Communication methods, and apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present application are communication methods, and an apparatus, which are capable of determining whether a first network device allows NSSAI requested by a terminal device. A method comprises: a terminal device sends a first registration request message to a first network device, the first registration request message comprising requested network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI), the requested NSSAI comprising N pieces of single-network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI), and N being a positive integer greater than 8; and the terminal device receives a first registration acceptance message from the first network device, the first registration acceptance message indicating whether the first network device allows the requested NSSAI. In the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can learn, by sending a registration request message once, information about whether the first network device allows the requested NSSAI (more than 8 pieces of S-NSSAI), thereby avoiding resource waste caused by the terminal device frequently sending the first registration request message to the first network device.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on August 7, 2023, with application number 202310991442.6 and application name “A Communication Method and Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication method and apparatus. Background Art

[0003] Network slicing technology provides isolated network environments for different application scenarios by creating virtual independent logical networks on the same network infrastructure, allowing different application scenarios to customize network functions and features according to their respective needs, and can effectively guarantee the needs of different businesses.

[0004] Currently, a terminal device can request up to 8 pieces of network single network slice selection assistance information (NASSI) through a registration request message, while the configuration information sent by the network side to the terminal device is configured with a maximum of 16 NASSIs, which may result in the terminal device being unable to obtain whether the network device allows the requested NSSAI through a registration request message.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus that can determine whether a first network device allows an NSSAI requested by a terminal device.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method is applied to a terminal device and can be executed by the terminal device, or by a component of the terminal device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the terminal device, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal device's functions. Taking the method as an example where the method can be executed by the terminal device, the method includes: the terminal device sends a first registration request message to a first network device, the first registration request message including requested network slice assistance information NSSAI, the requested NSSAI including N single network slice assistance information S-NSSAI, where N is a positive integer greater than 8; and the terminal device receives a first registration acceptance message from the first network device, the first registration acceptance message indicating whether the first network device allows the requested NSSAI.

[0009] In the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, if the Requested NSSAI indicated in the first registration request message includes more than eight S-NSSAIs, the first registration accept message received by the terminal device indicates whether the first network device permits the requested NSSAIs. In this way, the terminal device can obtain information about whether the first network device permits the requested NSSAIs (greater than eight S-NSSAIs) by sending a single registration request message, thereby avoiding resource waste caused by the terminal device frequently sending first registration request messages to the first network device.

[0010] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method is applied to a first network device and can be executed by the first network device or by a component of the first network device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the first network device. It can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first network device. Taking the method as an example where the method can be executed by the first network device, the method includes: the first network device receiving a first registration request message from a terminal device, the first registration request message including a requested NSSAI, the requested NSSAI including N S-NSSAIs, where N is a positive integer greater than 8; and the first network device sending a first registration acceptance message to the terminal device, the first registration acceptance message indicating whether the first network device approves the requested NSSAI.

[0011] In the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, if the Requested NSSAI indicated in the first registration request message includes more than eight S-NSSAIs, the first registration accept message received by the terminal device indicates whether the first network device permits the requested NSSAIs. In this way, the terminal device can obtain information about whether the first network device permits the requested NSSAIs (greater than eight S-NSSAIs) by sending a single registration request message, thereby avoiding resource waste caused by the terminal device frequently sending first registration request messages to the first network device.

[0012] Based on the first aspect or the second aspect, for the first registration request message:

[0013] In one possible implementation, the first registration request message includes a first slice information element, which is used to carry the requested NSSAI. Exemplarily, the first slice information element is a new slice information element obtained by extending an existing slice information element used to carry the requested NSSAI. The existing slice information element used to carry the requested NSSAI supports carrying up to 8 requested S-NSSAIs, and the first slice information element supports carrying more than 8 requested S-NSSAIs. By extending the existing slice information element, minor changes are made to the protocol.

[0014] In another possible implementation, the first registration request message includes a second slice information element and a third slice information element, and the second slice information element and the third slice information element are used to carry the requested NSSAI, wherein the second slice information element is used to carry the 8 S-NSSAIs included in the requested NSSAI, and the third slice information element is used to carry the (N-8) S-NSSAIs included in the requested NSSAI. Exemplarily, the second slice information element is an existing slice information element for carrying the requested NSSAI, and the existing slice information element for carrying the requested NSSAI supports carrying up to 8 requested S-NSSAIs, and the third slice information element is a newly added slice information element for carrying the requested NSSAI. The specifications of the third slice information element can be the same as those of the second slice information element, that is, the specifications of the existing slice information element can be reused.

[0015] Based on the first aspect or the second aspect, for the first registration acceptance message:

[0016] In one possible implementation, the first registration acceptance message includes a fourth slice allowance information element, the fourth slice allowance information element indicates the S-NSSAI allowed by the first network device among the N requested S-NSSAIs, and the fourth slice allowance information element is used to carry M S-NSSAIs allowed by the first network device, where M is a positive integer greater than 8. Exemplarily, the fourth slice allowance information element is a new slice information element obtained by extending an existing slice information element used to carry allowed S-NSSAIs. The existing slice information element supports carrying up to 8 Allowed S-NSSAIs, while the fourth slice allowance information element supports carrying M (greater than 8) Allowed S-NSSAIs. By extending the existing slice information element, the protocol is slightly modified.

[0017] In another possible implementation, the first registration acceptance message includes a fifth slice allow information element and a sixth slice allow information element, and the fifth slice allow information element and the sixth slice allow information element are used to indicate the S-NSSAIs allowed by the first network device among the requested N S-NSSAIs, wherein the fifth slice allow information element is used to carry 8 S-NSSAIs allowed by the first network device, and the sixth slice allow information element is used to carry M-8 S-NSSAIs allowed by the first network device, where M is a positive integer greater than 8. Exemplarily, the fifth slice allow information element is an existing slice information element for carrying allowed S-NSSAIs, and the existing slice information element supports carrying up to 8 allowed S-NSSAIs, and the sixth slice information element is a newly added slice information element for carrying allowed S-NSSAIs. The specifications of the sixth slice allow information element can be the same as those of the fifth slice allow information element, that is, the specifications of the existing slice information element can be reused.

[0018] In another possible implementation, the first registration acceptance message includes a fourth slice rejection information element, the fourth slice rejection information element indicates the S-NSSAI that is not allowed by the first network device among the N requested S-NSSAIs, and the fourth slice rejection information element is used to carry K S-NSSAIs that are not allowed by the first network device, where K is a positive integer greater than 8. The fourth slice rejection information element is a new slice information element obtained by extending the existing slice information element. The existing slice information element supports carrying a maximum of 8 Rejected S-NSSAIs, and the fourth slice rejection information element supports carrying X (greater than 8) Rejected S-NSSAIs. By extending the existing slice information element, the protocol is slightly modified.

[0019] In another possible implementation, the first registration acceptance message includes a fifth slice rejection information element and a sixth slice rejection information element, and the fifth slice rejection information element and the sixth slice rejection information element are used to indicate the S-NSSAIs not allowed by the first network device among the N requested S-NSSAIs, wherein the fifth slice rejection information element is used to carry 8 S-NSSAIs not allowed by the first network device, and the sixth slice rejection information element is used to carry K-8 S-NSSAIs not allowed by the first network device, and X is a positive integer greater than 8. Exemplarily, the fifth slice rejection information element is an existing slice information element used to carry the not allowed S-NSSAI, and the existing slice information element supports carrying up to 8 not allowed S-NSSAIs, and the sixth slice information element is a newly added slice information element used to carry the rejected S-NSSAI. The specifications of the sixth slice rejection information element can be the same as those of the fifth slice rejection information element, that is, the specifications of the existing slice information element can be reused.

[0020] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a terminal device and can be executed by the terminal device, or by a component of the terminal device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the terminal device, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal device functions. Taking the method as an example of being executed by a terminal device, the method includes: the terminal device obtains first slice information, the first slice information includes first indication information or a first request message, the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, the first request message is used to request network slice auxiliary information NSSAI, the NSSAI includes Y single network slice auxiliary information S-NSSAI, where Y is a positive integer; when the terminal device sends a second registration request message, if there is a first security authentication key and a first security context, the terminal device sends the first slice information through the second registration request message; or, when the terminal device sends the second registration request message, if there is no first security authentication key or first security context, the terminal device sends the first slice information through a security mode completion message.

[0021] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is that the terminal device can send the first slice information through the second registration request message when the first security authentication key and the first security context exist; or, the terminal device can send the first slice information through the security mode completion message when the first security authentication key and the first security context do not exist, and the security mode completion message is triggered after the terminal device obtains the security authentication key and the security context. Therefore, this scheme can ensure that the terminal device sends the first slice information based on the security mode.

[0022] In one possible implementation, when the terminal device does not have the first security authentication key or the first security context when sending the second registration request message, the terminal device determines the presence of the second security authentication key and the second security context before sending the first slice information via the security mode completion message. This solution enables the terminal device to send the first slice information when the security authentication key and the security context are present, thereby ensuring that the terminal device sends the first slice information based on the security mode.

[0023] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a second network device and can be executed by the second network device, or by a component of the second network device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the second network device, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the second network device. Taking the method as an example in which the second network device can be executed, the method includes: the second network device receives first slice information from a terminal device, the first slice information includes first indication information or a first request message, the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, the first request message is used to request network slice auxiliary information NSSAI, the NSSAI includes Y single network slice auxiliary information S-NSSAI, Y is a positive integer, wherein, when the terminal device sends a second registration request message, if the terminal device has a first security authentication key and a first security context, the first slice information is included in the second registration request message, or when the terminal device sends the second registration request message, if the terminal device does not have the first security authentication key or the first security context, the first slice information is included in the security mode completion message; the second network device determines whether to allow the corresponding NSSAI based on the first slice information.

[0024] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is that the terminal device can send the first slice information through the second registration request message when the first security authentication key and the first security context exist; or, the terminal device can send the first slice information through the security mode completion message when the first security authentication key and the first security context do not exist, and the security mode completion message is triggered after the terminal device obtains the security authentication key and the security context. Therefore, this scheme can ensure that the terminal device sends the first slice information based on the security mode.

[0025] Based on the third or fourth aspect above, in one possible implementation, when the terminal device sends the second registration request message and the first security authentication key and the first security context are present, the first slice information sent by the terminal device through the second registration request message is included in a first container information element, where the first container information element is generated using the first security authentication key and the first slice information. This solution enables the terminal device to send the first slice information through the encrypted first container information element, thereby further ensuring the security of the transmission of the first slice information.

[0026] Based on the third or fourth aspect above, in one possible implementation, when the terminal device sends the second registration request message and the first security authentication key or the first security context is not present, the first slice information sent by the terminal device via the security mode completion message is included in a second container information element, where the second container information element is generated using the second security authentication key and the first slice information. This solution enables the terminal device to send the first slice information via the encrypted second container information element, thereby further ensuring the security of the transmission of the first slice information.

[0027] Based on the third aspect or the fourth aspect above, in a possible implementation, in an embodiment of the present application, the first container or the second container is a SOR-controlled transparent container.

[0028] In a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a second network device and can be executed by the second network device, or by a component of the second network device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the second network device, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the second network device. Taking the method as an example in which the method can be executed by the second network device, the method includes: the second network device obtains a third container information element from a terminal device, the third container information element includes a first parameter and a first message verification code, the first parameter includes second slice information, the second slice information includes first indication information or a first request message, the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, the first request message is used to request network slice auxiliary information NSSAI, the NSSAI includes X single network slice auxiliary information S-NSSAI, where X is a positive integer; the second network device sends the first parameter and the first message verification code to the third network device, the first parameter and the first message verification code are used by the third network device to perform integrity verification on the third container information element; the second network device receives a integrity verification reply message from the third network device, the integrity verification reply message is used to indicate that the integrity verification is successful. The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application ensures that the integrity verification of the third container cell succeeds through the integrity verification process of the third container cell, thereby ensuring the security of the system.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the security verification reply message includes a first identifier, which is used to indicate that the security verification was successful, or the first identifier indicates that the first message verification code and the second message verification code are the same. The second network device determines that the security verification was successful based on the first identifier in the security verification reply message. The second network device only needs to obtain the first identifier to determine that the security verification was successful, which reduces implementation complexity.

[0030] In an embodiment of the present application, the first parameter also includes at least one of the following: header information and counter information.

[0031] In the sixth aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a third network device and can be executed by the third network device, or by a component of the third network device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the third network device, or by a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the third network device. Taking the method as an example that can be executed by a third network device, the method includes: the third network device receives a first parameter and a first message verification code from the second network device, the first parameter and the first message verification code are included in a third container information element, the first parameter includes second slice information, the second slice information includes first indication information or a first request message, the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, the first request message is used to request network slice auxiliary information NSSAI, NSSAI includes X single network slice auxiliary information S-NSSAI, X is a positive integer, the first parameter and the first message verification code are used by the third network device to perform a security check on the third container information element; the third network device determines that the security check is successful based on the first message verification code and the second message verification code are the same, and the second message verification code is determined by the third network device based on the first parameter; the third network device sends a security check reply message to the second network device, and the security check reply message is used to indicate that the security check is successful.

[0032] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application ensures that the integrity verification of the third container cell succeeds through the integrity verification process of the third container cell, thereby ensuring the security of the system.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the security verification reply message includes a first identifier, which is used to indicate that the security verification is successful, or the first identifier indicates that the first message verification code and the second message verification code are the same. The second network device determines that the security verification is successful based on the first identifier in the security verification reply message. The second network device only needs to obtain the first identifier to determine that the security verification is successful, and the implementation complexity is low.

[0034] In an embodiment of the present application, the first parameter also includes at least one of the following: header information and counter information.

[0035] In a seventh aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a second network device and can be executed by the second network device, or by a component of the second network device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the second network device, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the second network device. Taking the method as an example in which the method can be executed by the second network device, the method includes: the second network device obtains a third container information element from the terminal device, the third container information element includes a first parameter and a first message verification code, the first parameter includes second slice information, the second slice information includes first indication information or a first request message, the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, the first request message is used to request network slice auxiliary information NSSAI, NSSAI includes X single network slice auxiliary information S-NSSAI, X is a positive integer; the second network device sends the first parameter to the third network device; the second network device receives a security check reply message from the third network device, the security check reply message includes a second message verification code, the second message verification code is determined by the third network device based on the first parameter; the second network device determines that the security check is successful based on the first message verification code and the second message verification code being the same.

[0036] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application ensures that the integrity verification of the third container cell succeeds through the integrity verification process of the third container cell, thereby ensuring the security of the system.

[0037] In an embodiment of the present application, the first parameter also includes at least one of the following: header information and counter information.

[0038] In an eighth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method is applied to a third network device and can be executed by the third network device, or by a component of the third network device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the third network device. It can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the third network device. Taking the method that can be executed by the third network device as an example, the method includes: the third network device receives a first parameter from the second network device, the first parameter is included in a third container information element, the third container information element includes the first parameter and a first message verification code, the first parameter includes second slice information, the second slice information includes first indication information or a first request message, the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, and the first request message is used to request network slice auxiliary information NSSAI, the NSSAI includes X single network slice auxiliary information S-NSSAI, where X is a positive integer; the third network device determines the second message verification code based on the first parameter; the third network device sends a security verification reply message to the second network device, the security verification reply message including the second message verification code. The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application ensures that the security verification of the third container information element is successful through the security verification process of the third container information element, thereby ensuring the security of the system.

[0039] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application ensures that the integrity verification of the third container cell succeeds through the integrity verification process of the third container cell, thereby ensuring the security of the system.

[0040] In an embodiment of the present application, the first parameter also includes at least one of the following: header information and counter information.

[0041] In the ninth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the various methods described above. The communication device may be the terminal device in the first aspect, or a device included in the terminal device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the first network device in the second aspect, or a device included in the first network device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the terminal device in the third aspect, or a device included in the terminal device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the second network device in the fourth aspect, or a device included in the second network device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the second network device in the fifth aspect, or a device included in the second network device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the third network device in the sixth aspect, or a device included in the third network device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the second network device in the seventh aspect, or a device included in the second network device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the third network device in the eighth aspect, or a device included in the third network device, such as a chip. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the above-mentioned method, which can be implemented by hardware, software, or hardware executing corresponding software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above-mentioned functions.

[0042] In some possible designs, the communication device may include a processing module and a communication module. The communication module may include an output module (or a sending module) and an input module (or a receiving module), respectively configured to implement the output (or sending) and input (or receiving) functions of any of the first to eighth aspects and any possible designs thereof. The processing module may be configured to implement the processing functions of any of the above aspects and any possible designs thereof.

[0043] Optionally, the communication device further includes a storage module for storing program instructions and data.

[0044] In a tenth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor configured to execute a computer program or instruction, or to cause the communication device to execute the method described in the first or second aspect through a logic circuit. The communication device may be the terminal device in the first aspect, or a device included in the terminal device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the first network device in the second aspect, or a device included in the first network device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the terminal device in the third aspect, or a device included in the terminal device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the second network device in the fourth aspect, or a device included in the second network device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the second network device in the fifth aspect, or a device included in the second network device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the third network device in the sixth aspect, or a device included in the third network device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the second network device in the seventh aspect, or a device included in the second network device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the third network device in the eighth aspect, or a device included in the third network device, such as a chip.

[0045] In some possible designs, the communication device further includes a memory for storing computer instructions and / or configuration files of logic circuits. Optionally, the memory is integrated with the processor, or the memory is independent of the processor.

[0046] In one possible design, the communication device further includes a communication interface for inputting and / or outputting signals.

[0047] In some possible designs, the communication interface is an interface circuit for reading and writing computer instructions. For example, the interface circuit is used to receive computer execution instructions (computer execution instructions are stored in a memory, may be read directly from the memory, or may pass through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0048] In some possible designs, the communication interface is used to communicate with modules outside the communication device.

[0049] In some possible designs, the communication device may be a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, the chip system may include a chip or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0050] In the eleventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a logic circuit and an interface circuit; the interface circuit is used to input information and / or output information; the logic circuit is used to execute the method described in any one of the first to eighth aspects above, and process and / or generate output information based on the input information. The communication device may be the terminal device in the first aspect, or a device included in the terminal device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the first network device in the second aspect, or a device included in the first network device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the terminal device in the third aspect, or a device included in the terminal device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the second network device in the fourth aspect, or a device included in the second network device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the second network device in the fifth aspect, or a device included in the second network device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the third network device in the sixth aspect, or a device included in the third network device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the second network device in the seventh aspect, or a device included in the second network device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the third network device in the eighth aspect, or a device included in the third network device, such as a chip.

[0051] It can be understood that when the communication device provided in any of the above aspects is a chip, the above sending action / function can be understood as output information, and the above receiving action / function can be understood as input information.

[0052] In a twelfth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the method described in any one of the above aspects is executed.

[0053] In a thirteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which, when executed by a processor, enables the method described in any one of the above aspects to be executed.

[0054] In the fourteenth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes a module / unit for executing the method described in the first or second aspect above, or the communication device includes a module / unit for executing the method described in the third or fourth aspect above, the communication device includes a module / unit for executing the method described in the fifth or sixth aspect above, or the communication device includes a module / unit for executing the method described in the seventh or eighth aspect above.

[0055] In the fifteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the terminal device described in the first aspect and the first network device described in the second aspect, or the communication system includes the terminal device described in the third aspect and the second network device described in the fourth aspect, or the communication system includes the second network device described in the fifth aspect and the third network device described in the sixth aspect; or the communication system includes the second network device described in the seventh aspect and the third network device described in the eighth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0056] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a registration process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of another communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of another communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0070] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in this application is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist, for example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural.

[0071] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or plural.

[0072] In addition, to facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, the words "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between identical or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art will understand that the words "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the words "first" and "second" do not necessarily mean different.

[0073] In the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner to facilitate understanding.

[0074] It will be understood that the “embodiment” mentioned throughout the specification means that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It will be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence number of each process does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiment of the present application.

[0075] It can be understood that in this application, "when" and "if" both mean that corresponding processing will be taken under certain objective circumstances, and do not limit the time, nor do they require any judgment action when implementing, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0076] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application may, in certain scenarios, be implemented independently of other features, such as the solution on which they are currently based, to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects. They may also be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Accordingly, the devices provided in the embodiments of the present application may also implement these features or functions accordingly, which will not be described in detail here.

[0077] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can refer to each other. In the various embodiments in this application, and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in each embodiment, if there is no special explanation and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in each embodiment are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in each embodiment can be combined to form new embodiments, implementation methods, implementation methods, or implementation methods according to their inherent logical relationships. The implementation methods of this application described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0078] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief introduction to the relevant technologies of the present application is given below.

[0079] 1. Fifth generation (5G) network architecture:

[0080] The 5G network architecture defined in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) TS23.501 standard is mainly divided into two parts: access network (AN) and core network.

[0081] The access network may include a radio access network (RAN), which is used to implement functions related to wireless access.

[0082] The core network mainly includes the following key logical network elements: access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, session management function (SMF) network element, user plane function (UPF) network element, policy control function (policy control function) network element, unified data management function (UDM) network element. In addition, the core network may also include authentication server function (AUSF) network element, network slice selection function (NSSF) network element, or application function (AF) network element.

[0083] Referring to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture, the terminal device may be a user equipment (UE), such as a mobile phone, an IoT terminal device, etc.

[0084] DN stands for data network (DN), which is mainly used to provide data transmission services to users, such as Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Service (IMS).

[0085] Access network equipment that provides wireless access to users is deployed in the RAN, including but not limited to evolved base stations (NodeBs or eNBs or e-NodeBs, evolutionary Node Bs), wireless fidelity (WiFi) access points (APs), etc.

[0086] The AMF network element is mainly responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as user location update, user network registration, user switching, etc.

[0087] The SMF network element is responsible for session management in mobile networks, such as session establishment, modification, and release. Specific functions include allocating IP addresses to users and selecting the UPF that provides packet forwarding capabilities.

[0088] The PCF network element is mainly responsible for providing policies to AMF and SMF, such as quality of service (QoS) policy and slice selection policy.

[0089] The UDM network element is mainly responsible for storing user data, such as contract information and authentication / authorization information.

[0090] The AF network element is mainly responsible for providing service requirements to the 3GPP network, such as influencing service routing and interacting with the PCF network element for policy control.

[0091] The UPF network element is mainly responsible for processing user messages, such as forwarding and billing.

[0092] The terminal device accesses the DN by establishing a protocol data unit (PDU) session (PDU session) between the terminal device-RAN device-UPF network element-DN.

[0093] The AUSF network element is mainly responsible for providing terminal device authentication services for the AMF network element.

[0094] The NSSF network element is mainly responsible for selecting the network slice that serves the terminal device.

[0095] In addition, referring to Figure 1, Nx represents the logical interface or service-oriented interface between two network elements, which is used for communication between network elements. For example, N1 is the interface between the terminal device and the AMF network element; N2 is the interface between the access network device and the AMF network element; N3 is the interface between the access network device and the UPF network element; N9 is the interface between different UPF network elements; N6 is the interface between the UPF network element and the DN; N4 is the interface between the UPF network element and the SMF network element; N11 is the interface between the AMF network element and the SMF network element; N7 is the interface between the SMF network element and the PCF network element; N5 is the interface between the PCF network element and the AF network element; N14 is the interface between different AMF network elements; N15 is the interface between the AMF network element and the PCF network element; N22 is the interface between the NSSF network element and the AMF network element; N12 is the interface between the AUSF network element and the AMF network element; N8 is the interface between the UDM network element and the AMF network element; and N13 is the interface between the AUSF network element and the UDM network element.

[0096] 2. Network Slice (or Slice for short):

[0097] In the 5G era, hundreds of billions of IoT devices will be connected to the network. Different application scenarios will have different, and sometimes even conflicting, network requirements. Providing services for these diverse application scenarios through a single network will lead to an extremely complex network architecture and inefficient network management and resource utilization.

[0098] 5G network slicing technology provides isolated network environments for different application scenarios by creating virtual independent logical networks on the same network infrastructure. This allows different application scenarios to customize network functions and features according to their respective needs, and can effectively guarantee the QoS requirements of different services.

[0099] The goal of network slicing is to organically combine terminal devices, access network resources, core network resources, and network operation and maintenance and management systems to provide a complete network that can be independently operated and maintained and isolated from each other for different business scenarios or business types.

[0100] A wide variety of scenarios present distinct requirements for the 3GPP ecosystem, including billing, policy, security, and mobility. 3GPP emphasizes that network slices should not interfere with each other. For example, a sudden surge in meter reading traffic should not impact normal mobile broadband services. To meet diverse needs and isolate services between slices, relatively independent management and operations are required for each service, along with tailored service functionality and analytical capabilities. Instances of different service types can be deployed on different network slices, and different instances of the same service type can also be deployed on different network slices.

[0101] Specifically:

[0102] Network slicing: refers to a logical network that can provide specific network capabilities and network characteristics.

[0103] Network Slice instance: refers to a set of network function entities and required resources that constitute a network slice, such as computing, storage, and network resources.

[0104] In an embodiment of the present application, single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) can be used as identification information of the network slice to distinguish different network slices.

[0105] Among them, S-NSSAI may include slice type / service type (SST) information, which is used to describe the expected network slicing behavior, such as the slice type / service type used to describe the network slice, etc., without restriction.

[0106] Exemplarily, the slice type / service type (SST) of the network slice may include: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC), massive Internet of things (MIoT), vehicle to everything (V2X), etc., without limitation.

[0107] Optionally, S-NSSAI also includes slice differentiator (or slice differentiation identifier) ​​(slice differentiator, SD) information. The SD information is complementary information to the SST information and is used to distinguish different network slices with the same SST characteristics. That is, when the SST information points to multiple network slices, the SD information can assist in corresponding to a unique network slice.

[0108] In addition, a group of S-NSSAIs can be identified by NSSAI, that is, NSSAI is a collection of a group of S-NSSAIs.

[0109] NSSAI can be categorized into Subscribed NSSAI, Configured NSSAI, Requested NSSAI, Allowed NSSAI, Rejected NSSAI, or Pending NSSAI. The following describes each of these types of NSSAI.

[0110] Subscribed NSSAI: The subscribed NSSAI is unique to the home public land mobile network (HPLMN) and refers to the subscribed NSSAI that the terminal device is allowed to access.

[0111] Configured NSSAI: The NSSAI of one or more PLMNs defined in the terminal device. The Configured NSSAI is determined by the serving PLMN based on its own support capabilities for network slicing and the network slices subscribed to by the terminal device. It is then sent to the terminal device in the Registration Accept message during the registration process. Configured NSSAI is based on the granularity of PLMN or Stand-alone Non-Public Network (SNPN). Different PLMNs or SNPNs can correspond to different Configured NSSAIs.

[0112] Requested NSSAI: refers to the NSSAI provided by the terminal device to the serving PLMN during the registration process. If the terminal device has saved the Configured NSSAI corresponding to the serving PLMN, the Requested NSSAI includes the S-NSSAI in the Configured NSSAI corresponding to the serving PLMN. If the terminal device does not save the Configured NSSAI corresponding to the serving PLMN, for example, when the terminal device is first accessed or the Configured NSSAI corresponding to the serving PLMN is deleted due to reasons such as restart, the Requested NSSAI may include the S-NSSAI in the Default Configured NSSAI. The Default Configured NSSAI is configured by the HPLMN. In this scenario, the Requested NSSAI may include an S-NSSAI that does not belong to the Configured NSSAI corresponding to the serving PLMN.

[0113] Allowed NSSAI: refers to the NSSAI provided by the serving PLMN in, for example, the registration process, indicating the network slice of the serving PLMN that the terminal device is allowed to access in the current registration area (RA) in the network slice corresponding to the Requested NSSAI.

[0114] Rejected NSSAI: refers to the NSSAI provided by the serving PLMN in, for example, the registration process, indicating that the network slice corresponding to the Requested NSSAI is not allowed to be accessed by the terminal device in the current RA.

[0115] The network slices corresponding to Rejected NSSAI can be divided into the following two categories: one is the network slice that is not allowed to be accessed in the current RA but can be accessed in the serving PLMN; the other is the network slice that is not allowed to be accessed in the entire serving PLMN.

[0116] Pending NSSAI: The NSSAI provided by the serving PLMN during the registration process indicates the S-NSSAI for which the network slice-specific authentication and authorization process is still pending. For details, please refer to the definition in the 3GPP 23.501 standard and will not be repeated here.

[0117] 3. Network slicing registration process.

[0118] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a registration process provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2, part of the registration process related to slice selection includes the following steps:

[0119] S201: The terminal device sends a registration request to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the registration request from the terminal device.

[0120] The registration request includes the NSSAI requested by the terminal device, namely, Requested NSSAI.

[0121] S202: The access network device forwards the NSSAI requested by the terminal device to the initial AMF network element. Correspondingly, the initial AMF network element receives the NSSAI requested by the terminal device forwarded by the access network device.

[0122] Among them, the access network device can forward the NSSAI requested by the terminal device to the initial AMF network element through the N2 message.

[0123] S203: The initial AMF network element initiates a request to the UDM network element to obtain the subscribed NSSAI of the terminal device.

[0124] S204: When the initial AMF network element cannot determine the Allowed NSSAI of the terminal device, the initial AMF network element sends the NSSAI requested by the terminal device, the NSSAI subscribed by the terminal device, and the location information of the terminal device to the NSSF network element to request slice selection from the NSSF network element.

[0125] S205: The NSSF network element replies to the initial AMF network element with the Allowed NSSAI of the terminal device. Correspondingly, the initial AMF network element receives the Allowed NSSAI of the terminal device from the NSSF network element.

[0126] In addition, if the AMF network element needs to be switched, the NSSF network element also replies to the initial AMF network element with the target AMF set (or list) and the identifier (ID) of the network repository function (NRF) network element corresponding to the target AMF network element.

[0127] S206: If the AMF network element needs to be switched, the initial AMF network element queries the corresponding NFR network element for the information of the target AMF network element based on the NFR ID replied by the NSSF network element.

[0128] S207: The initial AMF network element sends an AMF relocation request to the target AMF network element. Correspondingly, the target AMF network element receives the AMF relocation request from the initial AMF network element.

[0129] Among them, the AMF relocation request includes the Allowed NSSAI of the terminal device responded by the NSSF network element.

[0130] As a possible implementation method, the initial AMF network element can send an AMF relocation request to the target AMF network element through the interface between AMF network elements, as shown in S207a.

[0131] As another possible implementation method, the initial AMF network element can also forward the AMF relocation request to the target AMF network element through the access network device.

[0132] For example, as shown in S207b, the initial AMF network element sends an AMF relocation request to the access network device. In addition to the Allowed NSSAI of the terminal device replied by the NSSF network element, the AMF relocation request also includes the information of the target AMF network element. After receiving the AMF relocation request from the initial AMF network element, the access network device forwards the AMF relocation request to the target AMF network element based on the information of the target AMF network element included therein.

[0133] S208: The target AMF network element sends the Allowed NSSAI of the terminal device to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the Allowed NSSAI of the terminal device from the target AMF network element.

[0134] S209 , the access network device feeds back the Allowed NSSAI of the terminal device and the terminal device route selection policy (URSP) to the terminal device.

[0135] Among them, URSP is generated by the PCF network element during the registration process and will not be described in detail here.

[0136] At this point, the terminal device can know the network slices that can be accessed subsequently and their corresponding URSPs.

[0137] In addition, according to the current 23.502 protocol, the triggering scenarios of the registration process mainly include: (1) the initial registration of the terminal device to the core network; (2) the mobile registration update caused by the terminal device moving to a TA outside the registration area (RA); (3) the registration update caused by the change of the terminal device capability; (4) the periodic registration update of the terminal device in the inactive state; (5) emergency registration. In other words, the terminal device can select the network slice in the above five scenarios. In other words, in the prior art, in scenarios other than the above five scenarios, the terminal device will not initiate the registration process. It should be noted that the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application mainly describes the key processes in the registration process, and the description of other steps in the registration process will be omitted.

[0138] Optionally, the embodiments of the present application can be applied to 5G systems or other communication systems, such as the future sixth generation mobile communication technology (6th generation, 6G), etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0139] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3, the communication system includes a terminal device and a first network device.

[0140] In one possible implementation, a terminal device is configured to send a first registration request message to a first network device. The first registration request message includes a requested NSSAI, where the requested NSSAI includes N S-NSSAIs, where N is a positive integer greater than 8. The first network device is configured to receive the first registration request message and send a first registration accept message to the terminal device, where the first registration accept message indicates whether the first network device approves the requested NSSAI. The terminal device is configured to receive the first registration accept message. The specific implementation and beneficial effects of this solution will be described in subsequent method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0141] Optionally, as shown in Figure 3, the communication system provided by the embodiment of the present application may also include a second network device, used to send indication information to the first network device, indicating whether the first network device corresponding to the PLMN in the first PLMN set allows the corresponding NSSAI.

[0142] For example, the first network device in the embodiment of the present application may be, for example, an AMF network element of a 5G network architecture, and the second network device in the embodiment of the present application may be, for example, a UDM network element of a 5G network architecture. Optionally, the communication system provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes an access network device, and the first network device or the second network device communicates with the terminal device through the access network device.

[0143] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of another communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4, the communication system includes a terminal device and a second network device.

[0144] In one possible implementation, a terminal device is configured to obtain first slice information, where the first slice information includes first indication information or a first request message, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, and the first request message is used to request NSSAI, where NSSAI includes Y S-NSSAIs, where Y is a positive integer; the terminal device is further configured to, when the first security authentication key and the first security context are present when the terminal device sends a second registration request message to the second network device, send the first slice information via a second registration request message, and when the first security authentication key or the first security context is not present when the terminal device sends the second registration request message, send the first slice information via a security mode completion message. The second network device is configured to receive the first slice information from the terminal device, and is further configured to determine whether the corresponding NSSAI is allowed based on the first slice information.

[0145] Optionally, as shown in Figure 4, the communication system provided in this embodiment of the present application also includes a first network device, and the terminal device is used to send the first slice information through the first network device.

[0146] For example, the first network device in the embodiment of the present application may be, for example, an AMF network element of a 5G network architecture, and the second network device in the embodiment of the present application may be, for example, a UDM network element of a 5G network architecture. Optionally, the communication system provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes an access network device, and the first network device or the second network device communicates with the terminal device through the access network device.

[0147] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of another communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 5, the communication system includes a terminal device, a second network device, and a third network device.

[0148] In one possible implementation, a terminal device is configured to send a third container cell to a second network device, the third container cell including a first parameter, the first parameter including second slice information, the second slice information including a first indication or a second request message, the first indication information being used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, and the second request message being used to request an NSSAI, where the requested NSSAI includes X S-NSSAIs, where X is a positive integer. The second network device is configured to send a first parameter and a first message verification code to a third network device, the first parameter and the first message verification code being used by the third network device to perform a security check on the third container cell; the second network device is further configured to receive a security check reply message from the third network device, the security check reply message being used to indicate a successful security check. The third network device is configured to receive the first parameter and the first message verification code, the first parameter and the first message verification code being used by the third network device to perform a security check on the third container cell; the third network device is further configured to determine a successful security check based on the first parameter and the first message verification code and to send a security check reply message to the second network device, the security check reply message being used to indicate a successful security check. The specific implementation and beneficial effects of this solution will be described in the subsequent method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0149] In another possible implementation, a terminal device is configured to send a third container information element to a second network device. The third container information element includes a first parameter, the first parameter includes second slice information, and the second slice information includes a first indication or a second request message. The first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, and the second request message is used to request an NSSAI, where the requested NSSAI includes X S-NSSAIs, where X is a positive integer. The second network device is configured to send the first parameter to the third network device and receive a security verification reply message from the third network device. The security verification reply message includes a second message verification code, which is determined by the third network device based on the first parameter. The second network device is further configured to determine that the security verification is successful based on the first and second message verification codes. The third network device is configured to receive the first parameter from the second network device and to determine the second message verification code based on the first parameter. The third network device is further configured to send a security verification reply message to the second network device, where the security verification reply message includes the second message verification code. The specific implementation and beneficial effects of this solution will be described in subsequent method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0150] Exemplarily, the second network device in the embodiment of the present application may be, for example, a UDM network element in a 5G network architecture. Exemplarily, the third network device in the embodiment of the present application may be, for example, an AUSF network element in a 5G network architecture.

[0151] Optionally, the communication system provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes an access network device, and the above-mentioned second network device or third network device communicates with the terminal device through the access network device.

[0152] Optionally, the terminal device involved in the embodiment of the present application can be a user equipment (UE), access terminal device, terminal device unit, user station, terminal device station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal device, user terminal equipment terminal equipment, TE), mobile device, wireless communication device, terminal device agent, tablet computer (pad), handheld device with wireless communication function, computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, vehicle-mounted device, vehicle-mounted communication module, wearable device, or terminal device device, the access terminal device can be a cellular 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 function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a drone, a robot, a smart point of sale (POS), a customer-premises terminal device ( The terminal device may be a wireless terminal device in the IoT, such as a wireless equipment (CPE) or wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, a wireless terminal device in a smart home, etc. Alternatively, the terminal device may be a terminal device with communication capabilities in the IoT, such as a terminal device in V2X (e.g., a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) device), a terminal device in D2D communication, or a terminal device in M2M communication. The terminal device may be mobile or fixed.

[0153] The access network device involved in the present application may be a device for communicating with a terminal device, for example, it may include an evolved base station (NodeB or eNB or e-NodeB, evolutionary Node B) in a long term evolution (LTE) system or an enhanced LTE (LTE-advanced, LTE-A) system, such as a traditional macro base station eNB and a micro base station eNB in ​​a heterogeneous network scenario. Alternatively, it may include a next generation node B (gNB) in a new radio (NR) system. Alternatively, it may include a transmission reception point (TRP), a home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), a base band unit (BBU), a base band pool (BBU pool), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) access point (AP), etc. Alternatively, it may include a base station in a non-terrestrial network (NTN), which can be deployed on an aircraft or satellite. In the NTN, the network device or access device can function as a Layer 1 (L1) relay, a base station, or an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node. Alternatively, the network device or access device can be a device that implements base station functions in the IoT, such as a device that implements base station functions in drone communications, V2X, D2D, or machine-to-machine (M2M).

[0154] In some possible scenarios, the access network equipment may also be a module or unit that can implement some of the functions of the base station. For example, the network equipment may be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU may be configured separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU may be included in a radio frequency device or radio unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0155] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, the network device may be a network device or a module of a network device in an open radio access network (open RAN, ORAN) system. In the ORAN system, CU may also be referred to as open (open, O)-CU, DU may also be referred to as O-DU, CU-CP may also be referred to as O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be referred to as O-CU-UP, and RU may also be referred to as O-RU. Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0156] Optionally, the base station in the embodiment of the present application may include various forms of base stations, such as: macro base stations, micro base stations (also called small stations), relay stations, access points, home base stations, TRPs, transmitting points (TPs), mobile switching centers, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0157] It should be noted that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present application is intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0158] Optionally, the relevant functions of the terminal device, the first network device, the second network device or the third network device involved in the present application can be implemented by one device, or by multiple devices together, or by one or more functional modules within a device, or can be one or more chips, or a system on chip (SOC) or a chip system. The chip system can be composed of chips, or can include chips and other discrete devices. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0159] It is understandable that the above functions can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or a combination of hardware and software, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0160] For example, the relevant functions of the terminal device, the first network device, the second network device, or the third network device involved in this application can be implemented by the communication device 600 in Figure 6. Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 600 includes one or more processors 601, a communication line 602, and at least one communication interface (Figure 6 is only exemplary, taking the communication interface 604 and one processor 601 as an example for description), and optionally may also include a memory 603.

[0161] The processor 601 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits used to control the execution of the program of the present application.

[0162] The communication line 602 may include a path for connecting different components.

[0163] The communication interface 604 may be a transceiver module for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, RAN, or wireless local area networks (WLAN). For example, the transceiver module may be a device such as a transceiver or a transceiver. Alternatively, the communication interface 604 may be a transceiver circuit within the processor 601, which is used to implement signal input and output to the processor.

[0164] The memory 603 may be a device having a storage function. For example, it may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory may be independent and connected to the processor via a communication line 602. The memory may also be integrated with the processor.

[0165] The memory 603 is used to store computer-executable instructions for executing the solution of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 601. The processor 601 is used to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603, thereby implementing the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0166] Alternatively, optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the processor 601 may also perform processing-related functions in the communication method provided in the following embodiments of the present application, and the communication interface 604 is responsible for communicating with other devices or communication networks, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0167] Optionally, the computer-executable instructions in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as application code, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0168] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 601 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in FIG6 .

[0169] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 600 may include multiple processors, such as the processor 607 and the processor 601 in FIG6 . Each of these processors may be a single-core processor or a multi-core processor. The processors herein may include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), or an artificial intelligence processor, and other types of computing devices that run software. Each computing device may include one or more cores for executing software instructions to perform calculations or processing.

[0170] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 600 may further include an output device 605 and an input device 606. The output device 605 communicates with the processor 601 and can display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 605 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. The input device 606 communicates with the processor 601 and can receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device 606 can be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensor device.

[0171] The communication device 600 described above may also sometimes be referred to as a communication apparatus, and may be a general-purpose device or a dedicated device. For example, the communication device 600 may be a desktop computer, a portable computer, a network server, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal device, an embedded device, the aforementioned terminal, the aforementioned network device, or a device having a similar structure to that shown in FIG6 . The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of the communication device 600.

[0172] In addition, the composition structure shown in FIG6 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. In addition to the components shown in FIG6, the communication device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0173] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described below in conjunction with the communication systems shown in Figures 3 to 5.

[0174] It should be noted that in the following embodiments of the present application, the message names, parameter names, or information names between network elements are only examples. In other embodiments, they may also be other names, and the method provided in the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0175] It is understood that in the embodiments of the present application, each network element may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of the present application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present application may also perform other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, the steps may be performed in a different order than those presented in the embodiments of the present application, and it is possible that not all operations in the embodiments of the present application need to be performed.

[0176] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method is based on the communication system shown in Figure 3 and is illustrated by taking the interaction between a terminal device and a first network device as an example. Of course, the subject that executes the terminal device action in the method can also be a device / module in the terminal device, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the terminal device; the subject that executes the first network device action in the method can also be a device / module in the network device, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the network device, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0177] As shown in FIG. 7 , method 700 includes:

[0178] S710: The terminal device sends a first registration request message to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device receives the first registration request message from the terminal device.

[0179] In an embodiment of the present application, the first registration request message includes a requested NSSAI, i.e., a Requested NSSAI, which includes N S-NSSAIs. N is a positive integer greater than 8, or a positive integer greater than 8 and less than or equal to 17, which is not limited in the present application.

[0180] In one possible implementation, the first registration request message includes a first slice information element, and the first slice information element is used to carry the Requested NSSAI. It should be understood that in one possible implementation, the first slice information element is a new slice information element obtained by extending the existing slice information element used to carry the Requested NSSAI. The existing slice information element used to carry the Requested NSSAI supports carrying up to 8 Requested S-NSSAIs, and the first slice information element supports carrying more than 8 Requested S-NSSAIs. By extending the existing slice information element, the protocol changes are relatively small. Of course, the first slice information element can also be a newly defined slice information element, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0181] In another possible implementation, the first registration request message includes a second slice information element and a third slice information element, and the second slice information element and the third slice information element are used to carry the requested NSSAI. The second slice information element is used to carry the eight S-NSSAIs included in the requested NSSAI, and the third slice information element is used to carry the (N-8) S-NSSAIs included in the requested NSSAI.

[0182] It should be understood that in one possible implementation, the second slice information element is an existing slice information element for carrying the Requested NSSAI, and the existing slice information element for carrying the Requested NSSAI supports carrying up to 8 Requested S-NSSAIs. The third slice information element is a newly added slice information element for requesting NSSAI. The specifications of the third slice information element can be the same as those of the second slice information element, that is, the specifications of the existing slice information element can be reused. Of course, the specifications of the third slice information element can also be different from those of the second slice information element, and this embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0183] In another possible implementation, the message used to carry the Requested NSSAI may not be the above-mentioned first registration request message, but a newly defined message, which is not limited in this application.

[0184] S720: The first network device sends a first registration acceptance message to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first registration acceptance message from the first network device.

[0185] In an embodiment of the present application, the first registration acceptance message is used to indicate whether the first network device allows the Requested NSSAI, or the first registration acceptance message is used to indicate whether the first network device in the PLMN where the terminal device currently resides allows the Requested NSSAI, or the first registration acceptance message is used to indicate whether the first network device in any PLMN corresponding to the terminal device allows the Requested NSSAI, and this application does not limit this. When the PLMN changes, the first network device in different PLMNs is different, for example, when the terminal device currently resides in the first PLMN, it corresponds to the first AMF network element; or when the terminal device currently resides in the second PLMN, it corresponds to the second AMF network element.

[0186] For the S-NSSAI allowed by the first network device:

[0187] In one possible implementation, the first registration acceptance message includes a fourth slice allowance information element, which is used to indicate the S-NSSAI allowed by the first network device among the N S-NSSAIs, that is, the Allowed S-NSSAI, and the fourth slice allowance information element is used to carry M Allowed S-NSSAIs, where M is a positive integer greater than 8. It should be understood that in one possible implementation, the fourth slice allowance information element is a new slice information element obtained by extending the existing slice information element for carrying the Allowed S-NSSAI. The existing slice information element for carrying the Allowed S-NSSAI supports carrying up to 8 Allowed S-NSSAIs, while the fourth slice allowance information element supports carrying M (greater than 8) Allowed S-NSSAIs. By extending the existing slice information element, the protocol changes are relatively small. Of course, the fourth slice allowance information element can also be a newly defined slice information element, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0188] In another possible implementation, the first registration acceptance message includes a fifth slice allow information element and a sixth slice allow information element, and the fifth slice allow information element and the sixth slice allow information element are used to indicate the S-NSSAI allowed by the first network device among N S-NSSAIs, that is, Allowed S-NSSAI, the fifth slice allow information element is used to carry 8 Allowed S-NSSAIs, and the sixth slice allow information element is used to carry (M-8) Allowed S-NSSAIs.

[0189] It should be understood that in one possible implementation, the fifth slice allowance information element is an existing slice allowance information element for carrying Allowed S-NSSAI, and the existing slice allowance information element for carrying Allowed S-NSSAI supports carrying up to 8 Allowed S-NSSAIs, and the sixth slice allowance information element is a newly added slice allowance information element for carrying Allowed S-NSSAI. The specifications of the sixth slice allowance information element may be the same as those of the fifth slice allowance information element, that is, the specifications of the existing slice information element may be reused. Of course, the specifications of the sixth slice allowance information element may also be different from those of the fifth slice allowance information element, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0190] In another possible implementation, the message used to carry the Allowed NSSAI may not be the above-mentioned first registration acceptance message, but a newly defined message, which is not limited in this application.

[0191] For S-NSSAI not allowed by the first network device:

[0192] In one possible implementation, the first registration acceptance message includes a fourth slice rejection information element, and the fourth slice rejection information element is used to indicate the S-NSSAI that is not allowed by the first network device among the N S-NSSAIs, that is, the Rejected S-NSSAI, and the fourth slice rejection information element is used to carry X Rejected S-NSSAIs, where X is a positive integer greater than 8. It should be understood that in one possible implementation, the fourth slice rejection information element is a new slice information element obtained by extending the existing slice information element for carrying the Rejected S-NSSAI. The existing slice information element for carrying the Rejected S-NSSAI supports carrying up to 8 Rejected S-NSSAIs, and the fourth slice rejection information element supports carrying X (greater than 8) Rejected S-NSSAIs. By extending the existing slice information element, the protocol changes are relatively small. Of course, the fourth slice rejection information element can also be a newly defined slice information element, and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0193] In another possible implementation, the first registration acceptance message includes a fifth slice rejection information element and a sixth slice rejection information element, and the fifth slice rejection information element and the sixth slice rejection information element are used to indicate the S-NSSAI that is not allowed by the first network device among the N S-NSSAIs, that is, the Rejected S-NSSAI, the fifth slice rejection information element is used to carry 8 Rejected S-NSSAIs, and the sixth slice rejection information element is used to carry (X-8) Rejected S-NSSAIs.

[0194] It should be understood that in one possible implementation, the fifth slice rejection information element is an existing slice information element for carrying Rejected S-NSSAI, and the existing slice information element for carrying Rejected S-NSSAI supports carrying up to 8 Rejected S-NSSAIs. The sixth slice information element is a newly added slice information element for carrying Rejected S-NSSAI. The specifications of the sixth slice rejection information element may be the same as those of the fifth slice rejection information element, that is, the specifications of the existing slice information element may be reused. Of course, the specifications of the sixth slice rejection information element may also be different from those of the fifth slice rejection information element, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0195] In another possible implementation, the message used to carry the Rejected NSSAI may not be the above-mentioned first registration acceptance message, but a newly defined message, which is not limited in this application.

[0196] In the embodiment of the present application, the first registration accept message is further used to indicate the NSSAI of the pending request of the first network device.

[0197] For the pending S-NSSAI of the first network device, in one possible implementation, the first registration acceptance message includes a fourth slice pending information element, and the fourth slice pending information element is used to indicate the pending S-NSSAI of the first network device among N S-NSSAIs, that is, the pending S-NSSAI, and the fourth slice pending information element is used to carry Z pending S-NSSAIs, where Z is a positive integer greater than 8.

[0198] It should be understood that in one possible implementation, the fourth slice pending information element is a new slice information element obtained by extending the existing slice information element for carrying the pending S-NSSAI. The existing slice information element for carrying the pending S-NSSAI supports carrying up to 8 pending S-NSSAIs, while the fourth slice pending information element supports carrying Z (greater than 8) pending S-NSSAIs. By extending the existing slice information element, the protocol changes are relatively small. Of course, the fourth slice pending information element can also be a newly defined slice information element, and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0199] In another possible implementation, the first registration acceptance message includes a fifth slice pending information element and a sixth slice pending information element, and the fifth slice pending information element and the sixth slice pending information element are used to indicate the pending S-NSSAI of the first network device among N S-NSSAIs, that is, the pending S-NSSAI, the fifth slice pending information element is used to carry 8 pending S-NSSAIs, and the sixth slice pending information element is used to carry (Z-8) pending S-NSSAIs.

[0200] It should be understood that in one possible implementation, the fifth slice pending cell is an existing slice cell for carrying pending S-NSSAI, and the existing slice cell for carrying pending S-NSSAI supports carrying up to 8 pending S-NSSAIs, and the sixth slice cell is a newly added slice cell for carrying pending S-NSSAI. The specifications of the sixth slice pending cell can be the same as those of the fifth slice pending cell, that is, the specifications of the existing slice cells can be reused. Of course, the specifications of the sixth slice pending cell can also be different from those of the fifth slice pending cell, and the embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0201] S730: The terminal device determines whether the first network device allows the requested NSSAI according to the first registration acceptance message.

[0202] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can further switch the PLMN to process the service based on whether the first network device allows the requested NSSAI. This embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0203] In the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, if the Requested NSSAI indicated in the first registration request message includes more than eight S-NSSAIs, the first registration accept message received by the terminal device indicates whether the first network device permits the requested NSSAIs. In this way, the terminal device can obtain information about whether the first network device permits the requested NSSAIs (greater than eight S-NSSAIs) by sending a single registration request message, thereby avoiding resource waste caused by the terminal device frequently sending first registration request messages to the first network device.

[0204] Based on the embodiment corresponding to Figure 7, further, the first registration request message may also include first indication information for indicating that the terminal device supports slice-based selection of the network. Exemplarily, as shown in Figure 8, another communication method is provided for an embodiment of the present application. The method is based on the communication system shown in Figure 3, and is illustrated by taking the interaction between the terminal device, the first network device, and the second network device as an example. Of course, the subject that executes the action of the terminal device in the method may also be a device / module in the terminal device, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the terminal device; the subject that executes the action of the network device (including the first network device and the second network device) in the method may also be a device / module in the network device, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the network device, and the embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this. As shown in Figure 8, method 800 includes:

[0205] S810: The terminal device sends a first registration request message to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device receives the first registration request message from the terminal device.

[0206] In the embodiment of the present application, the first registration request message includes Requested NSSAI. For details about the first registration request message including Requested NSSAI, please refer to the description in step S710, which will not be repeated here.

[0207] In addition, in an embodiment of the present application, the first registration request message also includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection.

[0208] S820: The first network device sends a first acquisition request to the second network device. Correspondingly, the second network device receives the first acquisition request from the first network device.

[0209] In an embodiment of the present application, the first acquisition request is used to request information of the first PLMN set. The first PLMN set may include all PLMNs subscribed to by the terminal device, or the first PLMN set may include the PLMNs included in the RA registered by the terminal device, or the first PLMN set may be a PLMN related to the terminal device. This application does not limit this.

[0210] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the first PLMN set is determined based on the first indication information.

[0211] S830: The second network device sends a first acquisition response to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device receives the first acquisition response from the second network device.

[0212] In an embodiment of the present application, the first acquisition response is used to indicate whether the first network device corresponding to the PLMN in the first PLMN set allows the corresponding NSSAI.

[0213] In the embodiment of the present application, the corresponding NSSAI can be a Requested NSSAI or a Configured NSSAI, which is not limited in this application. It should be understood that the slice information element carrying the Requested NSSAI can be, for example, the first slice information element, the second slice information element, and the third slice information element described in the embodiment corresponding to FIG7 above, or other new information elements, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. The slice information element carrying the indication of whether the first network device allows the corresponding NSSAI can be the fourth slice allow information element, the fifth slice allow information element, and the sixth slice allow information element, the fourth slice reject information element, the fifth slice reject information element, and the sixth slice reject information element described in the embodiment corresponding to FIG7 above, or other new information elements, which is not limited in this application.

[0214] S840: The first network device sends a first registration acceptance message to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first registration acceptance message from the first network device.

[0215] In the embodiment of the present application, the first registration acceptance message is used to indicate whether the first network device allows the description of the Requested NSSAI. Please refer to the description in step S720 and will not be repeated here.

[0216] In addition, in an embodiment of the present application, the first registration acceptance message is also used to indicate a first acquisition response.

[0217] S850: The terminal device selects a network based on the Requested NSSAI according to the first registration acceptance message.

[0218] In one possible implementation, the terminal device chooses to allow access to all PLMNs with Requested NSSAI, or the terminal device chooses to allow access to the PLMN with the most Requested NSSAI, which is not limited in this application.

[0219] In the communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application, the S-NSSAI included in the Requested NSSAI indicated by the first registration request message is more than 8, and the first registration acceptance message received by the terminal device indicates whether the first network device allows the requested NSSAI. In this way, the terminal device can obtain information on whether the first network device allows the requested NSSAI (greater than 8 S-NSSAIs) by sending a registration request message once, thereby avoiding the waste of resources caused by the terminal device frequently sending the first registration request message to the first network device. Furthermore, the first registration request message also includes first indication information for indicating that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, so that the terminal device obtains an indication in the first registration acceptance message indicating whether the first network device corresponding to the PLMN in the first PLMN set allows the corresponding NSSAI, so that the terminal device can select a network based on the Requested NSSAI.

[0220] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method is based on the communication system shown in Figure 4 and is illustrated by taking the interaction between the terminal device and the second network device as an example. Of course, the subject that executes the terminal device action in this method can also be a device / module in the terminal device, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the terminal device; the subject that executes the second network device action in this method can also be a device / module in the network device, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the network device, and this embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this. As shown in Figure 9, method 900 includes:

[0221] S910, the terminal device obtains first slice information.

[0222] In an embodiment of the present application, the first slice information includes first indication information and / or a first request message, the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, the first request message includes a requested NSSAI, and the requested NSSAI includes Y S-NSSAIs, where Y is a positive integer. This embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0223] Among them, the relevant description of the first indication information can refer to the embodiment described in Figure 8. When Y is greater than 8, the description of the first request message can refer to the relevant description of the first registration request in the embodiment described in Figure 7, which will not be repeated here.

[0224] S920: If the terminal device has the first security authentication key and the first security context, the terminal device sends a second registration request message to the second network device. Correspondingly, the second network device receives the second registration request message from the terminal device.

[0225] Among them, the second registration request message includes the first slice information.

[0226] In an embodiment of the present application, when the terminal device sends the second registration request message, if the terminal device has the first security authentication key and the first security context, the terminal device includes the first slice request message in the second registration request message and sends it. In one possible implementation, the terminal device sends the second registration request message to the second network device through the first network device, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0227] In an embodiment of the present application, when the terminal device sends the second registration request message and the first security authentication key and the first security context are present, the first slice information sent by the terminal device via the second registration request message is included in a first container information element, where the first container information element is generated using the first security authentication key and the first slice information. This solution enables the terminal device to send the first slice information via the encrypted first container information element, thereby further ensuring the security of the transmission of the first slice information.

[0228] In the embodiment of the present application, the first container may be a steering of roaming (SOR) transparent container.

[0229] S930. The second network device determines whether to allow the corresponding NASSI based on the first slice information.

[0230] When the first slice information includes a first request message, the second network device determines whether to allow the requested NSSAI based on the first request message; when the first slice information includes first indication information, the second network device determines whether the network device corresponding to the PLMN in the first PLMN set allows the corresponding NASSI information based on the first indication information.

[0231] In an embodiment of the present application, when the first slice information includes a first request message, the second network device determines whether to allow the requested NSSAI based on the first request message. For related descriptions, refer to the embodiment shown in FIG7 , which will not be repeated here. When the first slice information includes first indication information, the second network device determines whether the network device corresponding to the PLMN in the first PLMN set allows the corresponding NSSAI based on the first indication information. For related descriptions, refer to the embodiment shown in FIG8 , which will not be repeated here.

[0232] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can ensure that the terminal device sends the first slice information based on the security mode because the terminal device can send the first slice information through the second registration request message when the first security authentication key and the first security context exist.

[0233] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method is based on the communication system shown in Figure 4 and is illustrated by taking the interaction between the terminal device and the second network device as an example. Of course, the subject that executes the terminal device action in the method can also be a device / module in the terminal device, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the terminal device; the subject that executes the second network device action in the method can also be a device / module in the network device, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the network device, and the embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this. As shown in Figure 10, method 1000 includes:

[0234] S1010, the terminal device obtains first slice information.

[0235] Among them, the relevant description of the first indication information can refer to the embodiment described in Figure 8. When Y is greater than 8, the description of the first request message can refer to the relevant description of the first registration request in the embodiment described in Figure 7, which will not be repeated here.

[0236] S1020: If the terminal device does not have the first security authentication key and the first security context, the terminal device sends a second registration request message to the second network device. Correspondingly, the second network device receives the second registration request message from the terminal device.

[0237] In an embodiment of the present application, when the terminal device sends a second registration request message to the second network device, the terminal device does not have the first security authentication key or the first security context, so the terminal device does not include the first slice information in the second registration request message.

[0238] S1030: The second network device sends a security mode command to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the security mode command from the second network device.

[0239] The security mode command includes a second security authentication key or a second security context.

[0240] That is to say, in an embodiment of the present application, the security mode process of the second network device can be triggered through a security mode command, and then, through the security mode process, the terminal device has a second security authentication key or a second security context; or, the second security authentication key or the second security context is activated through the security mode command.

[0241] In one possible implementation, the terminal device receives the security mode command from the second network device through the first network device, which is not limited in this application.

[0242] S1040: The terminal device sends a security mode completion message to the second network device. Correspondingly, the second network device receives the security mode completion message from the terminal device.

[0243] In the embodiment of the present application, the security mode complete message is used to indicate that the terminal device has obtained the second security context and the second security authentication key. Exemplarily, the security mode complete message may be a Security mode complete message.

[0244] Among them, the security mode completion message includes the first slice information.

[0245] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device triggers the security mode process by sending a second registration request message to the second network device, so that the terminal device has a second security authentication key and a second security context after the security mode process. Furthermore, the terminal device sends a security mode completion message containing the first slice information to the second network device. In one possible implementation, the terminal device sends a security mode completion message to the second network device through the first network device, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0246] In one possible implementation, in an embodiment of the present application, when the terminal device sends the second registration request message and the first security authentication key or the first security context is not present, the first slice information sent by the terminal device via the security mode completion message is included in a second container information element, where the second container information element is generated using the second security authentication key and the first slice information. This solution enables the terminal device to send the first slice information via the encrypted second container information element, thereby further ensuring the security of the transmission of the first slice information.

[0247] Illustratively, in the embodiment of the present application, the second container is a SOR-controlled transparent container.

[0248] S1050: The second network device determines whether to allow the corresponding NASSI according to the first request message.

[0249] In the embodiment of the present application, for the relevant description on whether the second network device determines whether to allow the corresponding NSSAI according to the first request message, please refer to the embodiment described in Figure 9, which will not be repeated here.

[0250] According to the communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application, when the terminal device sends the second registration request message to the second network device, the terminal device does not have the first security authentication key and the first security context. The terminal device obtains the second security authentication key and the second security context through the security mode process, and then sends the first slice information through the security mode completion message, so that the terminal device can send the first slice information through the encrypted second container element, thereby ensuring that the terminal device sends the first slice information based on the security mode.

[0251] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method is based on the communication system shown in Figure 4 and is illustrated by taking the interaction between the terminal device and the second network device as an example. Of course, the subject that executes the terminal device action in this method can also be a device / module in the terminal device, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the terminal device; the subject that executes the second network device action in this method can also be a device / module in the network device, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the network device, and this embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this. As shown in Figure 11, method 1100 includes:

[0252] S1110, the terminal device obtains the first slice information.

[0253] In the embodiment of the present application, reference may be made to the relevant description of step S710 or step S810 regarding the first slice information, which will not be repeated here.

[0254] S1120: The terminal device sends the first slice information to the second network device. Correspondingly, the second network device receives the first slice information from the terminal device.

[0255] In one possible implementation, when the first security authentication key and the first security context exist when the terminal device sends the second registration request message, the terminal device sends the first slice information through the second registration request message. For details, reference may be made to the relevant description in step S920, which will not be repeated here.

[0256] In another possible implementation, when the first security authentication key and the first security context do not exist when the terminal device sends the second registration request message, the terminal device sends the first slice information to the second network device through a security mode completion message. Please refer to the relevant description in steps S1020 to S1040, which will not be repeated here.

[0257] S1130: The second network device determines whether to allow the corresponding NASSI according to the first request message.

[0258] In the embodiment of the present application, for the relevant description on whether the second network device determines whether to allow the corresponding NSSAI according to the first request message, please refer to the embodiment described in Figure 9, which will not be repeated here.

[0259] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is that the terminal device can send the first slice information through the second registration request message when the first security authentication key and the first security context exist; or, the terminal device can send the first slice information through the security mode completion message when the first security authentication key and the first security context do not exist, and the security mode completion message is triggered after the terminal device obtains the security authentication key and the security context. Therefore, this scheme can ensure that the terminal device sends the first slice information based on the security mode.

[0260] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method is based on the communication system shown in Figure 5 and is illustrated by taking the interaction between the second network device and the third network device as an example. Of course, the subject that executes the action of the second network device in the method can also be a device / module in the second network device, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the second network device; the subject that executes the action of the third network device in the method can also be a device / module in the third network device, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the network device, and the embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this. As shown in Figure 12, method 1200 includes:

[0261] S1210: The second network device receives a third container cell from the terminal device.

[0262] In an embodiment of the present application, the third container information element includes a first parameter and a first message verification code, the first parameter includes first slice information, the first slice information includes first indication information or a first request message, the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, the first request message is used to request NSSAI, the requested NSSAI includes X S-NSSAIs, X is a positive integer, and this embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0263] In the embodiment of the present application, the first parameter may be a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI).

[0264] In the embodiment of the present application, the relevant description of the first indication information and the first request message can refer to the relevant description in method 800 and will not be repeated here.

[0265] In the embodiment of the present application, the third container cell may be the first container cell in method embodiment 900 or the second container cell in method 1000, and the present application does not limit this.

[0266] In a possible implementation, the first parameter further includes header information and counter information.

[0267] In an embodiment of the present application, for example, the first slice information may be SOR data SOR Data, and for example, the first parameter may include SOR Data, header information (SOR head), and counter information (SOR container), which is not limited in the present application.

[0268] S1220: The second network device sends the first parameter and the first message verification code to the third network device. Correspondingly, the third network device receives the first parameter and the first message verification code from the second network device.

[0269] In the embodiment of the present application, the first message authentication code is obtained by the terminal device through the security mode process described in method 1000. For example, the first message authentication code is generated by the first security authentication key or the second security authentication key described in method 900 or method 1000. Exemplarily, the first message authentication code can be a SOR-MAC-IUE message, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0270] S1230: The third network device determines that the security verification is successful based on the first message verification code and the second message verification code being the same.

[0271] In an embodiment of the present application, the second message verification code is determined by the third network device based on the first parameter. Exemplarily, the second message verification code is calculated by the third network device based on the SOR head and the SOR container, and this application does not limit this. Further, the third network device can determine that the security verification is successful based on the second message verification code being the same as the first message verification code.

[0272] In the embodiment of the present application, the second message authentication code may be a SOR-XMAC-IUE message.

[0273] S1240: The third network device sends a security verification reply message to the second network device. Correspondingly, the second network device receives the security verification reply message from the third network device.

[0274] In an embodiment of the present application, the security verification reply message is used to indicate that the security verification is successful. In one possible implementation, the security verification reply message includes a first identifier, and the first identifier is used to indicate that the security verification is successful, or the first identifier indicates that the first message verification code and the second message verification code are the same. This embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0275] S1250: The second network device determines that the security verification is successful based on the security verification reply message.

[0276] In the embodiment of the present application, the second network device determines that the security verification is successful based on the first identifier in the security verification reply message. The second network device determines that the security verification is successful based on the first identifier in the security verification reply message. The second network device only needs to obtain the first identifier to determine that the security verification is successful, which reduces implementation complexity.

[0277] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application ensures that the integrity verification of the third container cell succeeds through the integrity verification process of the third container cell, thereby ensuring the security of the system.

[0278] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method is based on the communication system shown in Figure 5 and is illustrated by taking the interaction between the second network device and the third network device as an example. Of course, the subject that executes the action of the second network device in the method can also be a device / module in the second network device, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the second network device; the subject that executes the action of the third network device in the method can also be a device / module in the third network device, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the network device, and the embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this. As shown in Figure 13, method 1300 includes:

[0279] S1310: The second network device receives a third container cell from the terminal device.

[0280] In the embodiment of the present application, for the description of the third container information element, reference may be made to the relevant description of step S1210 and will not be repeated here.

[0281] S1320: The second network device sends the first parameter to the third network device. Correspondingly, the third network device receives the first parameter from the second network device.

[0282] S1330: The third network device determines a second message verification code according to the first parameter.

[0283] In the embodiment of the present application, regarding how to determine the second message authentication code according to the first parameter and the specific form of the second message authentication code, please refer to the relevant description of step S1230, which will not be repeated here.

[0284] S1340: The third network device sends a security verification reply message to the second network device. Correspondingly, the second network device receives the security verification reply message from the third network device.

[0285] In the embodiment of the present application, the security verification reply message includes the second message verification code. The third network device only needs to determine the second message verification code according to the received first parameter, which reduces the implementation complexity.

[0286] S1350: The second network device determines that the security verification is successful based on the first message verification code and the second message verification code being the same.

[0287] In an embodiment of the present application, the second network device compares the second message verification code in the security verification message with the first message verification code in the third container element. If the first message verification code is the same as the second message verification code, the second network device determines that the security verification is successful.

[0288] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application ensures that the integrity verification of the third container cell succeeds through the integrity verification process of the third container cell, thereby ensuring the security of the system.

[0289] The embodiments corresponding to Figures 7 to 13 above mainly introduce the solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application from the perspective of interaction between devices. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present application also provide a communication device, which is used to implement the various methods described above. The communication device can be a terminal device in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above terminal device, or a component that can be used for a terminal device; or the communication device can be a first network device in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above first network device, or a component that can be used for the first network device; or the communication device can be a second network device in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above second network device, or a component that can be used for the second network device; or the communication device can be a third network device in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above third network device, or a component that can be used for the third network device. It can be understood that in order to implement the above functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be easily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in a hardware or computer software-driven hardware manner depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional technicians can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0290] In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device can be divided into functional modules according to the above method embodiment. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be understood that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0291] In one possible implementation, FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Taking the communication device as the terminal device in the above method embodiment as an example, the communication device 1400 includes a transceiver module 1410 and a processing module 1420. The transceiver module 1410, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement transceiver functions, and may be, for example, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0292] The transceiver module 1410 is configured to send a first registration request message to a first network device.

[0293] In an embodiment of the present application, the first registration request message includes a requested NSSAI, and the requested NSSAI includes N S-NSSAIs, where N is a positive integer greater than 8.

[0294] The transceiver module 1410 is further configured to receive a first registration acceptance message from the first network device.

[0295] In the embodiment of the present application, the first registration accept message indicates whether the first network device allows the requested NSSAI.

[0296] For the first registration request message, in one possible implementation, the first registration request message includes a first slice information element, and the first slice information element is used to carry the requested NSSAI.

[0297] In another possible implementation, the first registration request message includes a second slice information element and a third slice information element, and the second slice information element and the third slice information element are used to carry the requested NSSAI, wherein the second slice information element is used to carry the 8 S-NSSAIs included in the requested NSSAI, and the third slice information element is used to carry the (N-8) S-NSSAIs included in the requested NSSAI.

[0298] For the first registration acceptance message, in one possible implementation, the first registration acceptance message includes a fourth slice allow information element, the fourth slice allow information element indicates the S-NSSAI allowed by the first network device among the N requested S-NSSAIs, and the fourth slice allow information element is used to carry M S-NSSAIs allowed by the first network device, where M is a positive integer greater than 8.

[0299] In another possible implementation, the first registration acceptance message includes a fourth slice rejection information element, and the fourth slice rejection information element indicates the S-NSSAI that is not allowed by the first network device among the N requested S-NSSAIs. The fourth slice rejection information element is used to carry K S-NSSAIs that are not allowed by the first network device, where K is a positive integer greater than 8.

[0300] In one possible implementation, the first registration acceptance message includes a fifth slice allow information element and a sixth slice allow information element, and the fifth slice allow information element and the sixth slice allow information element are used to indicate the S-NSSAI allowed by the first network device among the N requested S-NSSAIs, wherein the fifth slice allow information element is used to carry 8 S-NSSAIs allowed by the first network device, and the sixth slice allow information element is used to carry M-8 S-NSSAIs allowed by the first network device, where M is a positive integer greater than 8.

[0301] In another possible implementation, the first registration acceptance message includes a fifth slice rejection information element and a sixth slice rejection information element, and the fifth slice rejection information element and the sixth slice rejection information element are used to indicate the S-NSSAIs not allowed by the first network device among the N requested S-NSSAIs, wherein the fifth slice rejection information element is used to carry 8 S-NSSAIs not allowed by the first network device, and the sixth slice rejection information element is used to carry K-8 S-NSSAIs not allowed by the first network device, and X is a positive integer greater than 8.

[0302] All relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module and will not be repeated here. Optionally, the communication device 1400 may further include a storage module, the storage module 1430 may be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing module 1420 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage module 1430.

[0303] In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device 1400 is presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. The "module" here can refer to a specific ASIC, circuit, processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions. In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art can imagine that the communication device 1400 can take the form of the communication device 600 shown in Figure 6.

[0304] For example, the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 may call the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603 to enable the communication device 600 to execute the signal transmission method in the above method embodiment.

[0305] Specifically, the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1410 and the processing module 1420 in FIG14 can be implemented by the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 1420 in FIG14 can be implemented by the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603, and the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1410 in FIG14 can be implemented by the communication interface 604 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6.

[0306] Since the communication device 1400 provided in the embodiment of the present application can execute the above-mentioned signal transmission method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above-mentioned method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0307] In one possible implementation, FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Taking the communication device as the first network device in the above method embodiment as an example, the first network device 1400 includes a transceiver module 1410 and a processing module 1420. The transceiver module 1410, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement transceiver functions, and may be, for example, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0308] The transceiver module 1410 is configured to receive a first registration request message from a terminal device.

[0309] In an embodiment of the present application, the first registration request message includes a requested NSSAI, and the requested NSSAI includes N S-NSSAIs, where N is a positive integer greater than 8.

[0310] The transceiver module 1410 is further configured to send a first registration acceptance message to the terminal device.

[0311] In the embodiment of the present application, the first registration accept message indicates whether the first network device allows the requested NSSAI.

[0312] For the first registration request message, in one possible implementation, the first registration request message includes a first slice information element, and the first slice information element is used to carry the requested NSSAI.

[0313] In another possible implementation, the first registration request message includes a second slice information element and a third slice information element, and the second slice information element and the third slice information element are used to carry the requested NSSAI, wherein the second slice information element is used to carry the 8 S-NSSAIs included in the requested NSSAI, and the third slice information element is used to carry the (N-8) S-NSSAIs included in the requested NSSAI.

[0314] For the first registration acceptance message, in one possible implementation, the first registration acceptance message includes a fourth slice allow information element, the fourth slice allow information element indicates the S-NSSAI allowed by the first network device among the N requested S-NSSAIs, and the fourth slice allow information element is used to carry M S-NSSAIs allowed by the first network device, where M is a positive integer greater than 8.

[0315] In another possible implementation, the first registration acceptance message includes a fourth slice rejection information element, and the fourth slice rejection information element indicates the S-NSSAI that is not allowed by the first network device among the N requested S-NSSAIs. The fourth slice rejection information element is used to carry K S-NSSAIs that are not allowed by the first network device, where K is a positive integer greater than 8.

[0316] In one possible implementation, the first registration acceptance message includes a fifth slice allow information element and a sixth slice allow information element, and the fifth slice allow information element and the sixth slice allow information element are used to indicate the S-NSSAI allowed by the first network device among the N requested S-NSSAIs, wherein the fifth slice allow information element is used to carry 8 S-NSSAIs allowed by the first network device, and the sixth slice allow information element is used to carry M-8 S-NSSAIs allowed by the first network device, where M is a positive integer greater than 8.

[0317] In another possible implementation, the first registration acceptance message includes a fifth slice rejection information element and a sixth slice rejection information element, and the fifth slice rejection information element and the sixth slice rejection information element are used to indicate the S-NSSAIs not allowed by the first network device among the N requested S-NSSAIs, wherein the fifth slice rejection information element is used to carry 8 S-NSSAIs not allowed by the first network device, and the sixth slice rejection information element is used to carry K-8 S-NSSAIs not allowed by the first network device, and X is a positive integer greater than 8.

[0318] All relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module and will not be repeated here. Optionally, the communication device 1400 may further include a storage module 1430, which can be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing module 1420 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module.

[0319] In the embodiment of the present application, the first network device 1400 is presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. The "module" here can refer to a specific ASIC, circuit, processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions. In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art can imagine that the first network device 1400 can take the form of the communication device 600 shown in Figure 6.

[0320] For example, the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 may call the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603 to enable the communication device 600 to execute the signal transmission method in the above method embodiment.

[0321] Specifically, the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1410 and the processing module 1420 in FIG14 can be implemented by the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 1420 in FIG14 can be implemented by the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603, and the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1410 in FIG14 can be implemented by the communication interface 604 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6.

[0322] Since the first network device 1400 provided in the embodiment of the present application can execute the above-mentioned signal transmission method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above-mentioned method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0323] The embodiments corresponding to Figures 9 to 11 above mainly introduce the solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application from the perspective of the interaction between the terminal device and the second network device. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present application also provide a communication device, which is used to implement the various methods described above. The communication device can be the terminal device in the above method embodiments, or a device including the above terminal device, or a component that can be used for the terminal device; or the communication device can be the second network device in the above method embodiments, or a device including the above second network device, or a component that can be used for the second network device. It can be understood that in order to implement the above functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to performing each function. It should be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the various exemplary units and algorithm steps described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is implemented in hardware or in a computer software-driven hardware manner depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professionals and technicians can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0324] In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device can be divided into functional modules according to the above method embodiment. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be understood that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0325] In one possible implementation, FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Taking the communication device as the terminal device in the above method embodiment as an example, the communication device 1400 includes a transceiver module 1410 and a processing module 1420. The transceiver module 1410, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement transceiver functions, and may be, for example, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0326] The processing module 1420 is configured to obtain first slice information.

[0327] In an embodiment of the present application, the first slice information includes first indication information or a first request message, the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, and the first request message is used to request NSSAI, and NSSAI includes Y S-NSSAIs, where Y is a positive integer.

[0328] The transceiver module 1410 is used to send the first slice information through the second registration request message when the first security authentication key and the first security context exist when the transceiver module 1410 sends the second registration request message; or to send the first slice information through the security mode completion message when the first security authentication key or the first security context does not exist when the transceiver module 1410 sends the second registration request message.

[0329] In one possible implementation, when a first security authentication key and a first security context exist when the terminal device sends a second registration request message, the first slice information sent by the terminal device through the second registration request message is included in a first container information element, wherein the first container information element is generated by the first security authentication key and the first slice information.

[0330] In another possible implementation, when the terminal device does not have the first security authentication key or the first security context when the terminal device sends the second registration request message, the terminal device has the second security authentication key and the second security context before the terminal device sends the first slice information via the security mode completion message.

[0331] In another possible implementation, when the first security authentication key or the first security context is not present when the terminal device sends the second registration request message, the first slice information sent by the terminal device through the security mode completion message is included in a second container information element, where the second container information element is generated using the second security authentication key and the first slice information. In this embodiment of the present application, the first container or the second container is a SOR-controlled transparent container.

[0332] All relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module and will not be repeated here. Optionally, the communication device 1400 may further include a storage module, the storage module 1430 may be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing module 1420 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage module 1430.

[0333] In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device 1400 is presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. The "module" here can refer to a specific ASIC, circuit, processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions. In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art can imagine that the communication device 1400 can take the form of the communication device 600 shown in Figure 6.

[0334] For example, the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 may call the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603 to enable the communication device 600 to execute the signal transmission method in the above method embodiment.

[0335] Specifically, the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1410 and the processing module 1420 in FIG14 can be implemented by the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 1420 in FIG14 can be implemented by the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603, and the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1410 in FIG14 can be implemented by the communication interface 604 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6.

[0336] Since the communication device 1400 provided in the embodiment of the present application can execute the above-mentioned signal transmission method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above-mentioned method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0337] In one possible implementation, FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Taking the communication device as the second network device in the above method embodiment as an example, the second network device 1400 includes a transceiver module 1410 and a processing module 1420. The transceiver module 1410, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement transceiver functions, and may be, for example, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0338] The transceiver module 1410 is used to receive the first slice information from the terminal device.

[0339] In an embodiment of the present application, the first slice information includes first indication information or a first request message, the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, the first request message is used to request NSSAI, the NSSAI includes Y single network slice auxiliary information S-NSSAI, Y is a positive integer, wherein, when the terminal device sends the second registration request message, if the terminal device has a first security authentication key and a first security context, the first slice information is included in the second registration request message, or when the terminal device sends the second registration request message, if the terminal device does not have the first security authentication key or the first security context, the first slice information element is included in the security mode completion message;

[0340] The processing module 1420 is used to determine whether the corresponding NSSAI is allowed according to the first slice information.

[0341] In one possible implementation, when a first security authentication key and a first security context exist when the terminal device sends a second registration request message, the first slice information sent by the terminal device through the second registration request message is included in a first container information element, wherein the first container information element is generated by the first security authentication key and the first slice information.

[0342] In another possible implementation, when the terminal device does not have the first security authentication key or the first security context when the terminal device sends the second registration request message, the terminal device has the second security authentication key and the second security context before the terminal device sends the first slice information via the security mode completion message.

[0343] In another possible implementation, when the first security authentication key or the first security context is not present when the terminal device sends the second registration request message, the first slice information sent by the terminal device through the security mode completion message is included in a second container information element, where the second container information element is generated using the second security authentication key and the first slice information. In this embodiment of the present application, the first container or the second container is a SOR-controlled transparent container.

[0344] All relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module and will not be repeated here. Optionally, the communication device 1400 may further include a storage module, the storage module 1430 may be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing module 1420 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage module 1430.

[0345] In the embodiment of the present application, the second network device 1400 is presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. The "module" here can refer to a specific ASIC, circuit, processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions. In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art can imagine that the second network device 1400 can take the form of the communication device 600 shown in Figure 6.

[0346] For example, the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 may call the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603 to enable the communication device 600 to execute the signal transmission method in the above method embodiment.

[0347] Specifically, the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1410 and the processing module 1420 in FIG14 can be implemented by the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 1420 in FIG14 can be implemented by the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603, and the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1410 in FIG14 can be implemented by the communication interface 604 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6.

[0348] Since the second network device 1400 provided in the embodiment of the present application can execute the above-mentioned communication method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above-mentioned method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0349] The embodiments corresponding to Figures 12 and 13 above primarily describe the solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application from the perspective of interaction between the second network device and the third network device. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present application also provide a communication device for implementing the various methods described above. The communication device can be the terminal device described in the method embodiments above, or a device that includes the second network device described above, or a component that can be used with the second network device; alternatively, the communication device can be the third network device described in the method embodiments above, or a device that includes the third network device described above, or a component that can be used with the third network device. It is understood that, in order to implement the aforementioned functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the respective functions. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that, in conjunction with the various exemplary units and algorithm steps described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is implemented in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professionals and technicians may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0350] In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device can be divided into functional modules according to the above method embodiment. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be understood that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0351] In one possible implementation, FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Taking the communication device as the second network device in the above method embodiment as an example, the second network device 1400 includes a transceiver module 1410 and a processing module 1420. The transceiver module 1410, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement transceiver functions, and may be, for example, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0352] The processing module 1420 is configured to obtain a third container cell from the terminal device.

[0353] In an embodiment of the present application, the third container information element includes a first parameter and a first message verification code, the first parameter includes the second slice information, the second slice information includes first indication information or a first request message, the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, the first request message is used to request NSSAI, the NSSAI includes X S-NSSAIs, X is a positive integer, and the first parameter and the first message verification code are used by the second network device and the third network device to perform integrity verification on the third container information element;

[0354] The transceiver module 1410 is configured to send the first parameter and the first message verification code to the third network device;

[0355] The transceiver module 1410 is further configured to receive a security verification reply message from a third network device.

[0356] In a possible implementation, the security verification reply message includes a first identifier, where the first identifier is used to indicate that the security verification is successful, or the first identifier indicates that the first message verification code and the second message verification code are the same.

[0357] In an embodiment of the present application, the first parameter also includes at least one of the following: header information and counter information.

[0358] All relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module and will not be repeated here. Optionally, the communication device 1400 may further include a storage module, the storage module 1430 may be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing module 1420 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage module 1430.

[0359] In the embodiment of the present application, the second network device 1400 is presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. The "module" here can refer to a specific ASIC, circuit, processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions. In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art can imagine that the second network device 1400 can take the form of the communication device 600 shown in Figure 6.

[0360] For example, the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 may call the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603 to enable the communication device 600 to execute the signal transmission method in the above method embodiment.

[0361] Specifically, the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1410 and the processing module 1420 in FIG14 can be implemented by the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 1420 in FIG14 can be implemented by the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603, and the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1410 in FIG14 can be implemented by the communication interface 604 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6.

[0362] Since the second network device 1400 provided in the embodiment of the present application can execute the above-mentioned communication method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above-mentioned method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0363] In one possible implementation, FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Taking the communication device as the third network device in the above method embodiment as an example, the third network device 1400 includes a transceiver module 1410 and a processing module 1420. The transceiver module 1410, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement transceiver functions, and may be, for example, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0364] The transceiver module 1410 is configured to receive a first parameter and a first message verification code from a second network device.

[0365] In an embodiment of the present application, the first parameter is included in the third container information element, the first parameter includes the second slice information, the second slice information includes the first indication information or the first request message, the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, the first request message is used to request NSSAI, the NSSAI includes X S-NSSAIs, where X is a positive integer, the third container information element further includes a first message verification code, and the first parameter and the first message verification code are used by the second network device and the third network device to perform integrity verification on the third container information element;

[0366] The processing module 1420 is configured to determine that the security verification is successful based on the first message verification code and the second message verification code being the same.

[0367] The transceiver module 1410 is further configured to send a security check completion reply message to the second network device.

[0368] In a possible implementation, the security verification reply message includes a first identifier, where the first identifier is used to indicate that the security verification is successful, or the first identifier indicates that the first message verification code and the second message verification code are the same.

[0369] All relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module and will not be repeated here. Optionally, the communication device 1400 may further include a storage module, the storage module 1430 may be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing module 1420 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage module 1430.

[0370] In the embodiment of the present application, the third network device 1400 is presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. The "module" here can refer to a specific ASIC, circuit, processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions. In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art can imagine that the third network device 1400 can take the form of the communication device 600 shown in Figure 6.

[0371] For example, the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 may call the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603 to enable the communication device 600 to execute the signal transmission method in the above method embodiment.

[0372] Specifically, the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1410 and the processing module 1420 in FIG14 can be implemented by the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 1420 in FIG14 can be implemented by the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603, and the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1410 in FIG14 can be implemented by the communication interface 604 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6.

[0373] Since the third network device 1400 provided in the embodiment of the present application can execute the above-mentioned communication method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above-mentioned method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0374] In one possible implementation, FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Taking the communication device as the second network device in the above method embodiment as an example, the second network device 1400 includes a transceiver module 1410 and a processing module 1420. The transceiver module 1410, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement transceiver functions, and may be, for example, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0375] The processing module 1420 is configured to obtain a third container cell from the terminal device.

[0376] In an embodiment of the present application, the third container information element includes a first parameter and a first message verification code, the first parameter includes the second slice information, the second slice information includes first indication information or a first request message, the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, the first request message is used to request NSSAI, the NSSAI includes X S-NSSAIs, X is a positive integer, and the first parameter and the first message verification code are used by the second network device and the third network device to perform integrity verification on the third container information element;

[0377] The transceiver module 1410 is configured to send the first parameter to the third network device.

[0378] The transceiver module 1410 is further configured to receive a security verification reply message from a third network device.

[0379] The processing module 1420 is further configured to determine that the security verification is successful based on the first message verification code and the second message verification code being the same.

[0380] In an embodiment of the present application, the first parameter also includes at least one of the following: header information and counter information.

[0381] All relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module and will not be repeated here. Optionally, the communication device 1400 may further include a storage module, the storage module 1430 may be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing module 1420 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage module 1430.

[0382] In the embodiment of the present application, the second network device 1400 is presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. The "module" here can refer to a specific ASIC, circuit, processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions. In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art can imagine that the second network device 1400 can take the form of the communication device 600 shown in Figure 6.

[0383] For example, the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 may call the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603 to enable the communication device 600 to execute the signal transmission method in the above method embodiment.

[0384] Specifically, the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1410 and the processing module 1420 in FIG14 can be implemented by the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 1420 in FIG14 can be implemented by the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603, and the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1410 in FIG14 can be implemented by the communication interface 604 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6.

[0385] Since the second network device 1400 provided in the embodiment of the present application can execute the above-mentioned communication method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above-mentioned method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0386] In one possible implementation, FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Taking the communication device as the third network device in the above method embodiment as an example, the third network device 1400 includes a transceiver module 1410 and a processing module 1420. The transceiver module 1410, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement transceiver functions, and may be, for example, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0387] The transceiver module 1410 is configured to receive a first parameter from a second network device.

[0388] In an embodiment of the present application, the first parameter is included in the third container information element, the first parameter includes the second slice information, the second slice information includes the first indication information or the first request message, the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, the first request message is used to request NSSAI, the NSSAI includes X S-NSSAIs, where X is a positive integer, the third container information element further includes a first message verification code, and the first parameter and the first message verification code are used by the second network device and the third network device to perform integrity verification on the third container information element;

[0389] The processing module 1420 is configured to determine a second message authentication code according to the first parameter.

[0390] The transceiver module 1410 is further configured to send a security check completion reply message to the second network device.

[0391] In the embodiment of the present application, the security verification reply message includes a second message verification code.

[0392] All relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module and will not be repeated here. Optionally, the communication device 1400 may further include a storage module, the storage module 1430 may be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing module 1420 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage module 1430.

[0393] In the embodiment of the present application, the third network device 1400 is presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. The "module" here can refer to a specific ASIC, circuit, processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions. In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art can imagine that the third network device 1400 can take the form of the communication device 600 shown in Figure 6.

[0394] For example, the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 may call the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603 to enable the communication device 600 to execute the signal transmission method in the above method embodiment.

[0395] Specifically, the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1410 and the processing module 1420 in FIG14 can be implemented by the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 1420 in FIG14 can be implemented by the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603, and the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1410 in FIG14 can be implemented by the communication interface 604 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6.

[0396] Since the third network device 1400 provided in the embodiment of the present application can execute the above-mentioned communication method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above-mentioned method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0397] It should be understood that one or more of the above modules or units can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of the two. When any of the above modules or units is implemented in software, the software exists in the form of computer program instructions and is stored in a memory, and a processor can be used to execute the program instructions and implement the above method flow. The processor can be built into an SoC (system on chip) or an ASIC, or it can be an independent semiconductor chip. In addition to the core used to execute software instructions to perform calculations or processing within the processor, it can further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), PLDs (programmable logic devices), or logic circuits that implement dedicated logic operations.

[0398] When the above modules or units are implemented in hardware, the hardware can be any one or any combination of a CPU, a microprocessor, a digital signal processing (DSP) chip, a microcontroller unit (MCU), an artificial intelligence processor, an ASIC, a SoC, an FPGA, a PLD, a dedicated digital circuit, a hardware accelerator or a non-integrated discrete device, which can run the necessary software or not rely on the software to execute the above method flow.

[0399] Optionally, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device (for example, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system), which includes a processor for implementing the method in any of the above method embodiments. In one possible design, the communication device also includes a memory. The memory is used to store necessary program instructions and data, and the processor can call the program code stored in the memory to instruct the communication device to execute the method in any of the above method embodiments. Of course, the memory may not be in the communication device. When the communication device is a chip system, it may be composed of a chip, or it may include a chip and other discrete devices, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0400] Optionally, an embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instruction, and when the computer program or instruction is run on a communication device, enables the communication device to execute any of the above-mentioned method embodiments or any of its implementation methods.

[0401] Optionally, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes the first network device of the above method embodiment and the terminal device of the above method embodiment.

[0402] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions according to the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0403] Although the present application is described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, in the process of implementing the claimed application, those skilled in the art may understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments by reviewing the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude multiple situations. A single processor or other unit may implement several functions listed in the claims. Certain measures are recorded in different dependent claims, but this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0404] Although the present application has been described with reference to specific features and embodiments thereof, it is apparent that various modifications and combinations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Accordingly, this specification and the drawings are merely illustrative of the present application as defined by the appended claims and are deemed to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents within the scope of the present application. Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, the present application is intended to include such modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a terminal device, comprising: Sending a first registration request message to a first network device, where the first registration request message includes requested network slice auxiliary information NSSAI, where the requested NSSAI includes N single network slice auxiliary information S-NSSAI, where N is a positive integer greater than 8; A first registration accept message is received from the first network device, wherein the first registration accept message indicates whether the first network device allows the requested NSSAI.

2. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a first network device, comprising: Receive a first registration request message from a terminal device, where the first registration request message includes requested network slice auxiliary information NSSAI, where the requested NSSAI includes N single network slice auxiliary information S-NSSAI, where N is a positive integer greater than 8; A first registration acceptance message is sent to the terminal device, where the first registration acceptance message indicates whether the first network device allows the requested NSSAI.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first registration request message includes a first slice information element, and the first slice information element is used to carry the NSSAI of the request.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first registration request message includes a second slice information element and a third slice information element, where the second slice information element and the third slice information element are used to carry the requested NSSAI, wherein: The second slice information element is used to carry the 8 S-NSSAIs included in the requested NSSAI, and the third slice information element is used to carry the (N-8) S-NSSAIs included in the requested NSSAI.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The first registration acceptance message includes a fourth slice allow information element, and the fourth slice allow information element indicates the S-NSSAI allowed by the first network device among the N S-NSSAIs requested. The fourth slice allow information element is used to carry M S-NSSAIs allowed by the first network device, and M is a positive integer greater than 8.

6. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The first registration acceptance message includes a fourth slice rejection information element, and the fourth slice rejection information element indicates the S-NSSAI that is not allowed by the first network device among the N S-NSSAIs requested. The fourth slice rejection information element is used to carry K S-NSSAIs that are not allowed by the first network device, and K is a positive integer greater than 8.

7. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The first registration acceptance message includes a fifth slice allow information element and a sixth slice allow information element, and the fifth slice allow information element and the sixth slice allow information element are used to indicate the S-NSSAI allowed by the first network device among the N S-NSSAIs requested, wherein the fifth slice allow information element is used to carry 8 S-NSSAIs allowed by the first network device, and the sixth slice allow information element is used to carry M-8 S-NSSAIs allowed by the first network device, where M is a positive integer greater than 8.

8. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The first registration acceptance message includes a fifth slice rejection information element and a sixth slice rejection information element, and the fifth slice rejection information element and the sixth slice rejection information element are used to indicate the S-NSSAI that is not allowed by the first network device among the N S-NSSAIs requested, wherein the fifth slice rejection information element is used to carry 8 S-NSSAIs that are not allowed by the first network device, and the sixth slice rejection information element is used to carry K-8 S-NSSAIs that are not allowed by the first network device, and X is a positive integer greater than 8.

9. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a terminal device, comprising: Obtain first slice information, where the first slice information includes first indication information or a first request message, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, and the first request message is used to request network slice auxiliary information NSSAI, where the NSSAI includes Y single network slice auxiliary information S-NSSAI, where Y is a positive integer; If there is a first security authentication key and a first security context when the terminal device sends the second registration request message, the first slice information is sent through the second registration request message; or, if there is no first security authentication key or the first security context when the terminal device sends the second registration request message, the first slice information is sent through a security mode completion message.

10. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a second network device, comprising: Receive first slice information from a terminal device, the first slice information including first indication information or a first request message, the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, and the first request message is used to request network slicing assistance. auxiliary information NSSAI, the NSSAI including Y single network slice auxiliary information S-NSSAI, where Y is a positive integer, wherein, when the terminal device sends the second registration request message, if the terminal device has a first security authentication key and a first security context, the first slice information is included in the second registration request message, or, when the terminal device sends the second registration request message, if the terminal device does not have the first security authentication key or the first security context, the first slice information is included in the security mode completion message; Determine whether corresponding NSSAI is allowed according to the first slice information.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: When the terminal device sends a second registration request message and there is a first security authentication key and a first security context, the first slice information sent through the second registration request message is included in a first container information element and is generated by the first security authentication key and the first slice information.

12. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: When the first security authentication key or the first security context does not exist when the terminal device sends the second registration request message, the first slice information sent through the security mode completion message is included in a second container information element, wherein the second container information element is generated by the second security authentication key and the first slice information.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The first container or the second container is a SOR controlled transparent container.

14. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A transceiver module, configured to send a first registration request message to a first network device, where the first registration request message includes requested network slice auxiliary information NSSAI, where the requested NSSAI includes N single network slice auxiliary information S-NSSAI, where N is a positive integer greater than 8; The transceiver module is also used to receive a first registration acceptance message from the first network device, where the first registration acceptance message indicates whether the first network device in the public land mobile network PLNM where the terminal device currently resides allows the requested S-NSSAI.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A transceiver module receives a first registration request message from a terminal device, where the first registration request message includes requested network slice auxiliary information NSSAI, where the requested NSSAI includes N single network slice auxiliary information S-NSSAI, where N is a positive integer greater than 8; The transceiver module sends a first registration acceptance message to the terminal device, where the first registration acceptance message indicates whether a first network device in the public land mobile network PLNM where the terminal device currently resides allows the requested S-NSSAI.

16. A communication device, characterized in that: include: a processing module, configured to obtain first slice information, where the first slice information includes first indication information or a first request message, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, and the first request message is used to request network slice auxiliary information NSSAI, where the NSSAI includes Y single network slice auxiliary information S-NSSAI, where Y is a positive integer; a transceiver module, configured to send the first slice information through the second registration request message when the first security authentication key and the first security context exist when the transceiver module sends the second registration request message; Alternatively, when the first security authentication key or the first security context does not exist when the transceiver module sends the second registration request message, the first slice information is sent through a security mode completion message.

17. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A transceiver module, used to receive first slice information from a terminal device, where the first slice information includes first indication information or a first request message, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports slice-based network selection, and the first request message is used to request network slice auxiliary information NSSAI, where the NSSAI includes Y single network slice auxiliary information S-NSSAI, where Y is a positive integer, wherein when the terminal device sends a second registration request message, if the terminal device has a first security authentication key and a first security context, the first slice information is included in the second registration request message, or when the terminal device sends the second registration request message, if the terminal device does not have the first security authentication key or the first security context, the first slice information element is included in the security mode completion message; A processing module is used to determine whether corresponding NSSAI is allowed according to the first slice information.

18. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes a processor; the processor is used to run a computer program or instruction, or to use a logic circuit to enable the communication device to execute the method as described in any one of claims 1, 3 to 8, or to enable the communication device to execute the method as described in any one of claims 2 to 8.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs, which, when executed on a computer, enable the communication device to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 1, 3 to 8, or enable the communication device to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 8.

20. A communication system, characterized in that: The communication system comprises the communication device according to claim 14 and claim 15.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes a processor; the processor is used to run a computer program or instruction, or to use a logic circuit to enable the communication device to execute the method as described in any one of claims 9, 11 to 13, or to enable the communication device to execute the method as described in any one of claims 10 to 13.

22. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs, which, when executed on a computer, enable the communication device to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 9, 11 to 13, or enable the communication device to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 13.

23. A communication system, characterized in that: The communication system comprises the communication device according to claim 16 and claim 17.

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