Communication method, terminal device, and network device

Abstract

The present application relates to a communication method, a terminal device, and a network device. The method comprises: a terminal device sends a first message to a first network device, the first message carrying a capability indication of the terminal device, and the capability indication being used for indicating whether the terminal device supports a plurality of user identifiers; and the terminal device receives a second message sent by the first network device, the second message carrying at least one of a first indication and the address of a second network device, and the first indication being used for indicating whether the terminal device is allowed to use the plurality of user identifiers. According to embodiments of the present application, a plurality of user identifiers of the same terminal device can be managed.

Description

Communication method, terminal device and network device Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication method, a terminal device, and a network device. Background Art

[0002] Existing operator networks can only obtain the identifier (ID) associated with the user equipment (UE) contract, such as the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). However, when multiple users share a UE, the network cannot identify a specific user and cannot provide optimized services for each user.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including:

[0005] The terminal device sends a first message to the first network device, where the first message carries a capability indication of the terminal device, where the capability indication is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports multiple user identifiers;

[0006] The terminal device receives a second message sent by the first network device, where the second message carries at least one of a first indication and an address of the second network device, and the first indication is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to use multiple user identifiers.

[0007] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including:

[0008] A first network device receives a first message sent by a terminal device, where the first message carries a capability indication of the terminal device, where the capability indication is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports multiple user identifiers;

[0009] The first network device sends a second message to the terminal device, where the second message carries at least one of a first indication and an address of the second network device, where the first indication is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to use multiple user identifiers.

[0010] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including:

[0011] The second network device receives at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier;

[0012] The second network device checks the legitimacy of the user identifier and performs an operation on the user identifier based on the check result;

[0013] The second network device sends an operation result for the user identifier.

[0014] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including:

[0015] The fourth network device receives a seventh message sent by the first network device, where the seventh message carries at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier;

[0016] The fourth network device sends an eighth message to the first network device, where the eighth message carries an operation result for the user identifier.

[0017] An embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device, including:

[0018] The first transceiver module is used to send a first message to a first network device, where the first message carries a capability indication of the terminal device, and the capability indication is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports multiple user identifiers; and is also used to receive a second message sent by the first network device, where the second message carries at least one of the first indication and the address of a second network device, and the first indication is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to use multiple user identifiers.

[0019] An embodiment of the present application provides a first network device, including:

[0020] The second transceiver module is used to receive a first message sent by a terminal device, where the first message carries a capability indication of the terminal device, and the capability indication is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports multiple user identifiers; and is also used to send a second message to the terminal device, where the second message carries at least one of the first indication and the address of a second network device, and the first indication is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to use multiple user identifiers.

[0021] An embodiment of the present application provides a second network device, including:

[0022] A third transceiver module is configured to receive at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier; and is further configured to send an operation result for the user identifier;

[0023] The second processing module is used to check the legitimacy of the user identification and perform operations on the user identification based on the checking result.

[0024] This embodiment of the present application provides a fourth network device, including:

[0025] The fourth transceiver module is used to receive the seventh message sent by the first network device, the seventh message carrying at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier; and is also used to send an eighth message to the first network device, the eighth message carrying an operation result for the user identifier.

[0026] An embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device, comprising: a transceiver, a processor, and a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, the transceiver is used to communicate with other devices, and the processor is used to call and execute the computer program stored in the memory so that the terminal device executes the above-mentioned communication method.

[0027] An embodiment of the present application provides a network device, comprising: a transceiver, a processor, and a memory. The memory is configured to store a computer program, the transceiver is configured to communicate with other devices, and the processor is configured to call and execute the computer program stored in the memory, so that the network device executes the aforementioned communication method.

[0028] An embodiment of the present application provides a chip for implementing the above-mentioned communication method.

[0029] Specifically, the chip includes: a processor, which is used to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes the above-mentioned communication method.

[0030] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, which, when executed by a device, enables the device to execute the above-mentioned communication method.

[0031] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions, which enable a computer to execute the above-mentioned communication method.

[0032] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the above-mentioned communication method.

[0033] In this embodiment of the present application, a terminal device sends a capability indication to a first network device and receives from the first network device a first indication indicating whether the terminal device is permitted to use multiple user identifiers, as well as the address of a second network device. The second network device can then manage the multiple user identifiers of the terminal device. This allows for providing differentiated services to multiple users sharing the same terminal device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the 5G system architecture.

[0035] FIG2 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 200 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0036] FIG3 is a schematic flowchart of a terminal device obtaining a first indication in a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0037] FIG4 is a schematic flowchart of message transmission between a terminal device and a second network device in a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0038] FIG5 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 500 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0039] FIG6 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 600 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0040] FIG7 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 700 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0041] FIG8 is a flow chart of an implementation method according to the first embodiment of the present application.

[0042] FIG9 is a flow chart of an implementation method according to the second embodiment of the present application.

[0043] FIG10 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device 1000 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0044] FIG11 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device 1100 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0045] FIG12 is a schematic block diagram of a first network device 1200 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0046] FIG13 is a schematic block diagram of a second network device 1300 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0047] FIG14 is a schematic block diagram of a fourth network device 1400 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0048] FIG15 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1500 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0049] FIG16 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip 1600 according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0051] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, Advanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A) system, New Radio (NR) system, NR system evolution system, LTE on unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) system, NR on unlicensed spectrum (NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum, NR-U) system, Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Fifth Generation (5G) system or other communication systems.

[0052] Generally speaking, traditional communication systems support a limited number of connections and are easy to implement. However, with the development of communication technology, mobile communication systems will not only support traditional communications, but will also support, for example, device-to-device (D2D) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, etc. The embodiments of the present application can also be applied to these communication systems.

[0053] In one embodiment, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, a dual connectivity (DC) scenario, and a standalone (SA) networking scenario.

[0054] In one embodiment, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to an unlicensed spectrum, wherein the unlicensed spectrum can also be considered as a shared spectrum; or, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to an authorized spectrum, wherein the authorized spectrum can also be considered as an unshared spectrum.

[0055] The embodiments of the present application describe various embodiments in conjunction with network devices and terminal devices, wherein the terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device, etc.

[0056] The terminal device can be a station (STAION, ST) in a WLAN, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a next-generation communication system such as an NR network, or a terminal device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) network, etc.

[0057] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld, wearable or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water surface (such as ships, etc.); it can also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.).

[0058] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, or a wireless terminal device in a smart home, etc.

[0059] As an example and not a limitation, in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be called wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed using wearable technology for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not only hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0060] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device may be a device for communicating with a mobile device. The network device may be an access point (AP) in a WLAN, an evolved base station (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, or a relay station or access point, or a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, and a network device (gNB) in an NR network, or a network device in a future evolved PLMN network or a network device in an NTN network, etc.

[0061] As an example and not a limitation, in an embodiment of the present application, the network device may have a mobile feature, for example, the network device may be a mobile device. Alternatively, the network device may be a satellite or a balloon station. For example, the satellite may be a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a high elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite, etc. Optionally, the network device may also be a base station set up in a location such as land or water.

[0062] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device can provide services for a cell, and the terminal device communicates with the network device through the transmission resources used by the cell (for example, frequency domain resources, or spectrum resources). The cell can be a cell corresponding to the network device (for example, a base station). The cell can belong to a macro base station or a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cells here may include: metro cells, micro cells, pico cells, femto cells, etc. These small cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0063] In an embodiment of the present application, the network equipment may include access network equipment and core network equipment. That is, the wireless communication system also includes multiple core networks for communicating with the access network equipment. The access network equipment may be an evolutionary base station (evolutional node B, referred to as eNB or e-NodeB) macro base station, micro base station (also called "small base station"), pico base station, access point (AP), transmission point (TP) or new generation Node B (gNodeB), etc. in a long-term evolution (LTE) system, a next-generation (mobile communication system) (next radio, NR) system or an authorized auxiliary access long-term evolution (LAA-LTE) system.

[0064] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, devices having communication functions in the network / system may be referred to as communication devices. Communication devices may include network devices and terminal devices having communication functions. The network devices and terminal devices may be specific devices in the embodiments of the present application and will not be described in detail here. Communication devices may also include other devices in the communication system, such as network controllers, mobility management entities, and other network entities, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0065] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably herein. The term "and / or" is simply a description of an association between related objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Furthermore, the character " / " generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0066] It should be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association. For example, "A indicates B" can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can be obtained through A; it can also mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C; it can also mean that A and B are associated with each other.

[0067] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" may indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between the two, or an association relationship between the two, or a relationship between indication and being indicated, configuration and being configured, etc.

[0068] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the relevant technologies of the embodiments of the present application are described below. The following relevant technologies can be arbitrarily combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and they all fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0069] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the 5G system architecture. As shown in Figure 1, a UE accesses the core network through a base station node (i.e., a Radio Access Network (RAN) / Access Network (AN) node). In Figure 1, except for the UE, RAN / AN nodes, and data network (DN), all other nodes are core network nodes. Core network nodes are further divided into user plane function (UPF) nodes and control plane nodes.

[0070] By enhancing the 5G system to allow the creation and utilization of user-specific identities within the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), operators will be able to provide an enhanced user experience, optimized performance, and services for devices and users that are not part of the operator's 3GPP network. For example, network settings can be adjusted based on user needs and services can be provided to users.

[0071] However, existing technologies can only obtain the UE's corresponding ID, such as the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). However, when multiple users share a UE, the network cannot perceive a specific user, resulting in an inability to provide optimized services to each user of the same UE.

[0072] FIG2 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 200 according to an embodiment of the present application. The method can optionally be applied to the system shown in FIG1 , but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least part of the following contents.

[0073] S210. The terminal device sends a first message to the first network device. The first message carries a capability indication of the terminal device, where the capability indication is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports multiple user identifiers.

[0074] S220: The terminal device receives a second message sent by the first network device, where the second message carries at least one of a first indication and an address of the second network device. The first indication is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to use multiple user identifiers.

[0075] Through the embodiments of the present application, a terminal device can receive a first indication from a first network device indicating whether the terminal device is allowed to use multiple user identifiers, as well as the address of a second network device. The second network device can then be used to manage the multiple user identifiers of the terminal device. This allows for providing differentiated services to multiple users sharing the same terminal device.

[0076] In some implementations, a "user" can be a human user using a terminal device (UE) contracted with an operator, an account in an application running on or connected through a UE, or a device connected to a UE acting as a gateway (i.e., a gateway UE or gateway terminal). The user identifier can refer to the aforementioned user identifier, rather than the UE identifier (e.g., a mobile phone number). Some possible scenarios are as follows:

[0077] 1. One or more humans share a terminal device, and each human is a user of the terminal device;

[0078] 2. One or more devices are connected to a gateway terminal, and each device is a user of the gateway terminal;

[0079] 3. One or more applications run on the same terminal device, and the account in each application is a user of the terminal device.

[0080] In one example, the first network device includes an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0081] In one example, the second network device is a new network function (NF) element, which can be called a user ID management function. The second network device can manage the user ID of the terminal device, for example, performing operations such as adding, updating, and removing users on the user ID of the terminal device.

[0082] After receiving the first message sent by the terminal device, the first network device can obtain the contract information of the terminal device from a third network device (such as a unified data management (UDM) or a unified data repository (UDR)). The contract information may include whether the terminal device is allowed to use multiple user identifiers. After the first network device obtains the contract information of the terminal device from the third network device, the first network device sends a second message to the terminal device, where the second message carries the first indication.

[0083] FIG3 is a schematic flowchart of a terminal device acquiring a first indication in a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application, including the following steps:

[0084] S301. The terminal device sends a first message to the first network device (such as AMF). The first message carries a capability indication of the terminal device, and the capability indication is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports multiple user identifiers. The capability can be called user differentiation, user differentiation service, etc. The first message may include a registration request message (Registration Request). The capability indication can be a bit. For example, when the value of the capability indication is 0, it means that it is not supported, and when the value of the capability indication is 1, it means that it is supported; or, when the value of the capability indication is 1, it means that it is not supported, and when the value of the capability indication is 0, it means that it is supported. The capability indication can be located in the 5G system mobility management (5GS Mobility Management, 5GMM) capability (capability) information element (IE).

[0085] S302: The first network device sends a capability indication of the terminal device to a third network device (such as a UDM or a UDR).

[0086] S303: In the case that the terminal device supports multiple user identifiers, the third network device sends a first indication to the first network device, where the first indication is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to use multiple user identifiers.

[0087] S304. The first network device sends a second message to the terminal device, and the second message carries a first indication. The first indication can be used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to use multiple user identifiers. The first indication can be a bit. For example, when the value of the first indication is 0, it means not allowed, and when the value of the first indication is 1, it means allowed; or, when the value of the first indication is 1, it means not allowed, and when the value of the first indication is 0, it means allowed. Alternatively, the first indication can be a parameter. When the parameter exists, it means allowed, and when the parameter does not exist, it means not allowed. If the terminal device is allowed to use multiple user identifiers, the second message can also carry the address of the second network device. The address of the second network device can be in the format of a fully qualified domain name (FQDN), or it can be an IPv4, IPv6 address, etc.

[0088] If the second message carries only the address of the second network device and does not carry the first indication, the address of the second network device implicitly represents that the terminal device is allowed to use multiple user identities.

[0089] If the second message does not carry the address of the second network device, the terminal device can obtain the address of the second network device locally. For example, the terminal device generates an address of the second network device in the FQDN format and queries the FQDN server for the IPv4 or IPv6 address of the second network device based on the FQDN format. Alternatively, the terminal device can obtain the IPv4 or IPv6 address of the second network device locally.

[0090] After receiving the address of the second network device, the terminal device can communicate with the second network device in at least the following two ways, and the second network device performs user management on the terminal device.

[0091] Method 1:

[0092] The terminal device and the second network device transmit messages through the user plane. For example, when the terminal device receives the second message and obtains the address of the second network device, a protocol data unit (PDU) session can be established with the second network device. The terminal device can obtain the parameters corresponding to the PDU session through URSP, such as DNN and S-NSSAI, which are specific to the second network device; and use the address of the second network device to establish a user plane connection with the second network device, such as establishing a TCP connection and using the HTTP protocol to transmit data.

[0093] After establishing a user plane connection with the second network device, the terminal device may further send a third message to the second network device based on the user plane connection. The third message carries at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier. The third message may include a user ID report message.

[0094] For example, the operation instruction for the user identifier may include adding a user identifier, updating a user identifier, or removing a user identifier.

[0095] In this way, the second network device can, based on the third message sent by the terminal device, perform operations such as adding, updating, or removing the user identifier carried in the third message to manage the user identifier of the terminal device. After performing operations such as adding, updating, or removing the user identifier, the second network device can send a fourth message to the terminal device. The terminal device receives the fourth message sent by the second network device, and the fourth message carries the result of the operation on the user identifier.

[0096] After performing a management operation on the user ID of a terminal device, the second network device can send the result of the operation to a third network device (such as a UDM or UDR) for storage. For example, the second network device sends the user ID (such as the user ID and the terminal device ID) to the third network device, which then stores the user ID corresponding to the terminal device. Subsequently, other network devices can obtain the user ID of the terminal device from the second network device to provide different services.

[0097] Method 2:

[0098] The terminal device and the second network device transmit messages via the signaling plane.

[0099] FIG4 is a schematic flow chart of message transmission between a terminal device and a second network device in a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application, including the following steps:

[0100] S401. A terminal device sends a fifth message to a first network device (e.g., an AMF), where the fifth message carries at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier. The operation instruction for the user identifier may include adding a user identifier, updating a user identifier, or removing a user identifier.

[0101] In one example, the fifth message includes an uplink non-access stratum (NAS) transfer (UL NAS transfer) message; the fifth message may also carry a data network name (DNN), single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI), etc.

[0102] Among them, the fifth message may include a PDU session establishment request (PDU session establishment request) or a PDU session modification request (PDU session modification request), and the PDU session establishment request or the PDU session modification request carries at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation indication for the user identifier.

[0103] S402: The first network device sends a seventh message to the fourth network device, the seventh message carrying at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier. The seventh message may include a PDU session establishment request or a PDU session modification request.

[0104] S403: The fourth network device sends at least one of the user identifier, the application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier to the second network device.

[0105] S404: The second network device adds, updates, or removes the user ID of the terminal device based on the received content, thereby managing the user ID of the terminal device. After adding, updating, or removing the user ID, the second network device sends the result of the operation on the user ID to the fourth network device.

[0106] S405: The fourth network device sends an eighth message to the first network device, where the eighth message carries an operation result for the user identifier. The eighth message may include a PDU session establishment confirmation or a PDU session modification confirmation.

[0107] S406. The first network device sends a sixth message to the terminal device. The terminal device receives the sixth message sent by the first network device. The sixth message carries an operation result for the user identifier.

[0108] In one example, the sixth message includes a downlink NAS transfer message (DL NAS transfer). Specifically, the sixth message may include a PDU session establishment accept (PDU session establishment accept) or a PDU session modification command (PDU session modification command), where the PDU session establishment accept or the PDU session modification command carries an operation result for the user identifier.

[0109] Through the above process, the terminal device can transmit messages with the second network device via the signaling plane, and the second network device manages the user identification of the terminal device according to the operation request of the terminal device.

[0110] Similar to the first method described above, after performing a management operation on the user ID of a terminal device, the second network device can also send the operation results to a third network device (such as a UDM or UDR) for storage. For example, the second network device sends the user ID (such as the user ID and the terminal device ID) to the third network device, and the third network device stores the user ID corresponding to the terminal device. Subsequently, other network devices can obtain the user ID of the terminal device from the second network device to provide different services.

[0111] This embodiment of the present application also provides a communication method that can be applied to the first network device described above. Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 500 according to an embodiment of the present application. This method can optionally be applied to the system shown in Figure 1, but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least part of the following content.

[0112] S510. A first network device receives a first message sent by a terminal device, where the first message carries a capability indication of the terminal device, where the capability indication is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports multiple user identifiers.

[0113] S520: The first network device sends a second message to the terminal device, where the second message carries at least one of a first indication and an address of the second network device. The first indication is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to use multiple user identifiers.

[0114] Through the above method, when the terminal device supports multiple user identifiers and the network also supports multiple user identifiers, the first network device can indicate to the terminal device that the terminal device is allowed to use multiple user identifiers and send the address of the second network device for the terminal device to communicate with the second network device, so that the second network device can manage multiple users of the terminal device.

[0115] In some embodiments, the first network device includes an AMF.

[0116] In some implementations, the second network device includes a user identity management function network element.

[0117] In some implementations, before the first network device sends the second message to the terminal device, the method further includes: the first network device sends a capability indication of the terminal device to a third network device, and the first network device receives the first indication sent by the third network device.

[0118] The third network device may include a UDM or a UDR.

[0119] In some embodiments, the first network device further includes receiving a fifth message sent by the terminal device, the fifth message carrying at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier. The operation instruction for the user identifier may include adding a user identifier, updating a user identifier, or removing a user identifier.

[0120] The fifth message may include an uplink NAS transfer message;

[0121] In one example, the fifth message includes a PDU session establishment request or a PDU session modification request, and the PDU session establishment request or the PDU session modification request carries at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation indication for the user identifier.

[0122] The fifth message may also include at least one of DNN and S-NSSAI.

[0123] In some embodiments, the method further includes: the first network device sending a seventh message to the fourth network device, the seventh message carrying at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier; and the first network device receiving an eighth message sent by the fourth network device, the eighth message carrying an operation result for the user identifier.

[0124] The fourth network device may include a session management function (Session Management Function, SMF).

[0125] The seventh message may include a PDU session establishment request or a PDU session modification request, and the eighth message may include a PDU session establishment confirmation or a PDU session modification confirmation.

[0126] In some implementations, the first network device further includes sending a sixth message to the terminal device, where the sixth message carries an operation result for the user identifier.

[0127] The sixth message may include a downlink NAS transfer message.

[0128] In one example, the sixth message includes a PDU session establishment confirmation or a PDU session modification confirmation, and the PDU session establishment confirmation or the PDU session modification confirmation carries an operation result for the user identifier.

[0129] For a specific example of the first network device executing method 500 of this embodiment, please refer to the relevant description of the first network device, such as AMF, in the above methods 200, 300 and 400. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0130] This embodiment of the present application also provides a communication method that can be applied to the aforementioned second network device. Figure 6 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 600 according to an embodiment of the present application. This method can optionally be applied to the system shown in Figure 1, but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least part of the following content.

[0131] S610. The second network device receives at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier;

[0132] S620: The second network device checks the legitimacy of the user identifier and performs an operation on the user identifier based on the check result.

[0133] S630: The second network device sends an operation result for the user identifier.

[0134] Through the above process, after receiving the user identification and operation instruction of the terminal device, the second network device can perform corresponding operations on the user identification of the terminal device, thereby managing the user identification of the terminal device.

[0135] In some implementations, the second network device includes a user identity management function network element.

[0136] In some implementations, the second network device may send the user identifier to a third network device. For example, the second network device may send the user identifier and the terminal device identifier (UE ID) to the third network device, and the third network device may store the terminal device's user identifier.

[0137] The third network device may include a UDM or a UDR.

[0138] For a specific example of the second network device executing method 600 in this embodiment, reference may be made to the relevant descriptions of the second network device, such as the user identity management function network element, in the above methods 200, 300, and 400. For the sake of brevity, details will not be repeated here.

[0139] This embodiment of the present application also provides a communication method that can be applied to the fourth network device described above. Figure 7 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 700 according to an embodiment of the present application. This method can optionally be applied to the system shown in Figure 1, but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least part of the following content.

[0140] S710. The fourth network device receives a seventh message sent by the first network device, where the seventh message carries at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier; the operation instruction for the user identifier may include adding a user identifier, updating a user identifier, or removing a user identifier;

[0141] S720: The fourth network device sends an eighth message to the first network device, where the eighth message carries an operation result for the user identifier.

[0142] Among them, the fourth network device may include SMF, and the first network device may include AMF.

[0143] The seventh message may include a PDU session establishment request or a PDU session modification request, and the eighth message may include a PDU session establishment acceptance or a PDU session modification command.

[0144] In some implementations, after the fourth network device receives the seventh message sent by the first network device, the method further includes:

[0145] The fourth network device sends at least one of the user identifier, the application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier to the second network device.

[0146] Furthermore, the method may further include: the fourth network device receiving the operation result for the user identifier sent by the second network device.

[0147] The second network device may include a user identity management function network element.

[0148] For a specific example of the fourth network device executing the method 700 of this embodiment, reference may be made to the relevant descriptions of the fourth network device, such as the SMF, in the above methods 200 , 300 and 400 , which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0149] The present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings with reference to specific embodiments.

[0150] Example 1:

[0151] In this embodiment, the terminal device communicates with the second network device using the user plane. In this embodiment, the terminal device is a UE, the first network device is an AMF, the second network device is a new network function network element (New NF) (such as a user identity management function network element), and the third network device is a UDM.

[0152] FIG8 is a flow chart of an implementation method according to the first embodiment of the present application, including the following steps:

[0153] S801. The UE sends a registration request to the AMF, which carries a UE capability indication, indicating whether the UE supports multiple user ID features.

[0154] S802. The AMF requests the UDM for the UE's subscription information, which includes a UE capability indicator indicating whether the UE supports multiple user ID features.

[0155] S803. The UDM checks the UE's contract information. The contract information may include: information on whether the UE can use multiple user identities, the user identity, the user identity, and the corresponding application (APP) identity (APP ID). The user identity (user ID) can be in the following forms:

[0156] If the user is a specific person, the user ID can be an ID number, passport number, etc.

[0157] If the user is a user of an application, the user ID can be an application layer user ID, and the application layer user ID can be associated with the APP ID;

[0158] If the user is a device behind the UE, the user identifier (user ID) may be the ID of the device.

[0159] The UDM replies to the AMF with the UE's subscription information, including indication information indicating whether the UE is allowed to use multiple user identities. Specifically, if the UE's subscription information includes information that the UE can use multiple user identities, and the network supports the terminal device to use multiple user identities, the UDM replies to the AMF with indication information that the UE is allowed to use multiple user identities; if the UE's subscription information includes information that the UE cannot use multiple user identities, and / or the network does not support the terminal device to use multiple user identities, the UDM replies to the AMF with indication information that the UE is not allowed to use multiple user identities.

[0160] S804. The AMF sends a Registration Accept message to the UE, which may include indication information indicating whether the UE is allowed to use multiple user identities. If the UE is allowed to use multiple user identities, the Registration Accept message may also include the address of the New NF (such as the User ID Management Function (UIMF) address). The address may be in the format of a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) or an Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) or Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) address.

[0161] In one possible way, the registration acceptance message sent by the AMF to the UE only includes the address of the New NF. The address of the New NF implicitly represents that the network supports and allows the UE to use multiple user identities.

[0162] In one possible approach, the Registration Accept message sent by the AMF to the UE contains information indicating that the UE is allowed to use multiple user identities, but does not contain the address of the New NF. In this case, the UE can obtain the address of the New NF locally. The following methods are possible:

[0163] Method 1: The UE itself forms the FQDN address of the New NF and queries the FQDN server for the IPv4 address or IPv6 address of the corresponding New NF through the FQDN address. One possible form of the FQDN address is: useridmanagementfunction@3gpp.com;

[0164] Method 2: The address of the New NF (such as an IPv4 address or an IPv6 address) is pre-configured locally on the UE, and the UE obtains the address of the New NF locally.

[0165] S805. The UE uses the UE Route Selection Policy (URSP) mechanism to establish a PDU session with the New NF. When establishing the PDU session, the traffic descriptor in the URSP rule can be the address information of the New NF to obtain PDU session parameters for establishing a user plane connection with the New NF. The UE can also use the default (match-all) PDU session.

[0166] After the PDU session is established, the UE uses the address of the New NF to establish a user plane connection with the New NF. The user plane connection can be a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) connection.

[0167] S806. The UE uses the user plane connection to perform user identity management procedures with the New NF. For example, in this step, the UE sends a User ID report to the New NF to notify it of the user ID currently using the UE. If the user ID is an application layer user ID, the associated APP ID may also be sent. The User ID report may also include an operation identifier, which is used to instruct the New NF to perform operations such as adding, updating, or removing the UE's user identity.

[0168] S807: Taking the New NF adding a user ID as an example, the New NF first checks the validity of the user ID. The New NF can verify the validity of the user ID through the UDM. If the user ID is an application-layer user ID, the New NF can also verify the validity of the user ID by associating it with the application's application function (AF). If the user ID is valid, the New NF stores the user ID reported by the UE. The New NF can also send the user ID and the UE's identifier (UE ID) to the UDM / UDR, which then stores the UE's user ID.

[0169] S808. The New NF sends an ACK message to the UE to feed back the result of the operation on the user ID reported by the UE. For example, the ACK message may include the user ID, the result of the operation on the user ID, and the APP ID associated with the user ID.

[0170] In this embodiment, the management of the user ID of the UE is implemented. A UE can use multiple user IDs, thereby identifying different users through multiple user IDs and providing differentiated services to different users.

[0171] Example 2:

[0172] In this embodiment, the terminal device and the second network device communicate using the signaling plane. In this embodiment, the terminal device is a UE, the first network device is an AMF, the second network device is a new network function network element (New NF) (such as a user identity management function network element), the third network device is a UDM, and the fourth network device is an SMF.

[0173] FIG9 is a flow chart of an implementation method according to the second embodiment of the present application, including the following steps:

[0174] S901 to S904 are the same as S801 to S804 in the first embodiment, and reference may be made to the introduction in the first embodiment.

[0175] S905. The UE uses the URSP mechanism to establish a PDU session with the New NF. When establishing the PDU session, the traffic descriptor in the URSP rule can be the address information of the New NF to obtain PDU session parameters for establishing a user plane connection with the New NF. The UE can also use the default (match-all) PDU session.

[0176] Afterwards, the UE sends an uplink NAS transfer message (UL NAS transfer) to the AMF. The uplink NAS transfer message (UL NAS transfer) may include DNN, S-NSSAI, and PDU session establishment request / PDU session modification request. The PDU session establishment request / PDU session modification request may include the user ID currently using the UE; if the user ID is an application layer user ID, it may also include the associated APP ID; APP ID, the PDU session establishment request / PDU session modification request may also include an operation identifier, which is used to instruct the New NF to add, update, or remove the UE's user identity.

[0177] Among them, DNN and single network slice selection assistance information (Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information, S-NSSAI) can be specific to user ID characteristics.

[0178] S906. AMF forwards the PDU session establishment request / PDU session modification request to the Session Management Function (SMF).

[0179] S907: The SMF receives the PDU Session Establishment Request / PDU Session Modification Request. Based on the user ID, APP ID, and operation identifier in the PDU Session Establishment Request / PDU Session Modification Request, the SMF knows that the PDU Session Establishment Request / PDU Session Modification Request manages the user ID. Therefore, the SMF sends the user ID, APP ID, and operation identifier in the PDU Session Establishment Request / PDU Session Modification Request to the New NF.

[0180] S908. Taking the New NF adding a user ID as an example, the New NF first checks the validity of the user ID. The New NF can verify the validity of the user ID through the UDM. If the user ID is an application-layer user ID, the New NF can also verify the validity of the user ID by associating it with the application function (AF). If the user ID is valid, the New NF stores the user ID reported by the UE. The New NF can also send the user ID and the UE identifier (UE ID) to the UDM / UDR, which then stores the UE's user ID.

[0181] S909. The New NF sends an ACK message to the SMF. The ACK message may include the user ID, the result of the operation on the user ID, and the APP ID associated with the user ID.

[0182] S910. SMF replies to AMF with a PDU session establishment accept / PDU session modification command. The PDU session establishment accept / PDU session modification command may include the user ID, the operation result on the user ID, and the APP ID associated with the user ID.

[0183] S911. AMF sends a downlink NAS transfer message (DL NAS transfer) to the UE. The downlink NAS transfer message (DL NAS transfer) may include a PDU session establishment accept / PDU session modification command. The PDU session establishment accept / PDU session modification command may include the user ID, the operation result of the user ID, and the APP ID associated with the user ID.

[0184] In this embodiment, the management of the user ID of the UE is implemented. A UE can use multiple user IDs, thereby identifying different users through multiple user IDs and providing differentiated services for multiple different users of the UE.

[0185] The present application also provides a terminal device. FIG10 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device 1000 according to an embodiment of the present application. The terminal device 1000 may include:

[0186] The first transceiver module 1010 is used to send a first message to a first network device, where the first message carries a capability indication of the terminal device, and the capability indication is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports multiple user identifiers; and is also used to receive a second message sent by the first network device, where the second message carries at least one of the first indication and the address of a second network device, and the first indication is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to use multiple user identifiers.

[0187] FIG11 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device 1100 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG11 , the terminal device 1100 may further include:

[0188] The first processing module 1120 is configured to establish a user plane connection with the second network device by using the address of the second network device.

[0189] In some implementations, the first processing module 1120 is further configured to establish a PDU session with the second network device.

[0190] In some embodiments, the first transceiver module 1010 is further used to send a third message to the second network device based on the user plane connection, where the third message carries at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier.

[0191] The third message may include a user identification report message.

[0192] In some implementations, the first transceiver module 1010 is further configured to receive a fourth message sent by the second network device, where the fourth message carries an operation result for the user identifier.

[0193] In some implementations, the first transceiver module 1010 is further configured to send a fifth message to the first network device, where the fifth message carries at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier.

[0194] The fifth message may include an uplink NAS transfer message.

[0195] In some embodiments, the fifth message includes a PDU session establishment request or a PDU session modification request, and the PDU session establishment request or the PDU session modification request carries at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation indication for the user identifier.

[0196] In some embodiments, the fifth message further includes at least one of DNN and S-NSSAI.

[0197] In some implementations, the first transceiver module 1010 is further configured to receive a sixth message sent by the first network device, where the sixth message carries an operation result for the user identifier.

[0198] The sixth message may include a downlink NAS transfer message.

[0199] In some implementations, the sixth message includes a PDU session establishment accept or a PDU session modification command, and the PDU session establishment accept or PDU session modification command carries an operation result for the user identifier.

[0200] In some embodiments, the first network device includes an AMF.

[0201] In some implementations, the second network device includes a user identity management function network element.

[0202] The terminal devices 1000 and 1100 of the embodiments of the present application can implement the corresponding functions of the terminal devices in the aforementioned method embodiments. The processes, functions, implementation methods and beneficial effects corresponding to the various modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) in the terminal devices 1000 and 1100 can be found in the corresponding descriptions in the aforementioned method embodiments, which will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the functions described in the various modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) in the terminal device 400 of the embodiment of the application can be implemented by different modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) or by the same module (sub-module, unit or component, etc.).

[0203] The embodiment of the present application further provides a first network device. FIG12 is a schematic block diagram of a first network device 1200 according to an embodiment of the present application. The first network device 1200 may include:

[0204] The second transceiver module 1210 is used to receive a first message sent by a terminal device, where the first message carries a capability indication of the terminal device, and the capability indication is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports multiple user identifiers; and is also used to send a second message to the terminal device, where the second message carries at least one of the first indication and the address of a second network device, and the first indication is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to use multiple user identifiers.

[0205] In some implementations, the second transceiver module 1210 is further configured to send a capability indication of the terminal device to a third network device.

[0206] In some implementations, the second transceiver module 1210 is further configured to receive the first indication sent by the third network device.

[0207] In some embodiments, the second transceiver module 1210 is further configured to receive a fifth message sent by the terminal device, where the fifth message carries at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier.

[0208] The fifth message may include an uplink NAS transfer message;

[0209] In some embodiments, the fifth message includes a PDU session establishment request or a PDU session modification request, and the PDU session establishment request or the PDU session modification request carries at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation indication for the user identifier.

[0210] In some embodiments, the fifth message further includes at least one of DNN and S-NSSAI.

[0211] In some implementations, the second transceiver module 1210 is further configured to send a seventh message to the fourth network device, where the seventh message carries at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier.

[0212] The seventh message may include a PDU session establishment request or a PDU session modification request.

[0213] In some implementations, the second transceiver module 1210 is further configured to receive an eighth message sent by the fourth network device, where the eighth message carries an operation result for the user identifier.

[0214] The eighth message may include a PDU session establishment confirmation or a PDU session modification confirmation.

[0215] In some implementations, the second transceiver module 1210 is further configured to send a sixth message to the terminal device, where the sixth message carries an operation result for the user identifier.

[0216] The sixth message may include a downlink NAS transfer message.

[0217] In some implementations, the sixth message includes a PDU session establishment confirmation or a PDU session modification confirmation, and the PDU session establishment confirmation or the PDU session modification confirmation carries an operation result for the user identifier.

[0218] In some implementations, the third network device includes a UDM or a UDR.

[0219] In some embodiments, the fourth network device includes an SMF.

[0220] In some embodiments, the first network device includes an AMF.

[0221] In some implementations, the second network device includes a user identity management function network element.

[0222] The first network device 1200 of the embodiment of the present application can implement the corresponding functions of the first network device in the aforementioned method embodiment. The processes, functions, implementation methods and beneficial effects corresponding to each module (sub-module, unit or component, etc.) in the first network device 1200 can be found in the corresponding description in the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the functions described in the various modules (sub-module, unit or component, etc.) in the first network device 1200 of the embodiment of the application can be implemented by different modules (sub-module, unit or component, etc.) or by the same module (sub-module, unit or component, etc.).

[0223] The present application also provides a second network device. FIG13 is a schematic block diagram of a second network device 1300 according to an embodiment of the present application. The network device 1300 may include:

[0224] The third transceiver module 1310 is configured to receive at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier; and further configured to send an operation result for the user identifier;

[0225] The second processing module 1320 is configured to check the legitimacy of the user identifier and perform operations on the user identifier based on the checking result.

[0226] In some implementations, the third transceiver module 1310 is further configured to send the user identifier to a third network device.

[0227] In some implementations, the third network device includes a UDM or a UDR.

[0228] In some implementations, the second network device includes a user identity management function network element.

[0229] The second network device 1300 of the embodiment of the present application can implement the corresponding functions of the second network device in the aforementioned method embodiment. The corresponding processes, functions, implementation methods and beneficial effects of each module (sub-module, unit or component, etc.) in the second network device 1300 can be found in the corresponding description in the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the functions described in the various modules (sub-module, unit or component, etc.) in the second network device 1300 of the embodiment of the application can be implemented by different modules (sub-module, unit or component, etc.) or by the same module (sub-module, unit or component, etc.).

[0230] The present application also provides a fourth network device. FIG14 is a schematic block diagram of a fourth network device 1400 according to an embodiment of the present application. The fourth network device 1400 may include:

[0231] The fourth transceiver module 1410 is used to receive the seventh message sent by the first network device, where the seventh message carries at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier; and is also used to send an eighth message to the first network device, where the eighth message carries the operation result for the user identifier.

[0232] In some implementations, the seventh message includes a PDU session establishment request or a PDU session modification request.

[0233] In some implementations, the eighth message includes a PDU session establishment accept or a PDU session modification command.

[0234] In some implementations, the fourth transceiver module 1410 is further configured to send at least one of the user identifier, the application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier to the second network device.

[0235] In some implementations, the fourth transceiver module 1410 is further configured to receive an operation result for the user identifier sent by the second network device.

[0236] In some embodiments, the fourth network device includes an SMF.

[0237] In some embodiments, the first network device includes an AMF.

[0238] In some implementations, the second network device includes a user identity management function network element.

[0239] The fourth network device 1400 of the embodiment of the present application can implement the corresponding functions of the fourth network device in the aforementioned method embodiment. The processes, functions, implementation methods and beneficial effects corresponding to the various modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) in the fourth network device 1400 can be found in the corresponding descriptions in the above-mentioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the functions described in the various modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) in the fourth network device 1400 of the embodiment of the application can be implemented by different modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) or by the same module (sub-module, unit or component, etc.).

[0240] Figure 15 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1500 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1500 includes a processor 1510, which can call and execute a computer program from a memory to enable the communication device 1500 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0241] In one embodiment, the communication device 1500 may further include a memory 1520. The processor 1510 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 1520 to enable the communication device 1500 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0242] The memory 1520 may be a separate device independent of the processor 1510 , or may be integrated into the processor 1510 .

[0243] In one embodiment, the communication device 1500 may further include a transceiver 1530 , and the processor 1510 may control the transceiver 1530 to communicate with other devices. Specifically, the transceiver 1530 may send information or data to other devices, or receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0244] The transceiver 1530 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 1530 may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0245] In one embodiment, the communication device 1500 may be a network device of an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 1500 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0246] In one embodiment, the communication device 1500 may be a terminal device of an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 1500 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0247] 16 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip 1600 according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip 1600 includes a processor 1610, which can call and execute a computer program from a memory to implement the method according to the embodiment of the present application.

[0248] In one embodiment, the chip 1600 may further include a memory 1620. The processor 1610 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 1620 to implement the method executed by the terminal device or the network device in the embodiment of the present application.

[0249] The memory 1620 may be a separate device independent of the processor 1610 , or may be integrated into the processor 1610 .

[0250] In one embodiment, the chip 1600 may further include an input interface 1630. The processor 1610 may control the input interface 1630 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0251] In one embodiment, the chip 1600 may further include an output interface 1640. The processor 1610 may control the output interface 1640 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0252] In one embodiment, the chip can be applied to the network device in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in each method of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0253] In one embodiment, the chip can be applied to the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in each method of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0254] The chips used in the network device and the terminal device may be the same chip or different chips.

[0255] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a system-level chip, a system chip, a chip system or a system-on-chip chip, etc.

[0256] The processor mentioned above may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor mentioned above may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0257] The memory mentioned above may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. 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).

[0258] It should be understood that the above-mentioned memories are exemplary but not restrictive. For example, the memories in the embodiments of the present application may also be static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM RAM (DR RAM), etc. In other words, the memories in the embodiments of the present application are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

[0259] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When software is used for implementation, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function in accordance with the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website, computer, server or data center by wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrations. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0260] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0261] 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.

[0262] 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 modifications or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, comprising: A terminal device sends a first message to a first network device, where the first message carries an indication of the capabilities of the terminal device, and the indication of capabilities is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports multiple user identifiers; The terminal device receives a second message sent by the first network device, where the second message carries at least one of a first indication and an address of a second network device, and the first indication is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to use multiple user identifiers.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising The terminal device establishes a user plane connection with the second network device by using the address of the second network device.

3. Before the terminal device establishes a user plane connection with the second network device according to the method of claim 2, the terminal device further comprises: The terminal device establishes a protocol data unit (PDU) session with the second network device.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising The terminal device sends a third message to the second network device based on the user plane connection, where the third message carries at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation indication for the user identifier.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The third message includes a user identifier report message.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising The terminal device receives a fourth message sent by the second network device, where the fourth message carries an operation result for the user identifier.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising The terminal device sends a fifth message to the first network device, where the fifth message carries at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation indication for the user identifier.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein The fifth message includes an uplink non-access stratum (NAS) transfer message.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein The fifth message carrying at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation indication for the user identifier includes: The fifth message contains a PDU session establishment request or a PDU session modification request, and the PDU session establishment request or the PDU session modification request carries at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation indication for the user identifier.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein The fifth message further contains at least one of a data network name (DNN) and a single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI).

11. The method according to any one of claims 7-10, further comprising The terminal device receives a sixth message sent by the first network device, where the sixth message carries an operation result for the user identifier.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The sixth message includes a downlink NAS transfer message.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein The sixth message carrying an operation result for the user identifier includes: The sixth message contains a PDU session establishment acceptance or a PDU session modification command, and the PDU session establishment acceptance or the PDU session modification command carries an operation result for the user identifier.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1-13, wherein, the first network device includes an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

15. The method according to any one of claims 1-13, wherein, the second network device includes a User Identifier Management Function network element.

16. A communication method, comprising: A first network device receives a first message sent by a terminal device, the first message carrying an indication of the capabilities of the terminal device, the indication of the capabilities being used to indicate whether the terminal device supports multiple user identifiers; The first network device sends a second message to the terminal device, the second message carrying at least one of a first indication and the address of a second network device, the first indication being used to indicate whether to allow the terminal device to use multiple user identifiers.

17. The method according to claim 16, before the first network device sends the second message to the terminal device, further comprising: The first network device sends the indication of the capabilities of the terminal device to a third network device.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising, The first network device receives the first indication sent by the third network device.

19. The method according to any one of claims 16-18, further comprising, The first network device receives a fifth message sent by the terminal device, the fifth message carrying at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation indication for the user identifier.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein, the fifth message includes an uplink NAS transfer message.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein, the fifth message carrying at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation indication for the user identifier includes: The fifth message contains a PDU session establishment request or a PDU session modification request, and the PDU session establishment request or the PDU session modification request carries at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation indication for the user identifier.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein, the fifth message further contains at least one of a DNN and an S-NSSAI.

23. The method according to any one of claims 19-22, further comprising, The first network device sends a seventh message to a fourth network device, the seventh message carrying at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation indication for the user identifier.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein, the seventh message includes a PDU session establishment request or a PDU session modification request.

25. The method according to claim 23 or 24, further comprising, The first network device receives an eighth message sent by the fourth network device, the eighth message carrying an operation result for the user identifier.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein, the eighth message includes a PDU session establishment confirmation or a PDU session modification confirmation.

27. The method according to claim 25 or 26, further comprising the first network device sending a sixth message to the terminal device, the sixth message carrying an operation result for the user identifier.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein, the sixth message includes a downlink NAS transport message.

29. The method according to claim 27 or 28, wherein, the sixth message carrying an operation result for the user identifier includes: the sixth message contains a PDU session establishment confirmation or a PDU session modification confirmation, and the PDU session establishment confirmation or the PDU session modification confirmation carries an operation result for the user identifier.

30. The method according to claim 17 or 18, wherein, the third network device includes a UDM or a UDR.

31. The method according to any one of claims 23 - 29, wherein, the fourth network device includes a session management function SMF.

32. The method according to any one of claims 16 - 31, wherein, the first network device includes an AMF.

33. The method according to any one of claims 16 - 31, wherein, the second network device includes a user identifier management function network element.

34. A communication method, comprising: a second network device receiving at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier; the second network device checking the legitimacy of the user identifier and operating on the user identifier based on the check result; the second network device sending an operation result for the user identifier.

35. The method according to claim 34, further comprising the second network device sending the user identifier to a third network device.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein, the third network device includes a unified data management UDM or a unified data repository UDR.

37. The method according to any one of claims 34 - 36, wherein, the second network device includes a user identifier management function network element.

38. A communication method, comprising: a fourth network device receiving a seventh message sent by a first network device, the seventh message carrying at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier; the fourth network device sending an eighth message to the first network device, the eighth message carrying an operation result for the user identifier.

39. The method according to claim 38, wherein, the seventh message includes a PDU session establishment request or a PDU session modification request.

40. The method according to claim 38, wherein, the eighth message includes a PDU session establishment acceptance or a PDU session modification command.

41. After the fourth network device receives the seventh message sent by the first network device according to any one of claims 38 - 40, it further comprises: The fourth network device sends at least one of the user identifier, the application identifier associated with the user identifier, and the operation instruction for the user identifier to the second network device.

42. According to the method described in claim 41, after the fourth network device sends at least one of the user identifier, the application identifier associated with the user identifier, and the operation instruction for the user identifier to the second network device, it further includes: The fourth network device receives the operation result for the user identifier sent by the second network device.

43. According to the method described in any one of claims 38-42, wherein, The fourth network device includes an SMF.

44. According to the method described in any one of claims 38-42, wherein, The first network device includes an AMF.

45. According to the method described in claim 41 or 42, wherein, The second network device includes a user identifier management function network element.

46. A terminal device, including: A first transceiver module, configured to send a first message to a first network device, the first message carrying an ability indication of the terminal device, the ability indication being used to indicate whether the terminal device supports multiple user identifiers; and further configured to receive a second message sent by the first network device, the second message carrying at least one of a first indication and an address of a second network device, the first indication being used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to use multiple user identifiers.

47. A first network device, including: A second transceiver module, configured to receive a first message sent by a terminal device, the first message carrying an ability indication of the terminal device, the ability indication being used to indicate whether the terminal device supports multiple user identifiers; and further configured to send a second message to the terminal device, the second message carrying at least one of a first indication and an address of a second network device, the first indication being used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to use multiple user identifiers.

48. A second network device, including: A third transceiver module, configured to receive at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier; and further configured to send an operation result for the user identifier; A second processing module, configured to check the legality of the user identifier and operate on the user identifier based on the check result.

49. A fourth network device, including: A fourth transceiver module, configured to receive a seventh message sent by a first network device, the seventh message carrying at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier associated with the user identifier, and an operation instruction for the user identifier; and further configured to send an eighth message to the first network device, the eighth message carrying an operation result for the user identifier.

50. A terminal device, including: A transceiver, a processor, and a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, the transceiver being used to communicate with other devices, and the processor being used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that the terminal device executes the method described in any one of claims 1 to 15.

51. A network device, including: A transceiver, a processor, and a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program. The transceiver is used to communicate with other devices. The processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory so that the network device executes the method according to any one of claims 16 to 45.

52. A chip, comprising: A processor, which is used to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device installed with the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 45.

53. A computer-readable storage medium, which is used to store a computer program. When the computer program is run by a device, the device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 45.

54. A computer program product, which includes computer program instructions. The computer program instructions cause a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 45.

55. A computer program, which causes a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 45.

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