Alternatively, whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message is indicated based on whether the first instruction item is carried. In some other embodiments, the network device can determine whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message based on whether a second instruction item is present in the first registration request message. If the first registration request message includes the second instruction item, the network device can infer that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, or if the first registration request message does not include the second instruction item, the network device can infer that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.The second instruction item includes at least one of the following: extended rejected network slice selection assistance information ER-NSSAI, 5G proximity service direct discovery 5G ProSe-dd, 5G proximity service direct communication 5G ProSe-dc, 5G proximity service Layer 2 user equipment network relay 5G ProSe-l2relay, 5G proximity service Layer 3 user equipment network relay 5G ProSe-l3relay, 5G proximity service Layer 2 user equipment network remote user equipment 5G ProSe-l2rmt, 5G proximity service Layer 3 user equipment network remote user equipment 5G ProSe-l3rmt, new radio paging subgroup support indication NR-PSSI, N1 non-access stratum signaling connection release NCR, paging indication for voice services PIV, paging reject request RPR, paging restriction PR, network slice simultaneous registration group NSSRG, service interruption minimization MINT, event notification EventNotification, extended closed access group information list support Ex-CAG, and network slice access group NSAG.

[0202] The network device may be an AMF network element. At S420, the AMF network element obtains user subscription information (sometimes referred to as user subscription context information) from the UDM network element, and can determine that the MPS information of the terminal device has changed based on the user subscription information.

[0203] In S430a and S430b, if the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, the network device can trigger the terminal device to re-register using a first message, so that the terminal device updates the MPS indicator in the re-registration process. If the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, a second CUC message carrying changed MPS information is sent to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can update the MPS indicator based on the second CUC message.

[0204] The first message may include any one of a deregistration message, registration rejection information, and a CUC message carrying a registration request indicator bit.

[0205] At S440, the terminal device updates the MPS indicator.

[0206] For specific details, please refer to the description of method 300. The details will not be repeated here.

[0207] 5 shows another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication method includes the following steps:

[0208] S510: The network device obtains user contract information, and the user contract information indicates that the MPS information of the terminal device is to change.

[0209] S520: The network device sends a second CUC message to the terminal device, where the second CUC message includes the modified MPS information.

[0210] In response, the terminal device receives a second CUC message from the network device.

[0211] S530: The terminal device sends a configuration update response message to the network device, where the configuration update response message includes a third instruction item, and the third instruction item indicates whether the terminal device has successfully decoded the second CUC message. Alternatively, whether the terminal device has successfully updated the MPS indicator (i.e., whether the CUC message has been successfully decoded) is indicated based on whether the third instruction item is carried.

[0212] S540: If the terminal device fails to decode the second CUC message (or if the terminal device fails to update the MPS indicator), the network device sends a second message to the terminal device, where the second message is to trigger the terminal device to re-register.

[0213] S550: The terminal device updates the MPS indicator in a subsequent registration procedure initiated by the terminal device.

[0214] At S530, after receiving the second CUC message carrying the changed MPS information, the terminal device can indicate whether to decode the second CUC message in the returned configuration response information. Alternatively, whether the terminal device has successfully updated the MPS (i.e., whether it has successfully decoded the CUC message) is indicated based on whether the third instruction item is carried. If the terminal device successfully decodes the information or successfully updates the MPS indicator (successfully decodes the CUC message), the network device can infer that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message, and the terminal device updated the MPS indicator based on the second CUC message. If the terminal device fails to decode the information, the network device can infer that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message. In this case, the network device can trigger the terminal device to re-register by sending a second message to the terminal device, so that the terminal device updates the MPS indicator in the re-registration process.

[0215] The second message may be a deregistration message or a CUC message carrying a registration request indicator bit.

[0216] For specific details, please refer to the description of method 300. The details will not be repeated here.

[0217] 6 shows a communication device 600 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 600 corresponds to a network device. The communication device 600 includes a transceiver unit 610. Optionally, the communication device 600 further includes a processing unit 620. The communication device 600 may be configured to perform steps performed by the network device in the communication methods of FIGS. 3 to 5.

[0218] 6, the communication apparatus 600 supports using a CUC message to trigger a terminal device to update a multimedia priority service (MPS) indicator. The apparatus includes a transceiver unit 610 configured to obtain user subscription information, where the user subscription information indicates that the MPS information of the terminal device is to change, and where the MPS information indicates an MPS access ID of the terminal device, and the transceiver unit 610 is further configured to send a first message to the terminal device, where the first message is to trigger the terminal device to re-register, whereby the terminal device updates the MPS indicator in the re-registration process, and where the MPS indicator indicates the MPS information of the terminal device.

[0219] In this embodiment of the present application, the apparatus further includes a processing unit 620 configured to obtain capability information indicating that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a configuration update command CUC message.

[0220] In this embodiment of the present application, the processing unit 620 is specifically configured to: send a second CUC message to the terminal device, where the second CUC message is specifically configured to include changed MPS information; receive a configuration update response message from the terminal device, where the configuration update response message does not include a third instruction item, where the third instruction item indicates that the terminal device has successfully updated the MPS indicator; and determine, based on the configuration update response message not including the third instruction item, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message.

[0221] In this embodiment of the present application, a second CUC message is sent to the terminal device, where the second CUC message includes changed MPS information; a configuration update response message is received from the terminal device, where the configuration update response message includes a third instruction item, where the third instruction item indicates that the terminal device has failed to decode the second CUC message; and it is determined that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message based on the third instruction item indicating that the terminal device has failed to decode the second CUC message.

[0222] In this embodiment of the present application, the processing unit 620 is specifically configured to receive a first registration request message from the terminal device, and determine, based on the first registration request message, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0223] In this embodiment of the present application, the processing unit 620 is specifically configured to: determine, based on the first registration request message not including the first instruction item, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message, and the first instruction item indicates that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0224] In this embodiment of the present application, the first registration request message includes a first instruction item, and the first instruction item indicates that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0225] In this embodiment of the present application, the processing unit 620 determines that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message based on the first registration request message not including the second instruction item, and the second instruction item is one of the following: Extended Rejected Network Slice Selection Assistance Information ER-NSSAI, 5G Proximity Service Direct Discovery 5G ProSe-dd, 5G Proximity Service Direct Communication 5G ProSe-dc, 5G Proximity Service Layer 2 User Equipment Network Relay 5G ProSe-l2relay, 5G Proximity Service Layer 3 User Equipment Network Relay 5G ProSe-l3relay, 5G Proximity Service Layer 2 User Equipment Network Remote User Equipment 5G ProSe-l2rmt, 5G Proximity Service Layer 3 User Equipment Network Remote User Equipment 5G Specifically configured to include at least one of ProSe-l3rmt, New Radio Paging Subgroup Support Indication NR-PSSI, N1 Non-Access Stratum Signaling Connection Release NCR, Paging Indication for Voice Services PIV, Paging Reject Request RPR, Paging Restriction PR, Network Slice Simultaneous Registration Group NSSRG, Minimization of Service Interruption MINT, Event Notification EventNotification, Extended Closed Access Group Information List Support Ex-CAG, and Network Slice Access Group NSAG.

[0226] In this embodiment of the present application, the first message is any one of the following: a service denial message, a first CUC message, and a deregistration message, where the first CUC message includes a registration request indicator bit, and the registration request indicator bit instructs the terminal device to re-register.

[0227] In this embodiment of the present application, the transceiver unit 610 is further configured to receive a second registration request message from the terminal device and send a second registration accept message to the terminal device, the second registration accept message including the changed MPS information, whereby the terminal device updates its MPS indicator based on the second registration accept message.

[0228] 7 shows another communication device 700 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 700 is a terminal device. The communication device 700 includes a transceiver unit 710 and a processing unit 720. The communication device 700 may be configured to perform steps performed by the terminal device in the method embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 5.

[0229] Specifically, the communication apparatus 700 includes a transceiver unit 710 configured to receive a first message from a network device, the first message being for triggering the terminal device to re-register, the first message being sent by the network device based on a change in Multimedia Priority Service MPS information of the terminal device, the MPS information indicating an MPS access ID of the terminal device; and a processing unit 720 configured to update an MPS indicator in the re-registration process, the MPS indicator indicating the MPS information of the terminal device.

[0230] In this embodiment of the present application, the first information is sent by the network device based on the terminal device not supporting updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0231] In this embodiment of the present application, the transceiver unit 710 is further configured to receive a second configuration update command CUC message from the network device, where the second CUC message includes changed MPS information, and is further configured to send a configuration update response message to the network device, where the configuration update response message does not include a third instruction item, whereby the network device determines, based on the configuration update response message not including the third instruction item, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message, where the third instruction item indicates that the terminal device has successfully updated the MPS indicator.

[0232] In this embodiment of the present application, the transceiver unit 710 is further configured to receive a second configuration update command CUC message from the network device, where the second CUC message includes changed MPS information, and is further configured to send a configuration update response message to the network device, where the configuration update response message includes a third instruction item, where the third instruction item indicates that the terminal device failed to decode the second CUC message, whereby the network device determines, based on the configuration update response message, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message.

[0233] In this embodiment of the present application, the transceiver unit 710 is further configured to send a first registration request message to the network device, whereby the network device determines, based on the first registration request message, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0234] In this embodiment of the present application, the first registration request message does not include the first instruction item, and the fact that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message is determined by the network device based on the first registration request message not including the first instruction item, and the first instruction item indicates that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0235] In this embodiment of the present application, the first registration request message includes a first instruction item, and the first instruction item indicates that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a CUC message.

[0236] In this embodiment of the present application, the fact that the terminal device does not support using a CUC message to update the MPS indicator is referred to as the second indication item, namely, the extended rejected network slice selection assistance information ER-NSSAI, 5G proximity service direct discovery 5G ProSe-dd, 5G proximity service direct communication 5G ProSe-dc, 5G proximity service Layer 2 user equipment network relay 5G ProSe-l2relay, 5G proximity service Layer 3 user equipment network relay 5G ProSe-l3relay, 5G proximity service Layer 2 user equipment network remote user equipment 5G ProSe-l2rmt, 5G proximity service Layer 3 user equipment network remote user equipment 5G It is determined based on the first registration request message not including ProSe-l3rmt, New Radio Paging Subgroup Support Indication NR-PSSI, N1 Non-Access Stratum Signaling Connection Release NCR, Paging Indication for Voice Services PIV, Paging Reject Request RPR, Paging Restriction PR, Network Slice Simultaneous Registration Group NSSRG, Minimization of Service Interruption MINT, Event Notification EventNotification, Extended Closed Access Group Information List Support Ex-CAG, and Network Slice Access Group NSAG.

[0237] In this embodiment of the present application, the first message is any one of the following: a service denial message, a first CUC message, and a deregistration message, where the first CUC message includes a registration request indicator bit, and the registration request indicator bit instructs the terminal device to re-register.

[0238] In this embodiment of the present application, the processing unit 720 is specifically configured to send a second registration request message to the network device, receive a second registration accept message from the network device, the second registration accept message including changed MPS information, and update the MPS indicator based on the second registration accept message.

[0239] FIG. 8 illustrates another communication device 800 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 800 illustrated in FIG. 8 may correspond to the communication device described above. The communication device 800 includes a processor 820. In this embodiment of the present application, the processor 820 is configured to perform corresponding control and management tasks. For example, the processor 820 is configured to support the communication device 800 in performing the methods, tasks, or functions of the aforementioned embodiments. Optionally, the communication device 800 may further include a memory 810 and a communication interface 830. The processor 820, the communication interface 830, and the memory 810 may be connected to each other or may be connected to each other via a bus 840. The communication interface 830 is configured to support the communication device in communicating with other devices, etc. The memory 810 is configured to store program codes and data for the communication device. The processor 820 invokes the code or data stored in the memory 810 to perform the corresponding tasks. The memory 810 may or may not be coupled to the processor. A coupling in this embodiment of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between communication devices, units, or modules, which may be implemented in an electrical, mechanical, or other form, for the exchange of information between the communication devices, units, or modules.

[0240] The processor 820 may be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. The processor may implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described with reference to the subject matter disclosed herein. Alternatively, the processor may be a combination of processors that perform computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, or a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor. The communication interface 830 may be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, or another type of communication interface. The bus 840 may be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus, an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, or the like. Buses may be categorized as address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of representation, only one bold line is used to represent a bus in FIG. 8, but this does not imply that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0241] Those skilled in the art can realize that, in combination with the examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the units and algorithm steps can be implemented by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether a function is performed by hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can implement the described functions using various methods for each specific application, but this implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of this application.

[0242] For ease of description, it is clearly understood by those skilled in the art that the specific working processes of the above-mentioned systems, devices and units should refer to the corresponding processes of the above-mentioned method embodiments, and the details will not be described again here.

[0243] In some embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods may be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely examples. For example, the division into units is merely a logical division of functions. In actual implementation, other division schemes are possible. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not implemented. In addition, the shown or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections may be implemented through some interfaces. Indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be implemented in electronic, mechanical, or other forms.

[0244] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, specifically, may be located in one location or distributed over multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected based on actual requirements to achieve the objectives of the solutions of the embodiments.

[0245] In addition, the functional units of the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, each of the units may exist physically alone, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0246] When a function is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, the function may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application may essentially be implemented, or a portion of the technical solution may be implemented in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes instructions for instructing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in the embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes any medium capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, a removable hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0247] The above description is merely a specific implementation of the present application, and the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any modifications or replacements that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application shall fall within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0248] 110 Network Devices 120 Terminal Devices 130 Terminal Devices 300 ways 600 Communication Equipment 610 Transceiver Unit 620 Processing Unit 700 Communication Equipment 710 Transceiver Unit 720 Processing Unit 800 Communication Equipment 810 memory 820 processor 830 Communication Interface 840 Bus

Claims

1. 1. A communication method applied to a network device, the network device supporting using a configuration update command (CUC) message to trigger a terminal device to update a multimedia priority service (MPS) indicator, the method comprising: obtaining user contract information, the user contract information indicating that MPS information of the terminal device is to change, the MPS information indicating an MPS access ID of the terminal device; sending a first message to the terminal device, the first message being for triggering the terminal device to re-register, whereby the terminal device updates the MPS indicator in a re-registration process, the MPS indicator indicating the MPS information of the terminal device; A method comprising:

2. Before transmitting the first message to the terminal device, the method further comprises: obtaining capability information indicating that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

3. obtaining capability information indicating that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message, sending a second CUC message to the terminal device, wherein the second CUC message includes modified MPS information; receiving a configuration update response message from the terminal device, wherein the configuration update response message does not include a third indication item, and the third indication item indicates that the terminal device has successfully updated the MPS indicator; determining, based on the configuration update response message not including the third instruction item, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message; 3. The method of claim 2, comprising:

4. obtaining capability information indicating that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message, receiving a first registration request message from the terminal device; determining, based on the first registration request message, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message; 3. The method of claim 2, comprising:

5. determining, based on the first registration request message, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message; determining that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message based on the first registration request message not including a first instruction item, the first instruction item indicating that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message; 5. The method of claim 4, comprising:

6. determining, based on the first registration request message, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message; determining that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message based on the first registration request message not including a second instruction item, wherein the second instruction item is one of the following: The method includes at least one of: extended rejected network slice selection assistance information, 5G proximity service direct discovery, 5G proximity service direct communication, 5G proximity service Layer 2 user equipment network relay, 5G proximity service Layer 3 user equipment network relay, 5G proximity service Layer 2 user equipment network remote user equipment, 5G proximity service Layer 3 user equipment network remote user equipment, new radio paging subgroup support indication, N1 non-access stratum signaling connection release, paging indication for voice service, paging reject request, paging restriction, network slice simultaneous registration group, service interruption minimization, event notification, extended closed access group information list support, and network slice access group.

5. The method of claim 4, comprising:

7. The first message may include:

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the message is one of a service denial message, a first CUC message, and a deregistration message, and wherein the first CUC message includes a registration request indicator bit, and the registration request indicator bit instructs the terminal device to re-register.

8. The method comprises: receiving a second registration request message from the terminal device; sending a second registration accept message to the terminal device, the second registration accept message including the changed MPS information, whereby the terminal device updates the MPS indicator based on the second registration accept message; 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

9. 1. A communication method applied to a network device, the method comprising: obtaining capability information indicating whether a terminal device supports updating a Multimedia Priority Service (MPS) indicator using a Configuration Update Command (CUC) message, wherein the MPS indicator indicates MPS information of the terminal device; obtaining user contract information, the user contract information indicating that the MPS information of the terminal device is to change, the MPS information indicating an MPS access ID of the terminal device; if the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message, sending a first message to the terminal device, the first message being for triggering the terminal device to re-register, whereby the terminal device updates the MPS indicator in a re-registration process; or If the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message, sending a second CUC message to the terminal device, the second CUC message including changed MPS information; and A method comprising:

10. obtaining capability information indicating whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message, receiving a first registration request message from the terminal device; determining, based on the first registration request message, the capability information indicating whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message; 10. The method of claim 9, comprising:

11. determining the capability information indicating whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message, determining that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message if the first registration request message includes a first instruction item; or determining that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message if the first registration request message does not include the first instruction item; Including, The method of claim 10 , wherein the first instruction item indicates that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message.

12. determining the capability information indicating whether the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message, determining that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message if the first registration request message includes a second instruction item; or determining that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message if the first registration request message does not include the second instruction item, wherein the second instruction item is one of the following: The method includes at least one of: extended rejected network slice selection assistance information, 5G proximity service direct discovery, 5G proximity service direct communication, 5G proximity service Layer 2 user equipment network relay, 5G proximity service Layer 3 user equipment network relay, 5G proximity service Layer 2 user equipment network remote user equipment, 5G proximity service Layer 3 user equipment network remote user equipment 5G ProSe-l3rmt, new radio paging subgroup support indication, N1 non-access stratum signaling connection release, paging indication for voice service, paging reject request, paging restriction, network slice simultaneous registration group, service interruption minimization, event notification, extended closed access group information list support, and network slice access group.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising:

13. 13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the first message is one of the following: a service denial message, a first CUC message, and a deregistration message, and the first CUC message includes a registration request indicator bit (REG bit), which instructs the terminal device to re-register.

14. If the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message, the method further comprises: receiving a second registration request message from the terminal device; sending a second registration accept message to the terminal device, the registration accept message including the changed MPS information, whereby the terminal device updates the MPS indicator based on the second registration accept message; 14. The method of any one of claims 9 to 13, further comprising:

15. 1. A communication method applied to a network device, the method comprising: obtaining user contract information, the user contract information indicating that a Multimedia Priority Service (MPS) information of a terminal device is to change, the MPS information indicating an MPS access ID of the terminal device; sending a second configuration update command CUC message to the terminal device, wherein the second CUC message includes changed MPS information; receiving a configuration update response message from the terminal device; sending a second message to the terminal device if the configuration update response message does not include a third instruction item, the second message being for triggering the terminal device to re-register, whereby the terminal device updates the MPS indicator in a re-registration process, and the third instruction item indicating that the terminal device has successfully updated the MPS indicator; A method comprising:

16. The second message is a first CUC message or a deregistration message, and the first CUC message includes a registration request indicator bit, and the registration request indicator bit instructs the terminal device to re-register.

16. The method of claim 15.

17. If the configuration update response message does not include the third instruction item, the method includes: receiving a second registration request message from the terminal device; sending a second registration accept message to the terminal device, the registration accept message including the changed MPS information, whereby the terminal device updates the MPS indicator based on the second accept information; 17. The method of claim 15 or 16, further comprising:

18. A communication device, wherein the communication device is a network device, and the communication device supports using a CUC message to trigger a terminal device to update a Multimedia Priority Service (MPS) indicator, and the communication device: a transceiver unit configured to obtain user contract information, the user contract information indicating that MPS information of the terminal device is to change, the MPS information indicating an MPS access ID of the terminal device; the transceiver unit is further configured to send a first message to the terminal device, the first message being for triggering the terminal device to re-register, whereby the terminal device updates the MPS indicator in a re-registration process, and the MPS indicator indicates the MPS information of the terminal device.

19. The device comprises: a processing unit configured to obtain capability information indicating that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using a configuration update command (CUC) message; 20. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

20. The processing unit specifically configured to: send a second CUC message to the terminal device, wherein the second CUC message includes modified MPS information; and receiving a configuration update response message from the terminal device, the configuration update response message not including a third indication item, the third indication item indicating that the terminal device has successfully updated the MPS indicator; and determining, based on the configuration update response message not including the third instruction item, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message; 20. The apparatus of claim 19, specifically configured to:

21. The processing unit receiving a first registration request message from the terminal device; and determining, based on the first registration request message, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, specifically configured to:

22. The processing unit Determine, based on the first registration request message not including the first instruction item, that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message, and the first instruction item indicates that the terminal device supports updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, specifically configured to:

23. The processing unit Determine that the terminal device does not support updating the MPS indicator using the CUC message based on the first registration request message not including a second instruction item, and the second instruction item is one of the following: the method including at least one of: extended rejected network slice selection assistance information, 5G proximity service direct discovery, 5G proximity service direct communication, 5G proximity service Layer 2 user equipment network relay, 5G proximity service Layer 3 user equipment network relay, 5G proximity service Layer 2 user equipment network remote user equipment, 5G proximity service Layer 3 user equipment network remote user equipment, new radio paging subgroup support indication, N1 non-access stratum signaling connection release, paging indication for voice service, paging reject request, paging restriction, network slice simultaneous registration group, service interruption minimization, event notification, extended closed access group information list support, and network slice access group; 22. The apparatus of claim 21, specifically configured to:

24. The first message may include:

24. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the message is one of a service denial message, a first CUC message, and a deregistration message, and wherein the first CUC message includes a registration request indicator bit, and the registration request indicator bit instructs the terminal device to re-register.

25. The transceiver unit receiving a second registration request message from the terminal device; and sending a second registration accept message to the terminal device, the second registration accept message including the changed MPS information, whereby the terminal device updates the MPS indicator based on the second registration accept message; 25. The apparatus of any one of claims 18 to 24, further configured to:

26. 1. A communications device comprising at least one processor, the processor coupled to a memory, the memory configured to store instructions that, when executed by the processor, The processor is enabled to carry out the method of any one of claims 1 to 8, The processor is enabled to carry out a method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, or enabling the processor to carry out the method of any one of claims 15 to 17, Communication equipment.

27. 19. A computer readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 8, enable the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 9 to 14, or enable the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 15 to 17.

28. A computer program product comprising computer program code that, when executed, performs the method of any one of claims 1 to 8, performs the method of any one of claims 9 to 14, or performs the method of any one of claims 15 to 17.

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