Communication method, communication device, medium, and program product

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a communication method, a communication device, a computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program product. In the communication method, a network management device sends first request information to an NTN element management device. The first request information indicates a ground area and is used for requesting cell information. The cell information is information of an NTN cell which covers the ground area and can take over the load of a TN cell covering the ground area. The network management device receives first response information from the NTN element management device, the first response information comprising the cell information. Then, the network management device sends a request message to a TN element management device, the request message indicating information of the NTN cell. On the basis of the request message, the TN element management device prompts migration of the load of the TN cell to the NTN cell. In this way, the service load of a low-load area in a TN can be migrated to an NTN, such that more TN cells can be shut down, thereby improving the energy-saving amplitude of the TN.

Description

Communication method, communication device, medium and program product

[0001] This disclosure claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on December 4, 2023, with application number 202311665399.0 and invention name “A communication method, communication equipment, medium and program product”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a communication method, a communication device, a computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program product. Background Art

[0003] With the reduction in satellite launch costs and the development of high-capacity communication satellite technology, it has become possible to provide wide-coverage wireless access through the large-scale deployment of communication satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). Currently, various countries (including the United States, for example) have successfully deployed multiple LEO communication satellites, providing wireless access capabilities for satellite terminals covering major land and ocean areas around the world. Based on the enormous potential of satellite wireless communication networks and the vision of widespread connectivity and global coverage for the sixth generation (6G), relevant standards organizations (such as the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and the International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T)) are vigorously promoting non-terrestrial network (NTN) protocols that support direct satellite connections for ordinary mobile terminals. It is expected that NTNs, especially LEO satellite communication networks, will play a vital role in future wide-area coverage scenarios. NTNs can collaborate with terrestrial networks (TNs) to build ubiquitous, converged wireless access capabilities. However, there are still some problems that need to be solved in building converged wireless access based on NTN and TN.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a communication device, a computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program product.

[0006] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided. The method comprises: sending a first request message to a non-terrestrial network (NTN) element management device, the first request message indicating a terrestrial area and requesting cell information, the cell information being information about NTN cells that cover the terrestrial area and can take over the load of terrestrial network (TN) cells covering the terrestrial area; and receiving a first response message from the NTN element management device, the first response message including the cell information. This method can transfer traffic load from low- and medium-loaded TN areas to the NTN network, thereby shutting down more TN cells and increasing TN energy savings.

[0007] In some embodiments, the first request information further indicates a takeover period, thereby reducing the computational workload of the NTN network element management device and improving efficiency.

[0008] In some embodiments, the cell information includes an identifier of an NTN cell, thereby accurately indicating an NTN cell that can take over the load.

[0009] In some embodiments, the cell information further includes at least one of the following: a takeover period; or a number of takeover users. This can accurately indicate whether the NTN cell can take over the load, thereby performing load migration more efficiently.

[0010] In some embodiments, the method further includes: after receiving the first response information, sending a request message to the TN network element management device, wherein the request message includes cell information and is used to request the TN network element management device to promote load migration. In this way, the TN network element management device can be efficiently informed of the cell information that can take over the load, thereby promoting load transfer.

[0011] The valid request message includes the second request information, and the second request information further indicates the migration area and the migration target, and the ground area is smaller than or equal to the migration area. Thus, the TN network element management device can perform load transfer based on sufficient information.

[0012] In some embodiments, the method further includes: before sending the first request message, sending a third request message to the TN network element management device, the third request message indicating a migration area and a migration target, the third request message being used to request the TN network element management device to determine migration assistance information associated with a load to be migrated to the TN cell, wherein the ground area is less than or equal to the migration area; and receiving a second response message from the TN network element management device, the second response message including migration assistance information, the migration assistance information including the ground area. Thus, the NTN network element management device can be requested to determine cell information as needed based on the load to be migrated.

[0013] In some embodiments, the migration assistance information further includes a takeover period, thereby accurately indicating the period during which the load needs to be taken over.

[0014] In some embodiments, the request message includes fourth request information, and sending the request message includes: after receiving the first response information, sending the fourth request information to the TN network element management device. Thus, after acquiring the cell information on demand, the TN network element management device can be effectively informed of the cell information of the load that can be taken over.

[0015] In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving a fifth request message from the NTN network element management device, the fifth request message being used to request adjustment of load takeover for a first target ground area, where the first target ground area includes at least one of an overloaded area and an idle area. Thus, load migration can be adjusted in a timely manner when the load of the NTN network element management device changes.

[0016] In some embodiments, the method further includes: sending a sixth request message to the NTN network element management device, the sixth request message indicating the updated ground area and being used to request updated cell information, the updated cell information being information about NTN cells covering the updated ground area and capable of taking over the load of the TN cells covering the updated ground area, the updated ground area being less than or equal to the first target ground area; and receiving a third response message from the NTN network element management device, the third response message including the updated cell information. Thus, when the load of the NTN network element management device changes, the cell information capable of taking over the load can be obtained in a timely manner.

[0017] In some embodiments, the updated cell information includes an identifier of the updated NTN cell, thereby accurately indicating the cell that can take over the load after the load changes.

[0018] In some embodiments, the updated cell information also includes at least one of the following: an updated takeover period; or an updated number of takeover users. This accurately indicates other information about the load that can be taken over after a load change, allowing for more efficient load migration.

[0019] In some embodiments, the method further includes: sending a seventh request message to the TN network element management device based on the third response message, wherein the seventh request message indicates an updated migration area, an updated migration target, and updated cell information, and the seventh request message is used to re-request the TN network element management device to prompt load migration. In this way, changes in load migration can be promptly indicated to the TN network element management device.

[0020] In some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving an eighth request message from the NTN network element management device, the eighth request message being used to request stopping load takeover for the second target ground area. Thus, load migration can be adjusted in a timely manner when the NTN network element management device needs to stop taking over load.

[0021] In some embodiments, the method further includes: sending a ninth request message to the TN network element management device based on the eighth request message, wherein the ninth request message is used to request to stop the load migration for the second target ground area. Thus, the TN network element management device can be promptly instructed to stop the load migration.

[0022] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided. The method comprises: receiving a first request message from a network management device, the first request message indicating a terrestrial area and requesting cell information, the cell information being information about non-terrestrial network (NTN) cells that cover the terrestrial area and can take over the load of terrestrial network (TN) cells covering the terrestrial area; and sending a first response message to the network management device, the first response message including the cell information. This method can transfer traffic load in low- and medium-loaded TN areas to the NTN network, thereby shutting down more TN cells and increasing TN energy savings.

[0023] In some embodiments, the first request information further indicates a takeover period, thereby reducing the computational workload of the NTN network element management device and improving efficiency.

[0024] In some embodiments, the cell information includes an identifier of an NTN cell, thereby accurately indicating an NTN cell that can take over the load.

[0025] In some embodiments, the cell information further includes at least one of the following: a takeover period; or a number of takeover users. This can accurately indicate whether the NTN cell can take over the load, thereby performing load migration more efficiently.

[0026] In some embodiments, the method further includes: sending a fifth request message to the network management device, the fifth request message being used to request adjustment of load takeover for a first target ground area, where the first target ground area includes at least one of an overloaded area and an idle area. Thus, load migration can be adjusted promptly when the load of the NTN network element management device changes.

[0027] In some embodiments, sending the fifth request information includes at least one of the following: when the first target area includes an overloaded area, based on determining that the load of the NTN cell in the overloaded area exceeds a first threshold, sending the fifth request information to the network management device; or when the first target area includes an idle area, based on determining that the load of the NTN cell in the idle area is below a second threshold, sending the fifth request information to the network management device. Thus, the request message can be initiated in a timely manner when the load or idleness is effectively determined.

[0028] In some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving a sixth request message from the network management device, the sixth request message indicating the updated ground area and being used to request updated cell information, the updated cell information being information of the NTN cell covering the updated ground area and capable of taking over the load of the TN cell covering the updated ground area, the updated ground area being less than or equal to the first target ground area; and sending a third response message to the network management device, the third response message including the updated cell information.

[0029] In some embodiments, the updated cell information includes an identifier of the updated NTN cell, thereby accurately indicating the cell that can take over the load after the load changes.

[0030] In some embodiments, the updated cell information also includes at least one of the following: an updated takeover period; or an updated number of takeover users. This accurately indicates other information about the load that can be taken over after a load change, allowing for more efficient load migration.

[0031] In some embodiments, the method further includes: sending an eighth request message to the network management device, the eighth request message being used to request stopping load takeover for the second target ground area. Thus, load migration can be adjusted in a timely manner when the NTN network element management device needs to stop taking over load.

[0032] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided. The method comprises: receiving a request message from a network management device, the request message including cell information, and requesting a TN network element management device to facilitate load migration, the cell information being information about an NTN cell that covers a terrestrial area and can take over the load of a terrestrial network TN cell covering the terrestrial area; and facilitating the migration of the load of the TN cell to the NTN cell based on the request message. This method can transfer traffic load from low- and medium-loaded TN areas to the NTN network, thereby enabling the shutdown of more TN cells and increasing TN energy savings.

[0033] In some embodiments, the cell information further includes at least one of the following: a takeover period; or a number of takeover users. This can accurately indicate whether the NTN cell can take over the load, thereby performing load migration more efficiently.

[0034] In some embodiments, the request message includes second request information, the second request information further indicates a migration area and a migration target, and the ground area is smaller than or equal to the migration area. Thus, the TN network element management device can perform load transfer based on sufficient information.

[0035] In some embodiments, the method further includes: before receiving the request message, receiving a third request message from the network management device, the third request message indicating a migration area and a migration target, the third request message being used to request the TN network element management device to determine migration assistance information associated with a load to be migrated to the TN cell, wherein the ground area is less than or equal to the migration area; based on the determination of the load to be migrated to the TN cell, determining the area to be migrated to be the ground area; and sending a second response message to the network management device, the second response message including the migration assistance information, the migration assistance information including the ground area. Thus, the NTN network element management device can be requested to determine cell information as needed based on the load to be migrated.

[0036] In some embodiments, the migration assistance information further includes a takeover period, thereby accurately indicating the period during which the load needs to be taken over.

[0037] In some embodiments, receiving the request message includes: after sending the second response message, receiving a fourth request message from the network management device, the fourth request message indicating an identifier of an NTN cell, and the fourth request message being used to request the TN network element management device to facilitate load migration. Thus, after acquiring the cell information as needed, the TN network element management device can be effectively informed of the cell information of the load that can be taken over.

[0038] In some embodiments, facilitating load migration from a TN cell to an NTN cell includes: determining a target TN cell in the TN cell that is configured as a neighboring cell for one or more NTN cells; determining the number of users in the target TN cell during a target takeover period based on a historical load of the target TN cell; determining multiple candidate migration plans capable of migrating the load of the target TN cell to the NTN cell, wherein the multiple candidate migration plans satisfy that the number of users in the target TN cell during the target takeover period is less than or equal to the number of users that can be migrated to the one or more NTN cells in the NTN cell; and selecting a target migration plan from the multiple candidate migration plans based on migration benefits corresponding to the multiple candidate migration plans. Thus, appropriate load migration can be effectively achieved.

[0039] In some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving a seventh request message from the network management device, the seventh request message indicating an updated migration area, an updated migration target, and updated cell information, the seventh request message being used to re-request the TN network element management device to prompt load migration; and re-determining the migration plan based on the seventh request message. Thus, changes in load migration can be promptly indicated to the TN network element management device, allowing the TN network element management device to promptly modify the migration of loads to the NTN cell.

[0040] In some embodiments, the updated cell information includes an identifier of the updated NTN cell, thereby accurately indicating the cell that can take over the load after the load changes.

[0041] In some embodiments, the updated cell information also includes at least one of the following: an updated takeover period; or an updated number of takeover users. This accurately indicates other information about the load that can be taken over after a load change, allowing for more efficient load migration.

[0042] In some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving a ninth request message from the network management device, the ninth request message being used to request stopping the load migration for the second target ground area; and re-determining the migration plan based on the ninth request message. Thus, the TN network element management device can be promptly instructed to stop the load migration, so that the TN network element management device can promptly stop the load migration to the NTN cell.

[0043] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes a processor and a memory storing instructions. When the instructions are executed by the processor, the communication device performs any method according to any one of the first to third aspects and their implementations.

[0044] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, causes the communication device to perform any method according to any one of the first to third aspects and their implementations.

[0045] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, which includes instructions, and when executed by a communication device, causes the communication device to perform any method according to any one of the first to third aspects and any implementation thereof.

[0046] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a chip is provided, comprising a processing circuit configured to execute any method according to any one of the first to third aspects and implementations thereof.

[0047] It should be understood that the contents described in the Summary of the Invention section are not intended to define the key or important features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] FIG1 shows a schematic diagram of a communication system in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0049] FIG2 shows a schematic interactive signaling diagram of a first communication process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0050] FIG3 shows a schematic interactive signaling diagram of a second communication process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0051] FIG4 shows a schematic interaction signaling diagram of a third communication process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0052] FIG5 shows a schematic interaction signaling diagram of a fourth communication process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0053] FIG6 shows a schematic interactive signaling diagram of a fifth communication process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0054] FIG7 shows a schematic interactive signaling diagram of a sixth communication process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0055] FIG8 illustrates a first example process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0056] FIG9 illustrates a second example process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0057] FIG10 illustrates a third example process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0058] FIG11 illustrates a fourth example process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0059] FIG12 illustrates a fifth example process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0060] 13 and 14 illustrate example system architecture and module implementation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0061] FIG15 shows a schematic flowchart of a method implemented at a network management device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0062] FIG16 shows a schematic flow chart of a method implemented at an NTN network element management device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0063] FIG17 shows a schematic flowchart of a method implemented at a TN network element management device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0064] FIG18 shows a schematic block diagram of a first communication device according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0065] FIG19 shows a schematic block diagram of a second communication device according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0066] FIG20 shows a schematic block diagram of a third communication device according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0067] FIG21 shows a schematic block diagram of an example communication device that may be used to implement embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0068] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0069] The following describes embodiments of the present disclosure in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although certain embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described herein. Instead, these embodiments are provided to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the present disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0070] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "including" and similar terms should be understood as open inclusion, that is, "including but not limited to." The term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on." The term "one embodiment" or "the embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment." The terms "first," "second," etc. may refer to different or the same objects. Other explicit and implicit definitions may also be included below.

[0071] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols such as third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G) and future communication protocols (e.g., 6G), wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future.

[0072] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure are applied to communication systems that follow any appropriate communication protocols, such as: General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA2000), Time Division-Synchronization Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, Time Division Duplex (TDD), fifth generation (5G) system (e.g., New Radio (NR)) and future communication systems (e.g., 6G system), etc.

[0073] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to any communication system having similar problems, such as a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wired communication system, or other communication systems developed in the future.

[0074] The term "terminal" or "terminal device" used in this disclosure refers to any terminal device that can perform wired or wireless communication with network devices or with each other. Terminal devices may sometimes be referred to as User Equipment (UE). Terminal devices may be any type of mobile terminal, fixed terminal or portable terminal. Terminal devices may be various wireless communication devices with wireless communication capabilities. With the rise of Internet of Things (IOT) technology, more and more devices that did not previously have communication capabilities, such as but not limited to household appliances, vehicles, tools and equipment, service equipment and service facilities, have begun to obtain wireless communication capabilities by configuring wireless communication units, so that they can access wireless communication networks and accept remote control. Such devices have wireless communication capabilities because they are configured with wireless communication units, and therefore also fall into the category of wireless communication devices. As an example, the terminal device may include a mobile cellular phone, a cordless phone, a mobile terminal (MT), a mobile station, a mobile device, a wireless terminal, a handheld device, a client, a subscription station, a portable subscription station, an Internet node, a communicator, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a personal communication system device, a personal navigation device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless data card, a wireless modem (modulator demodulator, Modem), a positioning device, a radio broadcast receiver, an e-book device, a gaming device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a vehicle-mounted device, an aircraft, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch), a terminal device in a 5G network or any terminal device in an evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), other devices that can be used for communication, or any combination thereof. The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this.

[0075] The term "network node" or "network device" used in this disclosure refers to an entity or node that can be used to communicate with a terminal device, for example, an access network device. An access network device can be a device deployed in a wireless access network to provide wireless communication functions for a mobile terminal, for example, a radio access network (RAN) network device. Access network devices may include various types of base stations. Base stations are used to provide wireless access services to terminal devices. Specifically, each base station corresponds to a service coverage area, and terminal devices entering the area can communicate with the base station through wireless signals to receive wireless access services provided by the base station. There may be overlap between the service coverage areas of base stations, and a terminal device in the overlapping area can receive wireless signals from multiple base stations, so that the terminal device can be served by multiple base stations at the same time. Depending on the size of the service coverage area provided, the access network device may include a macro base station providing macro cells, a micro base station for providing micro cells, a micro base station for providing micro cells, and a micro base station for providing femto cells. In addition, access network equipment may also include various forms of relay stations, access points, radio units (RUs), remote radio units (RRUs), radio heads (RHs), remote radio heads (RRHs), and so on. In systems using different wireless access technologies, the names of access network equipment may vary. For example, in long-term evolution systems, it is called an evolved NodeB (eNB or eNodeB), in 3G networks it is called a NodeB (NB), and in 5G networks it may be called a gNodeB (gNB) or NR NodeB (NR NB), etc. In some scenarios, access network equipment may include a central unit (CU) and / or a distributed unit (DU). The CU and DU can be placed in different locations, for example: a remote DU placed in an area with high traffic volume and a central computer room. Alternatively, the CU and DU can be placed in the same computer room. The CU and DU can also be different components under the same rack. In different systems, CU (or CU-Control Plane (CP) and CU-User Plane (UP)), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings.For example, in an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN) system, CU may also be referred to as O-CU (open CU), DU may also be referred to as O-DU, CU-CP may also be referred to as O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be referred to as O-CU-UP, and RU may also be referred to as O-RU. For the convenience of description, the embodiments of the present application are described by taking CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. For the convenience of description, in the subsequent embodiments of the present disclosure, the above-mentioned devices that provide wireless communication functions for mobile terminals are collectively referred to as network devices, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are no longer specifically limited.

[0076] Towards 5.5G / 6G evolution, 3GPP has defined a non-TN (NTN) architecture. Satellite-based base stations transmit wireless signals to TN user terminals (including mobile phones and IoT devices) to provide wireless access. TN commercial terminals can access the NTN and switch between the two.

[0077] Furthermore, as mentioned above, with the reduction in satellite launch costs and the development of high-capacity communications satellite technology, it has become possible to provide wide-coverage wireless access through the large-scale deployment of communications satellites in LEO. For example, since the US satellite operator S began large-scale deployment of its LEO communications satellite constellation in 2019, it has successfully deployed over 4,000 LEO communications satellites by early 2023, providing wireless access capabilities for satellite terminals covering major land and ocean areas around the world. Based on the enormous potential of satellite wireless communication networks and the ubiquitous connectivity and global coverage vision of 6G, relevant standards organizations (such as 3GPP and ITU-T) are vigorously promoting the NTN protocol, which supports direct satellite connections between ordinary mobile terminals and satellites. For example, 3GPP Release 17 (R17) completed the development of the NTN overall architecture, service requirements, basic air interface access, and mobility protocols in 2022. In April 2023, some TN operators also announced successful experiments using commercial mobile phones to directly connect to LEO satellites based on the NTN protocol to achieve two-way voice communication. It is expected that NTN, especially LEO satellite communication networks, will play a vital role in future wide-area coverage scenarios. NTN can work together with TN to build ubiquitous converged wireless access capabilities.

[0078] On the other hand, since the Industrial Revolution, the scope and extent of human activities' impact on the global environment (especially climate) have continued to expand. To address the impact of global climate change, countries have successively proposed action plans for carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. The telecommunications industry consumes a significant amount of energy, with network equipment accounting for a significant portion of this energy consumption. Telecom operators, driven by their social responsibility for sustainable development and regulatory compliance, have made energy conservation and emission reduction a key strategy, striving to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions in network operations.

[0079] In recent years, with the emergence of new services such as online streaming, extended reality (XR), remote work, and online classes, wireless communication technology has gradually evolved to 5.5G and 6G to meet users' growing demands for wireless communication coverage and quality. As operators continue to increase wireless network coverage and capacity, energy consumption and carbon emissions are expected to increase, posing a challenge to achieving the dual carbon goals.

[0080] As operator network energy consumption continues to grow, core equipment (i.e., wireless base stations) has become a primary focus for energy conservation. Energy consumption of wireless site core equipment has become a top priority. For a typical operator, wireless sites account for approximately 45% of energy consumption, while core equipment accounts for another 50%. The Remote Radio Unit (RRU) accounts for a significant portion of wireless base station energy consumption. In real-world networks, traffic often exhibits a significant tidal effect, with significant variations in network traffic between busy and idle times. When traffic is low, the base station's RRU remains operational, and energy consumption does not dynamically adjust to traffic levels, resulting in significant energy waste.

[0081] Therefore, reducing ineffective energy consumption is the main direction of energy conservation. The current mainstream energy-saving technology uses artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to automatically identify the same coverage relationship of each wireless base station, analyze the business load of each base station, and predict the busy and idle times of each site. You can also control each base station to coordinate and achieve energy conservation according to changes in business load. When the network is idle, there are few active users and the business volume is low. At this time, the RRU of the large-capacity base station can be turned off, and only the ordinary capacity base station with the same coverage can be kept running at low power consumption, and users can be transferred to ordinary capacity base stations to provide basic wireless access capabilities. When the network is busy, there are many active users and the business volume is large, but there is an uneven distribution of users / traffic geographically. At this time, the large-capacity base stations in hot spots are selectively turned on to absorb traffic, while the large-capacity base stations in non-hot spots operate at low power consumption, and only some RRUs are turned on to provide wireless access capabilities that adapt to the business load.

[0082] In one energy-saving strategy, an energy-saving service consumer sends a network energy-saving request to an energy-saving service producer, specifying the network coverage area to be energy-efficient and a target network energy consumption. Upon receiving the request, the energy-saving service producer analyzes the energy consumption and load of wireless base stations within the specified network coverage area, identifies physical base stations with shared coverage, and the traffic load characteristics of each base station in the area. It then predicts the idle and busy periods for each base station, generates and distributes energy-saving strategies for each base station, monitors changes in energy consumption after the strategies are implemented, and reports the network energy-saving results to the energy-saving service consumer.

[0083] However, when it comes to network energy conservation, due to the requirement for basic wireless network coverage, cells that provide basic access must be retained even during periods of low or even no traffic in geographical areas. This makes it impossible to shut down all corresponding cells (and therefore, the corresponding base stations)—only some. Consequently, network energy savings (e.g., power consumption during the measurement period) are limited, and energy efficiency (e.g., determined by dividing the power consumption by the traffic volume during the measurement period) is also low. Therefore, an effective network energy conservation method is needed.

[0084] In light of the above analysis and research, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method. In this method, a network management device sends a first request message to an NTN network element management device. The first request message indicates a ground area and is used to request cell information. The cell information is information about an NTN cell that covers the ground area and can take over the load of a TN cell covering the ground area. The network management device receives a first response message from the NTN network element management device, which includes the cell information. Subsequently, the network management device sends a request message to the TN network element management device, which indicates the information about the NTN cell. Based on the request message, the TN network element management device causes the load of the TN cell to be migrated to the NTN cell.

[0085] This approach can shift traffic loads from low- and medium-loaded TN areas to the NTN network, enabling the shutdown of more TN cells and increasing TN energy savings. Furthermore, the NTN's wide coverage and green energy advantages can be leveraged to improve the overall energy efficiency of the non-terrestrial-terrestrial network.

[0086] The following is a further detailed description of the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The specific operation methods, functional descriptions, etc. in the method embodiments can also be applied to the device embodiments or system embodiments.

[0087] FIG1 shows a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown in FIG1 , the system 100 may include

[0088] In certain embodiments, as shown in FIG1 , communication system 100 may include a network management device 110, an NTN element management device 120, and a TN element management device 130. In some embodiments, network management device 110 may include a network management system (NMS), NTN element management device 120 may include an NTN element management system (EMS) 120, and TN element management device 130 may include a TN EMS 130. Network management device 110, NTN element management device 120, and TN element management device 130 may communicate directly or indirectly via other devices. Network management device 110, NTN element management device 120, and TN element management device 130 may be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0089] It should be understood that the number of components and their connections shown in FIG1 are provided for illustrative purposes and do not constitute any limitation. The communication system 100 may include any suitable number of devices and networks suitable for implementing the embodiments of this specification. Furthermore, it should be understood that the communication system 100 shown in FIG1 is illustrative, and the embodiments of the present disclosure may also be applied to other scenarios. Furthermore, it should be understood that the communication between the aforementioned devices in the communication system 100 may follow any appropriate communication technology and corresponding communication standards.

[0090] Figure 2 shows a schematic interactive signaling diagram of a first communication process 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For clarity and without any limitation, the process 200 will be described in conjunction with Figure 1. Figure 2 involves a network management device 110 and an NTN element management device 120.

[0091] As shown in Figure 2, at 205, the network management device 110 sends a first request message to the NTN network element management device 120. The first request message may indicate a ground area and is used to request cell information. The ground area may refer to an area where load migration is required to achieve energy conservation. The ground area may, for example, include one or more polygonal areas (latitude and longitude) or subnets. The cell information includes information about NTN cells (e.g., an NTN cell list) that cover the ground area and can take over the load of the TN cells covering the ground area. The NTN cell list may refer to a list of NTN cells that can take over the TN load. For example, the NTN cell list may include {cell id1, cell id2}. Alternatively or additionally, the first request message may also indicate a takeover period (e.g., a takeover period list). The takeover period may refer to one or more start and end periods, which may be periodic. Examples of takeover periods may include {[period 1, period 1], [period 2, period 2]}; period: 00:00-06:30; or period: every day / every Monday. As an example, the cell information may include an NTN cell identifier. Alternatively or additionally, the cell information may further include one or more of a takeover period (e.g., a takeover period list) or a takeover number of users (e.g., a takeover number list). The takeover number of users may refer to the number of users that can be taken over by the corresponding NTN cell within a specified period. For example, an example of the takeover number of users may include: {500, 300}.

[0092] Based on the received first request information, the NTN network element management device 120 may perform a load estimation calculation. For example, the NTN network element management device 120 may calculate the satellite's motion path based on satellite ephemeris and, using satellite antenna models, atmospheric propagation models, and other methods, calculate the satellite's beam projection on the ground to determine NTN cells that can cover the ground area during the takeover period. For example, a list of NTN cells may be determined. If the first request information does not include a takeover period, the NTN network element management device 120 may determine NTN cells that cover the ground area at any time of the day (e.g., a list of NTN cells). The NTN network element management device 120 may analyze historical Key Performance Indicator (KPI) data for wireless services in the ground area to predict the number of users (e) in each future time period (e.g., the takeover period). The estimated number of users (s) that can be taken over by the NTN cell in each future time period is calculated by subtracting the predicted number of users (e) from the total number of accessible users (max) of the NTN cell. For example, if s > 0, it may indicate that the corresponding NTN cell is idle during the time period and can take over the load of users served by the TN cell.

[0093] As shown in Figure 2 , at 210, NTN element management device 120 sends a first response message to network management device 110. This first response message may include cell information. NTN element management device 120 may then indicate this cell information to TN element management device 130. The interaction between network management device 110 and TN element management device 130 will be described below with reference to Figure 3 .

[0094] Figure 3 shows a schematic interactive signaling diagram of a second communication process 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For clarity and without any limitation, the process 300 will be described in conjunction with Figure 1. Figure 3 involves a network management device 110 and a TN element management device 130.

[0095] As shown in Figure 3 , at 305, network management device 110 sends a request message to TN element management device 130, requesting TN element management device 120 to facilitate load migration. This request message includes the aforementioned cell information, i.e., information about the NTN cell that will take over the load of the TN cell covering the ground area, and optionally includes one or more of the takeover period or the number of takeover users. The content and timing of the request message can be implemented differently, as described below in conjunction with Figures 4 and 5 .

[0096] Then, at 310, the TN network element management device 130, based on the request message, prompts the TN cell's load to be migrated to the NTN cell. In some embodiments, the TN network element management device 130 may analyze the neighboring relationships of the TN cells to determine a target TN cell that configures one or more of the NTN cells as neighbors. The determined target TN cell can then transfer its load to the corresponding one or more NTN cells. The TN network element management device 130 may analyze the historical load (e.g., historical user load) of the determined target TN cell. Based on the historical load of the target TN cell, the TN network element management device 130 may then determine the number of users in the target TN cell during a target takeover period. For example, if a takeover period is indicated, the TN network element management device 130 may predict the number of users in that takeover period. If no takeover period is indicated, the TN network element management device 130 may predict the number of users during each period throughout the day. Based on these predictions, the TN network element management device 130 may determine multiple candidate migration solutions that can migrate the target TN cell's load to the NTN cell. The multiple candidate migration plans can satisfy the requirement that the number of users in the target TN cell during the target takeover period is less than or equal to the number of users that can be migrated to one or more of the NTN cells. The TN network element management device 130 can determine the migration benefits corresponding to the multiple candidate migration plans. The migration benefit can be determined, for example, by calculating the total power consumption by multiplying the power consumption per unit time (e.g., power consumption per hour) of each TN cell by the shutdown time. For example, if the number of users that can be taken over by an NTN cell is not given, the calculation can be based on a pre-agreed fixed estimated number of users that can be taken over by each NTN cell, such as an agreed-upon number of 1,000 users per NTN cell. Based on the migration benefits (or energy-saving benefits) corresponding to the multiple candidate migration plans, the TN network element management device 130 can select a target migration plan from the multiple candidate migration plans. For example, the target migration plan can be the migration plan with the greatest migration benefit among the multiple candidate migration plans. In other words, the TN network element management device 130 can select different TN cell combinations to generate multiple plans that can completely shut down the target TN cell and satisfy the constraint that the total number of users to be migrated in each target TN cell is less than or equal to the estimated number of users that can be taken over by the corresponding NTN cell. Then, the TN network element management device 130 may select a solution that maximizes the TN base station migration benefit from the multiple solutions.

[0097] In some embodiments, the TN network element management device 130 may issue an energy-saving shutdown request to the TN base stations of the TN cells involved in the determined migration plan. The request may, for example, include the TN cells that can be shut down, the target NTN cells to which the load can be migrated, and the shutdown period. The TN base stations may then implement the energy-saving plan accordingly. For example, the user handover signaling protocol defined in 3GPP may be used to migrate users. After migrating users to the corresponding NTN cells according to the specified shutdown period, the TN cells are shut down. The energy-saving results are then collected and sent to the TN network element management device 130. The network element management device 130 may collect the energy-saving results of each TN base station and generate energy-saving results for the ground area to be sent to the network management device 110.

[0098] Two implementations of process 300 are described below in conjunction with Figures 4 and 5 , respectively. Figure 4 shows a schematic interaction signaling diagram of a third communication process 400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 5 shows a schematic interaction signaling diagram 500 of a fourth communication process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For clarity and without limitation, processes 400 and 500 will be described in conjunction with Figure 1 . Figures 4 and 5 involve a network management device 110, an NTN network element management device 120, and a TN network element management device 130.

[0099] As shown in Figure 4, at 405, the network management device 110 sends a first request message to the NTN network element management device 120 requesting cell information. At 410, the NTN network element management device 120 sends a first response message containing the cell information to the network management device 110. At 415, the network management device 110 sends a second request message (in this example, the request message may be referred to as the second request message) to the TN network element management device 130. The second request message may indicate a migration area, a migration target, and the aforementioned cell information. The ground area may be smaller than or equal to the migration area. Subsequently, at 420, the TN network element management device 130 may cause the load of the TN cell to be migrated to the NTN cell based on the second request message.

[0100] In this way, the TN network element management device 130 can migrate at least part of the TN load to the NTN cell and shut down the TN cell when generating a migration plan based on the cell information provided by the network management device 110, thereby improving the energy saving of the TN.

[0101] Alternatively or additionally, before requesting cell information from the NTN network element management device 120, the network management device 110 may first request the TN network element management device 130 to determine migration assistance information associated with the load expected to be migrated in the TN cell. As shown in Figure 5, at 505, the network management device 110 sends a third request message to the TN network element management device 130, requesting the TN network element management device 130 to determine migration assistance information associated with the load expected to be migrated in the TN cell. The third request message may indicate a migration area (also known as an energy-saving area) and a migration target (also known as an energy-saving target). The TN network element management device 130 may perform energy-saving optimization, analyze the historical user load of the TN cell, and estimate the load expected to be migrated in the TN cell. At 510, based on the determination of the load expected to be migrated in the TN cell, the TN network element management device 130 may determine the area expected to be migrated as a terrestrial area. At 515, the TN network element management device 130 may send a second response message to the network management device 110, which may include the migration assistance information. In addition to indicating the ground area to which the load is to be migrated, the migration assistance information may also indicate the desired takeover period. Subsequently, at 520, the network management device 110 sends a first request message to the NTN network element management device 120 requesting cell information. At 525, the NTN network element management device 120 sends a first response message containing the cell information to the network management device 110. After receiving the first response message, at 530, the network management device 110 sends a fourth request message (in this example, the request message may be referred to as the fourth request message) to the TN network element management device 130. This fourth request message may include the aforementioned cell information. Subsequently, at 535, the TN network element management device 130 may cause the load of the TN cell to be migrated to the NTN cell based on the fourth request message.

[0102] In this way, the TN network element management device 130 can, based on the cell information provided by the network management device 110, migrate at least part of the TN load to the NTN cell when generating a migration plan, then shut down the TN cell, thereby increasing TN energy savings. Furthermore, by pre-requesting an evaluation of potential migration areas and time periods from the TN network element management device 130, the NTN takeover capability can be obtained on demand when the migration plan is generated, achieving greater real-time performance. Furthermore, the TN network element management device 130 can calculate the TN load when generating the migration plan, excluding areas where load cannot be transferred to the NTN due to high service quality requirements or high load. It then estimates takeover of only the areas where load is expected to be transferred. This reduces the scope (e.g., areas, time periods) that the NTN network element management device 120 needs to evaluate, resulting in improved performance.

[0103] FIG6 shows a schematic interactive signaling diagram of a fifth communication process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For clarity and without limitation, process 600 will be described in conjunction with FIG1 . FIG6 involves a network management device 110 , an NTN network element management device 120 , and a TN network element management device 130 .

[0104] In some embodiments, when the load on the NTN element management device 120 is consistently too high or too low, load migration adjustments may be required to reduce or increase the traffic load on the NTN element management device 120. As shown in FIG6 , at 605, the NTN element management device 120 may send a fifth request message to the network management device 110 requesting adjustment of load takeover for a first target terrestrial area. For example, the first target terrestrial area may include an overloaded area. An overloaded area may refer to an area where the traffic load on the NTN cell consistently exceeds a threshold. For example, an overloaded area may include one or more polygonal areas (longitude and latitude) or subnets. In this case, if the load on the NTN cell in the overloaded area is determined to exceed a first threshold, the NTN element management device 120 may send a fifth request message including the overloaded area to the network management device 110 requesting adjustment of load takeover for the overloaded area. In some implementations, if the NTN network element management device 120 detects that the physical resource block (PRB) utilization is greater than or equal to 70% and the duration is greater than or equal to 30 minutes, the TN network element management device 130 may send a fifth request message including an overloaded area to the network management device 110. As another example, the first target terrestrial area may include an idle area. An idle area may refer to an area where the NTN traffic load is consistently below a threshold. As an example, an idle area may include one or more polygonal areas (latitude and longitude) or subnets. In this case, if the load of the NTN cell is determined to be below a second threshold for the idle area, the NTN network element management device 120 may send a fifth request message including an idle area to the network management device 110, requesting that load takeover be adjusted for the idle area. In some implementations, if the NTN network element management device 120 detects that the PRB utilization is less than or equal to 5% and the duration is greater than or equal to 120 minutes, the NTN network element management device 120 may send the fifth request message including an idle area to the network management device 110.

[0105] At 610, the network management device 110 sends a sixth request message to the NTN network element management device 120. This sixth request message may indicate an updated terrestrial area and is used to request updated cell information. The updated cell information is information about NTN cells that cover the updated terrestrial area and can take over the load of the TN cells covering the updated terrestrial area. The updated terrestrial area is smaller than or equal to the first target terrestrial area. Based on the received sixth request message, the NTN network element management device 120 may perform a load estimation calculation. The load estimation calculation has been described in detail in conjunction with FIG. 2 and will not be repeated here. The updated cell information may include an identifier of the updated NTN cell. The updated cell information may also include at least one of an updated takeover period and an updated number of takeover users. Subsequently, at 615, the NTN network element management device 120 sends a third response message to the network management device 110. The third response message may include the updated cell information. Then, at 620, the network management device 110 sends a seventh request message to the TN element management device 130, re-requesting the TN element management device 130 to initiate load migration. This seventh request message indicates an updated migration area, an updated migration target, and updated cell information. At 625, the TN element management device 130 re-determines a migration plan based on the seventh request message. The method for determining the migration plan has been described in detail with reference to FIG. 3 and will not be repeated here.

[0106] In this way, the TN migration plan can be adjusted when the NTN service load is overloaded to reduce the amount of load migrated from TN to NTN, thereby ensuring the NTN service access capability. The TN migration plan can also be adjusted when the NTN service load is idle to increase the amount of load migrated from TN to NTN, thereby fully utilizing the NTN service access capability.

[0107] FIG7 shows a schematic interactive signaling diagram of a sixth communication process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For clarity and without limitation, process 700 will be described in conjunction with FIG1 . FIG7 involves a network management device 110 , an NTN network element management device 120 , and a TN network element management device 130 .

[0108] In some embodiments, the NTN network may stop taking over load for TN cells due to special circumstances, such as NTN equipment maintenance or the need to ensure access to NTN users in a specific area after a natural disaster. As shown in Figure 7, at 705, the NTN element management device 120 may send an eighth request message to the network management device 110, requesting that load takeover for the second target terrestrial area be stopped. For example, a parameter indicating whether to stop takeover may be set, where True indicates stop takeover and False indicates not stop takeover. At 710, the network management device 110 sends a ninth request message to the TN element management device 130, requesting that load migration for the second target terrestrial area be stopped. Subsequently, at 715, based on the ninth request message, the TN element management device 130 re-determines the migration plan.

[0109] In this way, it is possible to ensure that load migration can automatically adapt to NTN's service load fluctuations without affecting NTN's own service access capabilities.

[0110] FIG8 illustrates a first example process 800 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This process can be considered a specific implementation of the third communication process 400 in FIG4 . For clarity and without limitation, process 800 will be described in conjunction with FIG1 . In this embodiment, network management device 110 is implemented as an NMS 801, NTN element management device 120 is implemented as an NTN EMS 802, and TN element management device 130 is implemented as a TN EMS 803. Process 800 also involves a TN base station 804.

[0111] As shown in Figure 8, at 802, NMS 801 creates a takeover estimation request and sends it to NTN EMS 802, including the ground area and (optionally) the takeover period. The ground area can correspond to an energy-saving zone. At 812, NTN EMS 802 performs a pre-estimate calculation. NTN EMS 802 can estimate the satellite's trajectory based on satellite ephemeris and calculate the satellite's beam projection on the ground using satellite antenna models, atmospheric propagation models, and other methods. It then determines the satellite base station cells that cover the designated takeover period and ground area. If a takeover period is not entered, the calculation is performed by determining a list of NTN cells covering the ground area at any time throughout the day. NTN EMS 802 can analyze historical KPI data for wireless services in the ground area and predict the number of users (e) for each future time period. By subtracting the predicted number of users (e) from the total number of accessible users (max) in the NTN cells covering the area, the estimated number of users (s) available for takeover in each future time period for each NTN cell is obtained. If s > 0, the corresponding satellite is idle during that time period and can take over ground users. At 814 , the NTN EMS 802 returns the takeover estimation result to the NMS 801 , including the NTN cell list, the takeover period list (optional), and the estimated number of takeover users list (optional).

[0112] At 816, NMS 801 creates an energy-saving request and sends it to TN EMS 803, including the energy-saving zone, energy-saving target, NTN cell list, takeover time period list (optional), and estimated takeover user number list (optional). At 818, TN EMS 803 performs energy-saving optimization. TN EMS 803 analyzes the neighboring relationships of TN cells and retrieves TN cells that have any NTN cell in the NTN cell list as a neighbor. These TN cells can take over the load from the NTN cell. For each TN cell, TN EMS 803 analyzes the historical user load of the cell and predicts the number of users during the future takeover time period. If a takeover time period is not specified, the user number is predicted for all-day periods. TN EMS 803 can select different TN cell combinations and generate multiple plans that can completely shut down TN cells while satisfying the constraint that the total number of users taken over by each TN cell is less than or equal to the estimated number of users that can be taken over by the NTN cell. From these multiple plans, TN EMS 803 selects the plan that maximizes the energy-saving benefit for TN base station 804, i.e., the plan with the highest total power consumption calculated by "power consumption per unit time of each cell (power consumed per hour) * shutdown time." For example, if the estimated number of users that can be taken over is not given, a fixed estimated number of users that can be taken over for each satellite can be used for calculation, as agreed in advance. For example, each NTN cell can be taken over by 1,000 users.

[0113] At 820, TN EMS 803 sends an energy-saving shutdown request to the corresponding TN base station 804, including the available shutdown cells, the target NTN cell for load migration, and the shutdown period. TN base station 804 then implements the energy-saving solution. For example, it may use the user handover signaling protocol defined in 3GPP to migrate users, migrate users to the target NTN cell according to a specified time period, and then shut down the TN cell. It then collects the energy-saving shutdown results and sends them to TN EMS 802 at 822. TN EMS 802 collects the energy-saving results from each base station, generates a regional energy-saving execution result, and sends this result to NMS 801 at 824.

[0114] In short, the above process enables NMS 801 to send a request to NTN EMS 802 to obtain energy-saving assistance information before starting TN energy saving. The energy-saving assistance information is then attached to the energy-saving request and sent to TN EMS 802. When TN EMS 802 generates an energy-saving plan, it transfers part of the terrestrial user load to NTN and shuts down more TN cells, thereby improving the energy saving of the TN network.

[0115] FIG9 illustrates a second example process 900 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This process can be considered a specific implementation of the fourth communication process 500 in FIG5 . For clarity and without limitation, process 900 will be described in conjunction with FIG1 . In this embodiment, network management device 110 is implemented as an NMS 901, NTN element management device 120 is implemented as an NTN EMS 902, and TN element management device 130 is implemented as a TN EMS 903. Process 900 also involves a TN base station 904.

[0116] As shown in Figure 9, at 910, NMS 901 creates an energy-saving request and sends it to TN EMS 903, including the energy-saving area and energy-saving target. At 912, TN EMS 903 performs energy-saving optimization, analyzes the historical user load of the TN cells, and estimates future load. At 914, TN EMS 903 requests a takeover estimate from NMS 901, including the ground area and the takeover period (optional), to assess areas within the energy-saving area that may be taken over by NTN. At 916, NMS 901 sends a takeover estimate request to NTN EMS 902. At 918, NTN EMS 902 performs an estimate calculation, determines the list of NTN cells covering the ground area during the specified takeover period, estimates the load, obtains a list of takeover periods (optional), and a list of estimated takeover users (optional). If no takeover period is entered, the calculation is performed based on a list of NTN cells covering the ground area at any time of day.

[0117] At 920, NTN EMS 902 returns a list of NTN cells, a list of takeover time periods (optional), and a list of estimated takeover users (optional) to NMS 901. At 922, NMS 901 feeds back the estimated results to TN EMS 903. At 924, TN EMS 903 performs energy-saving optimization. For outdoor TN cells configured as neighboring NTN cells, it analyzes historical user loads and predicts the number of users during the takeover time period. Furthermore, TN EMS 903 selects different TN cell combinations and generates multiple plans that can completely shut down the network while satisfying the constraint that "total number of takeover users <= estimated number of takeover users." The plan with the greatest energy-saving benefit is selected from these multiple plans.

[0118] At 926, TN EMS 903 sends an energy-saving shutdown request to the corresponding TN base station 904, including the shutdown cell, the target cell for load migration, and the shutdown period. At 928, TN base station 904 sends the energy-saving shutdown result to TN EMS 903. TN EMS 903 collects the energy-saving results of each base station, generates a regional energy-saving execution result, and sends the energy-saving execution result to NMS 901 at 930.

[0119] In short, the above process enables TN EMS 903 to obtain the NTN network's takeover capabilities from NMS 901 when generating an energy-saving plan. Based on the takeover capabilities, it generates an energy-saving plan that migrates at least some low-load TN cell users to the NTN cell and then shuts down the corresponding TN cell. When generating the energy-saving plan, TN EMS 903 calculates the TN load and, after excluding areas where load cannot be transferred to the NTN due to high service quality requirements or high load, estimates takeover for only those areas where load is expected to be transferred. This reduces the NTN EMS's calculation scope and improves performance.

[0120] FIG10 illustrates a third example process 1000 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This process can be considered a specific implementation of the fifth communication process 600 in FIG6 . For clarity and without limitation, process 1000 will be described in conjunction with FIG1 . In this embodiment, network management device 110 is implemented as an NMS 1001, NTN element management device 120 is implemented as an NTN EMS 1002, and TN element management device 130 is implemented as a TN EMS 1003. Process 1000 also involves a TN base station 1004.

[0121] As shown in Figure 10, at 1010, NTN EMS 1002 detects that the NTN service load exceeds a threshold. NTN wireless network load is typically measured using PRB utilization. Network administrators can pre-set overload thresholds on the EMS, such as "PRB utilization >= 70%" and "duration >= 30 minutes." At 1012, NTN EMS 1002 sends a takeover adjustment request to the NMS, including the overloaded area. At 1014, NMS 1001 reissues a takeover estimate request to NTN EMS 1002, using the overloaded area as the ground area input. At 1016, NTN EMS 1002 recalculates the estimate based on the new NTN KPI data. At 1018, NTN EMS 1002 returns a list of NTN cells, a list of takeover-available time periods (optional), and a list of estimated takeover users (optional) to NMS 1001. At 1020, NMS 1001 sends a modified energy-saving request to TN EMS 1003 based on the updated estimate. At 1022, TN EMS 1003 regenerates the energy-saving plan. At 1024, TN EMS 1003 sends an energy-saving shutdown request to the corresponding TN base station, including the available shutdown cells, the target cell for load migration, and the shutdown period. At 1026, the TN base station sends the energy-saving shutdown result to TN EMS 1003. TN EMS 1003 collects the energy-saving shutdown results from each base station, generates a regional energy-saving execution result, and sends the energy-saving execution result to NMS 1001 at 1028.

[0122] In this way, when the NTN network load exceeds a threshold, the takeover capacity can be readjusted to reduce the NTN service load.

[0123] FIG11 illustrates a fourth example process 1100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This process can be considered a specific implementation of the fifth communication process 600 in FIG6 . For clarity and without limitation, process 1100 will be described in conjunction with FIG1 . In this embodiment, network management device 110 is implemented as an NMS 1101, NTN element management device 120 is implemented as an NTN EMS 1102, and TN element management device 130 is implemented as a TN EMS 1103. Process 1100 also involves a TN base station 1104.

[0124] As shown in Figure 11, at 1110, NTN EMS 1102 detects that the NTN traffic load remains below a threshold, indicating that additional takeover capacity exists. Network administrators can pre-set idle thresholds on the EMS, such as "PRB utilization <= 5%" and "duration >= 120 minutes." At 1112, NTN EMS 1112 sends a takeover adjustment request to NMS 1101, including the idle area. At 1114, NMS 1101 reissues a takeover estimate request to NTN EMS 1102, using the idle area as the ground area input. At 1116, NTN EMS 1102 recalculates the estimate based on the new NTN KPI data. At 1118, NTN EMS 1102 returns a list of NTN cells, a list of takeover-capable time periods (optional), and a list of estimated takeover-capable users (optional) to NMS 1101. At 1120, NMS 1101 sends a modified energy-saving request to TN EMS 1103 based on the updated estimated results. At 1122, TN EMS 1103 regenerates the energy-saving plan. At 1124, TN EMS 1103 sends an energy-saving shutdown request to the corresponding TN base station, including the cells that can be shut down, the target cell for load migration, and the shutdown period. At 1126, the TN base station sends the energy-saving shutdown result to TN EMS 1103. TN EMS 1103 collects the energy-saving shutdown results from each base station, generates a regional energy-saving execution result, and sends the energy-saving execution result to NMS 1101 at 1128.

[0125] In this way, when the NTN network load is continuously lower than the idle threshold, the takeover capacity can be readjusted to increase the TN energy saving.

[0126] FIG12 illustrates a fourth example process 1200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This process can be considered a specific implementation of the sixth communication process 700 in FIG7 . For clarity and without limitation, process 1200 will be described in conjunction with FIG1 . In this embodiment, network management device 110 is implemented as an NMS 1201, NTN element management device 120 is implemented as an NTN EMS 1202, and TN element management device 130 is implemented as a TN EMS 1203. Process 1200 also involves a TN base station 1204.

[0127] As shown in Figure 12, at 1210, NTN EMS 1202 sends a stop takeover request to NMS 1201, including the ground area. At 1212, NMS 1201 searches for energy-saving tasks within the ground area and sends a modify energy-saving request to NTN EMS 1202, including a stop takeover instruction. At 1214, TN EMS 1203 regenerates the energy-saving plan and no longer takes over load to NTN cells. Specifically, some TN cells remain open for basic coverage access, and load is only transferred to TN cells that remain open, not to NTN cells. At 1216, TN EMS 1203 sends an energy-saving shutdown request to the corresponding TN base station, including the cells that can be shut down, the target cell for load migration, and the shutdown period. At 1218, the TN base station sends the energy-saving shutdown result to TN EMS 1203. TN EMS 1203 collects the energy-saving shutdown results from each base station, generates the regional energy-saving execution result, and sends the energy-saving execution result to NMS 1201 at 1220.

[0128] This approach provides a method for stopping TN takeover for energy saving when the network encounters special circumstances, such as NTN equipment maintenance or natural disasters, to ensure access to NTN users in a specific area. This is more timely and can promptly release all loads migrated to the NTN cell.

[0129] Figures 13 and 14 illustrate example system architectures and module implementations according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In the architectures shown in Figures 13 and 14, an energy-saving service consumer can be used to invoke energy-saving services. For example, the energy-saving service consumer can be located within the NMS. A TN energy-saving service producer can be used to provide TN energy-saving services. For example, the TN energy-saving service producer can be located within the TN EMS. An NTN load management producer can be used to provide NTN load estimation and monitoring services. For example, the NTN load management producer can be located within the NTN EMS.

[0130] In the architecture shown in Figure 13, before initiating energy conservation, the energy conservation service consumer pre-acquires NTN takeover capabilities and then performs TN energy conservation. As shown in Figure 13, in operation 0, the energy conservation service consumer sends a load takeover estimation request to the NTN load management producer, specifying the area to be energy-conserved as the input ground area. In operation 1, the NTN load management producer analyzes the traffic load of satellite base stations covering the designated area, predicts the busy and idle times of each satellite base station, and estimates the number of users that can be transferred to these base stations during each period, thus taking over the number of users. It then returns a response to the energy conservation service consumer, including auxiliary energy conservation information related to the TN load that can be taken over. In operation 2, the energy conservation service consumer sends an energy conservation request to the TN energy conservation service producer, along with additional auxiliary energy conservation information. For example, in addition to the energy conservation area and energy conservation target, it can also include information related to possible migration to the NTN. In operation 3, the TN energy conservation service producer generates a load transfer plan based on the TN load and the auxiliary energy conservation information. Based on the information on possible migration to the NTN, the TN energy conservation service producer calculates and selects the user migration plan with the greatest energy conservation benefits. For example, it can transfer part of the TN load to a few TN base stations, transfer part of the load to the NTN, and shut down unloaded TN cells. After executing the energy-saving plan, an energy-saving response is returned to the energy-saving service consumer.

[0131] The load management module within the NTN load management producer monitors NTN load and analyzes NTN service load trends. The energy conservation module within the TN energy conservation service producer generates energy conservation plans based on energy conservation targets, including load transfer and cell shutdown. Based on the load transfer results generated by the load transfer module, unloaded TN cells are shut down. Based on the load transfer plan, the load transfer module within the TN energy conservation service producer can shift a portion of the TN load to a small number of TN base stations and the remainder to the NTN.

[0132] In the architecture shown in Figure 14, after energy conservation is initiated, the TN energy conservation service producer obtains NTN takeover capabilities to implement TN energy conservation. As shown in Figure 14, in operation 0, the energy conservation service consumer issues an energy conservation request to the TN energy conservation service producer, specifying the area to be conserved. In operation 1, the TN energy conservation service producer sends a takeover estimate request to the energy conservation service consumer. In operation 2, the energy conservation service consumer sends a load takeover estimate request to the NTN load management producer. In operation 3, the load management module of the NTN load management producer calculates and returns relevant auxiliary energy conservation information for possible takeover of the TN load. In operation 4, the energy conservation service consumer returns a load takeover estimate response to the TN energy conservation service producer, carrying the auxiliary energy conservation information. In operation 5, the TN energy conservation service producer generates a load transfer plan based on the TN load situation and the auxiliary energy conservation information. It transfers a portion of the TN load to a few TN base stations and another portion to the NTN, shuts down unloaded TN cells, and returns an energy conservation response to the energy conservation service consumer.

[0133] The load management module within the NTN load management producer is responsible for monitoring NTN load and analyzing NTN service load trends. The energy conservation module within the TN energy conservation service producer generates energy conservation plans based on energy conservation targets, including load transfer and cell shutdown. Based on the load transfer results generated by the load transfer module, unloaded TN cells are shut down. Based on the load transfer plan, the load transfer module within the TN energy conservation service producer can shift a portion of the TN load to a small number of TN base stations and the remaining portion to the NTN.

[0134] Figure 15 shows a schematic flow chart of a method 1500 implemented at a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In one possible implementation, method 1500 can be implemented by network management device 110 in communication system 100. In other possible implementations, method 1500 can also be implemented by other communication devices independent of communication system 100. As an example, the following description of method 1500 will be based on the example of implementation by network management device 110 in communication system 100.

[0135] At block 1510, network management device 110 sends a first request message to non-terrestrial network (NTN) element management device 120. The first request message indicates a terrestrial area and is used to request cell information. The cell information is information about NTN cells that cover the terrestrial area and can take over the load of terrestrial network (TN) cells covering the terrestrial area. At block 1520, network management device 110 receives a first response message from NTN element management device 120. The first response message includes the cell information.

[0136] It is understandable that method 1500 may also include any other operations or actions described herein with reference to Figures 1 to 14 and performed by the network management device 110 in some embodiments of the present application, which will not be repeated herein.

[0137] Figure 16 shows a schematic flow chart of a method 1600 implemented at a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In one possible implementation, method 1600 can be implemented by the NTN network element management device 120 in the communication system 100. In other possible implementations, method 1600 can also be implemented by other communication devices independent of the communication system 100. As an example, the following description of method 1600 will be based on the example of implementation by the NTN network element management device 120 in the communication system 100.

[0138] At block 1610, the NTN element management device 120 receives a first request message from the network management device 110. The first request message indicates a terrestrial area and is used to request cell information. The cell information is information about non-terrestrial network (NTN) cells that cover the terrestrial area and can take over the load of terrestrial network (TN) cells covering the terrestrial area. At block 1620, the NTN element management device 120 sends a first response message to the network management device 110. The first response message includes the cell information.

[0139] It is understandable that the method 1600 may also include any other operations or actions described herein with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 14 and performed by the NTN network element management device 120 in some embodiments of the present application, which will not be described in detail herein.

[0140] Figure 17 shows a schematic flow chart of a method 1700 implemented at a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In one possible implementation, method 1700 may be implemented by a TN network element management device 130 in communication system 100. In other possible implementations, method 1700 may also be implemented by other communication devices independent of communication system 100. As an example, method 1700 will be described below using the example of being implemented by a TN network element management device 130 in communication system 100.

[0141] At block 1710, TN network element management device 130 receives a request message from network management device 110. The request message includes cell information and is used to request TN network element management device 130 to facilitate load migration. The cell information is information about an NTN cell that covers a terrestrial area and can take over the load of the terrestrial network TN cell covering the terrestrial area. At block 1720, TN network element management device 130 facilitates load migration from the TN cell to the NTN cell based on the request message.

[0142] It is understandable that method 1700 may also include any other operations or actions described herein with reference to Figures 1 to 14 and performed by the TN network element management device 130 in some embodiments of the present application, which will not be repeated herein.

[0143] FIG18 shows a schematic block diagram of a first communication device 1800 according to some embodiments of the present application. The first communication device 1800 may be implemented as the network management device 110 shown in FIG1 , or as a portion of the network management device 110 (e.g., a chip), etc., which is not limited in this disclosure. The first communication device 1800 may include multiple modules for performing the corresponding processing in the method 1500 discussed in FIG15 .

[0144] As shown in Figure 18, first communication device 1800 includes a sending module 1810 and a receiving module 1820. Sending module 1810 is configured to send a first request message to a non-terrestrial network (NTN) element management device. The first request message indicates a terrestrial area and is used to request cell information. The cell information is information about NTN cells that cover the terrestrial area and can take over the load of terrestrial network (TN) cells covering the terrestrial area. Receiving module 1820 is configured to receive a first response message from the NTN element management device, the first response message including the cell information. This method can shift traffic load from low- and medium-loaded TN areas to the NTN network, thereby shutting down more TN cells and increasing TN energy savings.

[0145] It can be understood that the first communication device 1800 can also include various other modules, which are used to perform the operations or actions described in this document with reference to Figures 1 to 14. Any other operations or actions performed by the network management device 110 in some embodiments of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0146] FIG19 shows a schematic block diagram of a second communication device 1900 according to some embodiments of the present application. The second communication device 1900 may be implemented as the NTN network element management device 120 shown in FIG1 , or as a portion (e.g., a chip) of the NTN network element management device 120, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The second communication device 1900 may include multiple modules for performing the corresponding processing in the method 1600 discussed in FIG16 .

[0147] As shown in Figure 19, second communication device 1900 includes a receiving module 1910 and a sending module 1920. Receiving module 1910 is configured to receive a first request message from a network management device. The first request message indicates a terrestrial area and is used to request cell information. The cell information is information about non-terrestrial network (NTN) cells that cover the terrestrial area and can take over the load of terrestrial network (TN) cells covering the terrestrial area. Sending module 1920 is configured to send a first response message to the network management device, the first response message including the cell information. This method can shift traffic load from low- and medium-loaded TN areas to the NTN network, enabling the shutdown of more TN cells and increasing TN energy savings.

[0148] It is understandable that the second communication device 1900 may further include various other modules, respectively used to perform any other operations or actions described herein with reference to Figures 1 to 14, and performed by the NTN network element management device 120 in some embodiments of the present application, which will not be repeated herein.

[0149] Figure 20 shows a schematic block diagram of a third communication device 2000 according to some embodiments of the present application. The third communication device 2000 can be implemented as the TN network element management device 130 shown in Figure 1, or as a portion (e.g., a chip) of the TN network element management device 130, etc., which is not limited by the present disclosure. The third communication device 2000 may include multiple modules for performing the corresponding processing in the method 1700 discussed in Figure 17.

[0150] As shown in Figure 20, third communication device 2000 includes a receiving module 2010 and a prompting module 2020. Receiving module 2010 is configured to receive a request message from a network management device. The request message includes cell information and is used to request that the TN network element management device prompt load migration. The cell information is information about an NTN cell covering a terrestrial area that can take over the load of a terrestrial network TN cell covering the terrestrial area. Prompting module 2020 is configured to prompt the migration of the load from the TN cell to the NTN cell based on the request message. In this way, traffic load in low- and medium-loaded TN areas can be transferred to the NTN network, thereby shutting down more TN cells and increasing TN energy savings.

[0151] It can be understood that the third communication device 2000 can also include various other modules, which are used to perform the operations or actions described in this document with reference to Figures 1 to 14. Any other operations or actions performed by the TN network element management device 130 in some embodiments of the present application will not be repeated in this document.

[0152] FIG21 shows a schematic block diagram of an example communication device 2100 that can be used to implement embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 2100 can be implemented as or include the network management device 110, the NTN network element management device 120, or the TN network element management device 130 of FIG1 . As shown, device 2100 includes one or more processors 2110, one or more memories 2120 coupled to the processors 2110, and a communication module 2140 coupled to the processors 2110.

[0153] The communication module 2140 can be used for two-way communication. The communication module 2140 can have at least one communication interface for communication. The communication interface can include any interface necessary for communicating with other devices.

[0154] The processor 2110 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network and may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), or one or more of a controller-based multi-core controller architecture. The device 2100 may have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips, which are time-slave to a clock synchronized with a main processor.

[0155] The memory 2120 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: read-only memory (ROM) 2124, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), or other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: random access memory (RAM) 2122, or other volatile memories that do not persist during a power outage.

[0156] Computer program 2130 includes computer executable instructions executed by associated processor 2110. Program 2130 may be stored in ROM 2124. Processor 2110 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 2130 into RAM 2122.

[0157] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented with the aid of the program 2130, so that the device 2100 may perform any of the processes described with reference to Figures 15 to 17. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0158] The program 2130 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium that may be included in the device 2100 (such as in the memory 2120) or other storage device accessible by the device 2100. The program 2130 may be loaded from the computer-readable medium into the RAM 2122 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc.

[0159] In some embodiments, the communication module 2140 in the device 2100 may be implemented as a transmitter and a receiver (or transceiver). In addition, the device 2100 may further include one or more of a scheduler, a controller, and a radio frequency / antenna, which will not be elaborated in detail in this disclosure.

[0160] For example, the device 2100 in FIG. 21 may be implemented as an electronic device, or may be implemented as a chip or a chip system in an electronic device, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0161] When the communication device 2100 is a chip used in a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information sent by the base station to the terminal through other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna); or the terminal chip sends information to other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna), and the information is sent by the terminal to the base station.

[0162] When the above-mentioned communication device 2100 is a module applied to a base station, the base station module implements the functions of the base station in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The base station module receives information from other modules in the base station (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the terminal to the base station; or, the base station module sends information to other modules in the base station (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the base station to the terminal. The base station module here can be a baseband chip of a base station, or a CU, DU or other module, or a device under an open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture, such as an open CU, open DU or other devices.

[0163] The present disclosure also provides a chip that may include an input interface, an output interface, and a processing circuit. In the present disclosure, the input interface and the output interface may be used to implement signaling or data interaction, while the processing circuit may be used to implement signaling or data information generation and processing.

[0164] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a chip system, including a processor for supporting a computing device to implement the functions involved in any of the above embodiments. In one possible design, the chip system may also include a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data. When the processor executes the program instructions, the device in which the chip system is installed implements the method involved in any of the above embodiments. Exemplarily, the chip system may be composed of one or more chips, or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0165] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a processor for coupling with a memory, wherein the memory stores instructions. When the processor executes the instructions, the processor executes the methods and functions involved in any of the above embodiments.

[0166] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the methods and functions involved in any of the above embodiments.

[0167] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon. When a processor executes the instructions, the processor executes the methods and functions involved in any of the above embodiments.

[0168] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software, which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it should be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented as, by way of non-limiting example, hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or a controller or other computing device, or some combination thereof.

[0169] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules, which are executed in a device on a real or virtual processor of a target to perform the process / method described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. Typically, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of program modules can be combined or divided between program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions for program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in local and remote storage media.

[0170] The computer program code for implementing the method of the disclosed embodiment can be written in one or more programming languages. These computer program codes can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device so that when the program code is executed by the computer or other programmable data processing device, the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram are implemented. The program code can be executed entirely on a computer, partially on a computer, as an independent software package, partially on a computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server.

[0171] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, and the like. Examples of signals may include electrical, optical, radio, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals, such as carrier waves, infrared signals, and the like.

[0172] A computer-readable medium may be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program for or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. A computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination thereof. More detailed examples of computer-readable storage media include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0173] In addition, although the operations of the method of the embodiment of the present disclosure are described in a particular order in the accompanying drawings, this does not require or imply that these operations must be performed in this particular order, or that all the operations shown must be performed to achieve the desired result. On the contrary, the steps depicted in the flowchart can change the order of execution. Additionally or alternatively, certain steps can be omitted, multiple steps can be combined into one step, and / or one step can be decomposed into multiple steps. It should also be noted that the features and functions of two or more devices according to the embodiment of the present disclosure can be embodied in one device. Conversely, the features and functions of a device described above can be further divided into multiple devices to be embodied.

[0174] The above descriptions of various implementations of the present disclosure are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not exhaustive or limited to the disclosed implementations. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the described implementations. The terms used herein are chosen to provide a good explanation of the principles of the implementations, their practical applications, or improvements to the technology in the market, or to enable other persons skilled in the art to understand the various implementations disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method comprising: Sending a first request message to a non-terrestrial network NTN network element management device, wherein the first request message indicates a terrestrial area and is used to request cell information, wherein the cell information is information of an NTN cell that covers the terrestrial area and can take over the load of a terrestrial network TN cell that covers the terrestrial area; as well as A first response message is received from the NTN network element management device, where the first response message includes the cell information. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first request information further indicates a takeover period.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cell information comprises an identity of the NTN cell.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the cell information further includes at least one of the following: The period of takeover; or The number of users that can be taken over.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: After receiving the first response information, a request message is sent to the TN network element management device, where the request message includes the cell information and is used to request the TN network element management device to promote load migration. 6 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the request message comprises second request information, the second request information further indicates a migration area and a migration target, and the ground area is smaller than or equal to the migration area.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: Before sending the first request information, sending a third request information to a TN network element management device, the third request information indicating a migration area and a migration target, the third request information being used to request the TN network element management device to determine migration assistance information associated with a load that the TN cell expects to migrate, the ground area being less than or equal to the migration area; as well as A second response message is received from the TN network element management device, where the second response message includes the migration assistance information, and the migration assistance information includes the ground area. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the migration assistance information further includes a takeover period.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the request message comprises fourth request information, and wherein sending the request message comprises: After receiving the first response information, the fourth request information is sent to the TN network element management device.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising: A fifth request message is received from the NTN network element management device, where the fifth request message is used to request to adjust the load takeover for a first target ground area, where the first target ground area includes at least one of an overloaded area or an idle area.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: Sending a sixth request message to the NTN network element management device, the sixth request message indicating an updated ground area and being used to request updated cell information, the updated cell information being information of an NTN cell that covers the updated ground area and can take over the load of the TN cell that covers the updated ground area, the updated ground area being less than or equal to the first target ground area; as well as A third response message is received from the NTN network element management device, where the third response message includes the updated cell information.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the updated cell information comprises an identity of the updated NTN cell.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the updated cell information further comprises at least one of the following: an updated takeover period; or Update the number of users that can be taken over.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, further comprising: Based on the third response information, a seventh request information is sent to the TN network element management device, wherein the seventh request information indicates an updated migration area, an updated migration target, and the updated cell information, and the seventh request information is used to re-request the TN network element management device to promote load migration.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, further comprising: An eighth request message is received from the NTN network element management device, where the eighth request message is used to request to stop load taking over for the second target ground area.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising: Based on the eighth request information, a ninth request information is sent to the TN network element management device, wherein the ninth request information is used to request The load migration is stopped in the second target ground area.

17. A method comprising: Receiving first request information from a network management device, the first request information indicating a ground area and being used to request cell information, the cell information being information of a non-ground network NTN cell covering the ground area and capable of taking over a load of a ground network TN cell covering the ground area; as well as A first response message is sent to the network management device, where the first response message includes the cell information. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the first request information further indicates a takeover period.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the cell information comprises an identity of the NTN cell.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the cell information further includes at least one of the following: The period of takeover; or The number of users that can be taken over.

21. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 20, further comprising: A fifth request message is sent to the network management device, where the fifth request message is used to request to adjust the load takeover for a first target ground area, where the first target ground area includes at least one of an overloaded area or an idle area.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein sending the fifth request information comprises at least one of the following: In a case where the first target area includes an overload area, based on determining that the load of the NTN cell exceeds a first threshold for the overload area, sending the fifth request information to the network management device; or In a case where the first target area includes an idle area, based on determining that the load of the NTN cell is lower than a second threshold for the idle area, the fifth request information is sent to the network management device.

23. The method according to claim 21 or 22, further comprising: receiving sixth request information from the network management device, the sixth request information indicating an updated ground area and being used to request updated cell information, the updated cell information being information of an NTN cell that covers the updated ground area and can take over the load of the TN cell that covers the updated ground area, the updated ground area being less than or equal to the first target ground area; as well as Sending a third response message to the network management device, wherein the third response message includes the updated cell information.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the updated cell information comprises an identity of the updated NTN cell.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the updated cell information further comprises at least one of the following: an updated takeover period; or Update the number of users that can be taken over.

26. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 25, further comprising: An eighth request message is sent to the network management device, where the eighth request message is used to request to stop load taking over for the second target ground area.

27. A method comprising: receiving a request message from a network management device, the request message including the cell information and being used to request a TN network element management device to promote load migration, the cell information being information of an NTN cell that covers the ground area and can take over the load of a ground network TN cell covering the ground area; as well as The load of the TN cell is migrated to the NTN cell based on the request message.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the cell information further includes at least one of the following: The period of takeover; or The number of users that can be taken over.

29. The method according to claim 27 or 28, wherein the request message comprises second request information, the second request information further indicates a migration area and a migration target, and the ground area is smaller than or equal to the migration area.

30. The method according to claim 27 or 28, further comprising: Before receiving the request message, receiving third request information from the network management device, the third request information indicating a migration area and a migration target, the third request information being used to request the TN network element management device to determine migration assistance information associated with a load that the TN cell expects to migrate, the ground area being less than or equal to the migration area; Based on the determination of the load of the TN cell that is expected to be migrated, determining the area where migration is expected to be carried out as the ground area; as well as A second response message is sent to the network management device, where the second response message includes the migration assistance information, and the migration assistance information includes the ground area. The method of claim 30 , wherein the migration assistance information further includes a takeover period.

32. The method according to claim 30 or 31, wherein receiving the request message comprises: After sending the second response information, a fourth request information is received from the network management device, the fourth request information indicating the identifier of the NTN cell, and the fourth request information is used to request the TN network element management device to promote load migration.

33. The method according to any one of claims 27 to 32, wherein causing the load of the TN cell to be migrated to the NTN cell comprises: Determine a target TN cell in the TN cell to configure one or more NTN cells in the NTN cell as a neighboring cell; Determining the number of users of the target TN cell in a target takeover period based on a historical load of the target TN cell; Determine a plurality of candidate migration schemes capable of migrating the load of the target TN cell to the NTN cell, wherein the plurality of candidate migration schemes satisfy that the number of users of the target TN cell during the target takeover period is less than or equal to the number of users that can be migrated to one or more NTN cells in the NTN cell; as well as Based on the migration benefits corresponding to the multiple candidate migration solutions, a target migration solution is selected from the multiple candidate migration solutions.

34. The method according to any one of claims 27 to 33, further comprising: receiving seventh request information from the network management device, the seventh request information indicating an updated migration area, an updated migration target, and updated cell information, the seventh request information being used to re-request the TN network element management device to prompt load migration; as well as Based on the seventh request information, a migration plan is re-determined.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the updated cell information comprises an identity of the updated NTN cell.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein the updated cell information further comprises at least one of the following: an updated takeover period; or Update the number of users that can be taken over.

37. The method according to any one of claims 27 to 36, further comprising: receiving a ninth request message from the network management device, wherein the ninth request message is used to request to stop load migration for the second target ground area; as well as Based on the ninth request information, a migration plan is re-determined.

38. A communication device comprising: A processor, and a memory storing instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by the processor, the communication device performs a method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, any one of claims 17 to 26, or any one of claims 27 to 37.

39. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a communication device, cause the communication device to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, any one of claims 17 to 26, or any one of claims 27 to 37.

40. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a communication device, cause the communication device to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, any one of claims 17 to 26, or any one of claims 27 to 37.

41. A chip comprising a processing circuit configured to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, any one of claims 17 to 26, or any one of claims 27 to 37.

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