Communication method, apparatus and system

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication method, apparatus and system. The method comprises: a first network element in a first network receiving a first request message from a terminal device, determining access policy information of a second network on the basis of the first request message and subscription information of the second network, and sending the access policy information to a control plane network element in the first network, wherein the first request message is used for requesting access to the second network, the access policy information is used for indicating a policy that the terminal device uses to access the second network by means of the first network in a first region, and the first network and the second network support the provision of services for the terminal device in the first region. The solution of the present application supports a terminal device in effectively accessing a second network by means of a first network, so as to acquire a service.

Description

Communication method, device and system

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application with application number 202311256285.0 filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on September 26, 2023, and priority to the Chinese patent application with the invention name “Communication Methods, Devices and Systems”, all contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a communication method, apparatus, and system. Background Art

[0003] Fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication networks introduce technologies such as multi-access edge computing (MEC) and slicing. These networks are used to deploy in areas such as campuses, factories, and museums, providing customized services to users within those areas. This will extend the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) mobile network from a consumer (2C) to a business (2B) network, expanding the 3GPP mobile network market. The network that provides customized services to users within a designated area is called a subnet.

[0004] However, when operators deploy subnets using technologies such as slicing, MEC, or local area data network (LADN), only the operator's contracted users can access the subnet, and users of other operators cannot access it. In addition, the subnet cannot independently control the user's access rights to the subnet, which makes the deployment and maintenance of the subnet very complicated and limits the development of subnet scenarios. Operators can also use standalone non-public network (SNPN) technology to deploy subnets, but SNPN technology can only support access by subnet-specific terminals, and its applicable scenarios are limited.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method, apparatus and system, which enable terminal devices to access a subnet and obtain services provided by the subnet.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be executed by a first network element, or may be executed by a chip or circuit of the first network element, which is not limited in this application. For ease of description, the following description is based on an example of execution by the first network element.

[0008] The method includes: receiving a first request message from a terminal device, the first request message being used to request access to a second network; determining access policy information of the second network based on the first request message and subscription information of the second network, the access policy information being used to indicate a policy adopted by the terminal device to access the second network through the first network within a first area, the first network and the second network supporting services for the terminal device within the first area; and sending the access policy information to a control plane network element in the first network.

[0009] In this application, the first network can be referred to as the main network, which can be understood as the mobile operator network, and the second network can be referred to as the subnet, which is maintained by the subnet operator. The first network and the second network can be operated by the same operator or different operators.

[0010] It should be understood that the first network element is a network element in the first network. The first network element may be a large network data node or a region database (region DB), such as a policy control function (PCF) or a unified data management function (UDM), where the region database may also be referred to as a region data node. The control plane network element may be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element or a session management function (SMF) network element.

[0011] Exemplarily, the first request message includes an identifier of the terminal device and an identifier of the second network, and the method further includes: determining, based on the identifier of the terminal device, that the terminal device requests access to the second network. Optionally, if the subscription information of the second network includes the identifier of the terminal device, it can be determined that the terminal device is subscribed to the second network, and access services can be provided to the terminal device.

[0012] Exemplarily, the first request message includes an identifier of the second network, and the method further includes: determining, based on the identifier of the second network, that the terminal device requests to access the second network.

[0013] Exemplarily, the first request message includes information for indicating the first service of the second network, such as an identifier of the first service, and the method further includes: determining that the terminal device requests access to the second network based on the information for indicating the first service of the second network and a mapping relationship, where the mapping relationship is used to represent the mapping relationship between the first service and the second network.

[0014] In this application, the first service can be referred to as a park service, a regional service, a private network service, a dedicated network service, a first type of service, etc. It can be a 2B-oriented or 2C-oriented service, that is, a customized service for a designated location area signed by a terminal device. The designated location area can be referred to as a first area, that is, the first service supports access by the terminal device in the first area, or in other words, when the terminal device is located in the first area, it can access the first service, or in other words, the first service is a service accessed by the terminal device in the first area. Among them, "access" can also be understood as visit. Among them, the first area can be an enterprise park, a scenic spot (such as a park, a museum, a theater), a campus, a shopping mall, etc.

[0015] Exemplarily, the subscription information of the second network may include user-level service subscription information or network-level service subscription information. The user-level service subscription information or network-level service subscription information may include one or more of the following: a list of supported services, service assurance subscription information, the service scope of the second network, information about terminal devices authorized to access subnet services, and network information corresponding to the subnet services. The list of supported services includes information about one or more subnet services that are accessible to terminal devices, meaning that the terminal device can request these one or more subnet services from the second network. For example, using terminal devices as the granularity, the list of supported services for each terminal device indicates at least one subnet service that the terminal device supports. Service assurance subscription information may include information such as bandwidth, scheduling priority, and latency. The service scope of the second network may include information such as the service area, service type, service object, and service name provided by the subnet. For example, the second network supports session establishment services for subscribed terminal devices. Information about terminal devices authorized to access subnet services can be understood as information about terminal devices that have subscribed to the subnet services, such as terminal device identifiers. The network information corresponding to the subnet service may be a data network name (DNN) and / or a single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) list, etc.

[0016] Exemplarily, the access policy information of the second network may include one or more of the following: a list of services that the terminal device is authorized to access, an access scope that the terminal device is authorized to access, or service assurance policy information. Among them, the home network element may be a network element in the area where the terminal device's contracted data is located, such as a node in the user's home area that is responsible for maintaining user data, such as the UDM or PCF of the home network. Among them, the list of services that the terminal device is authorized to access may include information on one or more subnet services, and the one or more subnet services may support access by the terminal device, that is, the second network may provide the one or more subnet services for the terminal device. The access scope of the authorized terminal device may include policy information for the terminal device to access a specific subnet service, such as a specific DNN and / or S-NSSAI required to access the subnet service. Service assurance policy information refers to service assurance policy information at the terminal device / subnet service / subnet granularity, such as the QoS guarantee required to be provided by the service, which may include packet loss rate, latency, bandwidth, scheduling priority, etc.

[0017] According to the solution provided by the present application, the first network element makes an access policy decision based on the received first request message and the obtained contract information of the second network, and can obtain the access policy information of the second network, that is, the policy used by the terminal device to access the second network or the service in the second network. Furthermore, the control plane network element (such as AMF) in the first network can complete the registration of the terminal device based on the access policy information, so that the terminal device can access the second network or the service of the second network; or, the control plane network element (such as SMF) in the first network can establish a session for the terminal device based on the access policy information, such as a protocol data unit (PDU) session, and transmit subnet services based on the PDU session, so that the terminal device can access the second network through the first network and obtain the services provided by the second network.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, before determining the access policy information of the second network according to the first request message and the subscription information of the second network, the method further includes: acquiring the subscription information of the second network.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, obtaining the contract information of the second network includes: sending a second request message to a second network element in the second network, the second request message being used to request obtaining the contract information of the second network; and receiving the contract information from the second network element.

[0020] Exemplarily, the second request message includes an identifier of the second network and / or an identifier of the terminal device.

[0021] Exemplarily, the second network element may be a subnet data node or a subnet database, such as a PCF or a UDM, etc., wherein the subnet database may also be referred to as a subnet data node, or simply referred to as a subnet DB.

[0022] Optionally, obtaining the contract information of the second network further includes: obtaining the contract information of the second network from a third network element, so as to support information interaction between the network elements in the first network and the network elements in the second network. The third network element may be a cross-network data node (such as a cross-network DB), and the cross-network data node may be provided by a cross-network operator, or the cross-network data node may be provided by a third-party operator other than the large network operator and the subnet operator, for example, the third-party operator provides an indirect interaction platform between the large network and the subnet.

[0023] Based on the above solution, by sending a message requesting the second network's subscription information to the second network element to obtain the subscription information of the second network, and then combining the first request message from the terminal device, it is possible to determine whether the terminal device needs to access the second network through the first network within the first area, that is, to determine whether to guide the terminal device to access the second network or the services provided by the second network. It should be understood that, by using the obtained subscription information of the second network and the first request message from the terminal device, the first network element can determine whether the terminal device needs to access the second network through the first network within the first area, that is, to determine whether to guide the terminal device to access the second network or the services provided by the second network.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, before sending the second request message to the second network element in the second network, the method also includes: obtaining routing information of the second network element; wherein, sending the second request message to the second network element in the second network includes: sending the second request message to the second network element in the second network based on the routing information of the second network element.

[0025] Exemplarily, the routing information of the second network element may be device routing information of the control plane or data plane of the second network, a list of services provided, etc. The device routing information may include information such as an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a fully qualified domain name (FQDN), and a host name of the second network element, which is not limited in this application.

[0026] Based on the above scheme, by obtaining the routing information of the second network element, a second request message for obtaining the contract information of the second network can be sent to the second network element based on the routing information of the second network element, so that the first network element can subsequently execute access policy decisions based on the contract information of the second network and the first request message, so that the terminal device can access the second network and obtain the services provided by the second network.

[0027] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, obtaining routing information of the second network element includes: sending a third request message to a third network element, the third request message being used to request obtaining routing information of the second network element; receiving routing information of the second network element from the third network element, the third network element being used to support information interaction between network elements in the first network and network elements in the second network.

[0028] Exemplarily, the third network element may be a cross-network data node, which may be provided by a cross-network operator, or the cross-network data node may be provided by a third-party operator other than the main network operator and the subnet operator, for example, the third-party operator provides an indirect interaction platform between the main network and the subnet. The third network element may also be referred to as a cross-network data node or a cross-network DB. In an embodiment of the present application, the specific form of the third network element may be a cross-operator service registration network element (similar to the NRF in the 5G network), or a cross-operator topology management node (similar to the operation administration and maintenance (OAM) in the operator network), which is not limited in this application.

[0029] Based on the above solution, by introducing a third network element to obtain routing information of the second network element, it is possible to support providing the second network with communication connection capabilities with one or more operators, thereby reducing the complexity of communication connections with multiple operators during the deployment of the second network.

[0030] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, obtaining routing information of the second network element includes: receiving routing information of the second network element from the second network element.

[0031] Exemplarily, the routing information may be carried in the service information sent by the second network element. Optionally, the routing information and the service information may be sent simultaneously or separately, and may be carried in the same message (e.g., service information) or in different messages, which is not limited in this application.

[0032] Based on the above scheme, by obtaining the routing information of the second network element, a second request message for obtaining the contract information of the second network can be sent to the second network element based on the routing information of the second network element, so that the first network element can subsequently execute access policy decisions based on the contract information of the second network and the first request message, so that the terminal device can access the second network and obtain the services provided by the second network.

[0033] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the subscription information of the second network includes the service scope of the second network. Before determining the access policy information of the second network based on the first request message and the subscription information of the second network, the method also includes: obtaining information for indicating the location of the terminal device; and determining that the terminal device is allowed to access the second network when the service scope of the second network includes the location of the terminal device.

[0034] Exemplarily, obtaining information indicating the location of the terminal device includes: the first network element obtaining the location information of the terminal device from the terminal device, or, when the terminal device resides on the first network and initiates a registration process with the first network, the first network element storing the location information of the terminal device. The information indicating the location of the terminal device may be a physical address of the terminal device, an IP address of the terminal device, or the like.

[0035] Based on the above solution, the first network element determines that the terminal device is allowed to access the second network based on the location information of the terminal device, which is within the service range of the second network. It further determines the strategy adopted by the terminal device to access the second network or the service of the second network through the first network, which can ensure that the terminal device can effectively access the second network or the service of the second network.

[0036] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the access policy information of the second network includes first resource indication information, and the first resource indication information is used to indicate the resources in the first network used by the terminal device to access the second network through the first network. The method also includes: obtaining second resource indication information, and the second resource indication information is used to indicate the resources authorized by the first network for the terminal device to use; and determining the first resource indication information based on the second resource indication information.

[0037] Exemplarily, the resources authorized by the first network for use by the terminal device can be understood as: resources in the first network that the terminal device can use when accessing the second network or services in the second network through the first network. Exemplarily, the resources authorized by the first network for use by the terminal device can include user-granular resources or subnet-granular resources, such as the guaranteed bandwidth range authorized by the first network, the authorized user account balance, package balance, data allowance, etc., the authorized accessible DNN and / or S-NSSAI list, and other information.

[0038] Exemplarily, the first network includes a network element for storing resources used by the terminal device to use the first network, such as a PCF or UDM, etc., then the first network element can obtain the second resource indication information from the PCF or UDM, etc. Further, the first network element determines the access policy information of the second network based on the first request message and the contract information of the second network, which may include: the first network element determines the access policy information of the second network based on the first request message, the contract information of the second network, and the second resource indication information, and the access policy information of the second network includes the first resource indication information, that is, the resources in the first network used by the terminal device to subsequently access the second network through the first network. For example, the second resource indication information is used to indicate that the first network authorizes the terminal device to access the second network through DNN#1 and / or DNN#2 provided by the first network, and the first resource indication information is used to indicate that the first network element determines to authorize the terminal device to access the second network through DNN#1 after executing the policy decision.

[0039] Based on the above solution, the first network element adds the resources used by the terminal device authorized by the first network to access the second network through the first network to the input information of the access policy decision, ensuring that the terminal device can effectively access the second network through the first network and obtain the services provided by the second network, avoiding the situation where the terminal device cannot successfully access the second network due to insufficient resources allowed by the first network.

[0040] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, before sending a second request message to a second network element in the second network, the method also includes: obtaining service information of the second network element, the service information being used to indicate services supported by the second network element; and determining, based on the service information and the first request message, whether the terminal device is allowed to access the second network.

[0041] Exemplarily, the service information includes one or more of the following: user list information that the second network element supports to provide services, user group list information that the second network element supports to provide services, an identifier of the second network, open access indication information, or an identifier of a subnet service supported by the second network element. Among them, the user information that the second network element supports to provide services includes the identifiers of one or more terminal devices, such as UE ID, that is, the one or more terminal devices can request services from the second network element. The user group information that the second network element supports to provide services can be one or more user group information, and the user group information can be understood as a user group identifier, and each user group identifier includes one or more user identifiers, that is, the second network element supports one or more user access services.

[0042] Based on the above solution, the first network element first needs to determine whether to guide the terminal device to access the second network based on the terminal device's access request and the service information of the second network. For example, if the user list information of the service supported by the second network element includes the terminal device's identifier, and the terminal device requests access to the second network, the first network element can determine that the terminal device can access the second network and then perform subsequent access policy decisions to obtain policy decision information or policy decision results for the terminal device to access the second network, thereby facilitating the terminal device's effective access to the second network or the subnet services provided by the second network, thereby ensuring user experience quality.

[0043] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, obtaining the service information of the second network element includes: receiving the service information of the second network element from the second network element; or, receiving the service information of the second network element from a home network element, where the home network element is a network element within the home network of the terminal device; or, receiving the service information of the second network element from a third network element, where the third network element is used to support information interaction between network elements in the first network and network elements in the second network.

[0044] Based on the above scheme, the first network element can obtain the service information of the second network element from the second network element, the third network element or the home network element, which can achieve diverse flexibility in obtaining the service information of the second network element. This application does not limit the implementation method of obtaining the service information of the second network element.

[0045] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, determining, based on the service information and the first request message, whether to allow the terminal device to access the second network includes: determining, under one or more of the following conditions, whether to allow the terminal device to access the second network; the first request message includes information indicating the location of the terminal device, the service information includes the service range of the second network, and the service range of the second network includes the location of the terminal device; or, the first request message includes information identifying the first service in the second network, and the service information is used to indicate that the terminal device is allowed to access the first service; or, the first request message includes information identifying the second network, and the service information is used to indicate that the terminal device is allowed to access the second network; or, the service information indicates that the second network allows terminal devices that are not signed up for the second network to access the second network.

[0046] Based on the above solution, the first network element can determine whether the terminal device can access the second network based on the first request message of the terminal device and the service information of the second network, and provide guarantees for the subsequent terminal device to access the second network or obtain services provided by the second network, thereby avoiding the waste of signaling overhead or poor user experience caused by the access of the terminal device due to situations where the second network does not support the access of the terminal device or the load of the second network is too large.

[0047] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be executed by a second network element, or may be executed by a chip or circuit of the second network element, which is not limited in this application. For ease of description, the following description is based on an example of execution by the second network element.

[0048] The method includes: receiving a request message from a first network element in a first network, the request message being used to request subscription information of a second network, the first network and the second network supporting provision of services to terminal devices within a first area, the first area being an area in which the terminal device requests access to the second network through the first network; and sending subscription information to the first network element according to the request message.

[0049] According to the solution provided in the present application, the second network element sends the contract information of the second network to the first network element based on the request message, so that the first network element can make an access policy decision based on the received request message for accessing the second network and the contract information of the second network, and obtain the access policy information of the second network, that is, the decision used by the terminal device to access the second network or the service in the second network, so that the terminal device can access the second network through the first network and obtain the services provided by the second network.

[0050] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, before receiving a request message from a first network element in a first network, the method further includes: sending service information of the second network element to the first network element or a third network element, where the service information is used to indicate services supported by the second network element.

[0051] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementation methods of the second aspect, sending service information of the second network element to the first network element includes: sending service information of the second network element to the first network element through a third network element, and the third network element is used to support information interaction between network elements in the first network and network elements in the second network.

[0052] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, before receiving a request message from a first network element in a first network, the method further includes: receiving a query message, the query message being used to query routing information of a second network element; and sending routing information of the second network element to the first network element or a third network element.

[0053] The beneficial effects of the above-mentioned second aspect and certain implementation methods of the second aspect can be referred to the corresponding description of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0054] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be executed by a second network element, or may be executed by a chip or circuit of the second network element, which is not limited in this application. For ease of description, the following description is based on an example of execution by the second network element.

[0055] The method includes: receiving a request message from a control plane network element in a first network, the request message being used to request access policy information of a second network, or being used to request access of a terminal device to the second network; determining access policy information of the second network based on the request message and subscription information of the second network, the first network and the second network supporting services for terminal devices in a first area, the access policy information being used to indicate a policy adopted by the terminal device for accessing the second network through the first network in the first area; and sending the access policy information of the second network to the control plane network element.

[0056] According to the solution provided by this application, the second network element makes an access policy decision based on the received request message and the subscription information of the second network, and can obtain the access policy information of the second network, that is, the policy used by the terminal device to access the second network or the services on the second network. Furthermore, the terminal device can access the second network or the services of the second network based on this policy.

[0057] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, before determining the access policy information of the second network according to the request message and the subscription information of the second network, the method further includes: acquiring the subscription information of the second network.

[0058] Exemplarily, the request message includes one or more of the following: an identifier of the second network, an identifier of the terminal device, location information of the terminal device, or second resource indication information, where the second resource indication information is used to indicate resources that the first network authorizes the terminal device to use.

[0059] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the access policy information of the second network includes first resource indication information, and the first resource indication information is used to indicate the resources in the first network used by the terminal device to access the second network through the first network. The method also includes: obtaining second resource indication information, and the second resource indication information is used to indicate the resources authorized by the first network for the terminal device to use; and determining the first resource indication information based on the second resource indication information.

[0060] Exemplarily, the first network includes a network element for storing resources used by the terminal device to use the first network, such as a PCF or UDM, etc., then the second network element can directly or indirectly obtain the second resource indication information from the PCF or UDM, etc., and further, the second network element determines the access policy information of the second network based on the request message and the contract information of the second network, which may include: the second network element determines the access policy information of the second network based on the request message, the contract information of the second network, and the second resource indication information, and the access policy information of the second network includes the first resource indication information, that is, the resources in the first network used by the terminal device to subsequently access the second network through the first network. For example, the second resource indication information is used to indicate that the first network authorizes the terminal device to access the second network through S-NSSAI#1 and S-NSSAI#2 provided by the first network, and the first resource indication information is used to indicate that the first network element determines to authorize the terminal device to access the second network through S-NSSAI#2 after executing the policy decision.

[0061] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, before receiving a first request message from a control plane network element in the first network, the method also includes: sending service information of the second network element to the first network element or the home network element, the service information being used to indicate services supported by the second network element, wherein the first network element is a network element in the first network, and the home network element is a network element in the home network of the terminal device.

[0062] Exemplarily, the service information of the second network element is sent to the first network element or the home network element via the third network element.

[0063] The beneficial effects of the third aspect and certain implementation methods of the third aspect can be referred to the relevant description of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0064] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be executed by a first network element, or may be executed by a chip or circuit of the first network element, which is not limited in this application. For ease of description, the following description is based on an example of execution by the first network element.

[0065] The method includes: obtaining service information of a second network element in a second network, the service information being used to indicate services supported by the second network element, and the first network and the second network supporting services for terminal devices in a first area; receiving a message from a terminal device requesting access to the second network; determining, based on the message and the service information for requesting access to the second network, that the terminal device is allowed to access the second network, and sending a message to a control plane network element in the first network for instructing the control plane network element to establish a communication connection with the second network element.

[0066] Exemplarily, the message for instructing the control plane network element to establish a communication connection with the second network element may be redirection indication information, which may include an identifier of the second network or an identifier of the second network element, and then the control plane network element triggers sending a request message to the second network element based on the message, and the request message is used to request access policy information of the second network, or to request that the terminal device be connected to the second network.

[0067] According to the solution provided in the present application, the first network element determines whether to allow the terminal device to access the second network based on the service information of the second network element obtained and the message used to request access to the second network, that is, determines whether to guide the terminal device to access the second network, and then triggers the second network element to execute the access policy decision, and obtains the access policy information of the second network, that is, the policy used by the terminal device to access the second network or the service in the second network, so that the terminal device can access the second network according to the policy and obtain the services provided by the second network.

[0068] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, obtaining the service information of the second network element includes: receiving the service information of the second network element from the second network element; or, receiving the service information of the second network element from the home network element, where the home network element is a network element within the home network of the terminal device; or, receiving the service information of the second network element from a third network element.

[0069] The beneficial effects of the fourth aspect and certain implementation methods of the fourth aspect can be referred to the relevant description of the third aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0070] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes: a transceiver unit for receiving a first request message from a terminal device, the first request message being used to request access to a second network; a processing unit for determining access policy information of the second network based on the first request message and the contract information of the second network, the access policy information being used to indicate the policy adopted by the terminal device to access the second network through the first network within the first area, the first network and the second network supporting providing services to the terminal device within the first area; and sending the access policy information to the control plane network element in the first network.

[0071] The transceiver unit can perform the reception and transmission processing in the aforementioned first aspect, and the processing unit can perform other processing except reception and transmission in the aforementioned first aspect.

[0072] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes: a transceiver unit for receiving a request message from a first network element in a first network, the request message being used to request contract information of a second network, the first network and the second network supporting provision of services to terminal devices within a first area, the first area being an area in which the terminal device requests access to the second network through the first network; the transceiver unit is also used to send contract information to the first network element according to the request message.

[0073] The transceiver unit may perform the reception and transmission processing in the aforementioned second aspect, and the processing unit of the communication device may perform other processing except reception and transmission in the aforementioned second aspect.

[0074] In the seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes: a transceiver unit for receiving a request message from a control plane network element in a first network, the request message is used to request access policy information of a second network, or to request access of a terminal device to the second network, the access policy information is used to indicate the policy adopted by the terminal device to access the second network through the first network within the first area, and the first network and the second network support providing services for terminal devices within the first area; a processing unit for determining the access policy information of the second network based on the request message and the contract information of the second network; and sending the access policy information of the second network to the control plane network element; the transceiver unit is also used to send the access policy information of the second network to the control plane network element.

[0075] The transceiver unit can perform the receiving and sending processing in the aforementioned third aspect, and the processing unit can perform other processing except receiving and sending in the aforementioned third aspect.

[0076] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a transceiver unit for obtaining service information of a second network element in a second network, the service information being used to indicate services supported by the second network element, and the first network and the second network supporting providing services to terminal devices in a first area; the transceiver unit being further used to receive a first request message from a terminal device, the first request message being used to request access to the second network through the first network within the first area; a processing unit being used to determine, based on the first request message and the service information, whether the terminal device is allowed to access the second network; and the transceiver unit being further used to send a message to a control plane network element in the first network for instructing the control plane network element to establish a communication connection with the second network element.

[0077] The transceiver unit can perform the reception and transmission processing in the aforementioned fourth aspect, and the processing unit of the communication device can perform other processing except reception and transmission in the aforementioned fourth aspect.

[0078] In the ninth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, and the processor being used to call and run the computer program from the memory, so that the device executes the method of the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0079] Optionally, there are one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0080] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0081] In the tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, including: a first network element and a second network element, the first network element is used to execute the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or fourth aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and the second network element is used to execute the method in the above-mentioned second aspect or third aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0082] Optionally, the communication system further includes a control plane network element, which may be a control plane network element of the first network or a control plane network element of the second network.

[0083] Optionally, the communication system further includes a terminal device.

[0084] In the eleventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program or code. When the computer program or code is run on a computer, the computer executes the method in the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0085] In the twelfth aspect, a chip is provided, comprising at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is coupled to a memory, the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program from the memory, so that a device equipped with the chip system executes the methods in the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0086] The chip may include an input circuit or interface for sending information or data, and an output circuit or interface for receiving information or data.

[0087] In a thirteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program code, which, when the computer program code is run on the computer, executes the method in the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects and any possible implementation thereof. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0088] 1 to 4 are schematic diagrams of network architectures applicable to embodiments of the present application.

[0089] FIG5 is a flow chart of a communication method 500 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0090] FIG6 is a flow chart of a communication method 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0091] FIG7 is a flow chart of a communication method 700 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0092] FIG8 is a flow chart of a communication method 800 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0093] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0094] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 2000 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0095] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip system 3000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0096] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0097] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as new radio (NR) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, etc. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems or other communication systems.

[0098] In a communication system, the part operated by an operator may be referred to as a public land mobile network (PLMN), or as an operator network, etc. PLMN is a network established and operated by the government or an operator approved by it for the purpose of providing land mobile communication services to the public. It is mainly a public network in which mobile network operators (MNOs) provide mobile broadband access services to users. The PLMN described in the embodiments of the present application may specifically be a network that complies with the requirements of the 3GPP standard, referred to as a 3GPP network. 3GPP networks generally include but are not limited to 5G mobile communication networks, fourth-generation (4G) mobile communication networks, and other future communication systems, such as sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication networks.

[0099] For ease of description, the embodiments of the present application will be described using PLMN or 5G network as an example.

[0100] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture 100, using the 5G network architecture based on a service-based architecture (SBA) in a non-roaming scenario as defined in the 3GPP standardization process as an example. As shown in Figure 1 , the network architecture may include a terminal device component, a data network (DN) component, and a carrier network (PLMN) component. The carrier network PLMN component may include, but is not limited to, a (radio) access network (R)AN) 120 and a core network (CN) component.

[0101] The following is a brief description of the functions of the network elements in each part.

[0102] The terminal device portion may include a terminal device 110, which is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to the user. The terminal device 110 may also be referred to as user equipment (UE). The terminal device 110 in this application is a device with wireless transceiver functions, which can communicate with one or more core network (CN) devices via an access network device (or also referred to as an access device) in a (radio) access network (R)AN 120. The terminal device 110 may also be referred to as an access terminal, terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, user agent or user device, etc. The terminal device 110 may be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it may also be deployed on water (such as a ship, etc.); it may also be deployed in the air (such as an airplane, balloon and satellite, etc.). The terminal device 110 may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or the like. Alternatively, the terminal device 110 may be a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device, or other device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or a terminal in the Internet of Things (IoT), the Internet of Vehicles (IoV), any terminal in a 5G network or future networks, a relay user device, or a terminal in a future evolving 6G network. The relay user device may be, for example, a 5G residential gateway (RG). For example, the terminal device 110 may be a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in unmanned driving, a wireless terminal in telemedicine, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, or a wireless terminal in a smart home. The terminal device here refers to a 3GPP terminal. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type or category of terminal devices.

[0103] (R)AN 120 may include one or more access network elements or access network devices, and the interface between the access network device and the terminal device may be a Uu interface (or air interface, that is, the messages exchanged between the access network device and the terminal device may be called air interface messages). Of course, in future communications, the interface name may remain unchanged or may be replaced by other names, and this application is not limited to this. (R)AN 120 is a device that provides wireless communication functions for the terminal device 110, and can connect the terminal device to a node or device of a wireless network, and may also be called a network device. (R)AN 120 can be regarded as a subnetwork of the operator network, and is an implementation system between a service node in the operator network and the terminal device 110. For example, the terminal device 110 can connect to a service node of the operator network through (R)AN 120, thereby obtaining the services provided by the service node. (R)AN 120 includes but is not limited to: the next generation node base station (gNB) in the 5G system, the evolved node B (eNB) in the long term evolution (LTE), the radio network controller (RNC), the node B (NB), the base station controller (BSC), the base transceiver station (BTS), the home base station (for example, home evolved node B, or home node B, HNB), the base band unit (BBU), the transmitting and receiving point (TRP), the transmitting point (TP), the small base station equipment, the mobile switching center, or the network equipment in the future network, etc.The access network device may also be a module or unit that performs the functions of a base station, such as a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU); in a possible network structure, the CU may be used to support communications under protocols such as radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), and service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); and the DU may be used to support communications under radio link control (RLC) layer protocols, media access control (MAC) layer protocols, and physical layer protocols. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the access network device. In systems using different wireless access technologies, the names of devices having access network device functions may be different. For the convenience of description, in all embodiments of the present application, the above-mentioned devices that provide wireless communication functions for the terminal device 110 are collectively referred to as access network devices or RAN for short. It should be understood that this document does not limit the specific type of access network device.

[0104] The CN part may include but is not limited to the following network functions (NF): user plane function (UPF) 130, network exposure function (NEF) 131, network function repository function (NRF) 132, policy control function (PCF) 133, unified data management function (UDM) 134, unified data repository function (UDR) 135, application function (AF) 136, authentication server function (AUSF) 137, access and mobility management function (AMF) 138, and session management function (SMF) 139.

[0105] The data network DN 140, also called a packet data network (PDN), is typically a network outside the operator's network, such as a third-party network.

[0106] The following is a brief description of the NF functions included in CN.

[0107] 1. UPF 130 is a gateway provided by the operator, serving as the gateway for communication between the operator network and DN 140. UPF 130 network functions include packet routing and transmission, packet inspection, service usage reporting, Quality of Service (QoS) processing, lawful interception, uplink packet inspection, downlink packet storage, and other user-plane-related functions.

[0108] 2. NEF 131 is a control plane function provided by the operator. It mainly enables third parties to use the services provided by the network, supports the network to open its capabilities, event and data analysis, provide PLMN security configuration information from external applications, and convert interactive information within and outside the PLMN.

[0109] 3. NRF 132 is a control plane function provided by the operator, which can be used to maintain real-time information of network functions and services in the network.

[0110] 4. PCF 133 is a control plane function provided by the operator. It primarily supports providing a unified policy framework to control network behavior, provides policy rules to the control layer network functions, and is responsible for obtaining user subscription information related to policy decisions. For example, PCF 133 can be divided into two different PCFs: UE-PCF and AMF-PCF.

[0111] 5. The UDM 134 is a control plane function provided by the operator and is responsible for storing information such as the subscriber permanent identifier (SUPI), generic public subscriber identifier (GPSI), and credentials of subscribers in the operator network. The SUPI is first encrypted during transmission, and the encrypted SUPI is called the subscription concealed identifier (SUCI). The information stored by the UDM network function 134 can be used for authentication and authorization of the terminal device 110 to access the operator network. The subscribers of the above-mentioned operator network can specifically be users who use services provided by the operator network, such as users who use China Telecom's subscriber identity module (SIM) card or users who use China Mobile's SIM card. The credentials of the above-mentioned subscribers can be a small file storing long-term keys stored in the SIM card or information related to SIM card encryption, which is used for authentication and / or authorization. It should be noted that the permanent identifier, credentials, security context, authentication data, and token are equivalent to information related to verification / authentication and authorization. For the sake of convenience in description in the embodiments of this application, no distinction or limitation is made.

[0112] 6. UDR 135 is a control plane function provided by the operator. It provides the UDM with the functions of saving and retrieving subscription data, the PCF with the functions of saving and retrieving policy data, and the NF group ID information of the terminal device 110.

[0113] 7. AF 136 is a control plane function provided by the operator. It mainly provides corresponding services by interacting with other NFs in the PLMN, such as providing roaming terminal devices 110 with visit network selection information, guiding the routing of data flows, and accessing NEF 131.

[0114] 8. AUSF 137 is a control plane function provided by the operator, and is usually used for level 1 authentication, i.e., authentication between the terminal device 110 (subscriber) and the operator's network.

[0115] 9. AMF 138 is a control plane network function provided by the operator network, responsible for access control and mobility management of the terminal device 110 accessing the operator network, such as mobility status management, allocation of user temporary identity, authentication and authorization of the terminal device 110, etc.

[0116] 10. SMF 139 is a control plane network function provided by the operator network. It is responsible for managing the protocol data unit (PDU) sessions of the terminal device 110 (including session establishment, modification, and release). This function is used for selecting and reselecting user plane function network elements, allocating Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for the terminal device, and controlling quality of service (QoS). A PDU session is a channel for transmitting PDUs. The terminal device 110 exchanges PDUs with the DN 140 via a PDU session. The SMF network function 139 is responsible for establishing, maintaining, and deleting PDU sessions. The SMF network function 139 includes session management (e.g., session establishment, modification, and release, including tunnel maintenance between the user plane function (UPF) 130 and the (R)AN 120), selection and control of the UPF network function 130, service and session continuity (SSC) mode selection, roaming, and other session-related functions.

[0117] It should be understood that the aforementioned network elements or NFs can be physical entities within hardware devices, software instances running on dedicated hardware, or virtualized functions instantiated on a shared platform (e.g., a cloud platform). Simply put, an NF can be implemented by hardware or software. Furthermore, the hardware (or software) that implements all the functions of an NF can be one or more.

[0118] It should be understood that the AMF, SMF, UPF, NEF, AUSF, NRF, PCF, and UDM shown in Figure 1 can be understood as network elements used to implement different functions in the core network. These network elements can be combined into network slices as needed. They can be independent devices or integrated into the same device to implement different functions. This application does not limit the specific form of the above network elements.

[0119] It should also be understood that the above naming is defined only to facilitate the distinction between different functions and should not constitute any limitation to this application. This application does not exclude the possibility of adopting other naming in 5G networks and other future networks. For example, in a 6G network, some or all of the above network elements may continue to use the terminology used in 5G, or may adopt other names.

[0120] It should also be understood that Nnef, Nnrf, Npcf, Nudm, Nudr, Nausf, Namf, Nsmf, Naf, N1, N2, N3, N4, and N6 in Figure 1 are interface serial numbers. For example, the meanings of the above interface serial numbers can be found in the definitions in the 3GPP standard protocol, and this application does not limit the meanings of the above interface serial numbers. In addition, the interface names between the various network functions in Figure 1 are merely examples. In specific implementations, the interface names of the system architecture may also be other names, which are not limited by this application.

[0121] Currently, 5G has introduced technologies such as MEC and slicing to deploy networks in areas such as parks, factories, and museums, providing customized services to users in these areas. This will promote the 3GPP mobile network from being 2C-oriented to being 2B-oriented, and expand the market for 3GPP mobile networks. For ease of description, this application refers to the network that provides customized services to users in a specified area as a subnet. It should be understood that a subnet can be regarded as an extension of the operator network PLMN, and can be integrated with the operator network PLMN or implemented independently of the operator network PLMN.

[0122] 5G supports subnet scenarios in technologies including but not limited to slicing, MEC, LADN, or SNPN. However, when operators deploy subnets using slicing, MEC, LADN, or SNPN, they may encounter the following issues, such as:

[0123] 1) When an operator deploys a subnet using technologies such as slicing, MEC, and LADN, it can only support access by subscribers of that operator, and users of other operators cannot access. For example, when a subnet is deployed by China Mobile, only terminal devices belonging to China Mobile can access the subnet, while terminal devices belonging to China Telecom or China Unicom cannot access it.

[0124] 2) When operators use slicing, MEC, and LADN to deploy subnets, the subnets cannot independently control the access rights of terminal devices to the subnet (such as whether to allow access to specific terminal devices). Usually, the access rights of the terminal device can be added or deleted through the UDM or PCF in the network to which the terminal device belongs. Taking slicing as an example, the slice corresponding to the subnet needs to be added to the slice contract maintained by the UDM of the operator's network before the terminal device can access the slice corresponding to the subnet. If the terminal devices in the subnet belong to different locations, the UDM of the network to which each terminal device belongs needs to be modified separately, which makes the deployment and maintenance of the subnet very complicated and limits the development of subnet scenarios.

[0125] 3) SNPN technology is a network deployed independently by subnet tenants. SNPN includes UDM, which can locally manage the contracts of terminal devices requesting access to the subnet. For ease of description, the embodiment of the present application can replace the terminal devices requesting access to the subnet with subnet users. However, SNPN technology can only support access by subnet-specific terminal devices (terminal devices with subscriber identity modules (SIM) cards for the subnet), and does not support access by 2C users (with SIM cards of large network operators but no SIM cards for the subnet). Therefore, it cannot well support access scenarios for 2C users (students, employees, visitors, etc.) on campuses and corporate parks, limiting the development of subnet scenarios.

[0126] In view of this, the present application provides a communication method and a communication device, so that a terminal device can access a subnet and obtain services provided by the subnet.

[0127] Exemplary application scenarios of this application include but are not limited to:

[0128] 1) High-speed rail station scenario. Cloud gaming vendors can sign contracts with operators to provide local cloud gaming services to all China Mobile, China Unicom, or China Telecom users within the station. In this scenario, the cloud gaming vendor can deploy an intranet server within the high-speed rail station, allowing users to access the cloud gaming intranet within the station, reducing service access latency and improving user experience. It should be understood that in this scenario, users do not need to participate in the service contract process; all users entering the area are authorized to access the cloud gaming service.

[0129] 2) Scenic area (such as a museum) scenario. Scenic areas can deploy local intranet servers to provide intranet applications. Users can sign up with operators for local value-added services provided through collaboration between the museum and the operator. The network then issues access policies corresponding to these local value-added services, achieving a differentiated service experience and ensuring service quality. In this scenario, users can access the scenic area's intranet server while in the area, reducing communication latency.

[0130] Based on the actual needs of different scenarios, the networking forms applicable to the embodiments of the present application are described below in conjunction with Figures 2 to 4.

[0131] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture 200 applicable to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG2 , the architecture includes a subnet portion and a large network operator network (PLMN) portion. The subnet is independent of the PLMN. That is, the subnet can be understood as existing in the form of a subnet operator network. The subnet operator maintains the subnet, and the subnet and network elements (or nodes) in the PLMN can establish communication connections and exchange information. It should be understood that the subnet supports information exchange with one or more PLMNs.

[0132] Exemplarily, the PLMN includes a user data management network element, a mobility management network element, a session management network element, a user plane network element, a RAN, and a terminal device. The user data management network element in the PLMN may correspond to the PCF, UDM, or UDR in the architecture shown in FIG1 , and is used to manage user data in the PLMN. The mobility management network element, session management network element, user plane network element, RAN, and terminal device in the PLMN may correspond to the AMF, SMF, UPF, (R)AN, and UE in the architecture shown in FIG1 , respectively. The terminal device and the mobility management network element in the PLMN may exchange information through NAS signaling. The subnet includes a user data management network element, a control plane network element, and a user plane network element. The user data management network element in the subnet may correspond to the PCF, UDM, or UDR in the architecture shown in FIG1 , and is used to manage user data in the subnet. The control plane network element in the subnet may correspond to the AMF or SMF in the architecture shown in FIG1 . Optionally, the subnet may also include one or more application servers (AS), such as AS1 and AS2. The AS is used to provide application services for the subnet. Usually, the AS may correspond to the DN in Figure 1. For example, the user plane network element may interact with AS1 and AS2 respectively.

[0133] Optionally, the user data management network element in the PLMN can be regarded as the first network element, the large network data node, the regional database (for example, region DB), the regional data node, etc. in the embodiment of the present application. In the embodiment of the present application, the region DB can manage the user data of the PLMN, and can also determine whether the terminal device is allowed to access the subnet, and execute the policy decision for the terminal device to access the subnet, etc. The user data management network element in the subnet can be regarded as the second network element, the subnet data node, the subnet database (for example, subnet DB) in the embodiment of the present application. In the embodiment of the present application, the subnet DB can manage the user data of the subnet, and can also execute the access policy decision for the terminal device to access the subnet, etc. Among them, the user data management network element can be integrated with the mobility management network element and the session management network element, or can be set independently, and this application does not limit this.

[0134] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of another network architecture 300 applicable to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG3 , the architecture includes regional data nodes (e.g., regional data node 1, regional data node 2, regional data node 3) and subnet data nodes (e.g., subnet data node 1, subnet data node 2, and subnet data node 3). Among them, the regional data nodes are mainly used to manage user data of the large network operator network PLMN, determine whether the terminal device is allowed to access the subnet, obtain the subnet subscription information provided by the subnet, and execute policy decisions for the terminal device to access the subnet. The subnet data nodes are mainly used to manage user data of the subnet, execute access policy decisions for the terminal device to access the subnet, or provide subnet subscription information to the large network, so that the regional data nodes of the large network can execute access policy decisions for the terminal device to access the subnet.

[0135] It should be understood that in the network architecture 300, the large network operator includes one or more regional data nodes, which can be data nodes that support providing services to terminal devices in the large network operator, and the subnet data nodes can provide customized services for users in specific areas (such as parks, factories, museums, etc.).

[0136] Exemplarily, subnet data node 1, subnet data node 2, and subnet data node 3 respectively establish communication connections with regional data node 3, regional data node 3 establishes a communication connection with the control plane network element of the large network, and the control plane network element of the large network establishes a communication connection with the terminal device. For example, the terminal device can request access to the subnet from regional data node 3 through the control plane network element of the large network, for example, to obtain services provided by subnet data node 1, subnet data node 2, or subnet data node 3. Optionally, regional data node 3 can also establish communication connections with regional data node 1, regional data node 2, and a central data node, wherein the central data node is responsible for maintaining information interaction between regional data node 1, regional data node 2, and regional data node 3 within the large network operator network. It should be noted that in the above scenario, the terminal device may or may not have a contract with the large network. Among them, having a contract with the large network can be understood as the terminal device having a service contract with the large network, or the large network maintaining the contract data of the terminal device.

[0137] Exemplarily, the control plane network element may correspond to the control plane network element in the architecture shown in Figure 1, such as AMF or SMF, and may also be regarded as the control plane network element in the next generation network, which is not limited in this application. From a functional perspective, the regional data node and the subnet data node may correspond to the UDM or PCF in the network architecture shown in Figure 1, and reference may be made to the relevant description of Figure 1 above.

[0138] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of another network architecture 400 applicable to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG4 , compared to the network architecture 200 shown in FIG2 , this network architecture adds a subnet data management network element. The subnet and the large network operator network PLMN can exchange information through this subnet data management network element. This subnet data management network element can be provided by a third-party operator other than the large network operator and the subnet operator. For example, the third-party operator provides a cross-network interaction platform, and the cross-network interaction platform includes the subnet data management network element. For other details, please refer to the relevant description of FIG2 .

[0139] Exemplarily, the subnet data management network element can be regarded as the third network element, cross-network data node, and cross-network DB in the embodiment of the present application. In the embodiment of the present application, the specific form of the subnet data management network element can be a cross-operator service registration network element (similar to the NRF in the 5G network), or it can be a cross-operator topology management node (similar to the OAM in the operator network), and this application does not limit this. The subnet data management network element can provide the following functions: maintain the correspondence between the terminal device and the subnet to support the large network control plane to select the subnet network for the terminal device to access; maintain subnet granularity data, such as subnet service information, subnet service access policy, etc.; maintain network topology, service access policy and other information of multiple subnets to avoid excessive coupling between the large network PLMN and the subnet, support the provision of multi-operator docking capabilities for the subnet, and reduce the complexity of docking with multiple operators during subnet deployment.

[0140] It should be noted that the network architectures shown in Figures 1 to 4 above are merely examples given to facilitate understanding of the technical solution of the present application and should not constitute any limitation on the technical solution of the present application.

[0141] The communication methods provided by the embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments provided by the present application can be applied to the communication systems shown in Figures 2 to 4 above. To achieve effective access control for subnet users, the present application proposes the following methods shown in Figures 5 to 8. It should be understood that the method embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 8 can be combined with each other, and the steps in the method embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 8 can be referenced from each other. For example, in an embodiment of the present application, the method embodiments shown in Figures 7 and 8 can be regarded as possible implementation methods for realizing the functions of the method embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 mainly performs access policy decisions by the first network element in the first network (such as the regional data node region DB on the large network side), and Figure 6 mainly performs access policy decisions by the second network element in the second network (such as the subnet DB on the subnet side). The schemes described in Figures 7 and 8 can be regarded as further refinements of the schemes described in Figures 5 and 6. Figure 7 is mainly applicable to the above-mentioned architectures 200 and 300, that is, the scenarios in which the regional data node (for example, region DB) and the subnet data node (for example, subnet DB) interact directly, and Figure 8 is mainly applicable to the above-mentioned architecture 400, that is, the scenario in which the regional data node (for example, region DB) and the subnet data node (for example, subnet DB) interact indirectly via the cross-network data node (for example, cross-network DB), supporting terminal devices to access the second network through the first network within the first area, and then obtain services provided by the second network, thereby ensuring user experience.

[0142] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a communication method 500 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 5, the method flow can be executed by a terminal device, a first network element and a control plane network element in the first network, and a second network element in the second network, or by a module and / or device (for example, a chip or an integrated circuit, etc.) with corresponding functions installed in the above-mentioned first network element, control plane network element, second network element, and terminal device. Optionally, it can also be executed by a third network element (such as a cross-network DB) or a module and / or device (for example, a chip or an integrated circuit, etc.) with corresponding functions installed in the third network element, which is not limited by the present application. For ease of description, the following description is based on the terminal device, the first network element and the control plane network element in the first network, and the second network element in the second network as the execution subjects. The method includes the following multiple steps. For the part not described in detail, please refer to the existing protocol.

[0143] In the embodiment of the present application, the first network can be referred to as a large network, which can be understood as a mobile operator network, and the second network can be referred to as a subnet, which is maintained by the subnet operator. The first network and the second network can be operated by the same operator or by different operators. For example, the first network element can be the user data management network element in the PLMN in Figure 2, or the regional data node 3 in Figure 3. The second network element can be the user data management network element in the subnet in Figure 2, or the subnet data node 2 in Figure 3. In the embodiment of the present application, the control plane network element CP NF in the first network can be the AMF network element or the SMF network element shown in Figure 1, which is not limited in this application.

[0144] S510, the terminal device sends a first request message to the first network element, and correspondingly, the first network element receives the first request message from the terminal device.

[0145] The first request message can be used by a terminal device to request access to the second network, or it can be used by a terminal device to request access to a service in the second network. For example, the terminal device can send the first request message to a base station or a control plane network element of a large network, and the base station or the control plane network element of the large network can then forward the first request message to the first network element.

[0146] Optionally, before the terminal device sends the first request message to the first network element, while the terminal device is resident on the first network, the terminal device may initiate a registration process with the first network element. After the terminal device completes registration, the first network element may store information such as the terminal device's location information and the terminal device's identifier. Furthermore, the terminal device may request access to the second network or services on the second network by executing step S510.

[0147] Optionally, the terminal device may or may not have a contract with the first network, which is not limited in this application. Wherein, having a contract with the first network can be understood as the terminal device having a service contract with the first network, or the first network maintaining the contract data of the terminal device.

[0148] In the present application, the first request message includes one or more of the following information.

[0149] 1) Identification of the terminal device.

[0150] Exemplarily, the identifier of the terminal device is also the identifier of the subnet user, which is used to identify the terminal device. For example, it can be the ID, address information, or other forms of expression used to indicate the terminal device.

[0151] 2) The identifier of the second network.

[0152] Exemplarily, the second network identifier, also known as the subnet identifier, is used to identify the target subnet that the terminal device requests to access. For example, it can be the ID, address information, or other representation used to indicate the second network. For example, based on the second network identifier, the first network element can determine the target subnet that the terminal device requests to access, and then execute a subsequent redirection indication process or access policy decision process.

[0153] 3) Information indicating services in the second network.

[0154] Exemplarily, the information used to indicate the service in the second network is also the subnet service indication information, including the service identifier, DNN, S-NSSAI and other information corresponding to the subnet service, which is used to indicate the target subnet service that the terminal device requests to access. For example, if the terminal device carries specific S-NSSAI, DNN, subnet service ID and other information in the first request message, the first network element can determine the target subnet that the terminal device requests to access based on the mapping relationship between the target subnet service and the target subnet.

[0155] Optionally, the subnet service may be a campus service, a regional service, a private network service, a dedicated network service, or other services oriented to enterprises 2B or consumers 2C.

[0156] S520: The first network element determines access policy information of the second network according to the first request message and the subscription information of the second network.

[0157] The access policy information is used to indicate a policy adopted by the terminal device to access the second network through the first network within the first area.

[0158] Exemplarily, if the terminal device is currently in a reachable state, the first network element may execute an access policy decision based on the first request message and the subscription information of the second network.

[0159] In the embodiments of the present application, the first network and the second network support providing services to terminal devices within the first area. The first area can be understood as the service area of ​​the subnet. For example, the first area can be an enterprise park, a scenic area (such as a park, museum, theater), a campus, a shopping mall, etc.

[0160] Optionally, the first network element in the first network and the second network element in the second network may serve one or more areas, and each area may provide one or more services. The services of the one or more areas may include the subnet services of the first area.

[0161] Optionally, the first region includes multiple regions at different geographical locations. For example, the first region is the service area of ​​the campus service of enterprise A, wherein the campus service of enterprise A can be provided in City A and City B, so the first region may include City A and City B.

[0162] For example, the contract location where the terminal device contracts for a subnet service can be understood as the location of the service area of ​​the subnet service, or the access location of the subnet service. For example, the contract location of the subnet service is the city, province, or other administrative region where the subnet service is located. Optionally, if the contract location of the terminal device contracts for a subnet service, it can be understood as the access location where the terminal device accesses the subnet service.

[0163] It should be understood that there is a scenario where a service provider and an operator sign a contract for the service, so that all terminal devices within the service area of ​​the service can access the subnet service without explicitly signing a contract. Exemplarily, the terminal device signing a subnet service may include the case where the terminal device enters the service area of ​​the subnet service without explicitly signing a contract.

[0164] In this application, the second network subscription information includes user-level subscription information (eg, user account balance, package balance, etc.) or network-level subscription information. The second network subscription information includes one or more of the following information.

[0165] 1) List of services that support access.

[0166] Exemplarily, the list of supported services includes information about one or more subnet services that can be accessed by the terminal device, i.e., the terminal device can request the one or more subnet services from the second network. For example, using the terminal device as the granularity, for each terminal device, the list of supported services indicates at least one subnet service that the terminal device supports access to.

[0167] 2) Business guarantee contract information.

[0168] Exemplarily, the service guarantee contract information may include information such as bandwidth, scheduling priority, and latency.

[0169] 3) The service scope of the second network.

[0170] Exemplarily, the service scope of the second network may include information such as the service area, service type, service object, service name, etc. provided by the subnet. For example, the second network supports providing session establishment services for terminal devices that have signed contracts.

[0171] 4) Information about terminal devices authorized to access subnet services.

[0172] For example, for each subnet service, there is a list indicating the terminal devices authorized to access that subnet service. For another example, for each area, there is a list indicating at least one terminal device authorized to access the subnet services within that area, where the subnet services provided within that area may be one or more. When a region provides multiple subnet services, this indicates that at least one terminal device in the list can access all of those multiple subnet services.

[0173] It should be understood that "authorized access to subnet services" can be replaced with "allowed access to subnet services", which can be understood as signing a contract for subnet services.

[0174] 5) Network information corresponding to the subnet service.

[0175] Exemplarily, the network information may be a DNN or S-NSSAI. For example, the subscription information is at the DNN granularity, and for each DNN, there is a list indicating at least one terminal device that has subscribed to the subnet service corresponding to the DNN. For another example, the subscription information is at the S-NSSAI granularity, and for each S-NSSAI, there is a list indicating at least one terminal device that has subscribed to the subnet service corresponding to the S-NSSAI.

[0176] It should be understood that the relationship between DNN and subnet services is: the terminal device can associate the subnet service with the DNN based on local configuration information or the terminal device's own policy, that is, the subnet service can only be accessed through the DNN. Similarly, the relationship between S-NSSAI and subnet services is: the terminal device can associate the subnet service with the S-NSSAI based on local configuration information or the terminal device's own policy, that is, the subnet service can only be accessed through the S-NSSAI.

[0177] 6) Subnet service contract usage quota information.

[0178] Exemplarily, the contract information is based on the granularity of the service, and for each subnet service, includes the traffic package of the subnet service and the quota package when multiple terminal devices are connected at the same time.

[0179] Optionally, the access policy information of the subnet service of the second network can be understood as a set of candidate policies for the subnet service, each policy having a corresponding applicable scenario. Among them, the access policy information determined by the first network element can be understood as a policy applicable to the terminal device accessing the subnet service in the first area.

[0180] In an embodiment of the present application, the access policy information may also be replaced by a policy decision result. The policy decision result may include a terminal device policy (UE Policy), an access and mobility management policy (AM policy), or a session management policy (SM policy). For specific explanations, please refer to the relevant description below. Since the SM policy can be used to establish a session of the terminal device, and the session can be used to transmit subnet services, the policy decision result can also be used by the terminal device to transmit data of the subnet service within the first area.

[0181] In the present application, the access policy information of the second network includes one or more of the following information.

[0182] 1) A list of services that the terminal device is authorized to access.

[0183] Exemplarily, the service list authorized for access by the terminal device includes information of one or more sub-network services, and the one or more sub-network services can support access by the terminal device, that is, the second network can provide the one or more sub-network services for the terminal device.

[0184] 2) Access scope of authorized terminal devices.

[0185] Exemplarily, the access scope of the authorized terminal device includes policy information for the terminal device to access specific subnet services, such as the specific DNN and S-NSSAI required to access the subnet services.

[0186] 3) Policy authorization information.

[0187] Exemplarily, the policy authorization information includes policy authorization information at a macro-network / sub-network user granularity and a sub-network granularity.

[0188] Optionally, the policy authorization information may include a UE policy for the subnet service, an AM policy for the subnet service, or an SM policy for the subnet service.

[0189] UE Policy can be a UE route selection policy (URSP) or an access network discovery and selection policy (ANDSP). URSP can be used to instruct the UE on how to determine the target packet data unit (PDU) session parameters when accessing a subnet service, such as DNN, S-NSSAI, session and service continuity (SSC) mode, access type, PDU session type, and other information. ANDSP can be used to assist the terminal device in selecting the non-3GPP network corresponding to the subnet service.

[0190] AM policy can be a radio access technology (RAT) / frequency selection priority (RFSP) policy or service area restriction information, etc., which is used to assist terminal devices in selecting the access frequency that matches the subnet service, or to perform service access based on the service area restriction that matches the subnet service.

[0191] The SM policy may be a session parameter that can be authorized for use, such as a quality of service (QoS) policy, a charging policy, a data offload policy, a DNN or S-NSSAI, etc.

[0192] 4) Business assurance strategy information.

[0193] Exemplarily, the service assurance policy information refers to service assurance policy information at the subnet user / subnet service / subnet granularity, such as the QoS guarantee required for the service, which may include packet loss rate, delay, bandwidth, scheduling priority, etc.

[0194] In one implementation, before executing step S520, the first network element first obtains information indicating the location of the terminal device and, if the service range of the second network includes the location of the terminal device, determines that the terminal device is permitted to access the second network. For example, if the location information of the terminal device indicates that the terminal device is within the service range of the second network, or if the physical distance between the terminal device and the service range covered by the second network is less than a preset threshold, the first network element determines that the terminal device is permitted to access the second network.

[0195] Among them, the location information of the terminal device can be geographic location information, or an IP address. The way in which the first network element obtains the information of the location of the terminal device can be to obtain it from the terminal device (such as the first network element sends a message to the terminal device to query the location information of the terminal device), or it can also be obtained by local query (such as the terminal device resides in the first network and completes the registration in the first network, the first network element can save the location information of the terminal device), or it can also be obtained from a third network element (such as a cross-network DB) (such as the information of the terminal device is obtained from the terminal device by the third network element and forwarded to the first network element), etc., and this application does not limit this.

[0196] In another implementation, the first network element obtains second resource indication information, where the second resource indication information is used to indicate the resources authorized by the first network for use by the terminal device, and further, based on the first request message, the contract information of the second network, and the second resource indication information, determines the access policy information of the second network, wherein the access policy information of the second network includes the first resource indication information, where the first resource indication information is used to indicate the resources in the first network used by the terminal device to access the second network through the first network. For example, the second resource indication information is used to indicate that the first network authorizes the terminal device to access the second network through DNN#1 and / or DNN#2 provided by the first network, and the first resource indication information is used to indicate that, after executing the policy decision, the first network element determines that the terminal device is authorized to access the second network through DNN#1.

[0197] Exemplarily, the first network element obtains the second resource indication information, including: the first network includes a network element for storing resources used by the terminal device to use the first network, such as PCF or UDM, etc., then the first network element can obtain the second resource indication information from PCF or UDM, etc.

[0198] In the embodiments of the present application, the resources authorized by the first network for use by the terminal device can be understood as resources in the first network that the terminal device can use when accessing the second network or services in the second network through the first network. Exemplarily, the resources authorized by the first network for use by the terminal device include user-level resources or subnet-level resources, such as the guaranteed bandwidth range provided by the first network, the authorized usable traffic margin, the authorized accessible DNN and / or S-NSSAI list, and other information.

[0199] Exemplarily, user-granular resources can be understood as resource information for each user. A list exists to indicate the bandwidth, traffic margin, DNN, and / or S-NSSAI list, etc., authorized for each user by the first network. The user can be one or more, and the bandwidth or traffic margin authorized for each user can be the same or different. Subnet-granular resources can be understood as resource information for each subnet. A list exists to indicate the bandwidth, traffic margin, etc. authorized for each subnet by the first network. The subnet can be one or more, and the bandwidth or traffic margin authorized for each subnet can be the same or different.

[0200] Step S520 is further executed, i.e., the first network element determines the access policy information of the second network based on the first request message and the subscription information of the second network (optionally, also including the second resource indication information). In other words, the first network element performs access policy decisions based on input information from the large network side (for example, the identifier of the terminal device carried in the first request message, the identifier of the second network, or the subnet service indication information) and input information from the subnet side (for example, the list of supported services in the subscription information of the second network and the service scope of the second network).

[0201] In one example, assuming that a first request message includes an identifier of a terminal device and information indicating a second subnet service, and that the first request message is used by the terminal device to request access to the second subnet service in the second network, and that the list of services supported for access in the subscription information of the second network includes the identifier of the first subnet service and the identifier of the second subnet service, indicating that the second network supports access to the first subnet service and the second subnet service. The access policy information may be: authorizing the terminal device to access the second subnet service of the second network.

[0202] In another example, assuming that the first request message includes an identifier of the terminal device and an identifier of the second network, the first request message is used by the terminal device to request access to the second network, and the list of services supported for access in the subscription information of the second network includes the identifier of the first subnet service and the identifier of the second subnet service, indicating that the second network supports access to the first subnet service and the second subnet service. The network information corresponding to the first subnet service is DNN, and the network information corresponding to the second subnet service is S-NSSAI. Assuming that the subnet-granularity resource is X MHz, the bandwidth that the terminal device is authorized to use by the first network is X MHz. The access policy information of the second network can be: authorizing the terminal device to access the second network or the second subnet service through S-NSSAI, or authorizing the terminal device to access the second network or the first subnet service through DNN. The bandwidth used by the terminal device when accessing the second network or the first subnet service or the second subnet service through the first network is less than or equal to X MHz.

[0203] Optionally, before executing step S520, the method further includes step S501:

[0204] S501: The first network element obtains the subscription information of the second network. The specific implementation method may include the following steps S502 and S503.

[0205] S502: The first network element sends a second request message to the second network element in the second network. Correspondingly, the second network element receives the second request message from the first network element.

[0206] The second request message is used to request the subscription information of the second network. The second request message includes the identifier of the second network. Correspondingly, the second network element can send all the subscription information of the second network to the first network element.

[0207] Optionally, the second request message includes an identifier of the terminal device. If the second request message includes an identifier of the terminal device, the second request message is used to request the contract information related to the terminal device in the contract information of the second network, or to request contract information at the granularity of the terminal device. For example, assuming that the terminal device is subscribed to the second network, the second network element can query the list of services supported for access at the granularity of the terminal device in the contract information of the second network, and determine one or more subnet services supported for access by the terminal device indicated by the identifier of the terminal device in the second request message. For another example, the second network element can determine whether the identifier of the terminal device in the second request message matches the information of the terminal device authorized to access the subnet service in the contract information of the second network, so as to determine whether the terminal device is authorized to access the subnet service in the second network.

[0208] Exemplarily, the second network element may be a subnet data node, such as a PCF or a UDM.

[0209] In one implementation, the first network element sends a second request message to the second network element in the second network based on the routing information of the second network element. The method for obtaining the routing information of the second network element can be found in the following description of steps S503 and S504.

[0210] S503, in response to the second request message in the above step S502, the second network element sends the subscription information of the second network to the first network element, and correspondingly, the first network element receives the subscription information from the second network element.

[0211] Optionally, the first network element obtains the contract information of the second network, and further includes: obtaining the contract information of the second network from a third network element, where the third network element is used to support information interaction between the network elements in the first network and the network elements in the second network. The third network element can be a cross-network data node (such as a cross-network DB), and the cross-network data node can be provided by a cross-network operator, or in other words, the cross-network data node can be provided by a third-party operator other than the large network operator and the subnet operator, for example, the third-party operator provides an indirect interaction platform between the large network and the subnet.

[0212] Optionally, before executing step S502, the method further includes step S504:

[0213] S504: The first network element obtains routing information of the second network element.

[0214] Exemplarily, the first network element sends a third request message to the third network element, and the third network element correspondingly receives the third request message from the first network element. The third request message is used to request routing information of the second network element; in response to the third request message, the third network element sends the routing information of the second network element to the first network element, and the first network element correspondingly receives the routing information of the second network element from the third network element.

[0215] In an embodiment of the present application, the third network element may be a cross-network data node (such as a cross-network DB), which may be provided by a cross-network operator, such as an indirect interaction platform between a large network and a subnet provided by a third-party operator.

[0216] The routing information of the second network element may be device routing information of the control plane or data plane of the second network, a list of services provided, etc. The device routing information may include information such as the IP address, FQDN, host name, etc. of the second network element, which is not limited in this application.

[0217] Exemplarily, the routing information may be carried in the service information in the following step S506, or may not be carried in the service information, may be sent simultaneously with the service information, or may be sent separately from the service information, may be sent in the same message as the service information, or may be sent in a different message from the service information. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0218] It should be noted that this application does not limit the transmission of information and / or data between network elements to direct transmission, indirect transmission (including transparent transmission), etc., that is, network element A sends information and / or data to network element B, which includes network element A directly sending the information and / or data to network element B through the interface between network element A and network element B, and may also include network element A sending the information and / or data to network element C, and network element C sending the information and / or data to network element B. It also does not limit the number of relays involved in the forwarding from network element A to network element B. For example, network element #2 sends routing information to network element #1, which may include: network element #2 directly sends routing information to network element #1 through the interface between network element #2 and network element #1, or network element #2 sends routing information to network element #1 through network element #3; or network element #2 sends routing information to network element #1 through the control plane network element and network element #3, etc. The interactions between other network elements are similar and will not be described in detail here.

[0219] Optionally, before executing step S520, the method further includes steps S505 to S507, in which the first network element determines whether to allow the terminal device to access the second network based on the terminal device's access request and the service information of the second network. It should be noted that steps S505 and S506 may occur before or after step S510, and this application does not limit this.

[0220] S505, the first network element obtains the service information of the second network element, and the specific implementation method may include the following step S506.

[0221] S506: The second network element sends service information to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the service information from the second network element.

[0222] Optionally, the second network element sends the service information of the second network element to the home network element or the third network element, and then the first network element obtains the service information of the second network element from the home network element or the third network element. The home network element can be the network element in the area where the terminal device's contract data is located, or the home data storage network element of the terminal device (such as the home DB), such as the node responsible for maintaining user data in the user's home, such as the UDM, UDR or PCF of the home network, that is, the UDR, UDM, and PCF are all located in the home of the terminal device.

[0223] It should be understood that the second network element can choose to send its own service information to the first network element or the home network element. For example, if the subnet service supports access across the entire network, the second network element can choose to perform service registration with the home DB; if the subnet service only supports access within the current area, the second network element can choose to perform service registration with the regional DB or the home DB.

[0224] Optionally, the registration service process may be initiated via the NEF, or may be executed via a direct or indirect interface between the subnet and the main network.

[0225] In this application, service information includes one or more of the following information.

[0226] 1) The second network element supports user information of the service provided.

[0227] Exemplarily, the user information of the service supported by the second network element includes identifications of one or more terminal devices, such as UE IDs, that is, the one or more terminal devices can request services from the second network element.

[0228] 2) The second network element supports providing user group information of services.

[0229] Exemplarily, the user group information may include one or more user group information. The user group information can be understood as a user group identifier. Each user group identifier includes one or more user identifiers, indicating that the second network element supports one or more user access services. The user group information, similar to user number segments and users, is used to identify one or more subscribers who can access the second network or obtain services provided by the second network.

[0230] 3) The identifier of the second network.

[0231] Exemplarily, the identifier of the second network is also a subnet identifier, which may be, for example, the ID, address information, or other forms of expression for indicating the second network.

[0232] 4) Open access instruction information.

[0233] Exemplarily, the open access indication information is used to indicate that a contracted or uncontracted terminal device is allowed to access the second network, that is, to support the terminal device to access the second network without a contract.

[0234] 5) Identification of the services supported by the second network element.

[0235] Illustratively, the identifier of the subnet service supported by the second network element is also the subnet service identifier, which can be in the form of the name, application identifier, domain name or FQDN of the subnet service, that is, the second network can provide the subnet service.

[0236] S507: The first network element determines whether to allow the terminal device to access the second network based on the service information and the first request message.

[0237] Exemplarily, when the service information and the first request message meet one or more of the following conditions, the first network element determines to allow the terminal device to access the second network.

[0238] For example, the first request message includes information indicating the location of the terminal device, the service information includes the service range of the second network, and the service range of the second network includes the location of the terminal device.

[0239] For another example, the first request message includes information for identifying the first service in the second network, and the service information is used to indicate that the terminal device is allowed to access the first service. The first service can be called a campus service, a regional service, a private network service, or a dedicated network service, etc. It can be a service for enterprise 2B or consumer 2C, that is, a customized service for a designated location area signed by the terminal device, and the designated location area can be called the first area, that is, the first service or the first service supports access by the terminal device in the first area, or in other words, when the terminal device is located in the first area, it can access the first service or the first service, or in other words, the first service or the first service is a service accessed by the terminal device in the first area. "Access" can also be understood as "visit".

[0240] It should be understood that the first service or the first business may refer to one service, or may be a general term for a type of service, including one or more services, and this application does not limit this.

[0241] It should also be understood that the first area can be understood as the service area of ​​the first business. For example, the first area can be an enterprise park, a scenic area (such as a park, museum, theater), a campus, a shopping mall, etc. Optionally, the first area includes multiple areas in different geographical locations. For example, the first area is the service area of ​​enterprise A's park business, where enterprise A's park business can be provided in City A and City B. Therefore, the first area can include City A and City B.

[0242] For another example, the first request message includes information for identifying the second network, and the service information is used to indicate that the terminal device is allowed to access the second network.

[0243] For another example, service information indicates that the second network allows terminal devices that are not subscribed to the second network to access the second network. For example, if a subnet user requests access to the subnet / subnet-specific service, and the subnet allows access to non-subscribers, and if the subnet data indicates that it supports open access to external users without requiring user-granular subscription support, the region DB determines that the subnet user can access the subnet.

[0244] On the contrary, if any one or more of the above conditions are not met, the first network element determines that the terminal device is not allowed to access the second network.

[0245] S530: The first network element sends access policy information to a control plane network element in the first network. Correspondingly, the first control plane network element in the first network receives the access policy information from the first network element.

[0246] Exemplarily, the control plane network element may be an access and mobility management function (AMF) or a session management function (SMF). For example, the AMF may complete the registration of the terminal device based on the access policy information, allowing the terminal device to access the second network or the services of the second network; or the SMF may establish a session, such as a PDU session, for the terminal device based on the access policy information, and transmit subnet services based on the PDU session.

[0247] Optionally, the interaction between the terminal device and the control plane network element can also be achieved through the access network device RAN, which is not limited.

[0248] According to the solution provided by the present application, the first network element makes an access policy decision based on the received first request message and the obtained contract information of the second network, and can obtain the access policy information of the second network, that is, the policy decision result. Based on the policy decision result, the control plane network element (such as AMF) can complete the registration of the terminal device based on the access policy information, so that the terminal device can access the second network or the service of the second network; or, the control plane network element (such as SMF) can establish a session for the terminal device based on the access policy information, such as a PDU session, and transmit subnet services based on the PDU session, so that the terminal device can access the second network through the first network and obtain the services provided by the second network.

[0249] Figure 6 is a flow chart of a communication method 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 6, the method flow can be executed by the first network element and the control plane network element in the first network, the second network element in the second network, and the terminal device, or by the first network element and the control plane network element installed in the first network, the second network element in the second network, and the module and / or device (for example, a chip or an integrated circuit, etc.) with corresponding functions in the terminal device, and the present application is not limited thereto. Compared with the above-mentioned Figure 5 in which the access policy decision is mainly executed by the first network element in the first network (such as the regional data node region DB on the large network side), the scheme shown in Figure 6 is mainly executed by the second network element in the second network (such as the subnet DB on the subnet side). For ease of description, the following description is based on the first network element and the control plane network element in the first network, the second network element in the second network, and the terminal device as the execution subject. The method includes the following multiple steps, and the part not described in detail can refer to the existing protocol.

[0250] S610: The control plane network element of the first network sends a first request message to the second network element of the second network. Correspondingly, the second network element of the second network receives the first request message from the control plane network element of the first network.

[0251] The first request message is used to request access policy information of the second network, or to request access of the terminal device to the second network.

[0252] It should be understood that the first network element is a network element in the first network. The first network element may be a large network data node, such as a policy control function (PCF) or a unified data management function (UDM). The first network may be referred to as the large network, which may be understood as a mobile operator network, and the second network may be referred to as a subnet, which is maintained by a subnet operator. The first network and the second network support providing services to terminal devices within the first area. The first network and the second network may be the same or different.

[0253] Exemplarily, the first request message includes one or more of the following: the identifier of the second network that the terminal device requests to access, the identifier of the terminal device, the location information of the terminal device, or the resource information authorized for use by the first network. For specific explanations, please refer to the relevant description of the above method 500.

[0254] Optionally, before executing step S610, the method further includes step S601.

[0255] S601: A first network element sends a message for establishing a communication connection between the control plane network element and a second network element to a control plane network element of a first network. Correspondingly, the control plane network element receives a message for establishing a communication connection between the control plane network element and the second network element from the first network element.

[0256] The message used by the control plane network element to establish a communication connection with the second network element may be redirection indication information, the redirection indication information including an identifier of the second network or an identifier of the second network element. Based on the redirection indication information, the control plane network element sends a request message to the second network element, the request message being used to request access policy information of the second network or to request access of the terminal device to the second network. In other words, the control plane network element of the first network triggers execution of step S610 based on the redirection indication information.

[0257] Exemplarily, taking the architecture shown in Figure 2 as an example, the redirection indication information may carry the identifier of the second network or the identifier of the control plane network element of the second network, and the control plane network element of the first network triggers the creation of a connection request with the control plane network element of the second network based on the redirection indication information, and then the control plane network element of the second network interacts with the second network element to execute subnet access policy decision to obtain access policy decision information; taking the architecture shown in Figure 3 as an example, the redirection indication information may carry the identifier of the second network or the identifier of the second network element, and the control plane network element of the first network triggers the creation of a connection with the second network element based on the redirection indication information to obtain subnet access control policy information.

[0258] Optionally, before executing step S601, the method further includes steps S602 to S605.

[0259] S602: The terminal device sends a second request message to the first network element, and correspondingly, the first network element receives the second request message from the terminal device, wherein the second request message is used to request access to the second network.

[0260] S603, the first network element obtains the service information of the second network element, which may be specifically implemented by step S604. Optionally, steps S505 and S506 may occur before or after step S510, which is not limited in this application.

[0261] S604, the second network element sends service information to the first network element, and correspondingly, the first network element receives the service information from the second network element.

[0262] In this application, service information includes one or more of the following: user list information, user group list information, subnet identification, open access indication information, and identification of subnet services supported by the second network element. For specific explanations, please refer to the relevant description of the above method 500.

[0263] S605: The first network element determines whether to allow the terminal device to access the second network based on the service information and the first request message.

[0264] The specific implementation of steps S602 to S605 can refer to the relevant description of steps S510 and S506 to S508 of the method 500, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0265] S620: The second network element determines access policy information of the second network according to the first request message and the subscription information of the second network.

[0266] The access policy information is used to indicate a policy adopted by the terminal device to access the second network through the first network within the first area.

[0267] Optionally, the second network element locally stores the subscription information of the second network.

[0268] Exemplarily, if the terminal device is currently in a reachable state, the first network element may execute an access policy decision based on the first request message and the subscription information of the second network.

[0269] In this application, contract information includes user-level contract information (e.g., user account balance, package balance, etc.) or network-level contract information. The contract information includes one or more of the following: a list of supported services, service guarantee contract information, the service scope of the second network, information about terminal devices authorized to access subnet services, information about subnet services, network information corresponding to subnet services, or contract usage quota information for subnet services. For specific explanations, please refer to the relevant description of method 500 above.

[0270] Optionally, a specific implementation of the above step S620 may include the following steps S606 and S607. For the specific implementation, reference may be made to the relevant description of step S520 of the above method 500.

[0271] S606: The second network element obtains second resource indication information, where the second resource indication information is used to indicate resources authorized by the first network for use by the terminal device. Exemplarily, the second network element obtains the second resource indication information, including: Exemplarily, the first network includes a network element for storing resources used by the terminal device on the first network, such as a PCF or UDM. The second network element may obtain the second resource indication information directly or indirectly from the PCF or UDM.

[0272] S607, the second network element determines the access policy information of the second network based on the first request message, the subscription information of the second network, and the second resource indication information, wherein the access policy information of the second network includes the first resource indication information, and the first resource indication information is used to indicate the resources in the first network used by the terminal device to access the second network through the first network. For example, the second resource indication information is used to indicate that the first network authorizes the terminal device to access the second network through S-NSSAI#1 and S-NSSAI#2 provided by the first network, and the first resource indication information is used to indicate that the first network element determines to authorize the terminal device to access the second network through S-NSSAI#2 after executing the policy decision.

[0273] In the present application, the resources authorized by the first network for use by the terminal device may include user-granularity resources or subnet-granularity resources, for example, information such as bandwidth, traffic margin, DNN and / or S-NSSAI list authorized for use by the terminal device. For specific explanations, please refer to the relevant description of the above method 500.

[0274] S630: The second network element sends access policy information of the second network to the control plane network element. Correspondingly, the control plane network element receives the access policy information from the second network element. For specific implementation, refer to the implementation of the first network element in step S530 of the above method 500.

[0275] According to the solution provided by the present application, the second network element makes an access policy decision based on the received first request message and the contract information of the second network, and can obtain the access policy information of the second network, that is, the policy decision result. Based on the policy decision result, the control plane network element (such as AMF) can complete the registration of the terminal device based on the access policy information, so that the terminal device can access the second network or the service of the second network; or, the control plane network element (such as SMF) can establish a session for the terminal device based on the access policy information, such as a PDU session, and transmit subnet services based on the PDU session, so that the terminal device can access the second network through the first network and obtain the services provided by the second network.

[0276] FIG7 is a flow chart of a communication method 700 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG7, it is mainly applicable to the network architecture shown in FIG1 or FIG2. Taking the second network element as a subnet data node (subnet DB), the first network element as a regional data node (region DB), the subnet user as a UE, and the control plane network element as a CP NF as an example, this implementation method, based on the introduction of the regional data node region DB, supports the subnet data node DB being attached to the regional data node DB to support the self-organization / operation and maintenance scenario of the subnet data node DB. The method includes the following steps. For parts not fully described, reference can be made to existing protocols.

[0277] It should be understood that the method 700 shown in FIG7 can be regarded as a specific implementation of the method shown in FIG5 or FIG6. The relevant descriptions in the embodiments shown in FIG5 or FIG6 are also applicable to this implementation. FIG7 and FIG5 and FIG6 may use the same or similar technical means. The content described in the embodiments shown in FIG5 and FIG6 will not be repeated in FIG7.

[0278] S701: The subnet DB sends service information to the region DB. Correspondingly, the region DB receives the service information from the subnet DB.

[0279] S702, the subnet DB sends service information to the home DB, and correspondingly, the home DB receives the service information from the subnet DB.

[0280] The service information includes one or more of the following: a user list, a group list, a subnet ID, and a service ID of the services provided by the subnet DB itself. For specific explanations, please refer to the relevant description of the above method 500.

[0281] Optionally, the above steps S701 and S702 can be performed one by one, and this application does not limit this.

[0282] S703: The UE initiates a user access request to the network side (ie, the first request message of method 500 or the second request message of method 600).

[0283] Exemplarily, the UE sends an access request message to the region DB, and correspondingly, the region DB receives the access request message from the UE.

[0284] It should be understood that if the region DB is not the current user's home DB, the region DB can also interact with the home DB to obtain home service policy / subscription information for local service decision making. For example, the CP NF accesses the region DB, which then addresses the home DB to obtain home service policy / subscription information, and optionally, service authorization information. Furthermore, the region DB executes local service policy decision authorization based on inputs such as user subscription and local service subscription. The region DB / CF NF then executes the UE access process based on the policy decision results.

[0285] Optionally, the access request packet message may include one or more of the following: a subnet identifier, a subnet user identifier, or subnet service indication information. For specific explanations, please refer to the relevant description of the above method 500.

[0286] S704, region DB executes subnet service access decision.

[0287] Exemplarily, the region DB performs a subnet service access decision based on the user data in step S703 and the subnet data in step S701 to determine whether to guide the UE to access the subnet service. For the specific decision logic, reference may be made to the relevant description of the above method 500.

[0288] Optionally, if step S701 is not performed but S702 is performed, then in step S704, the region DB needs to interact with the home DB to obtain subnet data for making a subnet service access decision. It should be understood that based on the access decision in step S704, if the region DB determines that the UE can access the subnet, the subsequent subnet access policy decision process for the UE is triggered.

[0289] The following describes how a subnet DB or region DB executes subnet access policy decisions, combining Method 1 and Method 2. Method 1, including steps S705 to S709, primarily involves the subnet DB executing a closed-loop decision. Specifically, the region DB triggers a redirection process, causing the central network-side CP NF to initiate a service / policy association request to the subnet DB, which then executes the local service decision. Method 2, including steps S710 to S714, primarily involves the region DB executing a closed-loop decision. Specifically, the region DB interacts with the subnet DB based on the subnet's service information to obtain the subnet's corresponding access policy / service policy.

[0290] Method 1:

[0291] S705: The region DB sends a redirection instruction to the CP NF on the large network side. Correspondingly, the CP NF receives the redirection instruction from the region DB.

[0292] The redirection indication information includes the subnet DB identifier or the subnet identifier, that is, the CP NF can execute the redirection process based on the subnet identifier or the subnet DB identifier.

[0293] S706: The CP NF sends a service / policy association establishment request (ie, the first request message of method 600) to the subnet DB. Correspondingly, the subnet DB receives the service / policy association establishment request from the CP NF.

[0294] Among them, the service / policy association establishment request includes one or more of the following: UE identification, UE location, or network information that the UE requests to access, such as DNN or S-NSSAI. For specific explanations, please refer to the relevant description of the above method 500.

[0295] Optionally, the service / policy association establishment request may also be initiated via the subnet-side CP NF, which is not limited in this application.

[0296] S707 , the subnet DB executes the subnet access policy decision and obtains a policy decision result (ie, an example of policy decision information).

[0297] Exemplarily, the subnet DB executes a subnet access policy decision based on the service / policy association establishment request and the subnet subscription information. For specific implementation, see the description of step S620 of method 600 above. For interpretations of the parameters included in the subnet subscription information and the policy decision result, see the description of step 500 above.

[0298] S708, optionally, executing a business policy association request / response.

[0299] Exemplarily, the subnet DB can also directly or indirectly obtain policy information authorized by the large network, such as resource information authorized for use (such as bandwidth, traffic balance, etc.), and then the subnet DB establishes a request based on the business / policy association, subnet contract information, and the resource information to execute the subnet access policy control decision. Please refer to the relevant description of step S620 of the above method 600.

[0300] S709, the subnet DB sends the policy decision result to the CP NF / UE. Correspondingly, the CP NF / UE receives the policy decision result from the subnet DB. For specific implementation, please refer to the relevant description of step S630 of the above method 600.

[0301] Method 2:

[0302] S710, the region DB sends a subnet subscription information request (ie, the second request message in method 500) to the subnet DB. Correspondingly, the subnet DB receives the subnet subscription information request from the region DB.

[0303] S711, the subnet DB sends the subnet contract information to the region DB, and correspondingly, the region DB receives the subnet contract information from the subnet DB.

[0304] S712, the region DB executes the subnet access policy decision and obtains the policy decision result.

[0305] Exemplarily, the region DB performs a subnet access policy decision based on the user access request in step S703 and the subnet subscription information in step S711. For specific implementations, see the description of step S520 of method 500 above. For interpretations of the parameters included in the subnet subscription information and the policy decision result, see the description of step 500 above.

[0306] That is, the policy decision result can be generated based on the service identifier and subnet identifier requested by the UE, combined with user granularity and / or subnet granularity policy information, and user granularity subscription information provided by the home DB. For example, the subnet access policy can include policy information for subnet access to specific services, such as the specific DNN, S-NSSAI required to access the service, or service assurance policy information (such as bandwidth, scheduling priority, latency, etc.), or a list of services authorized for access.

[0307] S713: Optionally, execute business policy association request / response.

[0308] Exemplarily, the region DB can also directly or indirectly obtain the policy information authorized by the large network, such as the resource information authorized for use (such as bandwidth, traffic balance, etc.), and then the subnet DB establishes the request based on the business / policy association, the subnet contract information, and the resource information to execute the subnet access policy control decision. Please refer to the relevant description of step S620 of the above method 600.

[0309] S714, the region DB sends the policy decision result to the CP NF / UE, and correspondingly, the CP NF / UE receives the policy decision result from the region DB.

[0310] Furthermore, the CP NF can complete the UE's registration based on the policy decision result, thereby enabling the UE to access the large network. Alternatively, the CP NF can establish a session for the UE based on the policy decision result, such as a PDU session, and transmit services based on the PDU session.

[0311] It should be noted that the above example uses the subnet DB sending service information to the region DB or home DB. Optionally, the subnet DB can also send its own service information to the large network NRF, adding a subnet ID field to the subnet user's subscription information. When a UE accesses through the region DB, it can obtain the UE's corresponding subnet information through the home DB, and then establish a communication connection with the subnet DB through the NRF. The specific implementation method can be referred to the relevant description above and is not repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0312] The solution provided in this application executes an access policy decision for UE access to a subnet through a region DB or a subnet DB to obtain a policy decision result. Based on the policy decision result, the CP NF on the large network side (e.g., AMF) can complete the registration of the terminal device based on the policy decision result, allowing the terminal device to access the second network or the services of the second network; or, the CP NF on the large network side (e.g., SMF) can establish a session for the terminal device based on the policy decision result, such as a PDU session, and transmit subnet services based on the PDU session, so that the UE can access the subnet through the large network and obtain the subnet services provided by the subnet, thereby ensuring the UE's user experience.

[0313] In order to support the provision of multi-operator docking capabilities for subnets and reduce the complexity of docking with multiple operators during subnet deployment, this application is based on the network architecture shown in Figure 3 and provides a communication method as shown in Figure 6, that is, on the basis of introducing a cross-network DB, it supports the scenario of indirect docking between region DB and subnet DB via a cross-network DB.

[0314] Figure 8 is a flow chart of a communication method 800 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 8, the method is primarily applicable to the network architecture shown in Figure 3. Taking the second network element as a subnet data node (subnet DB), the first network element as a region data node (region DB), the third network element as a cross-network data node (cross-network DB), the subnet user as a UE, and the control plane network element as a CP NF as an example, the method includes the following steps. For portions not fully described, reference may be made to existing protocols.

[0315] It should be understood that the method 800 shown in FIG8 can be regarded as a specific implementation of the method shown in FIG5 or FIG6. The relevant descriptions in the embodiments shown in FIG5 or FIG6 are also applicable to this implementation. FIG8 and FIG5 and FIG6 may use the same or similar technical means. The content described in the embodiments shown in FIG5 and FIG6 will not be repeated in FIG8.

[0316] S801, the subnet DB sends service information to the inter-network DB, and correspondingly, the inter-network DB receives the service information from the subnet DB.

[0317] S802, the cross-network DB sends service information to the region DB, and correspondingly, the region DB receives the service information from the subnet DB.

[0318] S803, the cross-network DB sends service information to the home DB, and correspondingly, the home DB receives the service information from the cross-network DB.

[0319] The service information may include information such as a user list, a group list, a subnet identifier, or a service access policy of services provided by the subnet DB. For specific explanations, please refer to the relevant description of the above method 500.

[0320] Optionally, either step S802 or step S803 can be performed. For example, if only intra-region access is supported, the cross-network DB can initiate a service synchronization process only to the region DB, i.e., execute step S802. If wide-area access is supported, the cross-network DB needs to initiate a service synchronization process to the home DB, i.e., execute step S803.

[0321] S804: The UE initiates a user access request to the network side (ie, the first request message of method 500 or the second request message of method 600).

[0322] S805, region DB executes subnet service access decision.

[0323] For the specific implementation of the above steps S804 and S805, reference may be made to the relevant descriptions of steps S703 and S704 of the above method 700.

[0324] The following describes how a subnet DB or region DB executes a subnet access policy decision, in conjunction with Method 1 or Method 2. Method 1 includes steps S806 to S809, primarily involving the subnet DB executing a closed-loop decision. Specifically, the region DB triggers a redirection process, causing the large-network CP NF to initiate a service / policy association establishment request to the subnet DB, and the subnet DB executes a local service decision. This process involves executing a subnet or subnet DB topology query process with a cross-network DB. Method 2 includes steps S810 to S814, primarily involving the region DB executing a closed-loop decision. Specifically, the region DB interacts with the subnet DB based on the subnet's service information to obtain access policies / service policies applicable outside the subnet.

[0325] Method 1:

[0326] S806: The region DB sends redirection instruction information to the CP NF. Correspondingly, the CP NF receives the redirection instruction information from the region DB.

[0327] The redirection indication information may carry a subnet identifier; optionally, it may also carry cross-network DB address information. It should be understood that the specific form of the cross-network data node may be a cross-operator service registration network element (similar to the NRF in the 5G network) or a cross-operator topology management node (similar to the OAM in the operator network), and this application does not limit this.

[0328] S807: CP NF triggers topology query.

[0329] Exemplarily, the CP NF sends a topology query request message to the inter-network database. In response, the inter-network database receives the topology query request message from the CP NF. The request message carries a subnet identifier or a subnet database identifier, and is used to search for routing information for the subnet or subnet database. In response, the inter-network database sends the routing information for the subnet or subnet database to the CP NF.

[0330] The subnet routing information may be the control plane or data plane device routing information of the subnet, a list of services provided, etc. The device routing information may include the IP address, FQDN, host name, etc. of the second network element, which is not limited in this application.

[0331] Optionally, the subnet routing information may be carried in the service information of the following step S802.

[0332] S808: The CP NF sends a subnet service / policy association establishment request (ie, the first request message of method 600) to the subnet DB. Correspondingly, the subnet DB receives the subnet service / policy association establishment request from the CP NF.

[0333] For example, based on the query result, the CP NF can directly or indirectly initiate a subnet service policy association establishment request to the subnet DB to obtain the subnet service access policy information. Parameters included in the service / policy association establishment request and their interpretations can be found in the description of the method 500 above.

[0334] S809 , the subnet DB executes the subnet access policy decision and obtains a policy decision result (ie, an example of policy decision information).

[0335] Exemplarily, the subnet DB executes a subnet access policy decision based on the service / policy association establishment request and the subnet subscription information. For specific implementation, see the description of step S707 of method 700 above. For interpretations of the parameters included in the subnet subscription information and the policy decision result, see the description of step 500 above.

[0336] Method 2:

[0337] S810, the region DB sends a request message #1 to the cross-network DB. Correspondingly, the cross-network DB receives the request message #1 from the region DB.

[0338] The request message #1 includes a subnet identifier for requesting to obtain subnet routing information. Exemplarily, the region DB triggers a subnet routing information query request to the cross-network DB based on the subnet identifier.

[0339] S811, the cross-network DB sends subnet routing information to the region DB, and correspondingly, the region DB receives the subnet routing information from the cross-network DB. The specific definition of the subnet routing information can be found in the description of step 500 above.

[0340] S812, the region DB sends a request message #2 (ie, a second request message) to the subnet DB. Correspondingly, the subnet DB receives the request message #2 from the region DB.

[0341] The request message #2 is used to request the acquisition of the subnet subscription information. For example, the request message #2 includes the subnet identifier and / or the UE identifier.

[0342] S813, the subnet DB sends the subnet contract information to the region DB, and correspondingly, the region DB receives the subnet contract information from the subnet DB. The specific definition of the subnet contract information can be found in the description of step 500 above.

[0343] S814, region DB executes subnet access policy decision and obtains policy decision result.

[0344] Exemplarily, the region DB executes a subnet access policy decision based on the user access request in step S604 and the subnet subscription information in step S813. For specific implementation, see the description of step S712 of method 700 above. For interpretation of the parameters included in the subnet subscription information and the policy decision result, see the description of step 500 above.

[0345] S815, business policy execution.

[0346] Exemplarily, the subnet DB in the above-mentioned method 1 or the region DB in the above-mentioned method 2 sends the obtained policy decision result to the CP NF / UE to implement subnet access control. The specific implementation method can refer to the relevant description of step S709 or S714 of the above-mentioned method 700 respectively.

[0347] The solution provided in this application executes an access policy decision for UE access to a subnet through a region DB or a subnet DB to obtain a policy decision result. Based on the policy decision result, the CP NF on the large network side (e.g., AMF) can complete the registration of the terminal device based on the policy decision result, allowing the terminal device to access the second network or the services of the second network; or, the CP NF on the large network side (e.g., SMF) can establish a session for the terminal device based on the policy decision result, such as a PDU session, and transmit subnet services based on the PDU session, so that the UE can access the subnet through the large network and obtain the subnet services provided by the subnet, thereby ensuring the UE's user experience.

[0348] The above description, in conjunction with Figures 1 to 8 , details the communication method embodiment of the present application. The following description, in conjunction with Figures 9 to 11 , details the communication device embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment. Therefore, for portions not described in detail, reference can be made to the preceding method embodiment.

[0349] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 9, the device 1000 may include a transceiver unit 1010 and a processing unit 1020. The transceiver unit 1010 can communicate with the outside world, and the processing unit 1020 is used to process data. The transceiver unit 1010 may also be referred to as a communication interface or a transceiver unit.

[0350] In one possible design, the device 1000 can implement steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the first network element in the above method embodiment, wherein the processing unit 1020 is used to perform processing-related operations of the first network element in the above method embodiment, and the transceiver unit 1010 is used to perform transceiver-related operations of the first network element in the above method embodiment.

[0351] Exemplarily, the transceiver unit 1010 is used to receive a first request message from a terminal device, where the first request message is used to request access to a second network; the processing unit 1020 is used to determine the access policy information of the second network based on the first request message and the contract information of the second network, where the access policy information is used to indicate the policy adopted by the terminal device to access the second network through the first network within the first area, and the first network and the second network support providing services to the terminal devices within the first area; the transceiver unit 1010 is also used to send the access policy information to the control plane network element in the first network.

[0352] In another possible design, the device 1000 can implement steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the second network element in the above method embodiment, wherein the transceiver unit 1010 is used to perform operations related to transceiver transmission of the second network element in the above method embodiment, and the processing unit 1020 is used to perform operations related to processing of the second network element in the above method embodiment.

[0353] Exemplarily, the transceiver unit 1010 is used to receive a request message from a first network element in a first network, where the request message is used to request contract information of a second network. The first network and the second network support providing services to terminal devices within a first area, where the first area is an area where the terminal device requests to access the second network through the first network. The transceiver unit 1010 is also used to send contract information to the first network element according to the request message.

[0354] In one possible design, the device 1000 can implement steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the second network element in the above method embodiment, wherein the transceiver unit 1010 is used to perform operations related to transceiver transmission of the second network element in the above method embodiment, and the processing unit 1020 is used to perform operations related to processing of the second network element in the above method embodiment.

[0355] Exemplarily, the transceiver unit 1010 is used to receive a request message from a control plane network element in the first network, where the request message is used to request access policy information of the second network, or to request access of the terminal device to the second network. The access policy information is used to indicate the policy adopted by the terminal device to access the second network through the first network in the first area, and the first network and the second network support providing services to the terminal devices in the first area; the processing unit 1020 is used to determine the access policy information of the second network based on the request message and the contract information of the second network; the transceiver unit 1010 is also used to send the access policy information of the second network to the control plane network element.

[0356] In another possible design, the device 1000 can implement steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the first network element in the above method embodiment, wherein the transceiver unit 1010 is used to perform operations related to transceiver transmission of the first network element in the above method embodiment, and the processing unit 1020 is used to perform operations related to processing of the first network element in the above method embodiment.

[0357] Exemplarily, the transceiver unit 1010 is used to obtain service information of a second network element in the second network, the service information is used to indicate services supported by the second network element, and the first network and the second network support providing services to terminal devices in the first area; the transceiver unit 1010 is also used to receive a message from the terminal device for requesting access to the second network; the processing unit 1020 is used to determine whether the terminal device is allowed to access the second network based on the message and service information for requesting access to the second network; the transceiver unit 1010 is also used to send a message to the control plane network element in the first network to instruct the control plane network element to establish a communication connection with the second network element.

[0358] It should be understood that the device 1000 here is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" here may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (such as a shared processor, a dedicated processor or a group processor, etc.) and a memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, a combined logic circuit and / or other suitable components that support the described functions. In an optional example, those skilled in the art will understand that the device 1000 may be specifically the first network element in the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the first network element in the above-mentioned method embodiment, or the device 1000 may be specifically the second network element in the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the second network element in the above-mentioned method embodiment. To avoid repetition, it will not be described here.

[0359] The apparatus 1000 of each of the above-mentioned solutions has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the first network element in the above-mentioned method, or the apparatus 1000 of each of the above-mentioned solutions has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the second network element in the above-mentioned method. The functions can be implemented by hardware, or can be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-mentioned functions; for example, the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transceiver (for example, the sending unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as the processing unit, can be replaced by a processor to respectively perform the sending and receiving operations and related processing operations in each method embodiment.

[0360] In addition, the above-mentioned transceiver unit can also be a transceiver circuit (for example, it can include a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit), and the processing unit can be a processing circuit. In an embodiment of the present application, the communication device 1000 can be the first network element or the second network element in the aforementioned embodiment, or it can be a chip or a chip system, such as a system on chip (SoC). Among them, the transceiver unit can be an input and output circuit or a communication interface. The processing unit is a processor or microprocessor or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. This is not limited here.

[0361] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 2000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 10, the device 2000 includes a processor 2010 and a transceiver 2020. The processor 2010 and the transceiver 2020 communicate with each other via an internal connection path. The processor 2010 is used to execute instructions to control the transceiver 2020 to send and / or receive signals.

[0362] Optionally, the apparatus 2000 may further include a memory 2030, which communicates with the processor 2010 and the transceiver 2020 via an internal connection path. The memory 2030 is used to store instructions, and the processor 2010 may execute the instructions stored in the memory 2030.

[0363] In a possible implementation, the device 2000 is used to implement various processes and steps corresponding to the second network element in the above method embodiment.

[0364] In another possible implementation, the device 2000 is used to implement various processes and steps corresponding to the first network element in the above method embodiment.

[0365] It should be understood that the apparatus 2000 can be specifically the first network element or the second network element in the above-described embodiment, or can be a chip or a chip system. Correspondingly, the transceiver 2020 can be the transceiver circuit of the chip, which is not limited here. For example, the apparatus 2000 can be used to execute the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the first network element or the second network element in the above-described method embodiment.

[0366] Optionally, the memory 2030 may include a read-only memory and a random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor. A portion of the memory may also include a non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory may also store device type information. The processor 2010 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory. When the processor 2010 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 2010 is configured to perform the various steps and / or processes of the aforementioned method embodiment corresponding to the first network element or the second network element.

[0367] During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor or by instructions in the form of software. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in conjunction with its hardware. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0368] It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above-described method embodiment can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or by software instructions. The above-described processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component. The processor in the embodiments of the present application can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly implemented and executed by a hardware decoding processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium well-known in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above-described method.

[0369] It will be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory, dynamic random access memory, synchronous dynamic random access memory, double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory, enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory, synchronous linked dynamic random access memory, and direct memory bus random access memory. It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0370] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip system 3000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG11 , the chip system 3000 (or also referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 3010 and an input / output interface 3020 .

[0371] The logic circuit 3010 may be a processing circuit in the chip system 3000. The logic circuit 3010 may be coupled to a storage unit and call instructions in the storage unit so that the chip system 3000 can implement the methods and functions of the various embodiments of the present application. The input / output interface 3020 may be an input / output circuit in the chip system 3000, outputting information processed by the chip system 3000 or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system 3000 for processing.

[0372] As a solution, the chip system 3000 is used to implement the operations performed by the second network element (eg, subnet data node, or subnet DB) in the above various method embodiments.

[0373] As a solution, the chip system 3000 is used to implement the operations performed by the first network element (eg, a regional data node, or a region DB) in each of the above method embodiments.

[0374] As a solution, the chip system 3000 is used to implement the operations performed by the control plane network element (e.g., CP NF) in the above various method embodiments.

[0375] As a solution, the chip system 3000 is used to implement the operations performed by the terminal device (eg, UE) in the above various method embodiments.

[0376] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium on which computer instructions for implementing the methods executed by the device in the above-mentioned method embodiments are stored.

[0377] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, implement the methods performed by the device in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0378] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, including the aforementioned second network element and the first network element.

[0379] Optionally, the communication system further includes the aforementioned control plane network element and / or terminal device, wherein the control plane network element may be a control plane network element in the first network.

[0380] The explanation of the relevant contents and beneficial effects of any of the communication devices provided above can be referred to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0381] In order to facilitate understanding of the above embodiments provided in this application, the following explanations are made.

[0382] 1) In this application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0383] 2) In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b and c can mean: a, or b, or c, or a and b, or a and c, or b and c, or a, b and c. Where a, b and c can be single or multiple, respectively.

[0384] 3) Throughout this application, the terms "first," "second," and various numerical references (e.g., #1, #2, etc.) are used to distinguish between different messages for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. For example, they are used to distinguish between different messages, rather than to describe a specific order or precedence. It should be understood that such references are interchangeable, where appropriate, to allow for the description of scenarios beyond the embodiments of this application.

[0385] 4) In this application, descriptions such as "when...", "in the case of...", and "if" all mean that the device will perform corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances. They do not limit the time, nor do they require the device to perform judgment actions when implementing them, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0386] 5) In this application, "used to indicate" can include being used for direct indication and being used for indirect indication. When describing that a certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can include that the indication information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, and it does not mean that the indication information must carry A.

[0387] The indication methods involved in the embodiments of this application should be understood to encompass various methods that enable the party to be indicated to obtain information about the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately. The transmission period and / or timing of these sub-information can be the same or different. This application does not limit the transmission method, for example.

[0388] In the embodiments of the present application, the "indication information" may be an explicit indication, i.e., a direct indication via signaling, or may be obtained based on parameters indicated by the signaling, in combination with other rules, other parameters, or by deduction. It may also be an implicit indication, i.e., based on a rule or relationship, or based on other parameters, or by deduction. This application does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0389] 6) In this application, "protocol" may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, such as 5G protocol, NR protocol, and related protocols used in future communication systems, which is not limited in this application. "Predefined" may include pre-definition. For example, protocol definition. "Preconfiguration" can be implemented by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables, or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device, and this application does not limit its implementation method.

[0390] 7) In this application, "communication" may also be described as "data transmission", "information transmission", "data processing", etc. "Transmission" includes "sending" and "receiving".

[0391] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel 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.

[0392] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0393] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0394] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0395] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0396] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0397] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a first network element, where the first network element is a network element in a first network, the method includes: Receiving a first request message from a terminal device, where the first request message is used to request access to a second network; Determine access policy information of the second network according to the first request message and the subscription information of the second network, the access policy information is used to indicate a policy adopted by the terminal device to access the second network through the first network in the first area, and the first network and the second network support providing services to the terminal devices in the first area; Send the access policy information to a control plane network element in the first network.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Before determining the access policy information of the second network according to the first request message and the subscription information of the second network, the method further includes: Acquire the subscription information of the second network.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The acquiring the subscription information of the second network includes: Sending a second request message to a second network element in the second network, where the second request message is used to request to obtain subscription information of the second network; Receive the subscription information from the second network element.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that Before sending the second request message to the second network element in the second network, the method further includes: Obtaining routing information of the second network element; The sending a second request message to a second network element in the second network includes: Send the second request message to the second network element in the second network according to the routing information of the second network element.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The acquiring the routing information of the second network element includes: Sending a third request message to a third network element, where the third request message is used to request to obtain routing information of the second network element, and the third network element is used to support information interaction between network elements in the first network and network elements in the second network; Receive routing information of the second network element from the third network element.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The access policy information of the second network includes first resource indication information, where the first resource indication information is used to indicate resources in the first network used by the terminal device to access the second network through the first network, and the method further includes: Acquire second resource indication information, where the second resource indication information is used to indicate resources authorized by the first network for use by the terminal device; The first resource indication information is determined according to the second resource indication information.

7. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that Before sending the second request message to the second network element in the second network, the method further includes: Acquire service information of the second network element, where the service information is used to indicate services supported by the second network element; According to the service information and the first request message, it is determined that the terminal device is allowed to access the second network.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The acquiring the service information of the second network element includes: receiving service information of the second network element from the second network element; or, receiving service information of the second network element from a home network element, where the home network element is a network element in a home network of the terminal device; or, The service information of the second network element is received from a third network element, where the third network element is used to support information interaction between network elements in the first network and network elements in the second network.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The determining, according to the service information and the first request message, to allow the terminal device to access the second network includes: Under the condition that the service information and the first request message satisfy one or more of the following conditions, determining to allow the terminal device to access the second network; The first request message includes information indicating the location of the terminal device, the service information includes a service range of the second network, and the service range of the second network includes the location of the terminal device; or, The first request message includes information for identifying the first service in the second network, and the service information is used to indicate that the first service is allowed. The terminal device accesses the first service; or, The first request message includes information for identifying the second network, and the service information is used to indicate that the terminal device is allowed to access the second network; or, The service information indicates that the second network allows a terminal device that has not subscribed to the second network to access the second network.

10. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a second network element, where the second network element is a network element in a second network, the method includes: receiving a request message from a control plane network element in the first network, the request message being used to request access policy information of the second network, the access policy information being used to indicate a policy adopted by a terminal device to access the second network through the first network in the first area, the first network and the second network supporting providing services to the terminal device in the first area; Determine access policy information of the second network according to the request message and the subscription information of the second network; Send access policy information of the second network to the control plane network element.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The access policy information of the second network includes first resource indication information, where the first resource indication information is used to indicate resources in the first network used by the terminal device to access the second network through the first network, and the method further includes: Acquire second resource indication information, where the second resource indication information is used to indicate resources authorized by the first network for use by the terminal device; The first resource indication information is determined according to the second resource indication information.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: Before receiving the request message from the control plane network element in the first network, the method further includes: Send service information of the second network element to the first network element or the home network element, wherein the service information is used to indicate services supported by the second network element, wherein the first network element is a network element in the first network, and the home network element is a network element in the home network of the terminal device.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The sending the service information of the second network element to the first network element or the home network element includes: The service information of the second network element is sent to the first network element or the home network element via a third network element, and the third network element is used to support information interaction between network elements in the first network and network elements in the second network.

14. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a first network element, where the first network element is a network element in a first network, the method includes: Acquire service information of a second network element in a second network, where the service information is used to indicate services supported by the second network element, and the first network and the second network support providing services to terminal devices in a first area; receiving a message from a terminal device for requesting access to the second network; Determining, according to the message for requesting access to the second network and the service information, to allow the terminal device to access the second network; A message is sent to a control plane network element in the first network, instructing the control plane network element to establish a communication connection with the second network element.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The obtaining of the service information of the second network element includes: receiving service information of the second network element from the second network element; or, receiving service information of the second network element from a home network element, where the home network element is a network element in a home network of the terminal device; or, The service information of the second network element is received from a third network element.

16. A communication method, characterized in that: include: A first network element receives a first request message from a terminal device, where the first request message is used to request access to a second network, and the first network element is a network element in the first network; The first network element determines, according to the first request message and the subscription information of the second network, the access policy information being used to indicate a policy adopted by the terminal device to access the second network through the first network in the first area, and the first network and the second network supporting providing services to the terminal device in the first area; The first network element sends the access policy information to a control plane network element in the first network, and the control plane network element in the first network receives the access policy information from the first network element.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that Before determining the access policy information of the second network according to the first request message and the subscription information of the second network, the method further includes: The first network element obtains the subscription information of the second network.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The first network element obtains the subscription information of the second network, including: The first network element sends a second request message to a second network element in the second network, and the second network element receives the second request message from the first network element, where the second request message is used to request to obtain subscription information of the second network; The second network element sends the subscription information to the first network element according to the second request message, and the first network element receives the subscription information from the second network element.

19. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, characterized in that Before the first network element sends the second request message to the second network element in the second network, the method further includes: The first network element obtains service information of the second network element, where the service information is used to indicate services supported by the second network element; The first network element determines, based on the service information and the first request message, that the terminal device is allowed to access the second network.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The first network element determines, according to the service information and the first request message, that the terminal device is allowed to access the second network, including: Under the condition that the service information and the first request message satisfy one or more of the following conditions, determining to allow the terminal device to access the second network; The first request message includes information indicating the location of the terminal device, the service information includes a service range of the second network, and the service range of the second network includes the location of the terminal device; or, The first request message includes information for identifying a first service in the second network, and the service information is used to indicate that the terminal device is allowed to access the first service; or, The first request message includes information for identifying the second network, and the service information is used to indicate that the terminal device is allowed to access the second network; or, The service information indicates that the second network allows a terminal device that has not subscribed to the second network to access the second network.

21. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The control plane network element in the first network sends a request message to the second network element in the second network, and the second network element receives the request message from the control plane network element in the first network, where the request message is used to request to obtain access policy information of the second network, where the access policy information is used to indicate a policy adopted by the terminal device to access the second network through the first network in the first area, and the first network and the second network support providing services for the terminal device in the first area; The second network element determines the access policy information of the second network according to the request message and the subscription information of the second network; The second network element sends the access policy information of the second network to the control plane network element, and the control plane network element receives the access policy information of the second network from the second network element.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that Before the control plane network element in the first network sends a request message to the second network element in the second network, the method further includes: The first network element obtains service information of the second network element, where the service information is used to indicate services supported by the second network element, and the first network and the second network support providing services to terminal devices in the first area; The first network element receives a message from a terminal device for requesting access to the second network; The first network element determines, according to the message for requesting access to the second network and the service information, that the terminal device is allowed to access the second network; The first network element sends a message to a control plane network element in the first network to instruct the control plane network element to establish a communication connection with the second network element, and the control plane network element in the first network receives a message from the first network element to instruct the control plane network element to establish a communication connection with the second network element.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: include: One or more functional modules, wherein the one or more functional modules are used to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, or the one or more functional modules are used to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 13, or the one or more functional modules are used to execute the method as claimed in claim 14 or 15.

24. A communication device, characterized in that: include: a processor coupled to the memory; The processor is configured to execute the computer program stored in the memory so that the apparatus performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, or the apparatus performs the method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, or the apparatus performs the method according to claim 14 or 15.

25. A communication system, characterized in that: include: A first network element and a control plane network element, wherein the first network element is used to execute any one of claims 1 to 9, and the control plane network element is used to receive access policy information from the first network element.

26. A communication system, characterized in that: include: A first network element and a second network element, wherein the first network element is used to execute the method according to claim 14 or 15, and the second network element is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 10 to 13.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: include: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, or enables the computer to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 13, or enables the computer to execute the method as claimed in claim 14 or 15.

28. A computer program product, characterized in that When the computer program product is executed by a communication device, it implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, or implements the method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, or implements the method according to claim 14 or 15.

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