Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and provides a communication method and an apparatus, for solving the problem of high power consumption of blind searches generated when a terminal within a service area of a home communication network accesses another communication network, such as a subnet, provided by a network provider, thereby improving the efficiency of the terminal in accessing the subnet. The method comprises: receiving a first message from a terminal, the first message comprising an identifier of a first communication network, wherein the terminal and a first apparatus belong to a second communication network, and the first communication network and the second communication network correspond to different network providers, for example, corresponding to a subnet and a public network; on the basis of the identifier of the first communication network, acquiring access network information corresponding to the first communication network; and sending a second message to the terminal, the second message comprising the access network information of the first communication network, which is used for accessing the first communication network.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on January 23, 2024, with application number 202410101463.0 and application name “A Communication Method and Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and device. Background Art

[0003] With the development of communication technology and the enrichment of application scenarios, on the basis of existing public mobile communication networks (referred to as public networks), in order to meet the specific business needs of users in specific scenarios, such as office parks, schools, stadiums, mining areas, or ports, local area networks (or subnets) can be deployed in these scenarios to enable terminals to access the subnet and realize corresponding services. For example, by deploying an enterprise subnet in an office park, users can use terminals to access the enterprise subnet within the office park to realize services such as clocking in and out, accessing internal enterprise databases, or participating in immersive meetings.

[0004] Among them, when there are network coverages of multiple different network providers (or operators) in the same area, the terminal gives priority to network access that has been saved or accessed before, such as the operator network to which the terminal usually accesses, and will not select subnet access deployed by other network providers. Exemplarily, the terminal stores the cell frequency information of the first communication network, and the terminal can access the first communication network by searching for the corresponding frequency information when entering the cell. If the area where the terminal is located is also the coverage area of ​​the second communication network (subnet), the terminal needs to access the second communication network, and needs to search all frequencies according to the supported frequency band capabilities until the access frequency corresponding to the second communication network is found, and then request access to the second communication network. However, the power overhead of the terminal for blind search is large, and the efficiency of the terminal accessing the subnet is low. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and device for solving the problem of high power consumption caused by terminal blind search when a terminal accesses another communication network such as a subnet provided by a network provider in the service area of ​​its home communication network, thereby improving the efficiency of terminal access to the subnet.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a first device or a module (such as a chip or circuit) of the first device. The method comprises: receiving a first message from a terminal, the first message including an identifier of a first communication network; wherein the terminal and the first device belong to a second communication network, and the first communication network and the second communication network correspond to different network providers; obtaining access network information corresponding to the first communication network based on the identifier of the first communication network; and sending a second message to the terminal, the second message including the access network information of the first communication network for accessing the first communication network.

[0008] In the above embodiment, the terminal can send the identifier of the subnet of interest to the public network to request access network information of the subnet of interest to the terminal, so that the public network can feedback the subnet base station identifier or frequency information used for search or measurement to the terminal, so that the terminal can search and measure the signal based on the base station identifier or frequency information of the subnet, avoiding the power overhead generated by the terminal's blind search for the subnet signal, thereby reducing the terminal's power consumption, improving the terminal's battery life, and improving the efficiency of the terminal's access to the subnet.

[0009] In one embodiment, the first message includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a request to obtain access network information of the first communication network.

[0010] In the above embodiment, the first message sent by the terminal to the first device of the public network may include first indication information, which is used to instruct the terminal to request to obtain the access network information of the subnet, so that the public network can determine that the terminal needs to access the subnet based on the first indication information, thereby providing the terminal with the access network information of the subnet, which can improve the efficiency and flexibility of the terminal accessing the subnet.

[0011] In one embodiment, the access network information includes frequency information corresponding to the access node of the first communication network and / or an identifier of the access node of the first communication network.

[0012] In the above embodiment, the access node or control plane of the public network can obtain the frequency information corresponding to the access node of the subnet of interest to the terminal, or the identifier of the access node of the subnet, and feedback it to the terminal, so that the terminal can access the subnet according to the specified frequency, or access the subnet according to the specified subnet base station, thereby avoiding the power overhead caused by the terminal blindly searching for the subnet signal and improving the efficiency and flexibility of the terminal accessing the subnet.

[0013] In one embodiment, the method further includes: sending an identifier of the first communication network to the terminal.

[0014] In the above implementation, the access node of the public network can obtain the identifiers of one or more perceived subnets and send them to the terminal, for example, broadcast the identifier of the subnet to the terminals in the cell, so that the terminal can determine whether to request access to a certain subnet according to its own needs. The specific terminal can carry the identifier of the subnet of interest to request access to the subnet, thereby improving the efficiency and flexibility of the terminal accessing the subnet.

[0015] In one embodiment, obtaining the access network information corresponding to the first communication network includes: sending a third message to a second device, the third message including an identifier of the first communication network; and receiving a fourth message from the second device, the fourth message including the access network information corresponding to the first communication network.

[0016] In the above-mentioned implementation, the first device can obtain the access network information corresponding to the identifier of the subnet requested by the terminal by querying a local database. Alternatively, the first device can also request the second device to obtain the access network information of the subnet. Exemplarily, the second device can be a control plane function, management function, management node, management network element, base station management function, Domain Name System (DNS) server, or network storage function in the first communication network. It can be understood that the method provided in this application for the terminal to obtain subnet access network information is relatively flexible and can improve the efficiency and flexibility of the terminal accessing the subnet.

[0017] In one embodiment, the third message further includes at least one of the following information: location information of the terminal, location information of the first device, and area information of the first communication network.

[0018] In the above embodiment, when the first device requests the second device to obtain the access network information of the subnet, it can carry location information such as the location of the terminal, the location of the public network base station to which the terminal accesses, or the area of ​​the subnet of interest to the terminal, so that the second device can accurately query the access network information corresponding to the subnet that the terminal can access based on the above location information, thereby improving the efficiency and flexibility of the terminal accessing the subnet.

[0019] In one embodiment, the second device is a control plane function, a management function, a management node, a management network element, a domain name system DNS server, or a network storage function NRF in the first communication network.

[0020] In one embodiment, the first device is an access node of the second communication network.

[0021] In one embodiment, the first device is a control plane function of the second communication network, the first message is a non-access stratum NAS request, and the second message is a NAS response corresponding to the NAS request.

[0022] In the above implementation mode, the terminal can request the access network information of the subnet from the control plane function of the public network. The public network control plane function can query the local database based on the identifier of the subnet to obtain the access network information of the subnet and feed it back to the terminal, thereby eliminating the need for the public network base station to parse the relevant signaling, reducing the processing complexity of the public network base station, and improving the efficiency and flexibility of the terminal accessing the subnet.

[0023] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a first device or a module (such as a chip or circuit) of the first device. The method includes: sending an identifier of a first communication network and access network information of the first communication network to a terminal, for the terminal to access the first communication network; wherein the terminal and the first device belong to a second communication network, and the first communication network and the second communication network correspond to different network providers.

[0024] In the above implementation, the public network base station can transmit the identifiers and access network information of one or more subnets it senses to the terminal, for example, by broadcasting the subnet identifiers and access network information to terminals within the cell. This allows the terminal to determine whether to request access to a particular subnet based on its needs. For example, a terminal can request access to a subnet based on the subnet frequency of interest, thereby improving the efficiency and flexibility of subnet access, reducing the power overhead associated with subnet access, and improving communication efficiency.

[0025] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a second device or a module (such as a chip or circuit) of the second device. The method includes: receiving a third message from a first device, the third message including an identifier of a first communication network; wherein the first device belongs to a second communication network, and the first communication network and the second communication network correspond to different network providers; and sending a fourth message to the first device, the fourth message including access network information corresponding to the first communication network.

[0026] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal or a module (such as a chip or circuit) of the terminal. The method includes: receiving an identifier of a first communication network and access network information of the first communication network, wherein the terminal belongs to a second communication network, and the first communication network and the second communication network correspond to different network providers; and initiating signal measurement and / or cell search based on the access network information of the first communication network to trigger access to the first communication network.

[0027] In one embodiment, receiving access network information of the first communication network includes: sending a first message to a first device, the first message including an identifier of the first communication network; wherein the first device belongs to a second communication network; and receiving a second message from the first device, the second message including access network information of the first communication network.

[0028] In one embodiment, the first message includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a request to obtain access network information of the first communication network.

[0029] In one embodiment, the access network information includes frequency information corresponding to the access node of the first communication network and / or an identifier of the access node of the first communication network.

[0030] In one embodiment, receiving the identifier of the first communication network includes: establishing a connection with a first device; and receiving the identifier of the first communication network from the first device.

[0031] In one embodiment, the method further includes: obtaining an identifier of at least one candidate network, the at least one candidate network including the first communication network; and determining to access the first communication network if the identifier in the at least one candidate network matches the identifier of the first communication network.

[0032] In the above implementation, the terminal can actively obtain or be notified of the identifier of the candidate subnet that it can access through the application. For example, the server of the first application can send the corresponding subnet identifier to the terminal, and the terminal can access the subnet to realize the specific service in the first application. If the subnet identifier obtained by the terminal from the base station broadcast of the serving cell matches the identifier of the candidate subnet, the terminal can determine that the subnet is the subnet of interest to the terminal and can request access to the subnet. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application provide a variety of ways for the terminal to obtain the identifier of the candidate subnet, which can improve the efficiency and flexibility of the terminal accessing the subnet.

[0033] In one embodiment, a first application is deployed on the terminal, and the first application implements a first business / service through the first communication network. The first application cannot implement the first business / service through the second communication network.

[0034] In one embodiment, the terminal includes a first module and a second module, the first module is used to access the first communication network, and the second module is used to access the second communication network.

[0035] In the above embodiment, by configuring the terminal with at least the first module and the second module, the terminal can access the communication networks of at least two different network providers using the same SIM card without changing the number or card. Furthermore, simultaneous connection to the public network and subnets is possible, increasing the number of connections between the terminal and the network and improving communication performance.

[0036] In one embodiment, the second module controls the opening and / or closing of the first module.

[0037] In the above implementation, the second module can control the opening and / or closing of the first module to save the power consumption of the terminal. For example, the first module is closed by default. When the terminal needs to access the subnet, the second module can control the opening of the first module, so that the first module can access the subnet according to the specified frequency point without the need for blind search to access the subnet, thereby improving the efficiency of the terminal accessing the subnet. Furthermore, the opening of the first module can be controlled by the second module, which can avoid the terminal from blindly searching or performing invalid network searches in the service area of ​​the non-subnet, thereby saving power consumption for the terminal.

[0038] In one embodiment, the first device is an access node of the second communication network.

[0039] In one embodiment, the first device is a control plane function of the second communication network, the first message is a non-access stratum NAS request, and the second message is a NAS response corresponding to the NAS request.

[0040] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the above method. The communication device may be the first device in the first aspect, or the first device in the second aspect, or the second device in the third aspect, or the terminal in the fourth aspect; or the communication device may be a node or device including the first device, second device, or terminal, or a module in the first device, second device, or terminal, such as a chip, chip system, or circuit, or a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement some or all of the functions.

[0041] The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the above-mentioned method, which can be implemented by hardware, software, or hardware executing corresponding software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above-mentioned functions.

[0042] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in one possible implementation, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module may be configured to implement the processing functions described in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The processing module may, for example, be a processor. The transceiver module, also referred to as a transceiver unit, may be configured to implement the transmitting and / or receiving functions described in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The transceiver module may be comprised of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0043] In combination with the fifth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the transceiver module includes a sending module and a receiving module, which are respectively used to implement the sending and receiving functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof.

[0044] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor; the processor is configured to be coupled to a memory, and after reading instructions from the memory, execute the method described in any of the above aspects according to the instructions. The communication device may be the first device described in the first aspect, or the first device described in the second aspect, or the second device described in the third aspect, or the terminal described in the fourth aspect; or the communication device may be a node or device including the first device, second device, or terminal described above, or a module in the first device, second device, or terminal described above, such as a chip, chip system, or circuit, or a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement some or all of the functions.

[0045] In combination with the sixth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory, which is used to store necessary program instructions and data.

[0046] In conjunction with the sixth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. Optionally, when the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0047] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and an interface circuit; the interface circuit is configured to receive a computer program or instruction and transmit it to the processor; the processor is configured to execute the computer program or instruction so that the communication device performs the method described in any of the above aspects. The communication device may be the first device described in the first aspect, or the first device described in the second aspect, or the second device described in the third aspect, or the terminal described in the fourth aspect; or the communication device may be a node or device comprising the first device, second device, or terminal described above, or a module in the first device, second device, or terminal described above, such as a chip, chip system, or circuit, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing some or all of the functions.

[0048] In conjunction with the seventh aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. Optionally, when the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0049] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium. When the computer-readable storage medium is run on a computer, the computer can execute the method described in any one of the above aspects.

[0050] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in any one of the above aspects.

[0051] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes a first device for executing any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, and a terminal for executing any possible implementation of the fourth aspect.

[0052] In combination with the above-mentioned tenth aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the communication system may further include a second device for executing any possible implementation manner of the above-mentioned third aspect.

[0053] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any possible implementation method in the second to tenth aspects can refer to the technical effects brought about by different possible implementation methods in the above-mentioned first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0054] It is understandable that, provided that the solutions are not contradictory, the solutions in each aspect can be combined. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG2 is a system diagram of a first communication network and a second communication network provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG4 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG5 is a system diagram of a public network and a subnet provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG6 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG7 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG8 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG10 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0066] In the following, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly specify the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0067] It should be noted that, in this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described in this application as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0068] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0069] First, a brief introduction to the implementation environment and application scenarios of the embodiments of the present application is given.

[0070] The communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the service-oriented architecture shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 takes the network service architecture of the fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system as an example to illustrate the interaction between network functions (NFs) and entities and the corresponding interfaces. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) service-based architecture (SBA) of the 5G system mainly includes the following network functions and entities: User Equipment (UE), at least one access network (AN) or radio access network (RAN) node, user plane function (UPF), data network (DN), access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), policy control function (PCF), application function (AF), unified data management (UDM), network exposure function (NEF), unified data repository (UDR), authentication server function (AUSF), security anchor function (SEAF) and network storage function (NRF).

[0071] Among them, UE, (R)AN node, UPF and DN are generally referred to as user plane network functions and entities (or user plane network elements), and the other parts are generally referred to as control plane network functions and entities (or control plane network elements). The control plane network element is defined by 3GPP as the processing function in a network. The control plane network element has 3GPP-defined functional behaviors and 3GPP-defined interfaces. NF can be a network element running on dedicated hardware, or a software instance running on dedicated hardware, or a virtual function instantiated on a suitable platform, such as being implemented on a cloud infrastructure.

[0072] The following is a detailed introduction to the main functions of each network element.

[0073] Among them, the user plane network functions in the communication system include:

[0074] (R)AN Node: The (R)AN can be either an AN or a RAN, and can also be referred to as access network equipment, a RAN entity, or an access node. It forms part of a communication system and helps terminals access the communication network. For example, the (R)AN can be various base stations, such as macro base stations, micro base stations, wireless controllers, relay stations, access points, or network equipment in vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, or future public land mobile networks (PLMNs). The (R)AN is primarily responsible for radio resource management, quality of service management, data compression, and encryption on the air interface side.

[0075] In addition, the (R)AN node can also be an access node in an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, or an access node in a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0076] In one possible scenario, a RAN node may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation base station in a sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. A RAN node may be a macro base station, a micro base station or an indoor station, a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, a RAN node may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an onboard device. For example, an access network device in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application may also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The RAN node in this application may also be a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of a RAN node.

[0077] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or they can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0078] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0079] UE: It can also be called terminal, terminal equipment, mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. The terminal can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, wearable device, vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0080] UPF: Responsible for forwarding and receiving user data. The UPF receives downlink data from the DN and transmits it to the UE via the (R)AN. The UPF also receives uplink data from the UE via the (R)AN and forwards it to the DN.

[0081] DN: For example, a DN can be a carrier service network, an Internet access network, or a third-party service network. The DN can exchange information with the UE through PDU sessions. PDU sessions can be of various types, such as Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) and IPv6.

[0082] In addition, the control plane network functions in the communication system include:

[0083] AMF: Mainly responsible for processing control plane messages and user mobility management, including mobility status management, allocating temporary user identities, and authenticating and authorizing users. For example, these functions include access control, mobility management, registration and deregistration, and network element selection.

[0084] SMF: Mainly used for session management, session establishment, UE IP address allocation and management, responsible for session establishment, modification and release, and quality of service (QoS) control.

[0085] UDM: Mainly used for authentication and credit processing, responsible for managing subscription data, user identification processing, access authorization, registration / mobility management, subscription management, and short message management. For example, when a user's subscription data is modified, the UDM is responsible for notifying the corresponding network element.

[0086] PCF: Mainly used for policy management, responsible for managing policy-related data in the network, and can provide policy rules to the control plane functions in the network (such as AMF, SMF, etc.).

[0087] NEF: Mainly used to provide corresponding security guarantees to ensure the security of external applications to the communication network, and provide functions such as external application QoS customization capability exposure, mobility status event subscription, and AF request distribution.

[0088] NRF: Mainly used to provide internal / external addressing functions, etc.

[0089] AF: Mainly used to send application-affected data routing information to the network side, and to perform policy control through interaction between network open function elements and the policy framework.

[0090] AUSF: Mainly used for authentication processing functions to achieve two-way authentication between terminals and networks.

[0091] SEAF: Mainly responsible for providing authentication functions through the AMF in the service network.

[0092] Among them, the functions of other network elements included in Figure 1 can be referred to the relevant descriptions in conventional technologies and will not be repeated here.

[0093] It should be noted that the network architecture shown in Figure 1 is for example purposes only and is not intended to limit the technical solutions of this application. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in a specific implementation, other network elements or devices may also be included, and the number of access network devices, terminals, and / or core network devices may also be determined based on specific needs.

[0094] Optionally, each network element shown in FIG1 may be a device, a functional module within a device, or a logical functional unit. It is understood that the above functions may be network elements in a hardware device, such as a communication chip in a mobile phone, or software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0095] In addition, the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to the communication system shown in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, the terminal can use the services of the first communication network and the second communication network at the same time, that is, the terminal simultaneously accesses the first communication network and the second communication network, wherein the first communication network and the second communication network correspond to different network providers. Exemplarily, the first communication network is provided by the first network provider, and the second communication network is provided by the second network provider. For example, the first communication network can be the aforementioned local area network such as a subnet, a private network, a campus network, a local network, or a small network, and the second communication network can be the public mobile communication network to which the terminal belongs, that is, a public network or a large network.

[0096] As shown in Figure 2, the first communication network may include a subnet base station (access network), a subnet user plane, a subnet control plane, and network elements such as DN1. The second communication network may include a public network base station (access network), a public network user plane, a public network control plane, and network elements such as DN2. Among them, the public network control plane can support UE access to the public network, and the subnet control plane supports UE access to the subnet. For example, when the terminal is within the service range of the first communication network, it can access the first communication network through the public network control plane; when the terminal is within the service range of the second communication network, it can access the second communication network through the subnet control plane.

[0097] Exemplarily, the user plane function may be a UPF in 5G, or a network element having the user plane function in a 6G or future communication system. The control plane function may be a network element such as an AMF, SMF, UDM, or PCF in 5G, or a network element having a control plane function in a 6G or future communication system, etc., which is not limited in this application.

[0098] It can be understood that in the communication system of Figure 1 or Figure 2 above, devices or network elements can communicate directly with each other, or communicate through forwarding by other nodes or devices. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0099] It is understood that FIG2 is merely a schematic diagram and does not limit the applicable scenarios of the technical solutions provided in this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that, in a specific implementation, the communication system may include fewer devices or network elements than those shown in FIG2 , or the communication system may also include other devices or other network elements. The number of devices or network elements in the communication system may also be determined based on specific needs.

[0100] It should be noted that the communication system shown in Figure 1 or Figure 2 is for example only and is not intended to limit the technical solution of this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that in a specific implementation, the communication system may also include other devices or network elements, and the number of each network element may also be determined according to specific needs.

[0101] Optionally, each network element in Figure 1 or Figure 2 of the embodiment of the present application can be a functional module within a device. It can be understood that the above-mentioned functions can be network elements in hardware devices, such as communication chips in mobile phones, or software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform).

[0102] For example, each network element in Figure 1 or Figure 2 can be implemented by the communication device 300 in Figure 3. Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a communication device applicable to embodiments of the present application. The communication device 300 includes at least one processor 301, a communication line 302, a memory 303, and at least one communication interface 304.

[0103] The processor 301 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the present application.

[0104] The communication link 302 may include a path for transmitting information between the above components, such as a bus.

[0105] The communication interface 304 uses any transceiver or other device for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as an Ethernet interface, a RAN interface, a wireless local area network (WLAN) interface, etc.

[0106] The memory 303 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited to this. The memory can be independent and connected to the processor via a communication line 302. The memory can also be integrated with the processor. The memory provided in the embodiment of the present application can generally have non-volatility. Among them, the memory 303 is used to store the computer execution instructions involved in executing the solution of the present application, and is controlled by the processor 301. The processor 301 is used to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 303, thereby implementing the method provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0107] Optionally, the computer-executable instructions in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as application code, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0108] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 301 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in FIG. 3 .

[0109] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 300 may include multiple processors, such as the processor 301 and the processor 307 in FIG3 . Each of these processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. The processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0110] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 300 may further include an output device 305 and an input device 306. The output device 305 communicates with the processor 301 and can display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 305 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. The input device 306 communicates with the processor 301 and can receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device 306 can be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensor device.

[0111] The communication device 300 described above can be a general-purpose device or a dedicated device. In a specific implementation, the communication device 300 can be a portable computer, a network server, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal, an embedded device, or a device with a similar structure to that shown in FIG3 . The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of the communication device 300.

[0112] The communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below.

[0113] It should be noted that the message names between network elements or the names of parameters in the messages in the following embodiments of the present application are only examples, and other names may be used in specific implementations. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0114] It is understood that some or all of the steps in the embodiments of the present application are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present application may also perform other steps or variations of various steps. In addition, the steps may be performed in a different order than those presented in the embodiments of the present application, and it is possible that not all of the steps in the embodiments of the present application need to be performed.

[0115] In the prior art, when there are multiple network coverages of different network providers in the same area, the terminal gives priority to accessing the network that has been saved or accessed before, such as the operator network to which the terminal usually accesses, and will not select the subnet deployed by other network providers for access. For example, as shown in Figure 2, the terminal belongs to the second communication network, has accessed the cell of the second communication network and has stored the cell frequency information of the second communication network. The terminal can access the second communication network by searching for the corresponding frequency information when entering the cell. If the area where the terminal is located is also the coverage area of ​​the first communication network (subnet), the terminal needs to search all frequency points according to the supported frequency band capabilities to access the first communication network until the access frequency point corresponding to the first communication network is searched, and then request access to the first communication network. However, the power overhead of the terminal for blind search is large, and the efficiency of the terminal accessing the subnet is low.

[0116] In addition, currently, the terminal cannot simultaneously access the communication networks of different network providers through a single user identity card, such as the terminal accessing the public network and the subnet at the same time. Specifically, after the terminal accesses the public network through the public network control plane and establishes a public network session, the terminal will not actively initiate a search and measurement of the subnet base station, that is, it cannot simultaneously access the subnet and establish a subnet session. If the public network base station instructs the terminal to switch from the public network base station to the subnet base station based on the measurement results reported by the terminal, the terminal will release the public network session established through the public network base station, access the subnet and establish a subnet session, causing the terminal's public network session to be closed, which may affect the user's communication services on the public network, such as the user being unable to make calls within the subnet campus.

[0117] In addition, a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card in the terminal only supports access services of the home network provider corresponding to the SIM card. If the SIM card of the terminal is provided by the second communication network, the terminal cannot access the first communication network without changing the card or number.

[0118] Based on the above problems, the present application provides a communication method for solving the problem of large blind search power overhead caused by the terminal accessing the first communication network in the service area of ​​the second communication network to which it belongs, thereby improving the efficiency of the terminal accessing the subnet. Through the implementation mode of the present application, the terminal can access the communication networks of different network providers at the same time. For example, when the terminal is within the common service range of the first communication network and the second communication network, it can access the second communication network through the public network control plane and the public network base station, and access the first communication network through the subnet control plane and the subnet base station.

[0119] A communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application is applied to a scenario in which a terminal belonging to a second communication network requests access to a first communication network, thereby avoiding the power overhead generated by the terminal blindly searching the first communication network and improving the efficiency and flexibility of the terminal accessing the subnet. In an embodiment of the present application, the first communication network and the second communication network correspond to different network providers. For example, the first communication network is provided by the first network provider, and the second communication network is provided by the second network provider. Through the implementation method of the present application, the terminal can access the first communication network, i.e., the subnet, without changing the card or number, thereby improving the efficiency of the terminal accessing the subnet.

[0120] Exemplarily, the embodiment of the present application is introduced by taking the interaction between the first device and the terminal shown in FIG4 as an example, and the implementation scenario in which the terminal needs to access the first communication network. Among them, the terminal belongs to the second communication network, and the first device can be a node of the second communication network, such as the first device can be a control plane function of the second communication network, or the first device is an access node of the second communication network, such as a base station. The first communication network and the second communication network correspond to different network providers. In the following embodiments, the first communication network can also be referred to as a subnet and the second communication network can be referred to as a public network.

[0121] As shown in FIG4 , the method may include the following steps.

[0122] 401: The terminal sends a first message to a first device, including an identifier of a first communication network.

[0123] The terminal and the first device belong to the second communication network, and the first communication network and the second communication network correspond to different network providers.

[0124] The first message may include an identifier of the first communication network in which the terminal user is interested, or an identifier of the first communication network in which an application on the terminal is interested.

[0125] The identifier of the first communication network can be used to indicate the information of the first communication network (such as a subnet) of interest to the terminal, and may refer to an identifier of a cell, location area, service area or fence covering the first communication network (such as a subnet), for example, a service area identifier (Service Area Id, SAI); or an identifier broadcast by a cell covering the first communication network (such as a subnet), for example, a closed access group identifier (Closed Access Group Identifier, CAG ID), a data network identifier (Data Network Name, DNN) identifying the first communication network (such as a subnet), a public land mobile network identifier (such as Public Land Mobile Network, PLMN) or a data network access identifier (Data Network Access Identifier, DNAI), etc.

[0126] In one embodiment, the terminal has accessed the second communication network, that is, the terminal is in a service cell of the second communication network. After accessing the second communication network, based on user needs or based on the needs of certain specific applications on the terminal, the terminal needs to access the first communication network to obtain specific services. In this case, the terminal can send a first message to the first device, carrying an identifier of the first communication network of interest to the terminal, indicating that the terminal needs to obtain access network information of the first communication network so that the terminal can access the first communication network.

[0127] For example, if a terminal is already connected to the public network and enters a library with a subnet, the user can access the subnet through the terminal and obtain e-book resources or online business services. Another example is if a user terminal enters an enterprise campus with a subnet and enterprise applications installed, the user can access the subnet through the terminal to clock in and out or perform other collaborative office tasks.

[0128] In one embodiment, a first application is deployed on a terminal. The first application can implement a first business / service via a first communication network, but the first application cannot implement the first business / service via a second communication network. For example, in the aforementioned example, a terminal has an enterprise-specific enterprise application, such as the first application, deployed on the terminal. The terminal can implement the first business or service required for the enterprise office by accessing the subnet, but cannot implement the first business or service by accessing the public network.

[0129] Exemplarily, the first message may be a radio resource control (RRC) request message.

[0130] In one embodiment, a terminal sends a first message to a first device, where the first message is used to request access network information of a first communication network. The access network information refers to access information that can be used by the terminal for search or measurement, enabling the terminal to access the first communication network. Exemplarily, the access network information of the first communication network may include frequency information corresponding to access nodes of the first communication network and / or identifiers of access nodes of the first communication network.

[0131] In another implementation, the first message may include first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a request to obtain access network information of the first communication network.

[0132] In one implementation, the terminal may obtain the identifier of the first communication network that the terminal is interested in in the following manner.

[0133] 400: The first device sends an identifier of the first communication network to the terminal.

[0134] The first device may be an access node of the second communication network, such as a base station of the second communication network. The first device may send identifiers of one or more nearby subnets to the terminal via broadcast, multicast, or unicast, wherein the first communication network may be one of the subnets. It should be understood that the subnet near the terminal may specifically be a subnet accessible in the cell where the terminal is located, or a subnet accessible in a neighboring cell of the cell where the terminal is located.

[0135] Exemplarily, a public network base station supports broadcasting the subnet identifier within one or more cells covering the subnet location. Optionally, the public network base station can broadcast one or more subnet identifiers. As shown in Figure 5, within the service range of the public network base station, there are multiple subnets, such as subnet 1, subnet 2, and subnet 3. The public network base station can broadcast the identifiers of the above multiple subnets, that is, broadcast subnet identifier 1, subnet identifier 2, and subnet identifier 3 corresponding to subnet 1, subnet 2, and subnet 3, respectively.

[0136] For example, the base station may broadcast a service area identifier (Service Area Id, SAI), and the service area may be composed of multiple cells.

[0137] It should be understood that the identifier of the subnet stored on the first device may come from the local configuration of the public network base station, the configuration issued by the operation / management / maintenance (OAM) of the public network base station, or the information obtained from the subnet base station management function when the public network base station is powered on.

[0138] Optionally, as shown in Figure 2, the first communication network may further include a subnet base station management function for storing and managing information of one or more subnet base stations, and may support querying and obtaining information related to the subnet base stations. For example, in one embodiment of the present application, a public network base station or a public network control plane may obtain information related to the subnet base station by sending a request to the subnet base station management function.

[0139] Furthermore, the terminal accesses a public network base station and can obtain one or more subnet identifiers from the broadcast of the public network base station in the subnet location, from which the terminal can confirm whether the identifiers are the subnets of interest to the terminal.

[0140] In one embodiment, the terminal may obtain an identifier of at least one candidate network, where the at least one candidate network may include the first communication network; if the identifier in the at least one candidate network matches the identifier of the first communication network, the terminal may determine that the first communication network is a subnet of interest.

[0141] Specifically, the terminal may determine the identifiers of one or more subnets of the candidate network by any one or more of the following methods:

[0142] 1) The user can directly configure the identifier of the subnet of the candidate network on the terminal.

[0143] For example, a user terminal is configured with multiple candidate networks, including the first communication network.

[0144] 2) The first application on the terminal is started, and the server of the first application can actively send the identifier of the subnet of the candidate network to the terminal.

[0145] 3) After the terminal is powered on, it may request the first application to obtain the identifier of the subnet of the candidate network.

[0146] 4) After the terminal accesses the public network base station and establishes a public network session, the public network control plane may send the identifier of the candidate network subnet to the terminal, or the terminal may request the public network control plane to obtain the identifier of the candidate network subnet.

[0147] For example, if the terminal obtains nearby subnets, such as subnet identifier 1, subnet identifier 2, and subnet identifier 3, from a broadcast message of a public network base station, and the identifier of the subnet of the terminal's locally configured / applied candidate network is subnet identifier 2, subnet identifier 4, or subnet identifier 5, the terminal can match the obtained subnet identifier with the subnet identifier of the candidate network and determine that the subnet that the current terminal is interested in and can access is subnet identifier 2. The first message in step 401 can carry subnet identifier 2.

[0148] In another example, if the terminal obtains subnet identifier 1 and subnet identifier 3 from the broadcast message of the public network base station, and the subnet identifier of the candidate network locally configured by the terminal is subnet identifier 2, subnet identifier 4 or subnet identifier 5, then there is no subnet of interest to the terminal in the current area, the process ends, and the subsequent steps are not executed.

[0149] Correspondingly, the first device receives the first message from the terminal and obtains the identifier of the first communication network that the terminal is interested in.

[0150] 402: The first device obtains access network information corresponding to the first communication network according to the identifier of the first communication network.

[0151] In one embodiment, the access network information includes frequency information corresponding to the access node of the first communication network and / or an identifier of the access node of the first communication network. For example, the first device can obtain the frequency information of the subnet base station or the identifier of the subnet base station.

[0152] In one embodiment, the first device may query a local database to obtain access network information corresponding to the subnet identifier requested by the terminal. For example, the first device may query and obtain the frequency used by the subnet base station corresponding to the subnet, the identifier of the subnet PLMN, etc. based on the subnet identifier.

[0153] Optionally, the subnet access network information stored in the database of the first device may be a local configuration of the first device, or may be obtained from OAM, or from a subnet control plane or a subnet base station management function when the first device is powered on. Subsequent embodiments will describe several different ways in which the first device obtains the subnet access network information, which will not be described in detail here.

[0154] 403: The first device sends a second message to the terminal, including access network information of the first communication network.

[0155] The second message includes access network information of the first communication network, which is used to indicate that the terminal can trigger access to the first communication network according to the access network information.

[0156] Optionally, the second message may be a response message corresponding to the first message.

[0157] In the above-mentioned implementation mode of the present application, the terminal can send the identifier of the subnet of interest to the control plane of the public network or the access node of the public network to request to obtain the access network information of the subnet of interest to the terminal, so as to obtain the subnet base station identifier or frequency information used by the terminal for search or measurement. The terminal can search for and measure signals based on the base station identifier or frequency information of the subnet, avoiding the power overhead generated by the terminal's blind search for subnet signals, thereby reducing the power overhead of the terminal and improving the efficiency of the terminal accessing the subnet.

[0158] Subsequently, the terminal may request to access the first communication network according to the acquired access network information of the first communication network.

[0159] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG4 , the method may further include the following steps.

[0160] 404: The terminal starts signal measurement and / or cell search according to the access network information of the first communication network, triggering access to the first communication network.

[0161] Specifically, the terminal can start signal measurement and / or cell search according to the access network information of the first communication network in the idle state (RRC Idle state) or the connected state (RRC Connected state). For example, the terminal can start frequency search or measurement according to the frequency of the subnet, select the subnet base station whose signal status meets the conditions to send an access request; or, it can select the cell of the subnet base station with the best signal status to request access. This application does not limit the specific interaction process of the terminal accessing the subnet, and you can refer to the relevant technical introduction.

[0162] In one embodiment, the first device may be an access node of the second communication network, such as a public network base station. Exemplarily, the first message is an RRC request message, and the second message may be an RRC response message.

[0163] In another embodiment, the first device may be a control plane function of the second communication network. Exemplarily, the first message may be a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) request message, and the second message may be a NAS response message corresponding to the NAS request.

[0164] As shown in Figure 6, the public network base station broadcasts the subnet identifier. The terminal obtains the subnet identifier from the broadcast message and can send a NAS request message to the public network control plane, carrying the subnet identifier, for example, the identifier of the subnet the terminal is interested in. Based on the subnet identifier, the public network control plane can query the local database to obtain the subnet's access network information and send a NAS response message to the terminal, carrying the subnet's access network information, such as the frequency information or base station identifier of the subnet base station.

[0165] Optionally, the access network information of the subnet stored in the public network control plane can be the local configuration of the public network control plane function, or the OAM from the public network control plane, or obtained from the subnet control plane or subnet base station management function when the public network control plane node is powered on, etc.

[0166] In one possible implementation, the first device may obtain access network information corresponding to the first communication network from a second device. Exemplarily, the second device may be a control plane function, a management function, a management node, a management network element, a base station management function, a Domain Name System (DNS) server, or a network storage function (NRF) in the first communication network. As shown in FIG2 , the second device may exemplarily be a subnet base station management function, which may be used to store and manage information about multiple base stations in a subnet.

[0167] As shown in Figure 7, a terminal belongs to a public network and needs to access a subnet as an example. The present application provides another communication method, which may include the following steps.

[0168] 700: ID of the public network base station broadcast subnet.

[0169] Refer to the aforementioned step 400.

[0170] 701: The terminal sends a first message to a public network base station, carrying a subnet identifier.

[0171] Specifically, the terminal obtains the identifier of at least one subnet broadcasted by the public network base station, determines the identifier of the subnet the terminal is interested in based on the candidate networks configured by the terminal, and sends a first message to the public network base station, wherein the first message carries the identifier of the subnet.

[0172] Refer to the aforementioned step 401.

[0173] 702: The public network base station sends a third message to the second device, carrying the subnet identifier.

[0174] The third message may be used to request access network information of the subnet.

[0175] The third message may include an identifier of the subnet. For example, the identifier of the subnet may be an identifier of the first communication network.

[0176] Correspondingly, the second device can receive a third message from the public network base station and obtain the identifier of the subnet.

[0177] In one embodiment, if the subnet is the first communication network and the public network base station is the first device, the third message also includes at least one of the following information: location information of the terminal, location information of the first device, or area information of the first communication network, etc.

[0178] Optionally, the third message may specifically be a service discovery request or a query request, etc., and this application does not impose any specific restrictions on this.

[0179] 703: The second device sends a fourth message to the public network base station, including access network information corresponding to the subnet.

[0180] Correspondingly, the public network base station receives a fourth message from the second device, where the fourth message includes access network information corresponding to the first communication network.

[0181] 704: The public network base station sends a second message to the terminal, including access network information corresponding to the subnet.

[0182] Refer to the aforementioned step 403.

[0183] 705: The terminal starts signal measurement and / or cell search according to the access network information of the subnet, and sends an access request to the subnet base station.

[0184] The terminal triggers access to the subnet. Refer to the aforementioned step 404.

[0185] In addition, in order to save signaling overhead, the public network base station can broadcast the access network information corresponding to the subnet at the same time as broadcasting the subnet identifier, so that the terminal no longer needs to send a request message to the public network base station or the public network control plane to obtain the access network information of the subnet, thereby saving signaling overhead and improving the efficiency and flexibility of the terminal accessing the subnet.

[0186] As shown in Figure 8, a terminal belongs to a public network and needs to access a subnet as an example. The present application provides another communication method, which may include the following steps.

[0187] 800: The public network base station broadcasts at least one subnet identifier and the subnet access network information.

[0188] Refer to the aforementioned step 400.

[0189] The access network information of the subnet may include frequency information of the subnet base station, an identifier of the subnet base station and other information.

[0190] 801: The terminal confirms the subnet of interest.

[0191] Specifically, the terminal receives the identifier of at least one subnet broadcast by the public network base station, matches it with the identifier of at least one candidate network configured by the terminal, and determines the identifier of the subnet that the terminal is interested in, as well as the access network information corresponding to the subnet, such as the frequency information of the subnet or the identifier of the base station.

[0192] Refer to the related description of the aforementioned steps 400 and 401.

[0193] 802: The terminal starts signal measurement and / or cell search according to the access network information of the subnet, and sends an access request to the subnet base station.

[0194] Refer to the aforementioned step 404.

[0195] In addition, the present application also provides a communication method, which configures a terminal with at least a first module and a second module, so that the terminal can access the communication networks corresponding to at least two different network providers using the same SIM card without changing the number or card. Specifically, the terminal is configured with a first module and a second module, wherein the first module can be used to access the first communication network, and the second module can be used to access the second communication network. In addition, the second module can use the same SIM card as the first module to access the network.

[0196] For example, as shown in Figure 9, the control structure inside the terminal may include an application (APP) layer, an operating system (OS) layer, and a modem (Modulator and Demodulator, MODEM) layer. The MODEM layer may include a first module and a second module, the first module being used to access a subnet base station, and the second module being used to access a public network base station.

[0197] Among them, the APP layer can interact with the MODEM layer through the OS layer to achieve collaboration between the network and the application.

[0198] The OS layer is used to isolate and adapt the interface between the APP layer and the MODEM layer. Exemplarily, the message interaction between the APP layer and the MODEM layer can be considered to include: message interaction between the APP and the OS, and message interaction between the OS and the MODEM.

[0199] The MODEM layer implements the modulation and demodulation functions required for communication. Terminals with integrated MODEMs handle the connection between the terminal and the network. For example, a MODEM establishes a logical channel between the terminal and the base station, enabling communication services such as surfing the Internet, sending text messages, and making phone calls.

[0200] In one embodiment, the terminal is configured with a first module and a second module. The second module is a primary modem that can be used to access a second communication network, i.e., a public network. The primary modem is responsible for handling the connection between the terminal and a base station on the public network. The first module is a secondary modem that can be used to access a first communication network, i.e., a subnet. The secondary modem is responsible for handling the connection between the terminal and a base station on the subnet.

[0201] In one embodiment, the second module can control the opening and / or closing of the first module.

[0202] Optionally, the second module is the main modem and the first module is the auxiliary modem. The main modem can control the auxiliary modem to start and search for networks. For example, the auxiliary modem can be disabled by default, thereby saving power consumption of the terminal. When the terminal needs to access a subnet, the terminal can control the auxiliary modem to start and search for networks through the main modem.

[0203] Optionally, to save power consumption of the terminal, the auxiliary modem may be disabled by default, or disabled by default, operated in a sleep state by default, or frequency search may not be performed by default. Optionally, the terminal user may set the default state of the auxiliary modem through the terminal setting interface, for example, to be disabled by default, disabled by default, operated in a sleep state by default, or frequency search may not be performed by default. This application does not limit this.

[0204] Optionally, the master modem can support controlling the start of the slave modem and send specified frequency information to the slave modem, indicating that the slave modem can search and measure according to the specified frequency and has accessed the subnet.

[0205] Optionally, the auxiliary MODEM can support triggering a search for a specified frequency and establishing a session to the subnet based on the request message and frequency information of the main MODEM.

[0206] In one embodiment, the communication transmission between the terminal and the subnet may include: application data generated by the APP is transmitted to the OS, to the primary modem, to the secondary modem, and then to the subnet base station. Alternatively, the application data does not pass through the primary modem, and the communication transmission between the terminal and the subnet may include: application data generated by the APP is transmitted to the OS, to the secondary modem, and then to the subnet base station.

[0207] The message interaction between the APP and the primary MODEM / secondary MODEM may specifically include: the APP sending a message to the primary MODEM or the secondary MODEM through the OS, and the primary MODEM or the secondary MODEM sending a message to the APP through the OS.

[0208] As shown in Figure 10, a terminal belonging to a public network and needing to access a subnet is used as an example. The terminal may include an APP, a first module, and a second module. The first module is used to access a subnet base station, and the second module is used to access a public network base station. The present application provides a communication method, which may include the following steps.

[0209] 101: The APP sends a subscription request for the subnet identifier to the second module.

[0210] Exemplarily, the APP may be the first application in the aforementioned example, and the second module may be the main MODEM.

[0211] The subscription request is used by the APP to request the master MODEM to subscribe to the identifier of the subnet that the APP is interested in. When the master MODEM obtains the subnet identifier, it can send a notification to the APP to feedback the obtained subnet identifier.

[0212] Step 101 is optional.

[0213] Optionally, the subscription request may also be a notification request.

[0214] Optionally, the subscription request may include one or more subnet identifiers of candidate networks for the APP, indicating the candidate networks that the APP can access. Alternatively, the subscription request does not include a subnet identifier, but may carry an instruction to request a subnet identifier.

[0215] In another embodiment, the second module may proactively send an acquisition request to the APP, requesting the identification of the subnet that the APP is interested in. When the APP receives the acquisition request from the second module, it may send the identification of the subnet that the application is interested in to the second module. For example, the identification corresponding to the subnet that the first application is interested in includes subnet identification 1 and subnet identification 3. Then, when the second module subsequently receives the identification of the subnet broadcast by the public network base station, it can match it according to the identification of the subnet that the APP is interested in, determine whether it can access the subnet that the terminal is interested in, and then send a notification to the APP, that is, execute step 104.

[0216] Optionally, the user can customize the specific method for the terminal to obtain the subnet identifier of interest through the terminal's settings interface. For example, the terminal user can set whether to allow the APP to send a subscription request, for example, the user can set whether to allow the APP to send a subscription request carrying the subnet identifier to the terminal or to the second module, or the user can set whether to allow the terminal or the second module to send a notification or obtain a request to the APP, or the user can set the APP to ask the user whether to allow it through a pop-up window or other means when sending a subscription request for the subnet identifier to the terminal or the second module, or the terminal or the second module can ask the user whether to allow it through a pop-up window or other means when sending a notification or obtaining a request to the APP.

[0217] 102: Identifier of the public network base station broadcast subnet.

[0218] Refer to the aforementioned step 400. The subnet identifier broadcast by the public network base station may include one or more subnet identifiers.

[0219] Optionally, there is no order between step 101 and step 102. Step 101 may be performed after step 102, or before step 102, or may be performed simultaneously with step 102. This application does not limit this.

[0220] 103: The second module obtains the identifier of the subnet broadcast by the public network base station.

[0221] The second module, namely the main MODEM, can obtain the identifiers of one or more subnets broadcast by the public network base station.

[0222] 104: The second module sends a notification to the APP.

[0223] Specifically, the second module, namely the main MODEM, obtains the subnet identifier broadcast by the public network base station, that is, it can confirm that the terminal is currently located in the service area of ​​the subnet, and can send a notification to the APP that subscribes to the subnet identifier, carrying the identifier of the subnet that the APP is interested in.

[0224] The notification may include identifiers of part or all of the subnets acquired in step 103 .

[0225] Optionally, if the subscription request in step 101 is executed, step 104 may be a subscription notification of the response.

[0226] Optionally, if the subscription request of the APP in step 101 carries the identifier of the subnet of the candidate network of the APP, the notification in step 104 may only carry the identifier of the subnet among the subnet identifiers obtained in step 103 that matches the candidate network of the APP.

[0227] For example, if the terminal obtains subnet identifier 1, subnet identifier 2, and subnet identifier 3 from the broadcast message of the public network base station, and the subnet identifiers of the candidate networks of the APP carried in the APP subscription request are subnet identifier 2, subnet identifier 4, and subnet identifier 5, then it can be determined that the APP is interested in subnet identifier 2. The notification of step 104 can carry subnet identifier 2.

[0228] Optionally, step 101 may not be performed, and the second module, ie, the master MODEM, may send a notification to one or more APPs, where the notification includes identifiers of some or all of the subnets obtained in step 103 .

[0229] 105: The APP sends an access request to the second module.

[0230] The access request may carry an identifier of the subnet that the user is interested in. The APP sends an access request to the second module based on the identifier of the subnet that the user is interested in, requesting access to the subnet.

[0231] Optionally, the access request in step 105 may be a response message corresponding to the notification sent by the second module to the APP in step 104, and the response message carries indication information indicating the access subnet and an identifier of the accessed subnet.

[0232] In one embodiment, an APP such as the first application may also automatically trigger corresponding actions according to the identifier of the subnet of interest.

[0233] For example, if the subnet park is an enterprise office park, the main MODEM notifies the APP that the subnet identifiers are subnet identifier 1, subnet identifier 2 and subnet identifier 3. As shown in Figure 5, the first application can trigger the punch-in action according to subnet identifier 1 and trigger the request to establish a subnet connection according to subnet identifier 2. If there is no action that matches subnet identifier 3, it can be ignored.

[0234] 106: The second module sends a first message to the public network base station.

[0235] As described in the above embodiment, the first message may include an identifier of the subnet that the APP is interested in, and is used to request the access network information of the subnet from the public network base station.

[0236] Optionally, the above steps 104 and 106 may not be performed. The second module, namely the master MODEM, may send a first message to the public network base station according to the locally configured subnet identifier of interest or the identifier issued by the APP in step 101, namely, perform step 106.

[0237] 107: The public network base station sends a second message to the second module.

[0238] As described in the above embodiment, the second message may include the access network information of the subnet, which is used by the terminal to request access to the subnet according to the access network information.

[0239] Optionally, the specific implementation process of steps 106-107 can refer to the different implementation methods in Figures 4 and 6-8 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0240] 108: The second module sends a request message to the first module.

[0241] That is, the primary modem can send a request message to the secondary modem, which can be used to instruct the secondary modem to turn on and instruct the secondary modem to search for a frequency. Optionally, the request message can include frequency information of the subnet base station and instruct the secondary modem to prioritize searching for the specified frequency, or can instruct the secondary modem to search only for the specified frequency.

[0242] Optionally, the request message from the primary MODEM to instruct the secondary MODEM to start up, and the request message from the primary MODEM to indicate frequency information to the secondary MODEM and to perform a frequency search may be two messages or one message, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0243] 109: The first module starts frequency search or measurement.

[0244] The first module, ie, the auxiliary MODEM, may start frequency search and / or measure the signal of the subnet according to the start request and / or frequency search request and the frequency information of the indicated subnet base station.

[0245] 110: The first module sends an access request to the subnet base station.

[0246] 111: The first module sends a notification message to the APP.

[0247] After the first module, the auxiliary modem, successfully connects to the subnet base station, the auxiliary modem can send a notification message to the app, indicating that the app can transmit data with the subnet base station. For example, the app, such as the first application, can send some or all of the application data to the auxiliary modem, which then sends it to the subnet base station to achieve uplink data transmission.

[0248] In the above-mentioned embodiments of the present application, by adding a first module such as a secondary MODEM within the terminal, the terminal can connect to a subnet using a public network SIM card. This allows the terminal to access subnets provided by different network providers using a single SIM card without having to change cards or numbers. Furthermore, simultaneous connection to the public network and subnets can be achieved, increasing the number of connections between the terminal and the network and improving communication performance. Optionally, the secondary MODEM can be disabled by default to save power consumption at the terminal. When the terminal needs to access a subnet, the primary MODEM can send a message requesting activation to the secondary MODEM. This message can carry information such as the frequency of the subnet base station. The secondary MODEM can then prioritize searching and selecting a network based on this frequency information, eliminating the need for blindly searching to access a subnet, thereby improving the efficiency of the terminal's access to the subnet. Furthermore, activation of the secondary MODEM can be controlled by the primary MODEM, preventing the terminal from blindly searching or performing ineffective network searches within a non-subnet service area, thereby saving power consumption for the terminal.

[0249] The various embodiments mentioned above in this application can be combined without limitation if there is no contradiction between the solutions.

[0250] The above mainly introduces the solution provided by this application from the perspective of interaction between various network devices. Accordingly, this application also provides a communication device, which can be the first device in the above method embodiment, or a component such as a chip that can be used for the first device; or the communication device can be the terminal in the above method embodiment, or a component such as a chip that can be used for the terminal; or the communication device can be the second device in the above method embodiment, or a component such as a chip that can be used for the second device.

[0251] It is understandable that, in order to implement the above functions, the above communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and algorithmic operations of the various examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0252] It should be understood that the above description of the interaction between various network elements uses only the first device, terminal, or second device as examples. In practice, the processing performed by the first device is not limited to being performed by a single network element, the processing performed by the terminal is not limited to being performed by a single device, and the processing performed by the second device is not limited to being performed by a single network element.

[0253] The present application can divide the functional modules of the communication device according to the above method example. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules. It is understood that the division of modules in this application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used.

[0254] For example, in the case of dividing the functional modules in an integrated manner, FIG11 shows a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1100. The communication device 1100 includes a receiving module 1101, a processing module 1102, and a sending module 1103.

[0255] In some embodiments, the communication device 1100 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 11 ) for storing program instructions and data.

[0256] Exemplarily, the communication device 1100 may be used to implement the function of the first device. The communication device 1100 is, for example, the first device described in each of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0257] Among them, the receiving module 1101 can receive a first message from the terminal, and the first message includes an identifier of a first communication network; wherein the terminal and the first device belong to a second communication network, and the first communication network and the second communication network correspond to different network providers.

[0258] The processing module 1102 may obtain access network information corresponding to the first communication network according to the identifier of the first communication network.

[0259] The sending module 1103 is used to send a second message to the terminal, where the second message includes access network information of the first communication network and is used to access the first communication network.

[0260] In one embodiment, the first message includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a request to obtain access network information of the first communication network.

[0261] In one embodiment, the access network information includes frequency information corresponding to the access node of the first communication network and / or an identifier of the access node of the first communication network.

[0262] In one embodiment, the method further includes: sending an identifier of the first communication network to the terminal.

[0263] In one embodiment, obtaining the access network information corresponding to the first communication network includes: sending a third message to a second device, the third message including an identifier of the first communication network; and receiving a fourth message from the second device, the fourth message including the access network information corresponding to the first communication network.

[0264] In one embodiment, the third message further includes at least one of the following information: location information of the terminal, location information of the first device, and area information of the first communication network.

[0265] In one embodiment, the second device is a control plane function, a management function, a management node, a management network element, a domain name system DNS server, or a network storage function NRF in the first communication network.

[0266] In one embodiment, the first device is an access node of the second communication network.

[0267] In one embodiment, the first device is a control plane function of the second communication network, the first message is a non-access stratum NAS request, and the second message is a NAS response corresponding to the NAS request.

[0268] In addition, the communication device 1100 may be the first device, ie, the public network base station, in the embodiment shown in FIG8 .

[0269] Among them, the sending module 1103 is used to send the identifier of the first communication network and the access network information of the first communication network to the terminal, so that the terminal can access the first communication network; wherein, the terminal and the first device belong to the second communication network, and the first communication network and the second communication network correspond to different network providers.

[0270] In addition, the communication device 1100 may be the second device described in the above embodiment. The communication device 1100 may include a receiving module 1101 and a sending module 1103 .

[0271] The receiving module 1101 is used to receive a third message from the first device, and the third message includes an identifier of the first communication network; wherein the first device belongs to the second communication network, and the first communication network and the second communication network correspond to different network providers.

[0272] The sending module 1103 is configured to send a fourth message to the first device, where the fourth message includes access network information corresponding to the first communication network.

[0273] In addition, the communication device 1100 may be the terminal described in the above embodiments. The communication device 1100 may include a receiving module 1101 and a processing module 1102 .

[0274] The receiving module 1101 may be configured to receive an identifier of a first communication network and access network information of the first communication network, wherein the terminal belongs to a second communication network, and the first communication network and the second communication network correspond to different network providers.

[0275] The processing module 1102 may be configured to initiate signal measurement and / or cell search according to the access network information of the first communication network, and trigger access to the first communication network.

[0276] In one embodiment, the communication device 1100 further includes a sending module 1103 configured to send a first message to a first device, the first message including an identifier of a first communication network; wherein the first device belongs to a second communication network. The receiving module 1101 may be configured to receive a second message from the first device, the second message including access network information of the first communication network.

[0277] In one embodiment, the first message includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a request to obtain access network information of the first communication network.

[0278] In one embodiment, the access network information includes frequency information corresponding to the access node of the first communication network and / or an identifier of the access node of the first communication network.

[0279] In one embodiment, the processing module 1102 is configured to establish a connection with a first device. The receiving module 1101 may be configured to receive an identifier of the first communication network from the first device.

[0280] In one embodiment, the processing module 1102 can be used to obtain an identifier of at least one candidate network, where the at least one candidate network includes the first communication network; if the identifier in the at least one candidate network matches the identifier of the first communication network, determine to access the first communication network.

[0281] In one embodiment, a first application is deployed on the terminal, and the first application implements a first business / service through the first communication network. The first application cannot implement the first business / service through the second communication network.

[0282] In one embodiment, the terminal includes a first module and a second module, the first module is used to access the first communication network, and the second module is used to access the second communication network.

[0283] In one embodiment, the second module controls the opening and / or closing of the first module.

[0284] In one embodiment, the first device is an access node of the second communication network.

[0285] In one embodiment, the first device is a control plane function of the second communication network, the first message is a non-access stratum NAS request, and the second message is a NAS response corresponding to the NAS request.

[0286] In summary, when the communication device 1100 is used to implement the functions performed by the first device, the second device or the terminal in the above embodiments, for other functions that the communication device 1100 can implement, please refer to the relevant introduction of any of the above-mentioned embodiments, and no further details will be given.

[0287] In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art may appreciate that the communication device 1100 may be in the form shown in Figure 3. For example, the processor 301 in Figure 3 may call the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 303 to enable the communication device 1100 to execute the method described in the above method embodiment.

[0288] Exemplarily, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 1102 in FIG. 11 may be implemented by the processor 301 in FIG. 3 .

[0289] Illustratively, the functions / implementation processes of the receiving module 1101 and / or the sending module 1103 in Figure 11 may be implemented via the communication interface 304 in Figure 3. Illustratively, the receiving module 1101 and the sending module 1102 in Figure 11 may be collectively referred to as interface modules.

[0290] It is understandable that one or more of the above modules or units can be implemented by software, hardware or a combination of the two. When any of the above modules or units is implemented by software, the software exists in the form of computer program instructions and is stored in a memory, and a processor can be used to execute the program instructions and implement the above method flow. The processor can be built into an SoC (system on chip) or an ASIC, or it can be an independent semiconductor chip. In addition to the core used to execute software instructions to perform calculations or processing within the processor, it can further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), PLDs (programmable logic devices), or logic circuits that implement dedicated logic operations.

[0291] When the above modules or units are implemented in hardware, the hardware can be any one or any combination of a CPU, a microprocessor, a digital signal processing (DSP) chip, a microcontroller unit (MCU), an artificial intelligence processor, an ASIC, a SoC, an FPGA, a PLD, a dedicated digital circuit, a hardware accelerator or a non-integrated discrete device, which can run the necessary software or not rely on the software to execute the above method flow.

[0292] Optionally, the present application also provides a chip system, comprising: at least one processor and an interface, wherein the at least one processor is coupled to a memory via the interface, and when the at least one processor executes a computer program or instruction in the memory, the method in any of the above method embodiments is executed. In one possible implementation, the chip system also includes a memory. Optionally, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0293] Optionally, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. All or part of the processes in the above-mentioned method embodiments can be completed by a computer program to instruct the relevant hardware. The program can be stored in the above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, it can include the processes of the above-mentioned method embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium can be an internal storage unit of the communication device of any of the above-mentioned embodiments, such as a hard disk or memory of the communication device. The above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium can also be an external storage device of the above-mentioned communication device, such as a plug-in hard disk, a smart memory card (smart media card, SMC), a secure digital (secure digital, SD) card, a flash card (flash card), etc. equipped on the above-mentioned communication device. Furthermore, the above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium can also include both the internal storage unit of the above-mentioned communication device and an external storage device. The above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium is used to store the above-mentioned computer program and other programs and data required by the above-mentioned communication device. The above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or is to be output.

[0294] Optionally, the present application also provides a computer program product. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments may be completed by a computer program instructing related hardware. The program may be stored in the above computer program product, and when executed, the program may include the processes in the above method embodiments.

[0295] Optionally, the present application also provides a computer instruction. All or part of the process in the above method embodiment can be completed by the computer instruction to instruct the relevant hardware (such as a computer, processor, network device or terminal, etc.). The program can be stored in the above computer-readable storage medium or in the above computer program product.

[0296] Optionally, the present application also provides a communication system, including: the first device and terminal in the above embodiment.

[0297] Optionally, the present application also provides a communication system, including: the first device and the second device in the above embodiment.

[0298] Optionally, the present application also provides a communication system, including: the first device, the terminal, and the second device in the above embodiment.

[0299] Through the description of the above implementation methods, technical personnel in the relevant field can clearly understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, only the division of the above-mentioned functional modules is used as an example. In actual applications, the above-mentioned functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0300] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the modules or units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0301] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may be one physical unit or multiple physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed in multiple places. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0302] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The aforementioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional units.

[0303] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited to this. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a first device, the method includes: Receiving a first message from a terminal, the first message including an identifier of a first communication network; wherein, the terminal and the first device belong to a second communication network, and the first communication network and the second communication network correspond to different network providers; Obtaining access network information corresponding to the first communication network according to the identifier of the first communication network; Sending a second message to the terminal, the second message including the access network information of the first communication network for accessing the first communication network.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first message includes first indication information for indicating a request to obtain the access network information of the first communication network.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The access network information includes frequency point information corresponding to an access node of the first communication network, and / or an identifier of the access node of the first communication network.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Sending the identifier of the first communication network to the terminal.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, Obtaining the access network information corresponding to the first communication network includes: Sending a third message to a second device, the third message including the identifier of the first communication network; Receiving a fourth message from the second device, the fourth message including the access network information corresponding to the first communication network.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein The third message further includes at least one of the following information: location information of the terminal, location information of the first device, and area information of the first communication network.

7. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a terminal or a module of the terminal, the method includes: Receiving an identifier of a first communication network and the access network information of the first communication network, wherein the terminal belongs to a second communication network, and the first communication network and the second communication network correspond to different network providers; Starting signal measurement and / or cell search according to the access network information of the first communication network, and triggering access to the first communication network.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein Receiving the access network information of the first communication network includes: Sending a first message to a first device, the first message including an identifier of a first communication network; wherein, the first device belongs to a second communication network; Receiving a second message from the first device, the second message including the access network information of the first communication network.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The first message includes first indication information for indicating a request to obtain the access network information of the first communication network.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7-9, characterized in that, The access network information includes frequency point information corresponding to an access node of the first communication network, and / or an identifier of the access node of the first communication network.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7-10, characterized in that, Receiving an identifier of a first communication network includes: Establishing a connection with a first device; Receiving the identifier of the first communication network from the first device.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7-11, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtaining identifiers of at least one candidate network, the at least one candidate network including the first communication network; If the identifier in the at least one candidate network matches the identifier of the first communication network, determining to access the first communication network.

13. The method according to any one of claims 7-12, characterized in that, A first application is deployed on the terminal, and the first application implements a first service through the first communication network, and the first application cannot implement the first service through the second communication network.

14. The method according to any one of claims 7-13, characterized in that, The terminal includes a first module and a second module. The first module is used to access the first communication network, and the second module is used to access the second communication network.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, The second module controls the activation and / or deactivation of the first module.

16. The method according to claim 8 or 11, characterized in that The first device is an access node of the second communication network.

17. The method according to claim 8 or 11, characterized in that, The first device is a control plane function of the second communication network. The first message is a non-access stratum (NAS) request, and the second message is a NAS response corresponding to the NAS request.

18. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a first device, the method includes: Sending an identifier of a first communication network and access network information of the first communication network to a terminal for the terminal to access the first communication network; Wherein, the terminal and the first device belong to a second communication network, and the first communication network and the second communication network correspond to different network providers.

19. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a second device, the method includes: Receiving a third message from a first device, the third message including an identifier of a first communication network; wherein, the first device belongs to a second communication network, and the first communication network and the second communication network correspond to different network providers; Sending a fourth message to the first device, the fourth message including access network information corresponding to the first communication network.

20. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-19.

21. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes: A processor, the processor is coupled to a memory, and the memory is used to store programs or instructions. When the programs or instructions are executed by the processor, the method according to any one of claims 1-19 is executed.

22. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program or instructions are executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17 is executed.

23. A computer program product, comprising computer program code therein, characterized in that, When the computer program code runs on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19 is executed.

24. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes a first device and a terminal. Wherein, the first device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-6, and the terminal is used to: Send a first message to the first device, the first message including an identifier of a first communication network; Receive a second message from the first device, the second message including access network information of the first communication network.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein The terminal is further used to: Start signal measurement and / or cell search according to the access network information of the first communication network, and trigger access to the first communication network.

26. The system according to claim 24 or 25, wherein The system further includes a second device, and the second device is used to execute the method according to claim 19.

27. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: The terminal sends a first message to the first device, the first message including an identifier of a first communication network; wherein, the terminal and the first device belong to a second communication network, and the first communication network and the second communication network correspond to different network providers; The first device receives the first message from the terminal, and obtains access network information corresponding to the first communication network according to the identifier of the first communication network; The first device sends a second message to the terminal, where the second message includes access network information of the first communication network for accessing the first communication network; The terminal receives the second message from the first device.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein The method further includes: The terminal starts signal measurement and / or cell search according to the access network information of the first communication network, triggering access to the first communication network.

29. The method according to claim 27 or 28, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first device sends a third message to the second device, where the third message includes an identifier of the first communication network; The second device receives the third message from the first device and sends a fourth message to the first device, where the fourth message includes access network information corresponding to the first communication network; The first device receives the third message from the second device.

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