Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications. Provided are a communication method and apparatus. In the method, a terminal can receive first information from a first cell, and on the basis of the first information, determine whether to process second information related to a first service, wherein the first information indicates information of a first area. The first service is a public alarm system service, and the second information is public alarm information, or, the first service is a multicast / broadcast service, and the second information is used for indicating the reception of first service information. By means of the method, a terminal can determine, on the basis of information of a first area, whether second information is desired information to be received by the terminal, thereby further determining whether to process the second information. Therefore, the method may realize a situation in which second information sent by an RAN node is suitable for a terminal in a first area.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on March 6, 2024, with application number 202410258263.6 and invention name “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 technologies, and in particular to communication methods and devices. Background Art

[0003] Non-terrestrial networks (NTN) can use communication devices at a certain height above the ground, such as satellites and high-altitude platforms (HPA), to participate in network deployment to assist radio access network (RAN) nodes in communicating with terminals. Therefore, compared with terrestrial networks (TN), RAN nodes in NTN can provide a wider coverage range. For example, in TN, the coverage radius of a single station is usually less than or equal to 3km, while in NTN, the beam footprint range of a satellite is usually greater than or equal to 100km. The larger the coverage range of the RAN node, the less likely it is that the RAN node will be unable to accurately send the broadcast or multicast message that the terminal wants to receive to the terminal. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus, which can enable a RAN node to accurately send a broadcast or multicast message that the terminal wishes to receive to a terminal.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal. The terminal here can refer to the terminal itself or a processor, circuit, module, logical node, chip, or chip system that implements the method in the terminal.

[0007] The method includes: receiving first information from a first cell, the first information indicating information of a first area; determining whether to process second information related to a first service based on the information of the first area; the first service is a public alarm system service, and the second information is public alarm information; or, the first service is a multicast / broadcast service, and the second information is used to indicate the reception of the first service information.

[0008] Based on the method provided in the first aspect above, the terminal can determine whether to process the second information based on the information of the first area. For example, if the terminal determines that it wants to receive the second information based on the information of the first area, the terminal processes the second information. If the terminal determines that it does not want to receive the second information based on the information of the first area, the terminal does not process the second information. Therefore, the above method can achieve that the second information sent by the first RAN node (that is, the RAN node to which the first cell belongs) is applicable to the terminals in the first area, that is, after receiving the second information, the terminals in different areas behave differently, so that the terminals process the messages they want to receive and do not process the messages they do not want to receive. It can be understood that if the first service is a public warning system service, the first RAN node can flexibly implement the applicable scope of the public warning information by indicating the information of the first area to the terminal. If the first service is a multicast / broadcast service, the first RAN node can indicate the information of the first area to the terminal so that the terminal receives the multicast / broadcast service of interest to improve the user experience.

[0009] In a possible implementation manner, the first area includes one or more areas within at least one cell, and the at least one cell includes the first cell.

[0010] Based on the possible implementations described above, cells can be divided into more fine-grained areas, allowing terminals in different areas of the same cell to process the same information differently, thereby improving the user experience. For example, in a first cell consisting of Area 1 and Area 2, terminals in Area 1 can process the second information, while terminals in Area 2 may not.

[0011] In a possible implementation, any one of the one or more areas within the first cell is an area covered by a beam of the first cell, or is one of the geographical areas covered by the first cell.

[0012] Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first cell may be divided into areas based on beam granularity, or based on geographical areas, such as administrative districts, to enrich the method of dividing areas within a cell.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the first service is a public alarm system service, and determining whether to process second information related to the first service is based on the first area, including: if the terminal is located in the first area, processing the second information, and the processing includes at least one of receiving, storing, assembling or submitting to a higher layer; or, if the terminal is not located in the first area, discarding the second information.

[0014] Based on the above possible implementation methods, if the terminal is located in the first area, the terminal can process the second information to avoid threats to the user's personal and property safety. If the terminal is not located in the first area, the terminal can discard the second information to avoid false alarms and affect the user experience.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the first service is a public warning system service, and the first information and the second information are sent by system information block 6, system information block 7, or system information block 8.

[0016] Based on the above possible implementation, the terminal can receive the first information and the second information through system information block 6, system information block 7, or system information block 8. For example, when the second information includes an earthquake and tsunami warning system (ETWS) primary notification, the first information and the second information are sent by system information block 6; when the second information includes an ETWS secondary notification, the first information and the second information are sent by system information block 7; when the second information includes a commercial mobile alert system (CMAS) notification, the first information and the second information are sent by system information block 8.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the first service is a multicast / broadcast service, and the first information and the second information are sent by system information block 20, system information block 21, or a multicast / broadcast service control channel change notification.

[0018] Based on the above possible implementation manner, the terminal may receive the first information and the second information via the system information block 20, the system information block 21 or the multicast / broadcast service control channel change notification.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the first information and the second information are sent by the system information block 20, and the second information is the configuration information of the multicast / broadcast service control channel; determining whether to process the second information related to the first service based on the information of the first area includes: if the terminal is located in the first area, processing the second information; processing the second information includes: receiving the multicast / broadcast service broadcast configuration information based on the second information.

[0020] Based on the above possible implementation, if the terminal is located in the first area, the terminal may receive multicast / broadcast service broadcast configuration information according to the second information, and then receive first service information, such as multicast / broadcast service data, according to the configuration information.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the multicast / broadcast service broadcast configuration information includes information of a second area, where the second area is an area associated with the multicast / broadcast service session supported by the serving cell and / or neighboring cell; the method also includes: if the second area of ​​the reselected cell does not include the first area, entering a connected state and requesting to receive data in unicast mode.

[0022] Based on the above possible implementation methods, if the second area of ​​the cell reselected by the terminal does not include the first area, the terminal can enter the connection state and request to receive data in unicast mode, such as the terminal enters the radio resource control (RRC) connection state and requests to receive the service data of the multicast / broadcast service associated with the first area in unicast mode, so as to avoid the terminal being unable to receive the service data after accessing the reselected cell.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the first information and the second information are sent by the system information block 21, and the second information indicates the frequency of the multicast / broadcast service supported by the first area; determining whether to process the second information related to the first service based on the information of the first area includes: if the terminal is located in the first area, processing the second information; processing the second information includes: when the cell is reselected, giving the frequency of the multicast / broadcast service supported by the first area as the highest priority.

[0024] Based on the above possible implementation methods, if the terminal is located in the first area, the terminal considers the frequency priority of the multicast / broadcast service when reselecting the cell, so that the terminal reselects to a cell supporting the multicast / broadcast service to ensure the continuity of the multicast / broadcast service.

[0025] It is understood that in specific applications, the second information may also indicate multicast / broadcast service frequency information. Multicast / broadcast service frequency information can be understood as information about one or more frequencies that support the multicast / broadcast service, or information about one or more frequencies that provide multicast / broadcast service data. The first information may also indicate a third region corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service frequency. When the terminal is located in the first region, during cell reselection, if the third region includes the first region, the terminal may prioritize the MBS frequency as the highest priority. In other words, during cell reselection, the terminal considers the priority of MBS frequencies that support the first region, so that the terminal reselects to a cell that supports the MBS service and ensures continuity of the MBS service. When the terminal is located in the first region, if the third region does not include the first region, the terminal does not prioritize the MBS frequency as the highest priority, or does not adjust the priority of the MBS frequency, or sets the priority of the MBS frequency to the lowest priority. In other words, during cell reselection, the terminal does not consider the priority of MBS frequencies that do not support the first region.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the first information and the second information are sent by a multicast / broadcast service control channel change notification, where the second information indicates a change in the configuration information of the multicast / broadcast service control channel, and / or indicates a change in the area for receiving the configuration information of the multicast / broadcast service control channel; determining whether to process the second information related to the first service based on the information of the first area includes: if the terminal is located in the first area, processing the second information; processing the second information includes: receiving the updated configuration information of the multicast / broadcast service control channel.

[0027] Based on the above possible implementation methods, if the terminal is located in the first area, the terminal can receive the updated configuration information of the multicast / broadcast service control channel, so that the terminal receives the multicast / broadcast service broadcast configuration information according to the updated configuration information of the multicast / broadcast service control channel, and receives the broadcast service data according to the multicast / broadcast service broadcast configuration information.

[0028] In a possible implementation, the first service is a multicast / broadcast service, and the method further includes: if the terminal leaves the first area, stopping receiving the first service information.

[0029] Based on the above possible implementations, the terminal can stop receiving the first service information after leaving the first area to avoid receiving information that the terminal does not want to receive. For example, if the first service is a weather forecast service for the first area, the terminal can stop receiving the weather forecast for the first area after leaving the first area.

[0030] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a first RAN node. The first RAN node herein can refer to the first RAN node itself, or a processor, circuit, module, logical node, chip, or chip system in the first RAN node that implements the method.

[0031] The method includes: obtaining information of a first area; sending first information of a first cell and second information related to a first service to a terminal, wherein the first information indicates information of the first area, and the first information is used by the terminal to determine whether to process the second information; the first service is a public alarm system service, and the second information is public alarm information; or, the first service is a multicast / broadcast service, and the second information is used to indicate reception of the first service information.

[0032] Based on the method provided in the second aspect above, the first RAN node can indicate information about the first region to the terminal, so that the terminal can determine whether to process the second message based on the information about the first region. For example, if the terminal determines based on the information about the first region that it wishes to receive the second message, the terminal processes the second message; if the terminal determines based on the information about the first region that it does not wish to receive the second message, the terminal does not process the second message. Therefore, the above method can ensure that the second message sent by the first RAN node is applicable to terminals in the first region. That is, terminals in different regions behave differently after receiving the second message, allowing the terminal to process messages it wishes to receive and not process messages it does not wish to receive. It will be appreciated that if the first service is a public warning system service, the first RAN node can flexibly implement the scope of application of the public warning information by indicating the information about the first region to the terminal. If the first service is a multicast / broadcast service, the first RAN node can indicate the information about the first region to the terminal, allowing the terminal to receive the multicast / broadcast service of interest, thereby improving the user experience.

[0033] In a possible implementation manner, the first area includes one or more areas within the at least one cell, and the at least one cell includes the first cell.

[0034] Based on the possible implementations described above, cells can be divided into more fine-grained areas, allowing terminals in different areas of the same cell to process the same information differently, thereby improving the user experience. For example, in a first cell consisting of Area 1 and Area 2, terminals in Area 1 can process the second information, while terminals in Area 2 may not.

[0035] In a possible implementation, any one of the one or more areas within the first cell is an area covered by a beam of the first cell, or is one of the geographical areas covered by the first cell.

[0036] Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first cell may be divided into areas based on beam granularity, or based on geographical areas, such as administrative districts, to enrich the method of dividing areas within a cell.

[0037] In a possible implementation manner, obtaining the information of the first area includes: receiving the information of the first area from a core network element; or receiving the information of the first area from a second RAN node.

[0038] Based on the above possible implementations, the first RAN node can receive the information about the first region from the core network or a second RAN node different from the first RAN node to accommodate different communication scenarios. For example, in a handover scenario, the first RAN node can receive the information about the first region from the second RAN node; in a non-handover scenario, the first RAN node can receive the information about the first region from the core network.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the first service is a multicast / broadcast service, and the method further includes: sending multicast / broadcast service broadcast configuration information to the terminal, the multicast / broadcast service broadcast configuration information including information of a second area, and the second area is an area associated with the multicast / broadcast service session supported by the serving cell and / or neighboring cell.

[0040] Based on the above possible implementation, the first RAN node may include information about the second area in the broadcast configuration information for the multicast / broadcast service, so that the terminal can determine whether to enter the connected state and request to receive data in unicast mode. For example, if the second area of ​​the cell to which the terminal reselects does not include the first area, the terminal may enter the connected state and request to receive data in unicast mode. For example, the terminal enters the RRC connected state and requests to receive service data of the multicast / broadcast service associated with the first area in unicast mode, so as to avoid the terminal being unable to receive the service data after accessing the reselected cell.

[0041] In a possible implementation, the first service is a multicast / broadcast service, and the first information and the second information are sent by a system information block 20, a system information block 21, or a multicast / broadcast service control channel change notification.

[0042] Based on the foregoing possible implementation manner, when the first service is a multicast / broadcast service, the first RAN node may send the first information and the second information to the terminal via system information block 20, system information block 21, or a multicast / broadcast service control channel change notification.

[0043] In a possible implementation, the first service is a public alert service, and the first information and the second information are sent by system information block 6, system information block 7, or system information block 8.

[0044] Based on the above possible implementation, when the first service is a public warning service, the first RAN node may send the first information and the second information to the terminal via system information block 6, system information block 7, or system information block 8. For example, when the second information includes an ETWS primary notification, the first information and the second information are sent via system information block 6; when the second information includes an ETWS secondary notification, the first information and the second information are sent via system information block 7; and when the second information includes a CMAS notification, the first information and the second information are sent via system information block 8.

[0045] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a first node. The first node herein can refer to the first node itself, or to a processor, circuit, module, logical node, chip, or chip system within the first node that implements the method. Exemplarily, the first node is a second RAN node or an access and mobility management network element.

[0046] The method includes determining information about a first region and transmitting the information about the first region to a first RAN node. The information about the first region is used by a terminal to determine whether to process second information related to a first service. The first service is a public warning system service, and the second information is public warning information; or the first service is a multicast / broadcast service, and the second information is used to indicate receipt of the first service information.

[0047] Based on the method provided in the third aspect, the first node may send the information of the first region to the first RAN node, so that the first RAN node sends the information of the first region to the terminal, so that the terminal can determine whether to process the second information based on the information of the first region. For example, if the terminal determines based on the information of the first region that it wishes to receive the second information, the terminal processes the second information; if the terminal determines based on the information of the first region that it does not wish to receive the second information, the terminal does not process the second information.

[0048] In a possible implementation manner, the first area includes one or more areas within the at least one cell, and the at least one cell includes the first cell.

[0049] Based on the possible implementations described above, cells can be divided into more fine-grained areas, allowing terminals in different areas of the same cell to process the same information differently, thereby improving the user experience. For example, in a first cell consisting of Area 1 and Area 2, terminals in Area 1 can process the second information, while terminals in Area 2 may not.

[0050] In a possible implementation, any one of the one or more areas within the first cell is an area covered by a beam of the first cell, or is one of the geographical areas covered by the first cell.

[0051] Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first cell may be divided into areas based on beam granularity, or based on geographical areas, such as administrative districts, to enrich the method of dividing areas within a cell.

[0052] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: when the first RAN node is about to cover the first area, sending the third information to the first RAN node, where the third information is used to request the first RAN node to establish resources related to the first service.

[0053] Based on the above possible implementation, the first RAN node can obtain the third information and establish resources related to the first service before it covers the first area. In this way, the first RAN node can obtain the first service information in a timely manner, reducing the delay in sending the first service information to the terminal.

[0054] In a possible implementation manner, sending the information of the first area to the first RAN node includes: sending the information of the first area to the first RAN node when the first RAN node is about to cover the first area.

[0055] Based on the above possible implementation manner, the first RAN node may obtain information about the first area before covering the first area, so that the first RAN node can process the first service in a timely manner.

[0056] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a second RAN node. The second RAN node herein can refer to the second RAN node itself, or a processor, circuit, module, logical node, chip, or chip system in the second RAN node that implements the method.

[0057] The method includes: obtaining information about a multicast / broadcast service when a first area is about to be covered, and establishing or modifying resources for the multicast / broadcast service. The multicast / broadcast service information indicates information about the first area and information about a first session associated with the first area, the first session being a session for the multicast / broadcast service.

[0058] Based on the method provided in the fourth aspect, the second RAN node can obtain multicast / broadcast service information in advance and establish or modify multicast / broadcast service resources. Therefore, when the second RAN node covers the first area, it can provide multicast / broadcast service data to the terminal in a timely manner, reducing the latency of the terminal receiving the data, ensuring the continuity of the multicast / broadcast service, and thus improving the user experience.

[0059] In a possible implementation, the first area includes at least one cell or tracking area; or, the first area includes one or more areas within at least one cell.

[0060] Based on the above possible implementations, the first area may be of a cell granularity, or an area of ​​finer granularity than a cell granularity.

[0061] In a possible implementation, at least one cell includes a first cell, and any one of the one or more areas within the first cell is an area covered by a beam of the first cell, or is one of the geographical areas covered by the first cell.

[0062] Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first cell may be divided into areas based on beam granularity, or based on geographical areas, such as administrative districts, to enrich the method of dividing areas within a cell.

[0063] In a possible implementation, obtaining the multicast / broadcast service information includes: receiving the multicast / broadcast service information from a core network element; or receiving the multicast / broadcast service information from a first RAN node.

[0064] Based on the above possible implementations, the second RAN node can receive multicast / broadcast service information from the core network, or from a first RAN node different from the second RAN node, to adapt to different communication scenarios. For example, in a handover scenario, the second RAN node receives multicast / broadcast service information from the first RAN node, while in a non-handover scenario, the second RAN node receives multicast / broadcast service information from the core network.

[0065] In a possible implementation, after receiving the information about the multicast / broadcast service from the first RAN node, the method further includes: sending request information about the first session to a core network element.

[0066] Based on the possible implementation manners described above, it is possible to trigger the establishment or modification of resources for a multicast / broadcast service.

[0067] In a possible implementation, the information of the first session is sent by a multicast / broadcast service session establishment / modification request message.

[0068] In a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a first RAN node. The first RAN node here can refer to the first RAN node itself, or a processor, circuit, module, logical node, chip, or chip system in the first RAN node that implements the method.

[0069] The method includes: determining a first area associated with a first session, where the first session is a multicast / broadcast service session; and sending multicast / broadcast service information to the second RAN node when a second RAN node is about to cover the first area. The multicast / broadcast service information indicates information about the first area and information about the first session, and the multicast / broadcast service information is used to establish or modify resources for the multicast / broadcast service.

[0070] Based on the method provided in the fifth aspect, the second RAN node can obtain multicast / broadcast service information in advance and establish or modify multicast / broadcast service resources. Therefore, when the second RAN node covers the first area, it can provide multicast / broadcast service data to the terminal in a timely manner, reducing the latency of the terminal receiving the data, ensuring the continuity of the multicast / broadcast service, and thus improving the user experience.

[0071] In a possible implementation, the first area includes at least one cell or tracking area; or, the first area includes one or more areas within at least one cell.

[0072] Based on the above possible implementations, the first area may be of a cell granularity, or an area of ​​finer granularity than a cell granularity.

[0073] In a possible implementation, at least one cell includes a first cell, and any one of the one or more areas within the first cell is an area covered by a beam of the first cell, or is one of the geographical areas covered by the first cell.

[0074] Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first cell may be divided into areas based on beam granularity, or based on geographical areas, such as administrative districts, to enrich the method of dividing areas within a cell.

[0075] In a possible implementation, the multicast / broadcast service information is sent by a multicast / broadcast service session establishment / modification request message.

[0076] In a sixth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal. The terminal here can refer to the terminal itself or a processor, circuit, module, logical node, chip, or chip system that implements the method in the terminal.

[0077] The method includes: determining first indication information, and sending the first indication information to a RAN node, wherein the first indication information indicates multicast / broadcast service interest indication information corresponding to a first area, for example, indicating a multicast / broadcast service of interest to a terminal in the first area.

[0078] Based on the method provided in the sixth aspect, the terminal can report the multicast / broadcast services of interest to the terminal within the first region to the RAN node, so that the RAN node can send the multicast / broadcast service data of interest to the terminal according to the terminal's instructions. Therefore, the above method can meet the differentiated requirements of terminals for multicast / broadcast services in different regions, thereby improving user experience and the efficiency of multicast / broadcast services.

[0079] In a possible implementation, the first area includes at least one cell or tracking area; or, the first area includes one or more areas within at least one cell.

[0080] Based on the above possible implementations, the first area may be of a cell granularity, or an area of ​​finer granularity than a cell granularity.

[0081] In a possible implementation, at least one cell includes a first cell, and any one of the one or more areas within the first cell is an area covered by a beam of the first cell, or is one of the geographical areas covered by the first cell.

[0082] Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first cell may be divided into areas based on beam granularity, or based on geographical areas, such as administrative districts, to enrich the method of dividing areas within a cell.

[0083] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: receiving second indication information from the RAN node, where the second indication information indicates information of the first area.

[0084] Based on the foregoing possible implementation manner, the terminal may determine the first area, so that the terminal sends first indication information to the RAN node when entering the first area.

[0085] In a possible implementation manner, the second indication information is sent by the system information block 21.

[0086] Based on the foregoing possible implementation manner, the terminal may receive the second indication information through the system information block 21 .

[0087] In a possible implementation manner, sending the first indication information to the RAN node includes: when entering the first area, sending the first indication information to the RAN node.

[0088] In a seventh aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a RAN node. The RAN node here can refer to the RAN node itself, or a processor, circuit, module, logical node, chip, or chip system in the RAN node that implements the method.

[0089] The method includes: receiving first indication information from a terminal, the first indication information indicating multicast / broadcast service interest indication information corresponding to a first area, for example, indicating the multicast / broadcast service of interest to the terminal in the first area; and sending multicast / broadcast service data to the terminal according to the first indication information.

[0090] Based on the method provided in the seventh aspect, the RAN node transmits, according to the terminal's instructions, the multicast / broadcast service data of interest to the terminal. Therefore, the above method can meet the differentiated multicast / broadcast service requirements of terminals in different regions, thereby improving user experience and the efficiency of multicast / broadcast services.

[0091] In a possible implementation, the first area includes at least one cell or tracking area; or, the first area includes one or more areas within at least one cell.

[0092] Based on the above possible implementations, the first area may be of a cell granularity, or an area of ​​finer granularity than a cell granularity.

[0093] In a possible implementation, at least one cell includes a first cell, and any one of the one or more areas within the first cell is an area covered by a beam of the first cell, or is one of the geographical areas covered by the first cell.

[0094] Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first cell may be divided into areas based on beam granularity, or based on geographical areas, such as administrative districts, to enrich the method of dividing areas within a cell.

[0095] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending second indication information to the terminal, where the second indication information indicates information of the first area.

[0096] Based on the possible implementation manner described above, the terminal may determine the first area, and then send first indication information to the RAN node when entering the first area.

[0097] In a possible implementation manner, the second indication information is sent by the system information block 21.

[0098] Based on the foregoing possible implementation manner, the RAN node may send the first indication information to the terminal through the system information block 21.

[0099] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the above-mentioned method. The communication device may be the terminal in the above-mentioned first aspect; or the communication device may be the first RAN node in the above-mentioned second aspect; or the communication device may be the first node in the above-mentioned third aspect; or the communication device may be the second RAN node in the above-mentioned fourth aspect; or the communication device may be the first RAN node in the above-mentioned fifth aspect; or the communication device may be the terminal in the above-mentioned sixth aspect; or the communication device may be the RAN node in the above-mentioned seventh aspect. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to implementing the above-mentioned method. The modules, units, or means may be implemented by hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above-mentioned functions.

[0100] In one possible implementation, the communication device may include a processing module and an interface 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 interface module, also referred to as an interface unit, may be configured to implement the sending and / or receiving functions described in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The interface module may be comprised of an interface circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0101] In a possible implementation, the interface 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.

[0102] In a ninth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor configured to execute a computer program (or computer-executable instructions) stored in a memory and / or, through a logic circuit, so that the communication device performs the method described in any of the above aspects. The communication device may be the terminal described in the first aspect; or the first RAN node described in the second aspect; or the first node described in the third aspect; or the second RAN node described in the fourth aspect; or the first RAN node described in the fifth aspect; or the terminal described in the sixth aspect; or the RAN node described in the seventh aspect. Optionally, the number of the processors may be one or more.

[0103] In a possible implementation manner, the communication device further includes a memory.

[0104] In a possible implementation, the processor and the memory are integrated together; or the memory is independent of the processor.

[0105] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface, which is used for the communication device to communicate with other devices, such as sending or receiving data and / or signals. Exemplarily, the communication interface can be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface.

[0106] In one possible implementation, the processor and / or memory further includes an artificial intelligence (AI) module for implementing AI-related functions. The AI ​​module can implement AI functions through software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. For example, the AI ​​module includes a radio access network (RAN) intelligent controller (RIC) module. For example, the AI ​​module can be a near real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0107] 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.

[0108] In a tenth 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 terminal described in the first aspect; or the first RAN node described in the second aspect; or the first node described in the third aspect; or the second RAN node described in the fourth aspect; or the first RAN node described in the fifth aspect; or the terminal described in the sixth aspect; or the RAN node described in the seventh aspect. Optionally, the number of the above processors may be one or more.

[0109] In one possible implementation, the processor further includes an AI module for implementing AI-related functions. The AI ​​module can implement AI functions through software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. For example, the AI ​​module includes a RIC module. For example, the AI ​​module can be a near-real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0110] 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.

[0111] In an eleventh 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.

[0112] In a twelfth 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.

[0113] In a thirteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes a terminal for executing the method described in the first aspect, and a first RAN node for executing the method described in the second aspect.

[0114] In a possible implementation, the communication system further includes a first node configured to execute the method described in the third aspect.

[0115] In a fourteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising a second RAN node for executing the method described in the fourth aspect, and a first RAN node for executing the method described in the fifth aspect.

[0116] In a fifteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes a terminal for executing the method described in the sixth aspect, and a RAN node for executing the method described in the seventh aspect.

[0117] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any possible implementation method in the eighth to fifteenth aspects can be referred to the technical effects brought about by any aspect in the first to seventh aspects or different possible implementation methods in any aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0118] It is understandable that, provided that the solutions are not contradictory, the solutions in each aspect can be combined. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0119] FIG1A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU);

[0120] FIG1B is a second structural diagram of the CU and DU;

[0121] FIG1C is a schematic diagram of the architecture of an open radio access network (O-RAN);

[0122] FIG1D is a schematic diagram of transmission of a multicast / broadcast service (MBS);

[0123] FIG1E is a schematic diagram of the network architecture of NTN 1;

[0124] FIG1F is a second diagram of the network architecture of NTN;

[0125] FIG1G is a third diagram of the network architecture of NTN;

[0126] FIG1H is a fourth diagram of the network architecture of NTN;

[0127] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the communication system architecture provided by this application;

[0128] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the communication device provided in this application;

[0129] FIG4 is a flow chart of the communication method provided in this application;

[0130] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the first area and the second area provided in this application;

[0131] FIG6 is a second flow chart of the communication method provided by this application;

[0132] FIG7 is a third flow chart of the communication method provided by this application;

[0133] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0134] Before introducing the technical solution of this application, the relevant technical terms involved in this application are explained. It is understood that these explanations are intended to make this application easier to understand and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0135] 1. Terminal

[0136] In this application, a terminal may be a device with wireless transceiver capabilities. The terminal may be deployed on land, including indoors, outdoors, handheld, or vehicle-mounted; it may also be deployed on water (such as ships, etc.); it may also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons, and satellites, etc.). The terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, which may be a user equipment (UE), a mobile station (MS), a mobile terminal (MT), etc., or a device for providing voice or data connectivity to a user. UE includes a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a vehicle-mounted device (such as a car, bicycle, electric vehicle, airplane, ship, train, high-speed rail, etc.), a wearable device (such as a smart watch, smart bracelet, pedometer, etc.), or a computing device. Exemplarily, a UE may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a PDA, a mobile internet device (MID), a satellite terminal, or a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities. The UE may also be a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless modem, a smart point of sale (POS) machine, customer-premises equipment (CPE), an intelligent robot, a robotic arm, workshop equipment, smart home equipment (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electric meters, etc.), a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in unmanned driving, a wireless terminal in telemedicine, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in intelligent transportation, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, an in-vehicle terminal, a roadside unit (RSU) with terminal functions, or an aerial device (e.g., an intelligent robot, a hot air balloon, a drone, an airplane), etc. The terminal may also be other devices with terminal functions, for example, a terminal may also be a device that functions as a terminal in D2D communication.

[0137] As an example and not a limitation, in this application, the terminal may be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be referred to as wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed using wearable technology for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. For example, a wearable device is not only a hardware device, but also a device that achieves powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include devices that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as devices that focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0138] In this application, a terminal may be a terminal in an Internet of Things (IoT) system. IoT is an important component of future information technology development. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network that interconnects humans and machines and things. The terminal in this application may be a terminal in machine type communication (MTC).

[0139] The terminal of the present application can be an on-board module, on-board module, on-board component, on-board chip, on-board unit (OBU) or telematics box (T-BOX) built into the vehicle as one or more components or units. The vehicle can implement the method of the present application through the built-in on-board module, on-board module, on-board component, on-board chip, on-board unit or T-BOX. The terminal can also be a whole vehicle device. Therefore, the present application can be applied to the Internet of Vehicles, such as vehicle to everything (V2X), long-term evolution vehicle (LTE-V), vehicle to vehicle (V2V), etc.

[0140] 2. RAN Node

[0141] In this application, a RAN node can be a device with wireless transceiver functions that can help terminals achieve wireless access, such as a node in the RAN, and can also be called an access network device, RAN entity, access node or network device, etc.

[0142] In one possible scenario, RAN nodes include, but are not limited to, evolved NodeBs (eNBs or e-NodeBs) in long term evolution (LTE), evolved NodeBs (ng-eNBs) in next generation LTE, gNodeBs (gNBs) in new radio (NR), transmitting points (TPs) or transmission receiving points (TRPs), base stations subsequently evolved by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), next generation NodeBs (gNBs), next generation base stations in communication systems evolved after the 5th generation (5G) such as the 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system, base stations in future mobile communication systems, satellites, access points (APs) in wireless fidelity (WiFi) systems, wireless relay nodes, wireless backhaul nodes, integrated access and backhaul (IAT) systems, and 5G-based systems. A RAN node is a network device in a mobile switching center (NTN) communication system, such as a backhaul (IAB) node or a mobile switching center, that is, it can be deployed on a high-altitude platform or a satellite. The base station can be: a macro base station, an indoor station, a micro base station, a pico base station, a small station, a relay station, or a balloon station. Multiple base stations can support the networks of the same technology mentioned above, or they can support the networks of the different technologies mentioned above. The base station can include one or more co-sited or non-co-sited TRPs. The RAN node can also be a device that acts as a base station in device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, drone communication, and machine communication. The RAN node can also be a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario.

[0143] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminals in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing portions of the base station's functionality. For example, a RAN node may be a CU, DU, CU-control plane (CP), CU-user plane (UP), radio unit (RU), roadside unit (RSU) with base station functionality, wired access gateway, or core network (CN) element. A RAN node may also be a server, wearable device, machine communication device, or vehicle-mounted device. For example, an access network device in V2X technology may be an RSU. The following description uses a base station as an example. The multiple RAN nodes may be base stations of the same type or different types. A base station may communicate with a terminal or through a relay station. A terminal may communicate with multiple base stations using different technologies. For example, a terminal may communicate with a base station supporting an LTE network or a base station supporting a 5G network, and may support dual connectivity with both an LTE and a 5G base station.

[0144] In this application, the CU and DU may be separately configured or may be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU may 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). It is understood that the CU may be classified as a network device in an access network, or as a network device in a core network, without limitation herein.

[0145] In some scenarios, the CU and DU split the protocol layers of the base station, with the functions of some protocol layers being centrally controlled by the CU, and the functions of some or all of the remaining protocol layers being distributed in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU. As an implementation method, the CU is deployed with the radio resource control (RRC) layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer in the protocol stack; the DU is deployed with the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, and the physical layer (PHY) in the protocol stack. Thus, the CU has the processing capabilities of RRC, PDCP, and SDAP, and the DU has the processing capabilities of RLC, MAC, and PHY. It will be understood that the above-mentioned functional division is only an example and does not constitute a limitation on the CU and DU. In addition, the present application does not limit the number of DUs controlled by the CU. A CU can control one DU or multiple DUs. For example, in Figure 1A, the CU can communicate with two DUs separately through the F1 interface.

[0146] In some scenarios, the CU can be further separated into CU-CP and CU-UP. The CU-CP and CU-UP can be coupled with the DU to jointly complete the functions of the base station. As an implementation method, the CU-CP can deploy the RRC layer and the control plane (PDCP-C) of the PDCP layer, and the CU-UP can deploy the SDAP layer and the user plane (PDCP-U) of the PDCP layer. For example, the protocol layers deployed by the CU-CP and CU-UP can be shown in Figure 1B. Among them, the CU-UP can be connected to the DU through the user plane interface (F1-U). Optionally, the CU-CP can be connected to the DU through the control plane interface (F1-C), and the CU-CP and CU-UP can be connected to each other through the E1 interface.

[0147] In some scenarios, RAN nodes can be used in O-RAN systems. O-RAN aims to achieve an intelligent and open access network. The main feature of the O-RAN architecture is the separation of software and hardware, which realizes the virtualization of network functions and the standardization of hardware. In addition, O-RAN also introduces an artificial intelligence (AI) module. For example, the AI ​​module includes a RAN intelligent controller (RIC). For another example, the AI ​​module may include a near-real-time RIC (near-real time RAN intelligent controller, near-RT RIC) and / or a non-real-time RIC (non-real time RAN intelligent controller, non-RT RIC). Among them, the near-RT RIC can also be called nRT RIC, which can be used to achieve near-real-time intelligent management of RAN. For example, the near-RT RIC achieves near-real-time control and optimization of O-RAN modules and resources through data collection and related operations on the E2 interface. The non-RT RIC can also be called NRT RIC, which is used to achieve non-real-time intelligent management of RAN. For example, non-RT RIC can implement AI / machine learning (ML) workflows including model training and model updating, and guide applications / functions in near-RT RIC based on policies. In the O-RAN system, CU can also be referred to as O-CU (open CU), DU can also be referred to as O-DU, CU-CP can also be referred to as O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be referred to as O-CU-UP, and RU can also be referred to as O-RU. For 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. Exemplarily, the O-RAN architecture can be shown in Figure 1C.

[0148] It is understandable that in some scenarios, the roles of RAN nodes and terminals are relative. For example, a helicopter or drone, which is usually configured as a terminal, can also be configured as a mobile base station, and the device that accesses the RAN via the helicopter or drone is configured as a terminal.

[0149] 3. MBS

[0150] MBS is a service for multiple terminals. For example, a RAN node can distribute or transmit the same content to multiple terminals simultaneously to improve resource utilization. Common MBS services include live broadcast services, public safety services, batch software update services, etc. The transmission path of MBS services can be: data server (or MBS server) → core network → RAN node → multiple terminals. Among them, when the core network sends MBS services to the RAN node, the service data is transmitted through an MBS session, and the MBS session includes at least one MBS quality of service (QoS) flow. When the RAN node sends MBS services to the terminal, the service data is transmitted through an MBS radio bearer (MRB). For an MRB, service data can be transmitted using point-to-multipoint (PTM) or point-to-point (PTP).

[0151] For example, as shown in Figure 1D , the MBS server can send MBS service data to a multicast / broadcast user plane function (MB-UPF) network element. For example, the MBS server can send MBS service data to the MB-UPF network element via a multicast / broadcast service transport function (MBSTF) network element. The MB-UPF network element can be called the anchor point for the MBS session. After receiving the MBS service data, the MB-UPF network element can distribute the received MBS service data to the RAN node in the following two ways.

[0152] (1) For RAN nodes that support MBS (such as RAN node 1 in Figure 1D), shared transmission is used to transmit MBS service data. For example, the MB-UPF network element sends MBS service data to RAN node 1 through a shared transmission channel, and RAN node 1 sends MBS service data to terminal 1 and terminal 2 through broadcast service or multicast service. Among them, the above-mentioned shared transmission channel is the MBS session resource established by the RAN node, that is, the user plane NG interface tunnel of the MBS session. Further, it is a transmission channel directly established between the MB-UPF network element and the RAN node. It can be understood that for multicast services, the terminal needs to request to join the multicast session (MBS session). When the multicast session joining request of the first terminal is accepted, the access and mobility management function (AMF) network element can trigger the RAN node to establish a multicast session resource context for the multicast session, thereby realizing the transmission of MBS service data. For broadcast services, the multicast / broadcast session management function (MB-SMF) network element can initiate the establishment of MBS broadcast session resources to the AMF network element based on the MBS service area. The AMF network element can initiate an MBS session resource establishment request to the RAN node that supports MBS in the MBS service area, thereby establishing MBS session resources and enabling the transmission of MBS service data. It should be understood that whether it is a broadcast service or a multicast service, the AMF network element triggers the RAN node to establish the user plane NG interface tunnel of the MBS session.

[0153] (2) For RAN nodes that do not support MBS (such as RAN node 2 and RAN node 3 in Figure 1D), independent transmission is used to transmit MBS service data. For example, the MB-UPF network element sends the MBS service data to the user plane function (UPF) network element. The UPF network element then sends the MBS service data to each RAN node in unicast mode according to user granularity, such as to RAN node 2 and RAN node 3. Subsequently, RAN node 2 sends the MBS service data to terminal 3 via unicast, and RAN node 3 sends the MBS service data to terminal 4 via unicast.

[0154] In this application, from the perspective of end-to-end management and control processes, MBS services can be divided into multicast services and broadcast services. Multicast in this application can also be replaced by groupcast. The following describes multicast services and broadcast services separately.

[0155] 3.1 Multicast Services

[0156] Multicast services can provide the same service and the same specific content data to a group of terminals at the same time, that is, not all terminals in the multicast service area are authorized to receive multicast service data. Multicast service data can be sent to terminals through multicast sessions. Terminals in the RRC connected state (RRC connected) can receive multicast service data, which can be transmitted using PTP and / or PTM. A hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) mechanism can also be used in PTP and PTM transmission. The HARQ mechanism can include two modes, one mode is the terminal feedback acknowledgment (ACK) and negative acknowledgment (NACK), and the other mode is the terminal feedback NACK without feedback ACK. In addition, terminals in the RRC inactive state (RRC inactive) can also receive multicast service data.

[0157] In specific applications, the RAN node can provide multicast services to the terminal through a multicast session. The RAN node can also configure the MRB corresponding to the multicast session for the terminal to transmit multicast service data. It is understandable that after a terminal in the RRC connected state joins a multicast session, when multiple sessions are activated, the RAN node can provide the terminal with the configuration required to receive multicast service data through an RRC reconfiguration message. The RAN node can also instruct the terminal to enable or disable the HARQ mechanism. If the terminal is in the RRC inactive state, the RAN node can provide PTM configuration information and multicast service information that the terminal continues to receive in the RRC inactive state through an RRC release message. It is understandable that when a multicast session suspends data transmission, the RAN node can configure the terminal to return to the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state, and inform the terminal through the group notification mechanism when there is data transmission or the multicast session is activated.

[0158] 3.2 Broadcasting Services

[0159] Broadcast services can simultaneously provide the same service and the same specific content data to all terminals in the broadcast service area. In other words, all terminals in the broadcast service area are authorized to receive broadcast service data. Broadcast service data can be sent to terminals through broadcast sessions. Terminals in RRC idle, RRC inactive, and RRC connected states can receive broadcast service data. Broadcast service data can be transmitted using PTM but not PTP. Broadcast service data does not support the HARQ mechanism.

[0160] In specific applications, a RAN node can provide broadcast services to terminals through a broadcast session. The RAN node can also configure an MRB corresponding to the broadcast session for the terminal to transmit broadcast service data. There are two logical channels for broadcast services: the MBS control channel (MCCH) and the MBS traffic channel (MTCH). The MCCH is used to transmit MTCH configuration information. The MTCH is used to transmit broadcast service data. If a terminal wishes to receive broadcast services, it can obtain MCCH configuration information through system messages. This configuration information includes parameters required for MCCH reception. Therefore, the terminal can receive the MCCH based on this configuration information to obtain MTCH configuration information (such as MBS broadcast configuration information). MTCH configuration information includes parameters required for MTCH reception. Exemplarily, the MTCH configuration information is MBS broadcast configuration information, which indicates information related to the broadcast service session transmitted on the MTCH. Information related to the broadcast service session may include at least one of the following: an MBS session identifier (MBS session ID), scheduling information for the group radio network temporary identifier (G-RNTI) corresponding to the MBS session identifier, or neighboring cell information for one or more MBS sessions provided on the MTCH. Subsequently, the terminal may receive broadcast service data on the MTCH.

[0161] It can be understood that this application only exemplarily refers to the services that can be divided into multicast services and broadcast services as MBS. This application does not specifically limit the name of MBS. With the evolution of wireless communication technology, MBS may also have other names.

[0162] 4. Public Warning System (PWS)

[0163] The public warning system is mainly used to provide various types of public warning information to the terminal to remind the user corresponding to the terminal that they will or are in danger (or threat), so that these users can take timely action to reduce the danger. Exemplarily, the PWS may include at least one of the following: an earthquake and tsunami warning system (ETWS) or a commercial mobile alert system (CMAS). Among them, ETWS is a public warning system for meeting regulatory requirements for warning notifications related to earthquake and / or tsunami events. The ETWS warning notification can be a primary notification (short notification) or a secondary notification (detailed information can be provided). CMAS is a public warning system for sending multiple concurrent warning notifications.

[0164] In specific applications, the RAN node can provide support for PWS through system messages. For example, the RAN node can schedule and broadcast warning information, or the RAN node can page the terminal to indicate that the warning information is being broadcast. Exemplarily, the RAN node can broadcast the warning information through the system information block (SIB). For example, the ETWS primary notification can be sent by SIB6, the ETWS secondary notification can be sent by SIB7, and the CMAS notification can be sent by SIB8. It is understandable that the RAN node can also send ETWS indications and / or CMAS indications to the terminal through paging to trigger the terminal to obtain the corresponding warning information (without delaying it to the next modification period). For example, when there is no small data transmission (SDT), a terminal in the RRC idle state and the RRC inactive state can detect the ETWS / CMAS indication in its own paging opportunity. A terminal in the RRC connected state, or a terminal in the RRC inactive state when performing SDT, can detect the ETWS / CMAS indication in any paging opportunity. Paging indicating the ETWS / CMAS notification triggers system information acquisition.

[0165] 5. NTN

[0166] NTN deploys all or part of the RAN node's functionality on non-terrestrial network equipment, such as high-altitude platforms or satellites. This allows NTN to cover locations where base stations cannot be deployed, such as in the ocean, deserts, or in the air. Furthermore, these network devices are less susceptible to damage and natural disasters, thus improving system reliability. The following describes NTN using satellites, a field currently of significant research interest.

[0167] Satellites can be categorized based on their orbital altitudes: high-orbit satellites, geostationary satellites, and medium- and low-orbit satellites. High-orbit satellites, also known as geostationary satellites, move at the same speed as the Earth's rotational system, thus remaining stationary relative to the Earth. Geostationary satellites also remain stationary relative to the Earth. Medium- and low-orbit satellites move faster relative to the Earth, so the service coverage area they provide also changes with the movement of the satellite. Therefore, the service coverage areas provided by medium- and low-orbit satellites can be divided into two types: quasi-earth-fixed cells and earth-moving cells. A quasi-earth-fixed cell is a cell formed by a medium- and low-orbit satellite by adjusting its beam. The cell's position on the Earth remains stationary for a certain period of time. A ground-moving cell is a cell formed by a medium- and low-orbit satellite by adjusting its beam direction. Therefore, the cell covered by the beam of a medium- and low-orbit satellite moves with the movement of the medium- and low-orbit satellite.

[0168] Satellites can be categorized as transparent satellites and regenerative satellites based on their operating modes. Transparent satellites can forward radio frequency signals from ground-based base stations. For example, they can perform radio frequency filtering, frequency conversion and amplification, and regenerate physical layer signals. Regenerative satellites can perform all or part of a base station's functions, meaning they can be deployed on a satellite. The following describes the NTN network architecture using transparent and regenerative satellites as examples.

[0169] Referring to Figure 1E , a terminal can communicate with a satellite via the air interface (or Uu interface). A satellite can communicate with a gateway via the air interface. A gateway can communicate with a base station. A base station can communicate with the core network via the NG interface. The core network can communicate with the data network via the N6 interface. The satellite shown in Figure 1E is a transparent satellite and can perform functions such as radio frequency filtering, frequency conversion, and amplification. For example, this satellite performs layer 1 functions, regenerating physical layer signals, but does not perform other higher-layer functions.

[0170] Referring to Figure 1F , a terminal can communicate with a satellite via the air interface (or Uu interface). A satellite can communicate with a gateway via the satellite radio interface (SRI). The gateway can communicate with the core network via the NG interface. The core network can communicate with the data network via the N6 interface. The satellite shown in Figure 1E is a regenerative satellite with base station processing capabilities, but it lacks inter-satellite links (ISLs).

[0171] Figure 1G illustrates regenerative satellites equipped with ISLs, such as Satellite 1 and Satellite 2. In Figure 1G , Satellite 1 and Satellite 2 possess base station processing functionality and can communicate via ISLs. Furthermore, Terminal 1 can communicate with Satellite 1 via the air interface (or Uu interface). Satellite 1 can communicate with Gateway 1 via the SRI. Gateway 1 can communicate with the core network via the NG interface. Similarly, Terminal 2 can communicate with Satellite 2 via the air interface (or Uu interface). Satellite 2 can communicate with Gateway 2 via the SRI. Gateway 2 can communicate with the core network via the NG interface. The core network can communicate with the data network via the N6 interface.

[0172] Referring to Figure 1H , a terminal can communicate with a satellite via the air interface (or Uu interface). The satellite can communicate with a gateway via the SRI. The gateway can communicate with the CU. The CU can communicate with the core network via the NG interface. The core network can communicate with the data network via the N6 interface. The satellite shown in Figure 1H is a regenerative satellite and can perform the processing functions of a DU. In this scenario, the satellite can be considered a DU.

[0173] In summary, NTN can address the shortcomings of TN and meet the needs of terminals for communication at any time and anywhere. However, in NTN, communication between RAN nodes and terminals also encounters new challenges. For example, as RAN node coverage expands, the uneven distribution of terminals within the RAN node coverage area can lead to RAN nodes being unable to accurately deliver the broadcast or multicast messages they desire. Furthermore, in NTN, RAN nodes are mobile, so terminals frequently change their serving cells, increasing the latency for terminals to receive multicast / broadcast service data.

[0174] To address the issue of a RAN node being unable to accurately send a broadcast or multicast message that the terminal wishes to receive, this application provides the following two methods:

[0175] Method 1: The RAN node obtains information about the first region and sends the first information and second information related to the first service to the terminal. The first information indicates information about the first region. After receiving the first information, the terminal can determine whether to process the second information, how to process the second information, or determine terminal behavior based on the first and second information based on the information about the first region.

[0176] In the above process, the terminal can determine whether the second information is the information it wants to receive based on the information in the first area, and thus determine whether to process the second information, or determine the method of processing the second information, or determine the terminal behavior based on the first information and the second information.

[0177] For example, if the terminal is located in the first area, the terminal can process the second information; if the terminal is not located in the first area, the terminal does not process the second information. Therefore, method 1 can be used to ensure that the second information sent by the RAN node is applicable to the terminal in the first area, that is, the terminal in different areas may behave differently after receiving the second information. In the present application, the first service can be various services applicable to the communication system. Exemplarily, the first service is a public warning system service or a multicast / broadcast service. It can be understood that when the first service is a public warning system service, the first information can be sent through system information block 6, system information block 7, and system information block 8, and the second information is public warning information, such as at least one of ETWS information and CMAS information. When the first service is a multicast / broadcast service, the first information is sent through system information block 20, system information block 21, a multicast / broadcast service control channel change notification, or a multicast / broadcast service broadcast configuration, and the second information is used to indicate the reception of the first service information or the first service data.

[0178] The specific process of the above method 1 will be introduced in the embodiment shown in Figure 4 below and will not be described in detail here.

[0179] Method 2: The terminal sends first indication information to the RAN node. The first indication information indicates multicast / broadcast service interest indication information corresponding to one or more regions. That is, each region has its own multicast / broadcast service interest indication information. The multicast / broadcast service interest indication information for different regions can be the same or different. The one or more regions may include the first region in which the terminal is located. Alternatively, the terminal obtains the first region information from system information block 21 and, upon entering the first region, sends the first indication information to the RAN node.

[0180] It will be appreciated that after receiving the first indication information, the RAN node can send multicast / broadcast service data to the terminal based on the first indication information. Therefore, through the above method, the RAN node can send broadcast / multicast service data within a region based on the MBS service needs of the terminal in that region, thereby meeting the differentiated needs of terminals for multicast / broadcast services in different regions, thereby improving user experience and the efficiency of multicast / broadcast services. The specific process of the above method 2 is described in the embodiment shown in Figure 6 below and is not further described here.

[0181] In order to solve the problem of long delay in receiving multicast / broadcast service data by the terminal, this application provides the following method 3:

[0182] Method 3: When the first area is about to be covered, the second RAN node obtains information about the multicast / broadcast service and establishes or modifies resources for the multicast / broadcast service. The information about the multicast / broadcast service indicates information about the first area and information about the first session associated with the first area, and the first session is a session for the multicast / broadcast service. It can be understood that the resources for the multicast / broadcast service can be used by the second RAN node to receive multicast / broadcast service session data from the core network. For example, the second RAN node can establish or modify a user plane NG interface tunnel based on information about the first session (such as the ID of the first session), and the user plane NG interface tunnel is used by the second RAN node to receive first session data from the core network.

[0183] During the above process, the second RAN node can obtain multicast / broadcast service information in advance and establish or modify multicast / broadcast service resources. Therefore, when the second RAN node covers the first area, it can promptly provide multicast / broadcast service data to the terminal, reducing the latency in receiving this data, ensuring the continuity of the multicast / broadcast service, and thus improving the user experience. The specific process of Method 3 above will be described in the embodiment shown in Figure 7 below and will not be repeated here.

[0184] It should be understood that although the above methods 1 to 3 are solutions proposed to solve the problems in NTN, they are also applicable to TN without limitation.

[0185] The implementation of the above method is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0186] The method provided in this application can be used in various communication systems. For example, the communication system can be an LTE system, a 5G communication system, a WiFi system, a 3GPP-related communication system, a communication system evolved after 5G (such as a 6G communication system), or a system that integrates multiple systems, etc., without limitation. Among them, 5G can also be referred to as NR. The method provided in this application is described below using the communication system 1000 shown in Figure 2 as an example. Figure 2 is only a schematic diagram and does not constitute a limitation on the applicable scenarios of the technical solution provided in this application.

[0187] Figure 2 shows the architecture of a communication system 1000 provided in this application. In Figure 2 , communication system 1000 includes a RAN 100. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., 110a and 110b in Figure 2 , collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (e.g., 120a-120j in Figure 2 , collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment (not shown in Figure 2). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110.

[0188] RAN 100 can be a 3GPP-related cellular system, such as a 4G or 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolution system (such as a 6G mobile communication system). RAN 100 can also be an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a WiFi system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems. RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity or access node, etc., constitutes a part of the communication system to help terminals achieve wireless access. The multiple RAN nodes 110 in the communication system 1000 can be nodes of the same type or different types. For the specific introduction of RAN nodes and terminals, please refer to the previous description of RAN nodes and terminals, which will not be repeated here.

[0189] Optionally, the communication system 1000 also includes a core network 200. The RAN node 110 is connected to the core network 200 via a wireless or wired manner. The core network network element in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or can be the same physical device that integrates the core network logical functions and the radio access network logical functions. In the present application, the core network 200 can provide service support for the terminal. Exemplarily, the core network 200 may include an AMF network element. The AMF network element can be responsible for terminal access management and mobility management. The core network 200 may also include a session management function (SMF) network element and a UPF network element. The SMF network element can be responsible for session management, such as establishing or modifying a session. The UPF network element can be responsible for connecting to an external network (such as a data network). For example, the UPF can forward data from the RAN to an external network, or forward data from an external network to the RAN.

[0190] Optionally, the communication system 1000 further includes the Internet 300. The Internet 300 can send service data to the core network 200 and / or the RAN.

[0191] It is understandable that in some scenarios, the RAN 100 is an NTN and the RAN node 110 is a transparent satellite or a regenerative satellite. The service coverage area provided by the RAN node 110 can be a ground stationary cell or a ground mobile cell.

[0192] For example, communication system 1000 can be applied to any of the network architectures shown in Figures 1E to 1H. Taking Figure 1E as an example, terminal 120 corresponds to the terminal in Figure 1E, RAN node 110 corresponds to the satellite and base station in Figure 1E, core network 200 corresponds to the core network in Figure 1E, and Internet 300 corresponds to the data network in Figure 1E. Taking Figure 1F as an example, terminal 120 corresponds to the terminal in Figure 1F, RAN node 110 corresponds to the satellite in Figure 1F, core network 200 corresponds to the core network in Figure 1F, and Internet 300 corresponds to the data network in Figure 1F. Taking Figure 1G as an example, terminal 120 corresponds to terminal 1 in Figure 1G , RAN node 110 corresponds to satellite 1 in Figure 1G , core network 200 corresponds to the core network in communication with satellite 1 in Figure 1G , and Internet 300 corresponds to the data network in communication with satellite 1 in Figure 1G . Alternatively, terminal 120 corresponds to terminal 2 in Figure 1G , RAN node 110 corresponds to satellite 2 in Figure 1G , core network 200 corresponds to the core network in communication with satellite 2 in Figure 1G , and Internet 300 corresponds to the data network in communication with satellite 2 in Figure 1G . Taking Figure 1H as an example, terminal 120 corresponds to the terminal in Figure 1H , RAN node 110 corresponds to the satellite and CU in Figure 1H , core network 200 corresponds to the core network in Figure 1H , and Internet 300 corresponds to the data network in Figure 1H .

[0193] It is understood that the communication system 1000 shown in FIG2 is for illustrative 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, the communication system 1000 may further include other devices, and the number of RAN nodes and terminals may be determined based on specific needs and is not limited.

[0194] Optionally, each network element or device in Figure 2 of the present application (such as a RAN node, a terminal or a core network element, etc.) can also be referred to as a communication device, which can be a general device or a dedicated device. This application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0195] Optionally, the relevant functions of each network element or device (such as a RAN node, terminal, or core network element) in Figure 2 of this application can be implemented by a single device, or by multiple devices, or by one or more functional modules within a single device. This application does not impose any specific restrictions on this. It is understood that the above functions can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or a combination of hardware and software, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform).

[0196] In a specific implementation, each network element or device (such as a RAN node, terminal, or core network element) in FIG. 2 of the present application may adopt the composition structure shown in FIG. 3 , or include the components shown in FIG. 3 . FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a communication device applicable to the present application. It is understood that the communication device 30 includes necessary means such as modules, units, elements, circuits, or interfaces, which are appropriately configured together to execute the solution provided by the present application. For example, the communication device 30 includes one or more processors 301 for implementing the method provided by the present application.

[0197] The processor 301 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor. For example, the processor 301 may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control the communication device 30 (such as a RAN node, terminal, core network element or chip), execute software programs, and process data of the software programs. Optionally, in one design, the processor 301 may include a program 305 (sometimes also referred to as code or instructions), which may be executed on the processor 301 so that the communication device 30 performs the methods described in the following embodiments. In another possible design, the communication device 30 includes a circuit (not shown in FIG. 3 ), which is used to implement the methods described in the following embodiments.

[0198] Optionally, the communication device 30 may include one or more memories 303. The memory 303 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM), a cache 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 discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory provided in this application may generally be non-volatile. Optionally, the memory 303 stores a program 307 (sometimes also referred to as code or instruction), and the program 307 can be executed on the processor 301 so that the communication device 30 executes the method described in the following method embodiment.

[0199] Optionally, the processor 301 may include an AI module 306, and / or the memory 303 may include an AI module 308. The AI ​​module is used to implement AI-related functions. The AI ​​module may be implemented using software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. For example, the AI ​​module may include a real-time information processing (RIC) module. For example, the AI ​​module may be a near-real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0200] Optionally, data may be stored in the processor 301 and / or the memory 303. The processor 301 and the memory 303 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0201] Optionally, the communication device 30 may further include a transceiver 302 and / or an antenna 304. The processor 301, sometimes also referred to as a processing unit, controls the communication device 30. The transceiver 302, sometimes also referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, or a transceiver, is configured to implement the transceiver functions of the communication device 30 via the antenna 304.

[0202] It is understandable that the composition structure shown in Figure 3 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. In addition to the components shown in Figure 3, the communication device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0203] The method provided by the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Each network element in the following embodiment may include the components shown in FIG3 , which will not be described in detail.

[0204] It can be understood 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, and the present application does not make any specific limitations on this.

[0205] It is understandable that in this application, "sending information to... (such as a terminal)" can be understood as the destination end of the information being the terminal. This can include sending information to the terminal directly or indirectly. "Receiving information from... (such as a terminal)" can be understood as the source end of the information being the terminal, which can include receiving information from the terminal directly or indirectly. The information may undergo necessary processing between the source end and the destination end of the information transmission, such as format changes, but the destination end can understand the valid information from the source end. Similar expressions in this application can be understood similarly and will not be repeated here.

[0206] It is understood that in this application, " / " can indicate that the objects associated with each other are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can mean A or B; "and / or" can be used to describe that there are three relationships between the associated objects, for example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, expressions similar to "at least one of A, B and C" or "at least one of A, B or C" are usually used to indicate any of the following: A exists alone; B exists alone; C exists alone; A and B exist at the same time; A and C exist at the same time; B and C exist at the same time; A, B and C exist at the same time. The above uses A, B and C as an example to illustrate the optional items of the item. When there are more elements in the expression, the meaning of the expression can be obtained according to the above rules.

[0207] In order to facilitate the description of the technical solutions of the present application, in the present application, words such as "first" and "second" may be used to distinguish between technical features with the same or similar functions. The words such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and the words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit them to be different. In the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design. The use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a concrete way for easy understanding.

[0208] It is understood that the "embodiment" mentioned throughout the specification means that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the various embodiments in the entire specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It is understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence number of each process does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the present application.

[0209] It can be understood that in this application, "when...", "in the case of...", "if" and "if" all mean that corresponding processing will be taken under certain objective circumstances, and do not limit the time, nor do they require judgment actions when implementing them, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0210] The term "simultaneously" in this application may be understood as at the same time point, within a period of time, or within the same cycle.

[0211] It is understood that some optional features in this application may, in certain scenarios, be implemented independently of other features, such as the solution on which they are currently based, to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects. They may also be combined with other features in certain scenarios as needed. Accordingly, the devices provided in this application may also implement these features or functions accordingly, which will not be described in detail here.

[0212] It is understandable that the same step or steps or technical features with the same function in different embodiments of the present application can be referenced to each other.

[0213] It is understood that in the present application, the RAN node and / or terminal and / or access and mobility management network element may perform some or all of the steps in the present application. These steps are merely examples, and 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 presented in the present application, and it is possible that not all of the steps in the present application need to be performed.

[0214] It is understandable that the method provided below in this application uses a RAN node, a terminal, and an access and mobility management network element as examples of the execution entities of the interaction diagram to illustrate the method, but this application does not limit the execution entities of the interaction diagram. For example, the RAN node in the method provided in the following embodiments of this application may also be a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the RAN node to implement the method, or a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the RAN node functions; the terminal in the method provided below in this application may also be a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the terminal to implement the method, or a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions; the access and mobility management network element in the method provided below in this application may also be a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the access and mobility management network element to implement the method, or a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the access and mobility management network element functions.

[0215] As shown in FIG4 , a communication method provided by the present application can enable a RAN node to accurately send a broadcast or multicast message that the terminal wishes to receive to a terminal. The method can include the following steps:

[0216] S401: A first RAN node obtains information of a first area.

[0217] The first RAN node may be any RAN node in the communication system 1000 shown in Figure 2. The first area includes one or more areas within at least one cell, and the at least one cell includes the first cell.

[0218] In one possible design, any one of the one or more areas within the first cell is one of the geographical areas covered by the first cell. That is, the first area is one or more of the multiple geographical areas covered by the cell. That is, the cell coverage area (service area) can be divided into multiple geographical areas, and the first area is one or more of them. It is understandable that the first area can also be a certain geographical area or a part of several geographical areas. That is, for any geographical area, the geographical area can include other areas in addition to the first area, such as the second area, the third area, the fourth area, and so on. In other words, the first area is different from the serving cell. The first area is a geographically significant area. The first area can be covered by multiple cells, that is, the overlapping coverage area of ​​multiple cells. The information of the first area can also include information of multiple cells corresponding to the first area, such as the identification of each cell. In other words, the first area is generally a part of the geographical area corresponding to the serving cell. For example, if the serving cell is divided into m areas, the first area can be one of the areas or multiple areas. For example, the first area is x areas among the m areas, where x is a positive integer less than or equal to m. Other areas such as the second area, the third area, or the fourth area can be understood similarly.

[0219] Another possible design is that any one of the one or more areas within the first cell is an area covered by at least one beam of the first cell. That is to say, the first area may also be an area covered by at least one beam used by the cell for communication. It can be understood that any one of the at least one beam may indicate a beam set. The beam in this solution can specifically be represented by identifiers of various signals, such as the resource index of the channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), the index of the synchronous signal / physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH block or SSB), the resource index of the sounding reference signal (SRS), and the resource index of the tracking reference signal (TRS). In addition, in general, a beam corresponds to a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) port or a transmission configuration index (TCI) or a TRP or a sounding reference signal resource indicator (SRS resource indicator, SRI) (used for uplink data transmission). Therefore, different beams can also be represented by different DMRS ports or TCI or TRP or SRI.

[0220] It is understandable that when the first area includes a geographical area, the information of the first area may indicate the coordinate information of the first area, or may indicate the geographical scope of the first area by indicating a ground reference point and a radius, or the information of the first area may indicate the geographical scope of the first area by the coordinates of the ground reference point, the length and width of the first area, or the information of the first area may indicate the geographical scope of the first area by the start time point and end time point of the first RAN node serving the first area, or the information of the first area may indicate the geographical scope of the first area by the start time point and service duration of the first RAN node serving the first area. Optionally, the above-mentioned ground reference point may be the center point of the first area. When the first area includes multiple geographical areas, the information of the first area may indicate the geographical scope of each area in the multiple areas by any of the above-mentioned methods. The information of the first area may also indicate the identification information of one or more cells covering the first area. The identification information of the cell may be at least one of the following: a cell global identifier (CGI), a physical cell identifier (PCI) and frequency, a physical cell identifier (PCI), a cell identifier (cell ID), a non-public network identifier (NPN ID), a non-terrestrial network identifier (NTN ID), or other cell identifiers. The CGI may include a public land mobile network identifier (PLMN ID) and a cell ID, and may also include a tracking area code.

[0221] It can be understood that when the first area includes an area covered by one or more beams, the information of the first area can indicate one or more beam identification information.

[0222] It is understood that the first area may also include at least one cell. In this case, the information about the first area may include information about the at least one cell, such as the identifier of each cell. Alternatively, the first area may also include at least one tracking area. In this case, the information about the first area may include information about the at least one tracking area, such as the identifier of each tracking area.

[0223] It is understandable that the first RAN node may obtain information about the first area from the core network or the second RAN node. The second RAN node is covering the first area, and the second RAN node may cover part or all of the first area without limitation.

[0224] In a possible implementation, when the first RAN node obtains information about the first area from the core network or the second RAN node, the first RAN node covers part or all of the first area.

[0225] In another possible implementation, when the first RAN node is about to cover the first area, information about the first area can be obtained from the core network or the second RAN node. Here, "about to cover" or "will cover" means that the first RAN node will cover the first area at some point in the future.

[0226] As an example, the first RAN node obtains information about the first area from an access and mobility management network element. The access and mobility management network element may be a network element in the core network 200 in the communication system 1000 shown in FIG2 . For example, when a first service associated with the first area is triggered, the access and mobility management network element may determine information about the first area and send the information about the first area to the first RAN node. Optionally, in order to enable the first RAN node to process the first service in a timely manner, the access and mobility management network element sends the information about the first area to the first RAN node when the first RAN node is about to cover the first area. Exemplarily, the first service is a public warning system service or an MBS service. If the first service is a public warning system service, the access and mobility management network element may send the information about the first area to the first RAN node via a WRITE-REPLACE WARNING REQUEST message. If the first service is an MBS service, the access and mobility management network element may send the information of the first area to the first RAN node via an MBS session establishment / modification request (BROADCAST SESSION SETUP REQUEST or BROADCAST SESSION MODIFICATION REQUEST) message.

[0227] As another example, the first RAN node obtains information about the first area from a second RAN node that is different from the first RAN node. The second RAN node may be a RAN node different from the first RAN node in the communication system 1000 shown in Figure 2 . For example, the second RAN node may obtain information about the first area from an access and mobility management network element and send the information about the first area to the first RAN node. Optionally, to enable the first RAN node to promptly process a first service associated with the first area, the second RAN node may send the information about the first area to the first RAN node when the second RAN node is about to stop covering the first area and the first RAN node is about to cover the first area. "About to stop covering" or "about to stop covering" here means that the second RAN node will stop covering the first area at some point in the future, and may stop covering part or all of the first area. Optionally, the second RAN node may send the information about the first area to the first RAN node via non-terminal-related signaling or terminal-related signaling. Non-terminal-related signaling may be, for example, an access and mobility indication message, and terminal-related signaling may be, for example, a handover request message.

[0228] Optionally, for the two examples above, when the first service is an MBS service, the access and mobility management network element or the second RAN node further sends third information to the first RAN node. The third information is used to request the first RAN node to establish resources related to the first service, such as an NG user plane transmission channel related to the first service session ID. After receiving the third information, the first RAN node may establish resources related to the first service to transmit the first service information to the terminal. It is understood that the access and mobility management network element or the second RAN node may send the third information to the first RAN node when the first RAN node is about to cover the first area, so that the first RAN node can establish resources related to the first service in advance, thereby reducing the latency in the terminal receiving the first service information.

[0229] It can be understood that in the above example, if the first RAN node is a satellite, the access and mobility management network element or the second RAN node can determine that the first RAN node is about to cover the first area based on the movement trajectory of the first RAN node.

[0230] It is understood that the phrase "will soon cover the first area" can be understood as starting to cover the first area at a certain time in the future, or covering part or all of the first area at a certain time in the future. The phrase "will soon cover the first area" can be replaced with "serving the first area at a certain time in the future" or "providing services for the first area at a certain time in the future." The same applies to "will soon stop covering the first area."

[0231] S402: The first RAN node sends first information of a first cell and second information related to a first service to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first information and the second information from the first RAN node.

[0232] In a possible implementation manner, the first RAN node sends the first information and the second information to the terminal when starting to cover or having covered the first area.

[0233] The terminal may be a terminal in communication system 1000 shown in FIG2 that is communicatively connected to the first RAN node. The first information indicates information in the first region. For example, the first information directly includes the information in the first region, or the first RAN node may perform corresponding processing on the information in the first region, such as format conversion, adding information, or subtracting information, to obtain the first information. The first information is used by the terminal to determine whether to process the second information, or how to process the second information. When the first service is a public alert service, the second information is public alert information; when the first service is an MBS service, the second information is used to indicate receipt of first service information or first service data. For example, when the first service is an MBS service, the first service information is information sent by the server of the first service to a terminal subscribed to the first service. When the first service is a public alert service, the first service information is the second information, and the first information is used to indicate how to process the second information.

[0234] It is understood that the first information and the second information can be sent via the same message or via different messages. If the first information and the second information are sent via different messages, the first RAN node can send the first information first and then the second information, or send the second information first and then the first information, or send the first information and the second information simultaneously, without limitation. It is understood that if the first information and the second information are sent via different messages, the first information and the second information include information such as the identifier of the first service to associate the first information with the second information. For ease of description, the following embodiments of this application are described using the example of the first information and the second information being sent via the same message.

[0235] As an example, if the first service is a public warning system service, the first information and the second information are sent by system information block 6, system information block 7, or system information block 8. For example, if the first service is an ETWS service, the second information includes an ETWS primary notification, and the first information and the second information are sent by system information block 6; if the first service is an ETWS service, the second information includes an ETWS secondary notification, and the first information and the second information are sent by system information block 7; if the first service is a CMAS service, the second information includes a CMAS notification, and the first information and the second information are sent by system information block 8.

[0236] As another example, the first service is an MBS service, and the first information and the second information are sent by system information block 20, system information block 21 or MCCH change notification, or are sent by MBS broadcast configuration information.

[0237] S403: The terminal determines whether to process the second information according to the information of the first area.

[0238] In one possible implementation, the terminal measures its own location and, based on its own location and information about the first area, determines whether it is within the first area. This determines whether or how to process the second information. It is understood that the second information includes different content for different services, and the terminal processes the second information differently. For the same service, the terminal processes the second information differently due to different first information transmission messages. This is explained in detail below.

[0239] Case 1: The first service is a public warning system service, and the second information is a public warning information.

[0240] In one possible implementation, if the terminal is located in the first area, the terminal processes the second information, and if the terminal is not located in the first area, the terminal does not process or discards the second information. Processing includes at least one of receiving, continuing to receive, storing, assembling, or delivering to a higher layer.

[0241] It can be understood that in case 1, the first area includes the area corresponding to the alarm event indicated by the public alarm information, such as the area where the alarm event is about to occur or has occurred. Taking the first service as the ETWS service as an example, the first area includes the area where the earthquake and / or tsunami event is about to be sent or has occurred. When the terminal is located in the first area, the terminal can process the second information, and the processing may include storing the second information, continuing to receive the second information, assembling the second information, and delivering the second information to the upper layer (or upper layer, such as the application layer) to trigger the terminal to remind the user corresponding to the terminal that the terminal is about to or is in danger, wherein the second information can indicate an identifier to the terminal, so that the terminal can associate the second information received multiple times into one alarm message. When the terminal is not located in the first area, the terminal discards the second information. For example, if the first information and the second information are sent by system information block 6, the second information includes the ETWS primary notification, and the terminal discards the ETWS primary notification or discards the system information block 6; if the first information and the second information are sent by system information block 7, the second information includes the ETWS secondary notification, and the terminal discards the ETWS secondary notification or discards the system information block 7; if the first information and the second information are sent by system information block 8, the second information includes the CMAS notification, and the terminal discards the CMAS notification or discards the system information block 8.

[0242] It is understandable that the above-mentioned system information block 6, system information block 7 or system information block 8 are not necessarily received by the terminal from the same cell. For example, after receiving system information block 6 in the first cell, the terminal moves to the second cell. The terminal can continue to receive system information block 6 in the second cell, store, continue to receive, assemble, or submit second information to the upper layer. The second information can be system information block 6 or second information included in system information block 6. For example, the system information blocks 6 of the first cell and the second cell both indicate the first area, or the terminal is located in the area indicated by the system information blocks 6 of the first cell and the second cell. When the terminal is in the first cell, it can receive and store the second information. After the terminal moves to the second cell, it can continue to receive the second information, assemble the second information received each time, and submit (forward) the second information to the upper layer (such as the application layer).

[0243] As can be appreciated, in scenario 1, the first RAN node can flexibly implement the applicable scope of the public warning information by sending information about the first region to the terminal. Therefore, this solution allows terminals within the first region to process the public warning information, thereby preventing threats to the personal and property safety of users. Terminals outside the first region are not processed by the public warning information, thus preventing false alarms and impacting user experience.

[0244] Case 2: The first service is an MBS service, and the second information is MCCH configuration information. The first information and the second information are sent by the system information block 20.

[0245] In one possible implementation, if the terminal is located in the first area, the terminal processes the second information, and if the terminal is not located in the first area, the terminal does not process the second information. Optionally, the terminal is interested in the MBS service, such as the terminal is interested in one or more MBS sessions, and the MBS session is identified by an MBS session identifier.

[0246] It can be understood that in case 2, the first area includes the area where the MBS service is applicable, or further, the area associated with the MBS session. When the terminal is located in the first area, the terminal can receive the MBS broadcast configuration information according to the second information. Subsequently, the terminal can receive broadcast service data on the MTCH according to the MBS broadcast configuration information (or the configuration information of the MTCH). When the terminal is not located in the first area, the terminal device does not receive information from the MCCH, that is, the terminal does not receive the MBS broadcast configuration information. Therefore, through the above method, the first RAN node can flexibly implement the applicable scope of the MBS service by sending the information of the first area to the terminal. Specifically, since the terminal in the first area can receive broadcast service data, the terminal can receive the MBS broadcast configuration information according to the configuration information of the MCCH, and then receive the broadcast service data; and the terminals that are not in the first area cannot receive the broadcast service data, so these terminals do not need to receive the MBS broadcast configuration information according to the configuration information of the MCCH.

[0247] Optionally, the MBS broadcast configuration information may include information about the second area corresponding to the MBS session. The description of the second area is similar to that of the first area, and the content included in the information of the second area is similar to that of the information of the first area. Please refer to the corresponding description above and will not be repeated here. The second area is the area associated with the MBS session supported by the serving cell and / or neighboring cell. The MBS session may be one or more MBS sessions. It is understandable that if the second area of ​​the cell to which the terminal reselects does not include the first area, the terminal enters a connected state and requests to receive data in unicast mode, such as the terminal enters an RRC connected state and requests to receive service data of the MBS service associated with the first area in unicast mode, so as to avoid the terminal being unable to receive the service data after residing in the reselected cell. It is understandable that for the above possible implementation, the first information may also be included in the MBS broadcast configuration information. Optionally, in this case, the system information block 20 may also not include the first information.

[0248] For example, taking the first cell as cell 1 in Figure 5, the first area includes area 502 and area 503, and the second area includes area 501 and area 504, if the terminal reselects cell 2, the terminal enters the connection state and requests to receive information in a unicast manner before moving to cell 2.

[0249] Case 3: The first service is an MBS service, and the second information indicates MBS frequency information. MBS frequency information can be understood as information about one or more frequencies supporting the MBS service, or one or more frequencies providing MBS broadcast service data. The first information indicates the third zone corresponding to the MBS frequency, meaning that MBS data transmission on the MBS frequency is supported within the third zone. Supporting MBS data transmission on the MBS frequency within the third zone can be understood as each MBS frequency having a corresponding third zone, or as a shared third zone for multiple MBS frequencies. In other words, the zones corresponding to different MBS frequencies can be the same or different. The first and second information are transmitted in system information block 21.

[0250] In a possible implementation, if the terminal is located in the first area, the terminal processes the second information, and if the terminal is not located in the first area, the terminal does not process the second information. Optionally, the terminal is interested in the MBS service.

[0251] It can be understood that in scenario 3, the first area includes an area with frequencies supporting the MBS service. When the terminal is located in the first area, during cell reselection, if the third area corresponding to the MBS frequency includes the first area, the terminal assigns the MBS frequency the highest priority. In other words, during cell reselection, the terminal considers the priority of MBS frequencies supporting the first area, so that the terminal reselects to a cell supporting the MBS service and ensures MBS service continuity. When the terminal is located in the first area, if the third area corresponding to the MBS frequency does not include the first area, the terminal does not assign the MBS frequency the highest priority, or does not adjust the priority of the MBS frequency, or sets the priority of the MBS frequency to the lowest priority. In other words, during cell reselection, the terminal does not consider the priority of MBS frequencies not supporting the first area.

[0252] It is understandable that the system information block 21 may also include information of areas other than the first area, and frequency information of MBS services supported by the area, without limitation.

[0253] Case 4: The first service is an MBS service, and the second information indicates a change in MCCH configuration information and / or a change in the area for receiving MCCH configuration information. The first and second information are sent via an MCCH change notification, which can be sent to the terminal via downlink control information (DCI). Optionally, the MCCH change notification is also used to notify at least one of the following: the start of an MBS session, the modification of an MBS session, the termination of an MBS session, or the modification of neighboring cell information.

[0254] In a possible implementation, if the terminal is located in the first area, the terminal processes the second information, and if the terminal is not located in the first area, the terminal does not process the second information. Optionally, the terminal is interested in the MBS service.

[0255] It can be understood that in case 4, the first information indicates the area corresponding to the MCCH change notification. For example, if the second information indicates that the configuration information of the MCCH has changed, the first area indicates the area where the MCCH configuration information needs to be re-received. When the terminal is located in the first area, the terminal receives the updated MCCH configuration information, so that the terminal receives the MBS broadcast configuration information according to the updated MCCH configuration information, and receives the broadcast service data according to the MBS broadcast configuration information. If the second information indicates that the area corresponding to the MCCH configuration information has changed, the terminal associates the previously acquired MCCH configuration information with the first area to determine whether it is necessary to re-receive the MCCH configuration. If the second information indicates at least one other item: the start of an MBS session, the modification of an MBS session, the stop of an MBS session, or the modification of neighboring area information, the terminal re-receives the MCCH configuration information, and re-receives the MBS broadcast configuration information based on the newly received MCCH configuration information.

[0256] It can be understood that when the terminal is not located in the first area, the terminal does not obtain the updated MCCH configuration information.

[0257] It can be understood that for the above cases 2 to 4, if the terminal leaves the first area, the terminal stops receiving the first service information.

[0258] It can be understood that the actions of the first RAN node, terminal, second RAN node or access and mobility management network element in the above steps can be executed by the processor 301 in the communication device 30 shown in Figure 3 calling the application code stored in the memory 303, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0259] Based on the method shown in Figure 4, the terminal can determine whether the second message is the message it wishes to receive based on the information in the first region, and thus determine whether to process the second message. For example, if the terminal is located in the first region, the terminal may process the second message; if the terminal is not located in the first region, the terminal does not process the second message. Therefore, the method shown in Figure 4 ensures that the second message sent by the first RAN node is applicable to terminals in the first region, allowing terminals in the first region to receive the messages they wish to receive.

[0260] In addition to the method shown in FIG4 , the present application also provides a communication method for solving the problem that a RAN node cannot accurately send a broadcast or multicast message that the terminal wants to receive to the terminal.

[0261] As shown in FIG6 , another communication method provided by the present application may include the following steps:

[0262] S601: The terminal sends first indication information to the RAN node. Correspondingly, the RAN node receives the first indication information from the terminal.

[0263] The terminal may be any terminal in the communication system 1000 shown in FIG2 . The first indication information indicates the MBS interest indication information corresponding to the first area. Of course, the first indication information may also indicate the MBS interest indication information corresponding to one or more areas. It is understandable that each area has its own MBS interest indication information, and the MBS interest indication information corresponding to different areas may be the same or different. The MBS interest indication information includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the MBS service, priority information of broadcast compared to unicast / multicast, or relevant information of the non-service cell receiving the MBS broadcast. The relevant information of the non-service cell receiving the MBS broadcast may indicate at least one of the following: the frequency, frequency band, carrier spacing, or channel frequency response (CFR) information used by the non-service cell for MBS broadcast reception. The CFR information may indicate one or more of the CFR bandwidth, the starting position of the physical resource block (PRB) occupied by the CFR, or the number of PRBs occupied by the CFR.

[0264] In one possible implementation, the terminal determines a first area, or one or more areas. For example, the terminal may determine the range of the first area, or the range of one or more areas, based on the terminal's location, its movement trajectory, and MBS service requirements. The terminal may also indicate the above areas to the network. It is understood that the first area and any one of the one or more areas have similar meanings. This application uses the first area as an example for description.

[0265] In one possible design, the first area includes at least one cell or tracking area, that is, the terminal can report the MBS service of interest at the cell or tracking area granularity. Alternatively, the first area includes one or more areas within at least one cell. Taking the example of at least one cell including the first cell, any one of the one or more areas within the first cell is an area covered by a beam of the first cell, or is one of the geographical areas covered by the first cell. For other introductions to the first area, please refer to the description of the method described in Figure 4 and will not be repeated here.

[0266] Optionally, before S601, the RAN node sends second indication information to the terminal. Accordingly, the terminal receives the second indication information from the RAN node. The RAN node may be a RAN node in communication system 1000 shown in FIG2 that is communicatively connected to the terminal. The second indication information indicates information about the first area. Optionally, the second indication information is sent by system information block 21. When the terminal enters the first area, the terminal sends MBS interest indication information. Furthermore, if the terminal also receives system information block 20 for the primary cell or the secondary cell, the terminal indicates a list of MBS services of interest in the MBS service indication information when entering the first area. The system information block 20 for the secondary cell is indicated to the terminal via dedicated signaling.

[0267] In one possible design, if the first area includes at least one cell, the information of the first area includes the identifier of each cell in the at least one cell. If the first area includes at least one tracking area, the information of the first area includes the identifier of each tracking area in the at least one tracking area. If the first area includes one or more geographic areas / areas covered by beams within at least one cell, the specific content included in the information of the first area is similar to the content included in the information of the first area in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , and reference may be made to the corresponding description in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , and no further details are given.

[0268] It is understandable that the actions of the RAN node or terminal in the above steps can be executed by the processor 301 in the communication device 30 shown in Figure 3 calling the application code stored in the memory 303, and this application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0269] Based on the method shown in Figure 6, a terminal can report MBS services of interest to the terminal within a first region to the RAN node. The RAN node then transmits MBS service data of interest to the terminal and instructs the terminal on how to transmit the MBS service data, as instructed by the terminal. Therefore, the method shown in Figure 6 can meet the differentiated MBS service requirements of terminals in different regions, thereby improving user experience and MBS service efficiency.

[0270] In addition to the above method, the present application also provides a communication method for reducing the delay of a terminal receiving MBS service data.

[0271] As shown in FIG7 , a communication method provided by the present application may include the following steps:

[0272] S701: The second RAN node obtains information about the MBS service.

[0273] The second RAN node may be any RAN node in the communication system 1000 shown in Figure 2 . The MBS service information may include information about the first area and information about a first session associated with the first area. The first session is a session for the MBS service. The MBS service information may be used to establish or modify MBS service resources, such as establishing or modifying MBS session resources. Subsequently, the second RAN node may receive MBS data from the core network using the MBS session resources and send the MBS data to the terminal.

[0274] In one possible design, the information of the first session includes an identifier of the first session.

[0275] In one possible design, the first area includes at least one cell or tracking area. Alternatively, the first area includes one or more areas within at least one cell. Taking the example of at least one cell including the first cell, any one of the one or more areas within the first cell is an area covered by a beam of the first cell, or is one of the geographical areas covered by the first cell. For other descriptions of the first area, refer to the corresponding description in the embodiment shown in FIG4 .

[0276] It will be appreciated that if the first area includes at least one cell, the information about the first area includes the identifier of each cell in the at least one cell. If the first area includes at least one tracking area, the information about the first area includes the identifier of each tracking area in the at least one tracking area. If the first area includes one or more areas within at least one cell, the specific content included in the information about the first area is similar to the content included in the information about the first area in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , and reference may be made to the corresponding description in the embodiment shown in FIG. A detailed description thereof will not be repeated here.

[0277] In a possible implementation, when the first area is about to be covered, the second RAN node obtains the MBS service information. Specifically, the second RAN node may obtain the MBS service information from the core network or a RAN node other than the second RAN node.

[0278] As an example, the second RAN node obtains MBS service information from an access and mobility management network element. The access and mobility management network element may be a network element in the core network 200 in the communication system 1000 shown in Figure 2 . For example, when the MBS service is triggered, the access and mobility management network element may determine the first area associated with the first session and, if the second RAN node is about to cover the first area, send the MBS service information to the second RAN node. Optionally, the MBS service information is sent via an MBS session establishment / modification request message. It will be appreciated that if the second RAN node has not established an MBS session, the MBS service information is sent via an MBS session establishment request message. If the second RAN node has already established an MBS session, the MBS service information may also be sent via an MBS session modification request message.

[0279] As another example, the second RAN node obtains MBS service information from a first RAN node that is different from the second RAN node. The first RAN node may be a RAN node that is different from the second RAN node in the communication system 1000 shown in Figure 2 . For example, the first RAN node may obtain MBS service information from an access and mobility management network element and, when the second RAN node is about to cover the first area, send the MBS service information to the second RAN node. Alternatively, the first RAN node may send the first area information to the second RAN node via non-terminal-related signaling or terminal-related signaling. Examples of non-terminal-related signaling include access and mobility indication messages, and examples of terminal-related signaling include handover request messages.

[0280] It can be understood that in the above example, if the second RAN node is a satellite, the access and mobility management network element or the first RAN node can determine that the second RAN node is about to cover the first area based on the movement trajectory of the second RAN node.

[0281] It is understandable that the phrase "will soon cover the first area" can be understood as starting to cover the first area at a certain time in the future, or covering part or all of the first area at a certain time in the future. The phrase "will soon cover the first area" can be replaced by "serving the first area at a certain time in the future" or "providing services for the first area at a certain time in the future," etc.

[0282] S702: The second RAN node establishes or modifies resources for the MBS service.

[0283] It is understood that if the second node has already established an MBS session, the second node can modify MBS service resources, such as modifying MBS session resources. If the second RAN node has not established an MBS session, the second node can establish MBS service resources, such as establishing MBS session resources. In this way, the second RAN node can receive MBS data from the core network through the MBS session.

[0284] Optionally, if the information of the MBS service is obtained by the second RAN node from the access and mobility management network element, and the second RAN node agrees to the request, an MBS session establishment / modification response may be sent to the access and mobility management network element.

[0285] Optionally, if the MBS service information is obtained by the second RAN node from the first RAN node, the second RAN node may send a first session request message to a core network element, such as an access and mobility management network element, to trigger the establishment / modification of MBS service resources. After receiving the first session request message, the access and mobility management network element may agree to the establishment / modification of MBS service resources, for example, the core network agrees to send the first session data to the second RAN node. Optionally, the first session request message is sent by an MBS session establishment / modification request message, such as a BROADCAST SESSION SETUP REQUIRED message or a BROADCAST SESSION MODIFICATION REQUIRED message.

[0286] Optionally, if the access and mobility management network element agrees to the request, an MBS session establishment / modification response may be sent to the second RAN node.

[0287] S703: The second RAN node sends MBS data to the terminal in the first area. Correspondingly, the terminal in the first area receives the MBS data from the second RAN node.

[0288] It can be understood that the actions of the second RAN node, the terminal, the first RAN node or the access and mobility management network element in the above steps can be executed by the processor 301 in the communication device 30 shown in Figure 3 calling the application code stored in the memory 303, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0289] Based on the method shown in Figure 7, the second RAN node can obtain MBS service information in advance and establish or modify MBS service resources. Therefore, when the second RAN node covers the first area, it can provide multicast / broadcast service data to the terminal in a timely manner, reducing the latency of the terminal receiving this data, ensuring the continuity of the multicast / broadcast service, and thus improving the user experience.

[0290] The various embodiments mentioned above in this application can be combined without limitation if there is no contradiction between the solutions.

[0291] The above mainly introduces the solution provided by this application from the perspective of interaction between various network elements. Accordingly, this application also provides a communication device, which can be a terminal in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above terminal, or a component that can be used for a terminal; or, the communication device can be a RAN node in the above method embodiment (such as the first RAN node or the second RAN node in the embodiment shown in FIG4 , or the RAN node in the embodiment shown in FIG6 , or the first RAN node or the second RAN node in the embodiment shown in FIG7 ), or a device including the above RAN node, or a component that can be used for a RAN node; or, the communication device can be an access and mobility management network element in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above access and mobility management network element, or a component that can be used for an access and mobility management network element. It is understood that, in order to implement the above functions, the above terminal, RAN node, or access and mobility management network element includes hardware structures and / or software modules that perform the corresponding functions. Those skilled in the art should readily appreciate that, in combination with the various exemplary units and algorithmic operations described in the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is implemented in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional technicians may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0292] This application can divide the functional modules of a terminal, RAN node, or access and mobility management network element according to the above-mentioned method examples. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into a single processing module. The above-mentioned integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules. It should be understood that the module division in this application is illustrative and only represents a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used.

[0293] For example, FIG8 illustrates a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 80, where the functional modules are integrated. Communication device 80 includes an interface module 801 and a processing module 802. Interface module 801, also known as an interface unit, performs transceiver operations and may be, for example, an interface circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface. Processing module 802, also known as a processing unit, performs operations other than transceiver operations and may be, for example, a processing circuit or a processor.

[0294] In some embodiments, the communication device 80 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 8 ) for storing program instructions and data.

[0295] In some embodiments, the communication device 80 may further include an AI module (not shown in FIG8 ) for implementing AI-related functions. The AI ​​module may implement AI functions through software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. For example, the AI ​​module includes an RIC module. Optionally, the AI ​​module and the storage module are integrated into a single module, or the AI ​​module and the processing module 802 are integrated into a single module.

[0296] Exemplarily, the communication device 80 is used to implement the functions of a terminal. The communication device 80 is, for example, the terminal described in the embodiment shown in FIG4 .

[0297] The interface module 801 is configured to receive first information from a first cell, wherein the first information indicates information of a first area. For example, the interface module 801 may be configured to execute S402.

[0298] Processing module 802 is configured to determine, based on the information about the first area, whether to process second information related to the first service. The first service may be a public warning system service and the second information may be public warning information; alternatively, the first service may be a multicast / broadcast service and the second information may indicate receipt of the first service information. For example, processing module 802 may be configured to execute S403.

[0299] In a possible implementation, the first area includes one or more areas within at least one cell, and the at least one cell includes the first cell.

[0300] In a possible implementation, any one of the one or more areas within the first cell is an area covered by a beam of the first cell, or is one of the geographical areas covered by the first cell.

[0301] In one possible implementation, the first service is a public alarm system service, and the processing module 802 is specifically used to process the second information if the terminal is located in the first area, and the processing includes at least one of receiving, storing, assembling or submitting to the upper layer; or, the processing module 802 is specifically used to discard the second information if the terminal is not located in the first area.

[0302] In a possible implementation, the first service is a public warning system service, and the first information and the second information are sent by system information block 6, system information block 7, or system information block 8.

[0303] In a possible implementation, the first service is a multicast / broadcast service, and the first information and the second information are sent by a system information block 20, a system information block 21, or a multicast / broadcast service control channel change notification.

[0304] In one possible implementation, the first information and the second information are sent by the system information block 20, and the second information is the configuration information of the multicast / broadcast service control channel; the processing module 802 is specifically used to process the second information if the terminal is located in the first area; processing the second information includes: receiving the multicast / broadcast service broadcast configuration information according to the second information.

[0305] In one possible implementation, the multicast / broadcast service broadcast configuration information includes information of the second area, where the second area is the area associated with the multicast / broadcast service session supported by the serving cell and / or neighboring cell; the processing module 802 is also used to enter the connected state and request to receive data in unicast mode if the second area of ​​the reselected cell does not include the first area.

[0306] In one possible implementation, the first information and the second information are sent by the system information block 21, and the second information indicates the frequency of the multicast / broadcast service supported by the first area; the processing module 802 is specifically used to process the second information if the terminal is located in the first area; processing the second information includes: giving the frequency of the multicast / broadcast service supported by the first area as the highest priority when the cell is reselected.

[0307] In one possible implementation, the first information and the second information are sent by a multicast / broadcast service control channel change notification, and the second information indicates a change in the configuration information of the multicast / broadcast service control channel, and / or indicates a change in the area for receiving the configuration information of the multicast / broadcast service control channel; the processing module 802 is specifically used to process the second information if the terminal is located in the first area; processing the second information includes: receiving the updated configuration information of the multicast / broadcast service control channel.

[0308] In a possible implementation, the processing module 802 is further configured to stop receiving the first service information if the terminal leaves the first area.

[0309] When used to implement the functions of the terminal, for other functions that the communication device 80 can implement, reference can be made to the relevant introduction of the embodiment shown in FIG4 , and no further details will be given.

[0310] Alternatively, illustratively, the communication device 80 is configured to implement the functions of the first RAN node. The communication device 80 is, for example, the first RAN node described in the embodiment shown in FIG4 .

[0311] The processing module 802 is configured to obtain information about the first area. For example, the processing module 802 may be configured to execute S401.

[0312] Interface module 801 is configured to send first information about a first cell and second information related to a first service to a terminal. The first information indicates information about the first area, and the first information is used by the terminal to determine whether to process the second information. Alternatively, the first service may be a public warning system service, and the second information may be public warning information; or alternatively, the first service may be a multicast / broadcast service, and the second information may indicate receipt of the first service information. For example, interface module 801 may be configured to execute S402.

[0313] In a possible implementation, the first area includes one or more areas within at least one cell, and the at least one cell includes the first cell.

[0314] In a possible implementation, any one of the one or more areas within the first cell is an area covered by a beam of the first cell, or is one of the geographical areas covered by the first cell.

[0315] In one possible implementation, the processing module 802 is specifically configured to receive information from the first area of ​​the core network element through the interface module 801; or, the processing module 802 is specifically configured to receive information from the first area of ​​the second radio access network node through the interface module 801.

[0316] In one possible implementation, the first service is a multicast / broadcast service, and the interface module 801 is also used to send multicast / broadcast service broadcast configuration information to the terminal. The multicast / broadcast service broadcast configuration information includes information of the second area, and the second area is the area associated with the multicast / broadcast service session supported by the serving cell and / or neighboring area.

[0317] In a possible implementation, the first service is a multicast / broadcast service, and the first information and the second information are sent by a system information block 20, a system information block 21, or a multicast / broadcast service control channel change notification.

[0318] In a possible implementation, the first service is a public warning service, and the first information and the second information are sent by system information block 6, system information block 7, or system information block 8.

[0319] When used to implement the function of the first RAN node, for other functions that the communication device 80 can implement, reference can be made to the relevant introduction of the embodiment shown in FIG4 , and no further details will be given.

[0320] Alternatively, illustratively, the communication device 80 is configured to implement the functions of a second RAN node / access and mobility management network element. The communication device 80 is, for example, the second RAN node / access and mobility management network element described in the embodiment shown in FIG4 .

[0321] Processing module 802 is configured to determine information about a first region. The information about the first region is used by the terminal to determine whether to process second information related to a first service, where the first service is a public warning system service and the second information is public warning information; or, where the first service is a multicast / broadcast service and the second information is used to indicate receipt of the first service information.

[0322] The interface module 801 is configured to send information of a first area to a first radio access network node.

[0323] In a possible implementation, the first area includes one or more areas within at least one cell, and the at least one cell includes the first cell.

[0324] In a possible implementation, any one of the one or more areas within the first cell is an area covered by a beam of the first cell, or is one of the geographical areas covered by the first cell.

[0325] In a possible implementation, the interface module 801 is further configured to send third information to the first radio access network node when the first radio access network node is about to cover the first area, where the third information is used to request the first radio access network node to establish resources related to the first service.

[0326] In a possible implementation, the interface module 801 is specifically configured to send information about the first area to the first radio access network node when the first radio access network node is about to cover the first area.

[0327] When used to implement the functions of the second RAN node / access and mobility management network element, for other functions that the communication device 80 can implement, please refer to the relevant introduction of the embodiment shown in Figure 4, and no further details will be given.

[0328] Alternatively, illustratively, the communication device 80 is configured to implement the functions of the second RAN node. The communication device 80 is, for example, the second RAN node described in the embodiment shown in FIG7 .

[0329] Processing module 802 is configured to obtain information about a multicast / broadcast service when the first area is about to be covered. The multicast / broadcast service information indicates information about the first area and information about a first session associated with the first area, where the first session is a session for the multicast / broadcast service. For example, processing module 802 may be configured to execute S701.

[0330] The processing module 802 is configured to establish or modify resources for a multicast / broadcast service. For example, the processing module 802 may be configured to execute S702.

[0331] In a possible implementation, the first area includes at least one cell or tracking area; or, the first area includes one or more areas within at least one cell.

[0332] In a possible implementation, at least one cell includes a first cell, and any one of the one or more areas within the first cell is an area covered by a beam of the first cell, or is one of the geographical areas covered by the first cell.

[0333] In one possible implementation, the processing module 802 is specifically used to receive information about multicast / broadcast services from a core network element through the interface module 801; or, the processing module 802 is specifically used to receive information about multicast / broadcast services from a first wireless access network node through the interface module 801.

[0334] In a possible implementation, the interface module 801 is further configured to send request information of the first session to a core network element.

[0335] In a possible implementation, the information of the first session is sent by a multicast / broadcast service session establishment / modification request message.

[0336] When used to implement the function of the second RAN node, for other functions that can be implemented by the communication device 80, reference can be made to the relevant introduction of the embodiment shown in FIG7 , and no further details will be given.

[0337] Alternatively, illustratively, the communication device 80 is configured to implement the functions of a first RAN node / access and mobility management network element. The communication device 80 is, for example, the second RAN node / access and mobility management network element described in the embodiment shown in FIG7 .

[0338] The processing module 802 is configured to determine a first area associated with a first session, wherein the first session is a session for a multicast / broadcast service.

[0339] Interface module 801 is configured to send multicast / broadcast service information to a second radio access network node when the second radio access network node is about to cover a first area. The multicast / broadcast service information indicates information about the first area and information about the first session, and is used to establish or modify resources for the multicast / broadcast service.

[0340] In a possible implementation, the first area includes at least one cell or tracking area; or, the first area includes one or more areas within at least one cell.

[0341] In a possible implementation, at least one cell includes a first cell, and any one of the one or more areas within the first cell is an area covered by a beam of the first cell, or is one of the geographical areas covered by the first cell.

[0342] In a possible implementation, the multicast / broadcast service information is sent by a multicast / broadcast service session establishment / modification request message.

[0343] When used to implement the functions of the first RAN node / access and mobility management network element, for other functions that can be implemented by the communication device 80, reference can be made to the relevant introduction of the embodiment shown in Figure 7, and no further details will be given.

[0344] Alternatively, illustratively, the communication device 80 is used to implement the functions of a terminal. The communication device 80 is, for example, the terminal described in the embodiment shown in FIG6 .

[0345] The processing module 802 is configured to determine first indication information, wherein the first indication information indicates multicast / broadcast service interest indication information corresponding to the first area.

[0346] The interface module 801 is configured to send first indication information to a radio access network node. For example, the interface module 801 may be configured to execute S601.

[0347] In a possible implementation, the first area includes at least one cell or tracking area; or, the first area includes one or more areas within at least one cell.

[0348] In a possible implementation, at least one cell includes a first cell, and any one of the one or more areas within the first cell is an area covered by a beam of the first cell, or is one of the geographical areas covered by the first cell.

[0349] In a possible implementation, the interface module 801 is further configured to receive second indication information from a radio access network node, where the second indication information indicates information of the first area.

[0350] In a possible implementation, the interface module 801 is specifically configured to send first indication information to a radio access network node when entering the first area.

[0351] In a possible implementation manner, the second indication information is sent by the system information block 21.

[0352] When used to implement the functions of the terminal, for other functions that the communication device 80 can implement, reference can be made to the relevant introduction of the embodiment shown in FIG6 , and no further details will be given.

[0353] Alternatively, illustratively, the communication device 80 is used to implement the function of a RAN node. The communication device 80 is, for example, the RAN node described in the embodiment shown in FIG6 .

[0354] The interface module 801 is configured to receive first indication information from a terminal, wherein the first indication information indicates multicast / broadcast service interest indication information corresponding to a first area. For example, the interface module 801 may be configured to execute S601.

[0355] The processing module 802 is configured to send information related to the multicast / broadcast service to the terminal according to the first indication information.

[0356] In a possible implementation, the first area includes at least one cell or tracking area; or, the first area includes one or more areas within at least one cell.

[0357] In a possible implementation, at least one cell includes a first cell, and any one of the one or more areas within the first cell is an area covered by a beam of the first cell, or is one of the geographical areas covered by the first cell.

[0358] In a possible implementation, the interface module 801 is further configured to send second indication information to the terminal, where the second indication information indicates information of the first area.

[0359] In a possible implementation manner, the second indication information is sent by the system information block 21.

[0360] When used to implement the functions of a RAN node, for other functions that the communication device 80 can implement, reference can be made to the relevant introduction of the embodiment shown in FIG6 , and no further details will be given.

[0361] In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art may conceive that the communication device 80 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 80 to execute the method described in the above embodiment.

[0362] Exemplarily, the functions / implementation processes of the interface module 801 and the processing module 802 in FIG8 can be implemented by the processor 301 in FIG3 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 303. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 802 in FIG8 can be implemented by the processor 301 in FIG3 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 303, and the functions / implementation processes of the interface module 801 in FIG8 can be implemented by the transceiver 302 in FIG3.

[0363] 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 in software, the software exists in the form of computer program instructions and is stored in a memory, and a processor can be used to execute the program instructions and implement the above method flow. The processor can be built into a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or ASIC, or it can be an independent semiconductor chip. In addition to the core for executing software instructions to perform calculations or processing within the processor, it can further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs) or logic circuits that implement dedicated logic operations.

[0364] 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.

[0365] 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.

[0366] 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.

[0367] 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.

[0368] Optionally, the present application also provides a computer instruction. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be completed by computer instructions to instruct related hardware (such as a computer, processor, access and mobility management network element, terminal or RAN node, etc.). The program can be stored in the above computer-readable storage medium or in the above computer program product.

[0369] Optionally, the present application further provides a communication system, comprising: the first RAN node and the terminal in the method shown in Figure 4. Optionally, the communication system further comprises the access and mobility management network element in the method shown in Figure 4, and / or the second RAN node.

[0370] Optionally, the present application also provides a communication system, including: the RAN node and terminal in the method shown in Figure 6.

[0371] Optionally, the present application further provides a communication system, comprising: the second RAN node and the terminal in the method shown in Figure 7. Optionally, the communication system further comprises the access and mobility management network element in the method shown in Figure 7, and / or the first RAN node.

[0372] 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.

[0373] 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.

[0374] 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.

[0375] 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.

[0376] 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: The method comprises: receiving first information from a first cell, where the first information indicates information of a first area; determining whether to process second information related to the first service based on the information of the first area; The first service is a public warning system service, and the second information is public warning information; or, the first service is a multicast / broadcast service, and the second information is used to indicate reception of the first service information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first area includes one or more areas within at least one cell, and the at least one cell includes the first cell.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that Any one of the one or more areas within the first cell is an area covered by a beam of the first cell, or is one of the geographical areas covered by the first cell.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The first service is a public warning system service, and determining whether to process second information related to the first service based on the information of the first area includes: If the terminal is located in the first area, processing the second information, wherein the processing includes at least one of receiving, storing, assembling, or submitting to a higher layer; or If the terminal is not located in the first area, the second information is discarded.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The first service is a public warning system service, and the first information and the second information are sent by system information block 6, system information block 7 or system information block 8.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The first service is a multicast / broadcast service, and the first information and the second information are sent by a system information block 20, a system information block 21 or a multicast / broadcast service control channel change notification.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The first information and the second information are sent by the system information block 20, and the second information is the configuration information of the multicast / broadcast service control channel; The determining, based on the information of the first area, whether to process second information related to the first service includes: If the terminal is located in the first area, processing the second information; The processing of the second information includes: receiving multicast / broadcast service broadcast configuration information according to the second information.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The multicast / broadcast service broadcast configuration information includes information of a second area, where the second area is an area associated with a multicast / broadcast service session supported by the serving cell and / or the neighboring cell; and the method further includes: If the second area of ​​the reselected cell does not include the first area, the connected state is entered to request to receive data in unicast mode.

9. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The first information and the second information are sent by a system information block 21, and the second information indicates the frequency of the multicast / broadcast service supported by the first area; The determining, based on the information of the first area, whether to process second information related to the first service includes: If the terminal is located in the first area, processing the second information; The processing of the second information includes: taking the frequency of the multicast / broadcast service supported by the first area as the highest priority during cell reselection.

10. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The first information and the second information are sent by a multicast / broadcast service control channel change notification, and the second information indicates a change in configuration information of the multicast / broadcast service control channel and / or indicates a change in an area for receiving the configuration information of the multicast / broadcast service control channel; The determining, based on the information of the first area, whether to process second information related to the first service includes: If the terminal is located in the first area, processing the second information; The processing of the second information includes: receiving updated configuration information of the multicast / broadcast service control channel.

11. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 10, characterized in that The method further comprises: If the terminal leaves the first area, it stops receiving the first service information.

12. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Get information about the first area; Sending first information of a first cell and second information related to a first service to a terminal, where the first information indicates information of the first area, and the first information is used by the terminal to determine whether to process the second information; The first service is a public warning system service, and the second information is public warning information; or, the first service is a multicast / broadcast service, and the second information is used to indicate reception of the first service information.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The first area includes one or more areas within at least one cell, and the at least one cell includes the first cell.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that Any one of the one or more areas within the first cell is an area covered by a beam of the first cell, or is one of the geographical areas covered by the first cell.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that The acquiring the information of the first area includes: receiving information about the first area from a core network element; or, Receive information about the first area from a second radio access network node.

16. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that The first service is a multicast / broadcast service, and the method further includes: Multicast / broadcast service broadcast configuration information is sent to the terminal, where the multicast / broadcast service broadcast configuration information includes information of a second area, where the second area is an area associated with a multicast / broadcast service session supported by a serving cell and / or a neighboring cell.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that The first service is a multicast / broadcast service, and the first information and the second information are sent by a system information block 20, a system information block 21 or a multicast / broadcast service control channel change notification.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that The first service is a public alarm service, and the first information and the second information are sent by system information block 6, system information block 7 or system information block 8.

19. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Determining information of a first area, where the information of the first area is used by the terminal to determine whether to process second information related to a first service, where the first service is a public warning system service and the second information is public warning information; or, where the first service is a multicast / broadcast service, the second information is used to indicate receipt of the first service information; Send information about the first area to the first radio access network node.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The first area includes one or more areas within at least one cell, and the at least one cell includes the first cell.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that Any one of the one or more areas within the first cell is an area covered by a beam of the first cell, or is one of the geographical areas covered by the first cell.

22. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 21, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the first radio access network node is about to cover the first area, third information is sent to the first radio access network node, where the third information is used to request the first radio access network node to establish resources related to the first service.

23. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 22, characterized in that The sending the information of the first area to the first radio access network node includes: When the first radio access network node is about to cover the first area, information about the first area is sent to the first radio access network node.

24. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, or a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 12 to 18, or a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 19 to 23.

25. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, the processor being coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store programs or instructions, which, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, or the method according to any one of claims 12 to 18, or the method according to any one of claims 19 to 23.

26. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instruction stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program or instructions are executed, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, or the method according to any one of claims 12 to 18, or the method according to any one of claims 19 to 23.

27. A computer program product, comprising computer program code, characterized in that: When the computer program code is run on a computer, the computer is enabled to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 11, or the method of any one of claims 12 to 18, or the method of any one of claims 19 to 23.

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