Communication method and apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium. The method comprises: a third network element receiving a first packet from a first network element, the source IP address of the first packet being a first IP address of the first network element; and, when it is determined that the first packet satisfies a first filtering condition, sending a first request to a fourth network element. The first request is used for requesting the establishment of a voice-dedicated bearer. The first request comprises first PCC rule information corresponding to the first filtering condition, and the source IP address of the first filtering condition comprises the first IP address of the first network element. According to embodiments of the present application, when a PCF / PCRF failure occurs, interaction can be carried out by means of network elements such as an SBC, UPF / PGW-U, and SMF / PGW-C, so that the establishment of the voice dedicated bearer is achieved, and the reliability of a voice service can be improved.

Description

Communication method, device and computer-readable storage medium

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on March 8, 2024, with application number 202410268787.3 and application name “Communication Method, Device and Computer-readable Storage Medium”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular to a communication method, device, and computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0003] In VoLTE (voice over LTE) and VoNR (voice over NR), before a terminal device performs voice communication, it is usually necessary to first establish a default signaling bearer with a QoS class identifier (QCI) of 5, and then establish a voice-dedicated bearer (QCI = 1) based on the default signaling bearer with QCI of 5.

[0004] When establishing a dedicated voice bearer, relevant network elements (such as the proxy-call session control function P-CSCF) need to interact with the policy and charging rules function (PCRF) / policy control function (PCF) to trigger the PCRF / PCF to provide dynamic policy and charging control (PCC) rules to establish a dedicated voice bearer based on the dynamic PCC rules. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application disclose a communication method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium, which can establish a dedicated voice bearer in the event of a failure of a network element such as a PCRF / PCF, thereby ensuring that voice services can be successfully carried out.

[0006] A first aspect discloses a communication method, which can be applied to a third network element, a module (e.g., a processor) in the third network element, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the third network element. The following description takes application to the third network element as an example, and the communication method may include: the third network element receives a first message from a first network element, where the source Internet Protocol (IP) address of the first message is the first IP address of the first network element; and upon determining that the first message meets a first filtering condition, sends a first request to a fourth network element, where the first request is used to request establishment of a dedicated voice bearer, the first request includes first policy and charging control (PCC) rule information corresponding to the first filtering condition, and the source IP address of the first filtering condition includes the first IP address of the first network element.

[0007] In an embodiment of the present application, if the first message is unreachable, the first network element may determine that an anomaly has occurred between the SBC (P-CSCF) and all PCFs / PCRFs (e.g., a PCF / PCRF failure, an SBC (P-CSCF) to PCF / PCRF interface failure, etc.). Subsequently, the first network element may construct a corresponding first message and send the first message to a third network element. After receiving the first message, the third network element may determine that the first message matches a first filter, indicating that an anomaly has occurred between the SBC (P-CSCF) and all PCFs / PCRFs. Subsequently, the third network element may notify the fourth network element to establish a dedicated voice bearer. It can be seen that in the above approach, corresponding configurations (e.g., message construction, filter condition setting, static PCC rules corresponding to the dedicated voice bearer, etc.) may be performed on the first network element, the third network element, and the fourth network element. Then, when an anomaly occurs between the SBC (P-CSCF) and all PCFs / PCRFs, the first network element, the third network element, and the fourth network element may interact accordingly to establish a dedicated voice bearer, thereby ensuring the reliability of voice services and improving service quality.

[0008] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a first response from the fourth network element, the first response being used to indicate relevant resources for establishing a dedicated voice bearer; and establishing relevant resources for the dedicated voice bearer based on the first response.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present application, the fourth network element can control the establishment of the voice dedicated bearer as a whole. Therefore, after receiving the first response from the fourth network element, the third network element can establish the relevant resources of the voice dedicated bearer based on the first response to ensure that the voice dedicated bearer can be successfully established.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a second message from the first network element, the source IP address of the second message being the second IP address of the first network element; when a dedicated voice bearer has been established and it is determined that the second message meets the first filtering condition, sending a second request to the fourth network element, the second request being used to request an update of the dedicated voice bearer, the second request including the first PCC rule information, and the source IP address of the first filtering condition also including the second IP address of the first network element.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present application, when the IP address and port number of the first network element corresponding to the dedicated voice bearer change, such as from a first IP address to a second IP address, the first network element can directly change the source IP address and / or source port number in the voice message. When the third network element detects that the source IP address and / or source port number in the voice message are different from the IP address and / or port number of the first network element corresponding to the dedicated voice bearer, an update of the dedicated voice bearer can be triggered. This approach can directly trigger an update of the dedicated voice bearer while sending downlink voice messages normally, which is simple to implement and highly efficient.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a second response from the fourth network element, the second response being used to indicate updating relevant resources of the voice dedicated bearer; and updating relevant resources of the voice dedicated bearer based on the second response.

[0013] In the embodiment of the present application, the fourth network element can control the update of the voice dedicated bearer as a whole. Therefore, after receiving the second response from the fourth network element, the third network element can update the relevant resources of the voice dedicated bearer based on the second response.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, before the third network element receives the first message from the first network element, the method also includes: receiving a fourth request from the fourth network element, the fourth request being used to request establishment of relevant resources for a default bearer with a service quality level identifier QCI of 5, the fourth request including second PCC rule information; and establishing relevant resources for the default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule information.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present application, the fourth network element can control the establishment of the default bearer as a whole. After receiving the fourth request from the fourth network element, the third network element can establish relevant resources of the default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the fourth request, so that a voice-dedicated bearer can be established based on the default bearer with a QCI of 5 later.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes: when the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5 are successfully established, sending a fourth response to the fourth network element, where the fourth response is used to indicate the successful establishment of the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5.

[0017] In an embodiment of the present application, after successfully establishing the relevant resources for the default bearer with a QCI of 5, the third network element can return a corresponding response to the fourth network element, so that the fourth network element can understand the situation of the third network element establishing the relevant resources for the default bearer with a QCI of 5, and then perform further processing based on the relevant situation.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method also includes: receiving a sixth request from the fourth network element, the sixth request being used to request updating the relevant resources of the default bearer with a QCI of 5, the sixth request including the second PCC rule information; and updating the relevant resources of the default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule information.

[0019] In the embodiment of the present application, the fourth network element can control the update of the default bearer as a whole. Therefore, after receiving the sixth request from the fourth network element, the third network element can update the relevant resources of the default bearer based on the sixth request.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method also includes: when the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5 are successfully updated, sending a sixth response to the fourth network element, where the sixth response is used to indicate the successful update of the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5.

[0021] In an embodiment of the present application, after successfully updating the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5, the third network element can return a corresponding response to the fourth network element, so that the fourth network element can understand the situation of the third network element updating the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5, and then perform further processing based on the relevant situation.

[0022] A second aspect discloses a communication method, which can be applied to a first network element, a module (e.g., a processor) in the first network element, or a logic module or software that implements all or part of the functions of the first network element. The following description uses the application to the first network element as an example. The communication method may include: the first network element sending a first message to a second network element, the first message being used to request establishment of a dedicated voice bearer; and if the first message is unreachable, the first network element sending a first message to a third network element, the source Internet Protocol (IP) address of the first message being the first IP address of the first network element.

[0023] In an embodiment of the present application, when it is necessary to establish a dedicated voice bearer, the first network element can send a first message to the second network element. If an abnormality occurs between the SBC (P-CSCF) and all PCF / PCRFs (such as PCF / PCRF failure, SBC (P-CSCF) to PCF / PCRF interface failure, etc.), the first message will be unreachable. In this case, the first network element can construct a first message and then send the first message to the third network element, triggering the third network element to notify the fourth network element to use the pre-configured PCC rules to establish a dedicated voice bearer to ensure that the user's voice service can proceed normally.

[0024] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, after sending the first message to the third network element, the method also includes: when a dedicated voice bearer has been established, the first network element sends a second message to the third network element, and the source IP address of the second message is the second IP address of the first network element.

[0025] With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the first message is a Real-time Transport Control Protocol RTCP message, and the second message is a Real-time Transport Protocol RTP message.

[0026] In this embodiment of the present application, since the dedicated voice bearer has not yet been established when the first message is sent, the first message can be an RTCP message, which can efficiently and conveniently trigger the third network element to notify the fourth network element to establish a dedicated voice bearer using a pre-configured PCC rule. When the second message is sent, the dedicated voice bearer has already been established. In this case, the second message can directly be a downlink voice message during a call, which can simply and efficiently trigger the third network element to notify the fourth network element to update the dedicated bearer.

[0027] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, before the first network element sends the second message to the third network element, the method also includes: sending a second message to the second network element, the second message being used to request an update of the voice dedicated bearer; in the event that the second message is unreachable, the first network element sends a second message to the third network element.

[0028] It should be noted that the technical solution of the second aspect of this application may correspond to the solution of the first aspect, and the relevant beneficial effects can also refer to the beneficial effects of the first aspect.

[0029] A third aspect discloses a communication method, which can be applied to a fourth network element, or to a module (e.g., a processor) in the fourth network element, or to a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the fourth network element's functions. The following description takes application to the fourth network element as an example, and the communication method may include: the fourth network element receives a first request from a third network element, the first request being used to request establishment of a dedicated voice bearer, the first request including first policy and charging control (PCC) rule information; establishing a dedicated voice bearer based on the first PCC rule information; wherein the third network element is a UPF / PGW-U, and when the third network element is a UPF, the fourth network element is an SMF, and when the third network element is a PGW-U, the third network element is a PGW-C.

[0030] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation, establishing a dedicated voice bearer based on the first PCC rule information includes: sending a first response to the third network element based on the first PCC rule information, where the first response is used to indicate relevant resources for establishing a dedicated voice bearer.

[0031] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a second request from the third network element, the second request being used to request an update of a dedicated voice bearer, the second request including the first PCC rule information; and updating the dedicated voice bearer based on the first PCC rule information.

[0032] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation, updating the voice dedicated bearer based on the first PCC rule information includes: sending a second response to the third network element based on the first PCC rule information, where the second response is used to indicate updating related resources of the voice dedicated bearer.

[0033] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation, before the fourth network element receives the first request from the third network element, the method also includes: sending a third request to the second network element, the third request being used to request obtaining the dynamic PCC rule corresponding to the default bearer with a service quality level identifier QCI of 5; if the third request is unreachable, establishing a default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule.

[0034] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation, establishing a default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule includes: sending a fourth request to the third network element, the fourth request being used to request relevant resources for establishing a default bearer with a QCI of 5, and the fourth request including second PCC rule information.

[0035] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes receiving a fourth response from the third network element, where the fourth response is used to indicate that relevant resources of the default bearer with a QCI of 5 are successfully established.

[0036] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the method also includes: sending a fifth request to the second network element, the fifth request being used to request obtaining the dynamic PCC rule corresponding to the updated default bearer with a QCI of 5; if the fifth request is unreachable, updating the default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule.

[0037] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation, updating the default bearer with QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule includes: sending a sixth request to the third network element, the sixth request being used to request updating relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI of 5, and the sixth request including the second PCC rule information.

[0038] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a sixth response from the third network element, where the sixth response is used to indicate a successful update of relevant resources of the default bearer with a QCI of 5.

[0039] It should be noted that the technical solution of the third aspect of this application may correspond to the solutions of the first and second aspects, and the relevant beneficial effects can also refer to the beneficial effects of the first and second aspects.

[0040] A fourth aspect discloses a communication device, which may be a third network element or a module (e.g., a processor) in the third network element. The communication device includes:

[0041] a receiving unit, configured to receive a first message from a first network element, wherein a source Internet Protocol (IP) address of the first message is a first IP address of the first network element;

[0042] A sending unit is configured to send a first request to a fourth network element when determining that the first message meets the first filtering condition, where the first request is used to request establishment of a dedicated voice bearer, the first request including first policy and charging control PCC rule information corresponding to the first filtering condition, and the source IP address of the first filtering condition including the first IP address of the first network element.

[0043] With reference to the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a first response from the fourth network element, where the first response is used to indicate relevant resources for establishing a dedicated voice bearer;

[0044] The device may also include:

[0045] The processing unit is configured to establish relevant resources of a dedicated voice bearer based on the first response.

[0046] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a second message from the first network element, where the source IP address of the second message is the second IP address of the first network element;

[0047] The sending unit is further configured to, when the dedicated voice bearer has been established and it is determined that the second message meets the first filtering condition, send a second request to the fourth network element, where the second request is used to request an update of the dedicated voice bearer, the second request includes the first PCC rule information, and the source IP address of the first filtering condition also includes the second IP address of the first network element.

[0048] With reference to the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a second response from the fourth network element, where the second response is used to indicate updating of relevant resources of the dedicated voice bearer;

[0049] The processing unit is further configured to update related resources of the voice dedicated bearer based on the second response.

[0050] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation, before the third network element receives the first message from the first network element, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a fourth request from the fourth network element, where the fourth request is used to request establishment of relevant resources of a default bearer with a quality of service level identifier (QCI) of 5, and the fourth request includes second PCC rule information;

[0051] The processing unit is further configured to establish related resources of a default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule information.

[0052] In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation, the sending unit is also used to send a fourth response to the fourth network element when the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5 are successfully established. The fourth response is used to indicate the successful establishment of the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5.

[0053] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a sixth request from the fourth network element, the sixth request being used to request updating relevant resources of a default bearer with a QCI of 5, the sixth request including the second PCC rule information;

[0054] The processing unit is further configured to update related resources of a default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule information.

[0055] In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation, the sending unit is also used to send a sixth response to the fourth network element when the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5 are successfully updated. The sixth response is used to indicate the successful update of the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5.

[0056] A fifth aspect discloses a communication device, which may be a first network element or a module (e.g., a processor) in the first network element. The communication device includes:

[0057] a sending unit, configured to send a first message to the second network element, where the first message is used to request establishment of a dedicated voice bearer;

[0058] The sending unit is further configured to send a first message to a third network element when the first message is unreachable, wherein a source Internet Protocol (IP) address of the first message is the first IP address of the first network element.

[0059] In combination with the fifth aspect, in a possible implementation, after sending the first message to the third network element, the sending unit is also used to send a second message to the third network element when a dedicated voice bearer has been established, and the source IP address of the second message is the second IP address of the first network element.

[0060] A sixth aspect discloses a communication device, which may be a fourth network element or a module (e.g., a processor) in the fourth network element. The communication device includes:

[0061] A receiving unit, configured to receive a first request from a third network element, the first request being used to request establishment of a dedicated voice bearer, the first request including first policy and charging control (PCC) rule information;

[0062] a processing unit, configured to establish a dedicated voice bearer based on the first PCC rule information;

[0063] Among them, the communication device is UPF / PGW-U. When the communication device is UPF, the fourth network element is SMF. When the communication device is PGW-U, the third network element is PGW-C.

[0064] In combination with the sixth aspect, in a possible implementation, the processing unit is specifically used to: send a first response to the third network element through the sending unit based on the first PCC rule information, where the first response is used to indicate relevant resources for establishing a dedicated voice bearer.

[0065] With reference to the sixth aspect, in a possible implementation, the receiving unit is configured to receive a second request from the third network element, where the second request is used to request updating a dedicated voice bearer, and the second request includes the first PCC rule information;

[0066] The processing unit is further configured to update the voice dedicated bearer based on the first PCC rule information.

[0067] In combination with the sixth aspect, in a possible implementation, the processing unit is further used to send a second response to the third network element through the sending unit based on the first PCC rule information, and the second response is used to indicate the update of relevant resources of the voice dedicated bearer.

[0068] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in a possible implementation, before the fourth network element receives the first request from the third network element, the sending unit is further configured to send a third request to the second network element, where the third request is used to request obtaining a dynamic PCC rule corresponding to a default bearer with a quality of service level identifier (QCI) of 5;

[0069] The processing unit is further configured to establish, when the third request is unreachable, a default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule.

[0070] In combination with the sixth aspect, in a possible implementation, the processing unit is also used to send a fourth request to the third network element through the corresponding sending based on the second PCC rule, and the fourth request is used to request to establish relevant resources for the default bearer with a QCI of 5, and the fourth request includes the second PCC rule information.

[0071] In combination with the sixth aspect, in a possible implementation, the receiving unit is further used to receive a fourth response from the third network element, where the fourth response is used to indicate that relevant resources of the default bearer with a QCI of 5 are successfully established.

[0072] With reference to the sixth aspect, in a possible implementation, the sending unit is further configured to send a fifth request to the second network element, where the fifth request is used to request obtaining an updated dynamic PCC rule corresponding to the default bearer with a QCI of 5;

[0073] The processing unit is further configured to update, when the fifth request is unreachable, a default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule.

[0074] In combination with the sixth aspect, in a possible implementation, the processing unit is also used to send a sixth request to the third network element through the sending unit based on the second PCC rule, and the sixth request is used to request to update the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI of 5, and the sixth request includes the second PCC rule information.

[0075] In combination with the sixth aspect, in a possible implementation, the receiving unit is further used to receive a sixth response from the third network element, where the sixth response is used to indicate a successful update of relevant resources of the default bearer with a QCI of 5.

[0076] The seventh aspect discloses a communication system, which includes a third network element, a first network element and a fourth network element, the third network element is used to implement the method provided in the above-mentioned first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect; the first network element is used to implement the method provided in the above-mentioned second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect; the fourth network element is used to implement the method provided in the above-mentioned third aspect and any possible implementation of the third aspect.

[0077] The eighth aspect discloses a communication system, which includes a third network element, a first network element and a fourth network element. The third network element is used to implement the method provided in the above-mentioned first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect; the first network element is used to implement the method provided in the above-mentioned second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0078] The ninth aspect discloses a communication device comprising a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is used to receive and / or send data; the processor calls a computer program or computer instruction stored in a memory to implement the method provided in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0079] The tenth aspect discloses a communication device, including a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is used to receive and / or send data; the processor calls a computer program or computer instruction stored in a memory to implement the method provided in the above-mentioned second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0080] The eleventh aspect discloses a communication device, comprising a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is used to receive and / or send data; the processor calls a computer program or computer instruction stored in a memory to implement the method provided in the third aspect and any possible implementation of the third aspect.

[0081] As a possible implementation manner, the communication device disclosed in the ninth aspect, the communication device disclosed in the tenth aspect, and the communication device disclosed in the eleventh aspect may include one or more processors.

[0082] Optionally, the communication device disclosed in the ninth aspect, the communication device disclosed in the tenth aspect, and the communication device disclosed in the eleventh aspect further include one or more memories.

[0083] The twelfth aspect discloses a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or computer instructions stored thereon. When the computer program or computer instructions are executed, the method provided in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect is implemented, or the method provided in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect is implemented, or the method provided in the third aspect and any possible implementation of the third aspect is implemented.

[0084] A thirteenth aspect discloses a chip comprising a processor for executing a program stored in a memory. When the program is executed, the chip executes the method provided in the above-mentioned first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect, or executes the method provided in the above-mentioned second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect, or executes the method provided in the above-mentioned third aspect and any possible implementation of the third aspect.

[0085] As a possible implementation, the memory is located outside the chip.

[0086] A fourteenth aspect discloses a computer program product, which includes computer program code. When the computer program code is run, the method provided in the above-mentioned first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect is executed, or the method provided in the above-mentioned second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect is executed, or the method provided in the above-mentioned third aspect and any possible implementation of the third aspect is executed.

[0087] It should be understood that the implementation and beneficial effects of the above-mentioned multiple aspects or any possible implementation methods of the present application can be referenced to each other. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0088] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0089] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a VoLTE call process disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0090] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a VoNR call process disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0091] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0092] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a process for establishing a default bearer and a voice-dedicated bearer disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0093] FIG5 is a flow chart of a communication method disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0094] FIG6 is a flow chart of another communication method disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0095] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0096] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0097] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0098] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a communication device disclosed in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0099] The present invention discloses a communication method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium that can establish a dedicated voice bearer in the event of a PCRF / PCF or other network element failure, ensuring successful voice service. The technical solutions in the present invention are described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0100] Voice communication, starting with 2G, saw the transition from fixed-line to mobile calls. Subsequently, voice communication evolved through 3G, 4G, and 5G, experiencing numerous changes and advancements, including technological improvements, evolving network architectures, and enhanced service quality. 2G and 3G voice communications were both circuit-switched (CS) voice communications, which refers to the transmission of voice calls over circuit-switched connections. In 2G and 3G networks, voice calls were transmitted over the CS domain. Within the CS domain, resources were allocated during call establishment to ensure call continuity and stability. With the continuous evolution of network architecture, networks have been able to provide greater bandwidth and lower latency. Consequently, voice communication technologies have also continued to develop. 4G and 5G networks have introduced technologies such as VoIP (voice over internet protocol) for voice communication. For example, 4G's VoLTE (voice over LTE) and 5G's VoNR (voice over NR) are both VoIP-based voice communication technologies. VoIP uses an IP network to conduct voice calls. Therefore, compared with CS voice communication, it is more flexible and efficient. In short, with the continuous development of mobile communication technology, the quality of voice communication is getting higher and higher, bringing users a better call experience.

[0101] Currently, in a 2 / 3 / 4 / 5G converged network scenario, if 4G and 5G voice services are unavailable, CSFB (circuit switched fallback) can be used to fall back to CS voice services, effectively switching voice services back to the 2G / 3G network. This ensures that user voice services can continue normally. However, with the gradual decommissioning of 2G / 3G networks, there will be no CS voice service to fall back to. In this case, user voice services will be unavailable, meaning that voice calls will be unavailable.

[0102] In order to better understand the embodiments of the present application, the call process of 4G and 5G is briefly introduced below. Among them, the call process of 4G and 5G can be roughly divided into two steps. The first step: establish a default bearer. This default bearer usually uses a QCI (QoS class identifier, service quality level identifier / service quality category identifier) ​​value of 5. This default bearer is mainly used to transmit control signaling, session initiation protocol (session initiation protocol, SIP) signaling and other signaling related to call establishment and control. The second step: establish a voice-dedicated bearer. This voice-dedicated bearer can use a QCI value of 1. Establishing a voice-dedicated bearer can ensure that voice calls can obtain appropriate quality of service.

[0103] Please refer to FIG. 1 , which is a schematic diagram of a VoLTE call process disclosed in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 1 , the call process may include but is not limited to the following steps:

[0104] 101. The UE sends a create session request to the PGW, where the create session request includes the ims APN.

[0105] The UE sends a CreateSessionRequest to the PDN Gateway (PDN GateWay, PGW) to request the establishment of a default bearer (QCI=5). The CreateSessionRequest may carry an ims (IP multi-media sub-system) APN (access point name).

[0106] 102. The PGW sends a CCR-I message to the PCRF.

[0107] After receiving the session creation request, the PGW can send a CCR-I (credit control request-initial) message to the policy and charging rules function (PCRF) to obtain the policy and charging control (PCC) rules of the default bearer corresponding to the UE. The CCR-I message may include the UE's internet protocol (IP) address, ims APN, quality of service (QoS) parameters (QCI = 5, ARP = 6, APN-AMBR = 100Kbps), etc.

[0108] 103. PCRF sends a CCA-I message to PGW.

[0109] After receiving the CCR-I request, the PCRF can determine the corresponding PCC rules based on the relevant subscription profile and forward them to the PGW via a CCA-I (credit control answer-initial) message. PCC rules can include QoS configuration, traffic flow template (TFT), etc. For example, the PCC rule can be "Voice-C" rule: QCI = 5, ARP = 6, APN-AMBR (UL / DL) = 100Kbps, Charging Rule: Offline, SIP Packet Filter (QCI = 5 corresponds to IMS signaling bearer).

[0110] 104. The PGW establishes a default bearer based on the CCA-I message.

[0111] After the PGW receives the CCA-I message from the PCRF, it can obtain the PCC rules corresponding to the default bearer, and then the PGW can establish the default bearer based on the PCC rules. Exemplarily, the PGW can pass the relevant QoS parameters to the UE, base station, etc. by interacting with the mobility management entity (mobility management entity, MME), and notify the UE and the base station to establish the relevant resources of the default bearer, such as the air interface bearer corresponding to the default bearer. It should be understood that the PGW can be divided into the user plane PDN gateway (PDN GateWay-User, PGW-U) and the control plane PDN gateway (PDN GateWay-Control, PGW-C). The above interactions can all be PGW-C, and the PGW-C can also send relevant QoS parameters to the PGW-U to notify the PGW-U to establish the relevant resources of the default bearer. When the UE, base station, PGW-U and other relevant network elements have established the relevant resources of the default bearer, the default bearer can be established successfully and can be used to transmit SIP signaling, etc.

[0112] When the default bearer is successfully established, the PGW may also return a corresponding create session response (CreateSessionResponse) to the UE.

[0113] 105. The UE sends an INVITE message to the P-CSCF.

[0114] When a UE (calling party) wants to call another user (called party) for a voice call, it sends an INVITE message to the P-CSCF. After processing by relevant network elements, the called party also receives the INVITE message. In other words, the INVITE message can be understood as a message from the calling party inviting the called party to initiate a call. For example, the INVITE message sent by the UE (calling party) to the P-CSCF may include caller information (such as the caller's IP address, URI, and other address information), called party information, media information (such as bandwidth, media type, etc.), port information, and more.

[0115] 106. The P-CSCF sends an AAR message to the PCRF.

[0116] After receiving the INVITE message, the proxy-call session control function (P-CSCF) sends an AAR (AA-request) message to the PCRF, instructing it to establish a dedicated voice bearer. The AAR message can carry media information, IP addresses, port information, and more. In some implementations, the P-CSCF can be deployed in an SBC (session border controller).

[0117] 107. PCRF sends a RAR message to PGW.

[0118] After receiving the AAR message, the PCRF may determine the corresponding PCC rule based on the AAR message, and then forward it to the PGW via an RAR (re-auth request) message.

[0119] 108. The PGW establishes a dedicated voice bearer based on the RAR message.

[0120] After the PGW receives the RAR message from the PCRF, it can obtain the PCC rules corresponding to the dedicated voice bearer, and then the PGW can establish a dedicated voice bearer based on the PCC rules. For example, the PGW can pass the relevant QoS parameters to the UE, base station, etc. by interacting with the MME, etc., and notify the UE and base station to establish the relevant resources for the dedicated voice bearer, such as the air interface bearer corresponding to the dedicated voice bearer. The PGW-C can also send relevant QoS parameters to the PGW-U to notify the PGW-U to establish the relevant resources for the dedicated voice bearer. When the UE, base station, PGW-U and other relevant network elements have established the relevant resources for the dedicated voice bearer, the dedicated voice bearer can be successfully established and can be used to transmit voice data packets, such as RTP voice data packets.

[0121] 109. The PGW sends an RAA message to the PCRF.

[0122] When the voice dedicated bearer is successfully established, the PGW may send an RAA (re-auth answer) message to the PCRF to notify the PCRF that the PCC rule corresponding to the voice dedicated bearer has been executed or the voice dedicated bearer has been successfully established.

[0123] 110. PCRF sends an AAA message to P-CSCF.

[0124] After receiving the RAA message, the PCRF determines that the dedicated voice bearer has been successfully established and then sends an AAA (AA-answer) message to the P-CSCF. The P-CSCF, in turn, receives the AAA message from the PCRF and proceeds based on it to initiate the voice call.

[0125] Please refer to FIG. 2 again, which is a schematic diagram of a VoNR call process disclosed in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 2 , the call process may include but is not limited to the following steps:

[0126] 201. The UE sends a create session request to the SMF, where the create session request includes the ims DNN.

[0127] The UE sends a CreateSessionRequest to the Session Management Function (SMF) network element to request the establishment of a default bearer (QCI = 5). Similar to APN, the introduction of DNN can better support new features of 5G networks, such as network slicing.

[0128] 202.SMF sends a session management policy creation request to PCF.

[0129] After receiving the Create Session Request, the SMF can send a Session Management Policy Create Request (SMPolicyCreateRequest) to the Policy Control Function (PCF) to obtain the policy and charging control (PCC) rules for the default bearer corresponding to the UE. The Session Management Policy Create Request is similar to the CCR-I message above and can be referred to the above description.

[0130] 203. PCF sends a session management policy creation response to SMF.

[0131] After receiving the session management policy creation request, the PCF can determine the corresponding PCC rules based on the relevant contract configuration file and forward it to the SMF through a session management policy creation response (SMpolicycreateresponse).

[0132] 204.SMF establishes a default bearer based on the session management policy creation response.

[0133] After the SMF receives the session management policy creation response from the PCF, it can obtain the PCC rules corresponding to the default bearer. The SMF can then establish the default bearer (default signaling QoS flow) based on the PCC rules. For example, the SMF can communicate with the access and mobility management function (AMF) network element to pass relevant QoS parameters to the UE, base station, etc., and notify the UE and base station to establish relevant resources for the default bearer, such as the QoS flow and DRB (data radio bearer) corresponding to the default bearer. The SMF can also send relevant QoS parameters to the user plane function (UPF) to notify the UPF to establish relevant resources for the default bearer. When the UE, base station, UPF and other relevant network elements have established the relevant resources for the default bearer, the default bearer can be successfully established and can be used to transmit SIP signaling, etc.

[0134] When the default bearer is established successfully, the SMF can also return the corresponding create session response to the UE.

[0135] 205. The UE sends an INVITE message to the P-CSCF.

[0136] When the UE (calling party) needs to call other users, it can send an INVITE message to the P-CSCF.

[0137] 206. The P-CSCF sends an AAR message to the PCF.

[0138] After receiving the INVITE message, the P-CSCF may send an AAR message to the PCF to notify the PCF to establish a dedicated voice bearer.

[0139] 207. PCF sends a session management policy control update notification request to SMF.

[0140] After receiving the AAR message, the PCF can determine the corresponding PCC rules based on the AAR message, and then forward it to the SMF via a session management policy control update notification request (Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotifyRequest), informing the SMF to establish a voice-dedicated QoS flow for the user. In this embodiment of the present application, the voice-dedicated QoS flow can also be called a voice-dedicated bearer, and the default signaling QoS flow can also carry the default bearer.

[0141] 208. The SMF establishes a dedicated voice bearer based on the session management policy control update notification request.

[0142] After the SMF receives the session management policy control update notification request from the PCF, it can obtain the PCC rules corresponding to the dedicated voice bearer. The SMF can then establish the dedicated voice bearer based on the PCC rules. For example, the SMF can communicate relevant QoS parameters to the UE, base station, etc. by interacting with the AMF network element, notifying the UE and base station to establish the relevant resources for the dedicated voice bearer, such as the QoS flow and DRB corresponding to the dedicated voice bearer. The SMF can also send relevant QoS parameters to the UPF to notify the UPF to establish the relevant resources for the dedicated voice bearer. When the UE, base station, UPF and other relevant network elements have established the relevant resources for the dedicated voice bearer, the dedicated voice bearer can be successfully established and can be used to transmit voice data packets, such as RTP voice data packets.

[0143] 209.SMF sends a session management policy control update notification response to PCF.

[0144] When the voice dedicated bearer is successfully established, the SMF may send a session management policy control update notification response (Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotifyResponse) to the PCF to notify the PCF that the PCC rule corresponding to the voice dedicated bearer has been executed or the voice dedicated bearer has been successfully established.

[0145] 210. The PCF sends an AAA message to the P-CSCF.

[0146] After receiving the Session Management Policy Control Update Notification response, the PCF determines that the dedicated voice bearer has been successfully established and then sends an AAA message to the P-CSCF. The P-CSCF, in turn, receives the AAA message from the PCF and proceeds based on it to initiate the voice call.

[0147] It should be understood that the VoLTE call process shown in Figure 1 and the VoNR call process shown in Figure 2 are only exemplary. For more detailed processes, please refer to the description in the relevant standard documents. In addition, the above description only illustrates the relevant processes corresponding to the calling side, and the processes on the called side are not described in detail. However, the processes on the called side are similar to those on the calling side, and reference can be made to the relevant processes on the calling side. For example, the called side UE also needs to establish a default bearer before establishing a dedicated voice bearer to conduct a voice call. For example, the process of establishing the default bearer on the called side can be the same as that on the calling side, and the process of establishing the voice-dedicated bearer on the called side is similar to that on the calling side, such as the P-CSCF on the calling side can forward the INVITE message to the relevant network element on the called side. Finally, after processing, the called side UE can receive the INVITE message, and then the called side UE can send a 183 message to the called side P-CSCF. After that, the P-CSCF responds to the 182 message and can send an AAR message to the PCF / PCRF to trigger the establishment of a voice-dedicated bearer. The subsequent process can refer to the above-mentioned process of establishing a voice-dedicated bearer on the calling side. In addition, for the established default bearer and voice-dedicated bearer, there may be updates. In this case, they will also go through a similar processing process as the established default bearer and voice-dedicated bearer, and will re-request the PCF / PCRF to determine the relevant PCC rules, and then update the default bearer and voice-dedicated bearer. This is not described in detail in the embodiments of the present application, and you can refer to the relevant standard documents.

[0148] As can be seen from the corresponding descriptions of Figures 1 and 2 above, currently 4G and 5G require the participation of PCRF or PCF when establishing the default bearer and voice-dedicated bearer, as well as updating the default bearer and voice-dedicated bearer. For example, PCRF or PCF is required to provide dynamic PCC rules to establish or update the default bearer and voice-dedicated bearer. Therefore, when an abnormality occurs between the SMF (PGW-C) / P-CSCF and all PCFs / PCRFs, such as a PCRF and PCF failure or a failure of the relevant interfaces communicating with the PCRF and PCF (such as Rx, Gx, N7 interfaces, etc.) or a failure of the relevant intermediate network elements (such as the routing agent (DRA) network element), the dynamic PCC policy cannot be obtained, resulting in the inability to establish or update the default bearer and voice-dedicated bearer, which in turn makes the user's voice service unavailable. For this situation, the current solution is to fall back from 4G or 5G voice to 2 / 3G voice, that is, CS voice, to ensure that the user's voice service can proceed normally. However, if CS voice is also unavailable, users will still be unable to use voice services normally, meaning they will be unable to make calls. Furthermore, as 2G and 3G networks gradually phase out, there will be no CS voice fallback. In this case, if an anomaly occurs between the SMF (PGW-C) / P-CSCF and all PCFs / PCRFs, user voice services will be unavailable.

[0149] In response to the above problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method that can establish or update the default bearer when an abnormality occurs between the SMF (PGW-C) / P-CSCF and all PCFs / PCRFs, and can also establish or update a voice-dedicated bearer. For the detailed processing flow of this solution, please refer to the description in the following method embodiment.

[0150] In order to better understand the embodiments of the present application, the system architecture of the embodiments of the present application is first described below.

[0151] Please refer to Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3, the communication system may include terminal equipment, (wireless) access network (R)AN, core network related network elements, etc. It should be noted that due to the differences between 4G and 5G architectures, the relevant network elements have also been redefined, but for the sake of convenience of explanation, the embodiment of the present application integrates the relevant network elements of 4G and 5G together in the architecture shown in Figure 3 for example. For more detailed network architectures of 4G and 5G (such as the service-oriented architecture of 5G) and descriptions of related network elements, please refer to the relevant standard documents, which will not be described in detail here. For example, the capabilities of PGW-U in 4G can be integrated into the UPF network element, some capabilities of MME and PGW-C can be integrated into SMF, other capabilities of MME can be integrated into AMF, and the capabilities of PCRF can be integrated into PCF.

[0152] Terminal equipment, also known as user equipment (UE), terminal, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), customer premise equipment (CPE), etc., is a device with wireless communication capabilities that can provide voice and / or data connectivity services to users. The terminal device may be a handheld terminal, a laptop computer, an RSU (road side unit), a subscriber unit, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a wireless data card, a personal digital assistant (PDA) computer, a tablet computer, a tag, a wireless modem, other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone or a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a machine type communication (MTC) terminal, a wearable device (such as a smart watch, a smart bracelet, a pedometer, etc.), an in-vehicle device (such as a car, a bicycle, an electric car, an airplane, a ship, a train, a high-speed train, etc.), a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a smart home device (such as a refrigerator, a television, an air conditioner, an electric meter, etc.), an intelligent robot, a workshop device, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a remote medical device, or a similar device. Wireless terminals in smart surgery, smart grids, transportation safety, smart cities, smart homes, aerial devices (such as intelligent robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes), and other network-accessible devices can be fixed or mobile. Terminal devices can be deployed on land, indoors or outdoors, handheld, wearable, or in vehicles; on water (such as ships); or in the air (such as aircraft, balloons, and satellites).

[0153] (R)AN can be a network composed of multiple access network devices, which can be used to implement wireless physical layer functions, resource scheduling and wireless resource management, wireless access control and mobility management functions. (R)AN can be connected to the user plane function (UPF) through the user plane interface N3 to transmit data of the terminal device. (R)AN can also establish a control plane signaling connection with the AMF through the control plane interface N2 to implement functions such as wireless access bearer control. It should be understood that the access network equipment mainly provides access for terminal devices. The access network equipment may include radio access network (RAN) equipment and access node (AN) equipment. RAN equipment may include various forms of base stations, such as macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small stations), relay stations, access points, balloon stations, etc. It should be understood that in systems using different wireless access technologies, the names of RAN devices may be different. For example, NB (NodeB) in wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), eNB or eNodeB (evolutionary NodeB) in long term evolution (LTE), and next generation NodeB (gNB) in 5G systems.

[0154] In some deployments, the gNodeB may include a convergence unit / central unit (CU) and one or more distributed units (DU), etc. The CU may implement some functions of the gNodeB, the DU may implement some functions of the gNodeB, and the CU may be used to control the operation of one or more DUs. For example, the CU may implement the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) layer and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and may also implement the functions of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer. The DU may implement the functions of the radio link control (RLC) and media access control (MAC) layers, and may also implement the functions of part of the physical (PHY) layer or all of the physical layer. For detailed descriptions of the above-mentioned protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0155] The AMF / MME can be responsible for UE authentication, UE mobility management, etc., and serve as an intermediate network element between the (R)AN and other network elements (such as AMF / PGW-C). For example, the AMF can also perform functions such as network slice selection and SMF selection, and serve as the anchor point for N1 and N2 signaling connections, providing N1 / N2 SM message routing for the SMF, and maintaining and managing UE status information.

[0156] UPF / PGW-U can be responsible for data packet filtering, data transmission / forwarding, rate control, generation of billing information, etc. for user equipment.

[0157] The SMF / PGW-C may be responsible for all control plane functions for UE session management, including session quality of service (QoS) management, obtaining policy and charging control (PCC) policies (from the PCF / PCRF), etc. For example, the SMF may also be responsible for selecting the user plane function (UPF).

[0158] PCF / PCRF can provide configuration policy information and provide policy information for controlling UEs, such as PCC policy, to the control plane network elements of the network (e.g., AMF / MME, SMF / PGW-C).

[0159] SBC (P-CSCF) can be used to isolate the access network from the IMS network element. It is the first connection point with the user in the IMS. P-CSCF can provide registration authentication, QoS control, signaling routing and other functions.

[0160] It should be understood that Figure 3 is only a schematic diagram, and the architecture shown in Figure 3 may also include more or fewer devices, network elements, etc., which are not limited here. For example, a 4G network may also include a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) and an application server (AS). The HSS can be used to store the user's subscription information, and the AS can interact with other core network elements to provide some services, such as the voice AS can be responsible for the provision of voice services. The 5G network may also include unified data management (UDM), a unified data repository (UDR), AS, etc. The UDM network element can be used to manage and control user data, for example, the management of subscription information, including obtaining subscription information and providing it to other network elements (such as AMF). The UDR can be used to store user data, including subscription data called by the UDM, policy information called by the PCF, structured data for capability exposure, etc.

[0161] It should also be understood that the above-mentioned network elements, functions, or services may be implemented in the form of hardware, computer software, or a combination of hardware and computer software. For example, the above-mentioned network elements, functions, or services may be implemented by a single device, by multiple devices, or by a functional module within a single device, and the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0162] It should be understood that although the embodiments of the present application are mainly illustrated with 4G and 5G network elements, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to transition systems between 5G communication systems and 6G communication systems (the transition system can also be called a 5.5G communication system), future communication systems, such as the sixth generation (6G) or even the seventh generation (7G) communication system.

[0163] It should be noted that the system architecture, network architecture, and business scenarios (or application scenarios) described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of communication network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0164] The solution provided in the embodiments of the present application mainly involves the UPF / PGW-U, SBC (P-CSCF), and SMF / PGW-C. Specifically, the SBC can, upon determining that an abnormality has occurred between the P-CSCF and all PCFs / PCRFs (e.g., a PCF / PCRF failure), place the voice call through and send a corresponding message (e.g., an RTCP voice message) to the UPF / PGW-U to trigger the establishment of a dedicated voice bearer. The UPF / PGW-U can be locally configured with filtering conditions and corresponding static PCC rules in advance. The UPF / PGW-U can detect messages based on the filtering conditions. If a matching message is detected, the process of establishing a dedicated voice bearer can be triggered. A request (e.g., a Report Request message) can be sent to the SMF / PGW-C to request the SMF to trigger the establishment of a dedicated voice bearer. When the SMF / PGW-C receives the Report message from the UPF / PGW-U, it can notify the UPF / PGW-U, UE, RAN, and other network elements to create a dedicated voice bearer according to the locally configured PCC rules (including QoS parameters). It should be understood that the above is only a brief description of the relevant process for establishing a dedicated voice bearer when an exception occurs between the P-CSCF and all PCFs / PCRFs. The following, combined with Figure 4, illustrates the overall process of this solution when an exception occurs between the SMF (PGW-C) / P-CSCF and all PCFs / PCRFs.

[0165] For ease of description, in the embodiments of the present application, the SBC (P-CSCF) may be referred to as the first network element, the PCF / PCRF may be referred to as the second network element, the UPF / PGW-U may be referred to as the third network element, and the SMF / PGW-C may be referred to as the fourth network element. Furthermore, it should be understood that 5G network elements correspond to 4G network elements. When the third network element is the UPF, the fourth network element may be the SMF, and the second network element may be the PCF. When the third network element is the PGW-U, the third network element may be the PGW-C, and the second network element may be the PCRF.

[0166] Please refer to Figure 4, which is a flow chart of establishing a default bearer and a voice-dedicated bearer disclosed in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4, the method may include but is not limited to the following steps:

[0167] 401. The terminal device sends a session creation request to the fourth network element.

[0168] The terminal device sends a CreateSessionRequest to the fourth network element to request the establishment of a default bearer (QCI=5). The CreateSessionRequest may carry imsAPN or imsDNN, as well as other relevant information.

[0169] 402. The fourth network element sends a session management policy creation request to the second network element.

[0170] 403. When the session management policy creation request is unreachable, the fourth network element uses the pre-configured PCC policy to establish a default bearer (QCI=5).

[0171] When an abnormality occurs between SMF / PGW-C and all PCF / PCRFs (such as PCF / PCRF failure, SMF / PGW-C to PCF / PCRF interface failure, etc.), the fourth network element cannot receive the dynamic PCC policy from the second network element. In this case, in order to establish a default bearer, the fourth network element can use the PCC policy corresponding to the pre-configured default bearer to establish a default bearer. Exemplarily, the fourth network element can pass relevant QoS parameters to the terminal device, base station, etc. by interacting with the AMF / MME network element, etc., and notify the terminal device and the base station to establish relevant resources for the default bearer, and can send relevant QoS parameters to the third network element to notify the third network element to establish relevant resources for the default bearer. When the terminal device, base station, third network element and other relevant network elements have established the relevant resources for the default bearer, the default bearer can be established successfully and can be used to transmit SIP signaling, etc.

[0172] When the default bearer is established successfully, the fourth network element may also return a corresponding create session response to the terminal device.

[0173] The above steps 401-402 are the overall process of establishing a default bearer. The overall process of establishing a dedicated voice bearer is exemplarily described below through steps 403-4.

[0174] 404. The terminal device sends an INVITE message to the first network element.

[0175] When the terminal device (calling party) needs to call other users, it can send an INVITE message to the first network element.

[0176] 405. The first network element sends an AAR message to the second network element.

[0177] After receiving the INVITE message, the first network element may send an AAR message to the second network element to notify the second network element to trigger establishment of a dedicated voice bearer.

[0178] 406. When the AAR message is unreachable, the first network element sends a first message to the third network element.

[0179] When an abnormality occurs between the SBC (P-CSCF) and all PCFs / PCRFs (such as PCF / PCRF failure, SBC (P-CSCF) to PCF / PCRF interface failure, etc.), the subsequent voice dedicated bearer establishment process cannot be executed. In this case, in order to establish a voice dedicated bearer, the first network element can send a first message to the third network element to trigger the establishment of a voice dedicated bearer using the pre-configured PCC policy corresponding to the voice dedicated bearer.

[0180] 407. When determining that the first message meets the first filtering condition, the third network element sends a first request to the fourth network element, where the first request is used to request establishment of a dedicated voice bearer.

[0181] The third network element may be pre-configured with the first filtering condition and the corresponding PCC rule. Afterwards, the third network element may match the received message with the first filtering condition. If a message is determined to be matched, establishment of a dedicated voice bearer may be triggered.

[0182] Illustratively, when it is determined that the first message meets / matches the first filtering condition, the third network element may send a first request to the fourth network element, where the first request is used to request establishment of a dedicated voice bearer, such as establishment of a dedicated voice bearer with QCI=1.

[0183] 408. The fourth network element establishes a dedicated voice bearer based on the PCC policy corresponding to the pre-configured dedicated voice bearer.

[0184] After receiving the first request from the third network element, the fourth network element may determine to trigger the establishment of a dedicated voice bearer using the PCC policy corresponding to the pre-configured dedicated voice bearer. Exemplarily, the fourth network element may communicate the QoS parameters related to the dedicated voice bearer to the terminal device, base station, etc. by interacting with the AMF / MME network element, etc., notifying the terminal device and the base station to establish the relevant resources for the dedicated voice bearer, and may also send the QoS parameters related to the dedicated voice bearer to the third network element to notify the third network element to establish the relevant resources for the dedicated voice bearer. When the terminal device, base station, third network element, and other relevant network elements have established the relevant resources for the dedicated voice bearer, the dedicated voice bearer may be successfully established.

[0185] After the dedicated voice bearers for the calling terminal device and the called terminal device are successfully established, a voice call can be made between the calling terminal device and the called terminal device.

[0186] The following describes the default bearer establishment and default bearer update process, as well as the voice-dedicated bearer establishment and voice-dedicated bearer update process, provided in the embodiments of the present application. Figure 5 includes the default bearer establishment and default bearer update process, and Figure 6 includes the voice-dedicated bearer establishment and voice-dedicated bearer update process.

[0187] It is understandable that although the establishment of the default bearer and the update of the default bearer are introduced in the same flowchart (Figure 5) in the embodiment of the present application, it should be understood that the establishment of the default bearer and the update of the default bearer are two completely independent processing flows, that is, the establishment of the default bearer and the update of the default bearer provided by this solution can be executed independently. For example, the establishment of the default bearer can be established using the dynamic PCC rules provided by the PCF / PCRF (when the PCF / PCRF is not faulty), and the update of the default bearer can be updated using the process provided by this solution in the case of a PCF / PCRF fault. Similarly, although the establishment of a dedicated voice bearer and the update of a dedicated voice bearer are introduced in the same flowchart (Figure 6) in the embodiment of the present application, it should be understood that the establishment of a dedicated voice bearer and the update of a dedicated voice bearer are two completely independent processing flows, that is, the establishment of a dedicated voice bearer and the update of a dedicated voice bearer provided by this solution can be executed independently. For example, the establishment of a voice dedicated bearer can be established using the dynamic PCC rules provided by PCF / PCRF (when PCF / PCRF is not faulty), and the update of the voice dedicated bearer can be updated using the process provided by this solution when PCF / PCRF fails.

[0188] Please refer to Figure 5, which is a flow chart of a communication method disclosed in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 5, the method may include but is not limited to the following steps:

[0189] 501. The terminal device sends a session creation request to the fourth network element.

[0190] In order to establish the default signaling bearer (QCI=5), the terminal device can send a create session request (createsessionrequest) to the fourth network element. Correspondingly, the fourth network element can receive the create session request from the terminal device. The create session request may include ims APN / ims DNN, as well as other relevant information, such as the P-CSCF address. It is understandable that both the calling terminal device and the called terminal device need to establish the default signaling bearer (QCI=5).

[0191] It is understandable that the session creation request may be sent to the fourth network element via the access network device, MME / AMF, etc. Furthermore, in some possible implementations, after receiving the session creation request, the access network device, MME / AMF, or other network element may perform relevant processing (such as modifying the session creation request) and then send the session creation request to the fourth network element.

[0192] 502. The fourth network element sends a third request to the second network element, where the third request is used to request to obtain the dynamic PCC rule corresponding to the default bearer with QCI 5.

[0193] After receiving the session creation request from the terminal device, the fourth network element may send a third request to the second network element to request to obtain the dynamic PCC rule corresponding to the default bearer with QCI 5. In the embodiment of the present application, the PCC rule may also be referred to as a PCC policy.

[0194] Exemplarily, the third request may be a CCR-I (credit control request-initial) message / session management policy creation request (SMpolicycreaterequest). The third request may include the UE's IP address, ims APN (or ims DNN), QoS parameters (QCI=5, ARP=6, APN-AMBR=100Kbps), etc. The third request may also include more or less information, such as a default bearer identifier (ID), a PDU session type, etc., which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0195] 503. When the third request is unreachable, the fourth network element establishes a default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule, where the second PCC rule is a preconfigured PCC rule.

[0196] After sending the third request, if no response is received from the second network element within a timeout period, the fourth network element may determine that the third request is unreachable, that is, the second network element is unreachable, for example, due to a fault in the second network element or a fault in the interface between the fourth network element and the second network element.

[0197] In an embodiment of the present application, in order to ensure that a default bearer with a QCI of 5 can be created when the dynamic PCC rule provided by the second network element cannot be obtained, the PCC rule corresponding to the default bearer with a QCI of 5 can be pre-configured locally in the fourth network element, which can also be called a static PCC rule (QCI=5) or a preset / preconfigured PCC rule (QCI=5).

[0198] In the case where the fourth network element pre-configures the PCC rule corresponding to the default bearer with a QCI of 5, when the third request is unreachable, the fourth network element may establish a default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the pre-configured PCC rule corresponding to the default bearer with a QCI of 5 (the second PCC rule). It will be understood that the second PCC rule may include one or more of QoS parameters, TFT (traffic flow template), filter, etc., which are not limited here. The QoS parameters may include one or more of QCI, ARP (allocation and retention priority), MBR (maximum bit rate), GBR (guaranteed bit rate), etc., which are not limited here.

[0199] It can be understood that the fourth network element establishes a default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule, and needs to perform a series of interactions with relevant network elements to notify the relevant network elements to establish relevant resources for the default bearer with a QCI of 5. Exemplarily, the fourth network element needs to send the QoS, filters, etc. corresponding to the default bearer with a QCI of 5 to the access network device and the terminal device through the AMF / MME network element, and notify the access network device and the terminal device to establish relevant resources for the default bearer with a QCI of 5. After the access network device and the terminal device successfully establish the relevant resources for the default bearer with a QCI of 5, a response can be returned to the fourth network element through the AMF / MME, and the response can be used to indicate that the access network device and / or the terminal device successfully establish the relevant resources for the default bearer with a QCI of 5. In addition to the terminal device, the access network device, etc., the fourth network element can also send the QoS, filters, etc. corresponding to the default bearer with a QCI of 5 to the third network element, and notify the third network element to establish relevant resources for the default bearer with a QCI of 5. After the third network element successfully establishes the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5, it can return a response to the fourth network element, which can be used to indicate that the third network element has successfully established the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5.

[0200] In some possible implementations, after the fourth network element determines that all relevant network elements (including the terminal device, the access network device, the third network element, etc.) have successfully established the relevant resources of the default bearer with a QCI of 5, the fourth network element may determine that the default bearer with a QCI of 5 has been successfully established, and may return a create session response to the terminal device. The create session response may be used to indicate that the default bearer with a QCI of 5 has been successfully established. It is understood that after the default bearer with a QCI of 5 has been successfully established, the terminal device may also perform IMS authentication and registration, etc., to facilitate subsequent voice calls.

[0201] The following is an exemplary description of steps 5031-5033 of how the fourth network element notifies the third network element to establish relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5.

[0202] 5031. The fourth network element sends a fourth request to the third network element. The fourth request is used to request to establish relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5. The fourth request includes the second PCC rule information.

[0203] When a default bearer with a QCI of 5 needs to be established based on the second PCC rule, the fourth network element may send a fourth request to the third network element. Accordingly, the third network element may receive the fourth request from the fourth network element. The fourth request may be used to request resources related to establishing the default bearer with a QCI of 5. The fourth request may include the second PCC rule information, and the second PCC rule information is associated with the second PCC rule.

[0204] Exemplarily, the fourth request may be a PFCP session establishment request (PFCP (packet forwarding control protocol, packet forwarding control protocol) session establishment request).

[0205] In an embodiment of the present application, the second PCC rule information may include the QoS, filters, etc. in the second PCC rule, that is, the QoS, filters and other parameters in the PCC rule corresponding to the default bearer with a locally pre-configured QCI of 5. Alternatively, in some possible implementations, the third network element may also be pre-configured with a second PCC rule locally. In this case, the second PCC rule information may be an identifier of the second PCC rule, such as a name, index, number, etc. The third network element may determine the PCC rule to be adopted based on the identifier of the second PCC rule. Exemplarily, the fourth network element and the third network element are both pre-configured with a second PCC rule (QCI=5) locally. The name of the second PCC rule may be "Voice-C". In this case, the second PCC rule information carried in the fourth request sent by the fourth network element to the third network element may be the name of the second PCC rule, i.e., "Voice-C".

[0206] 5032. The third network element establishes relevant resources for the default bearer with QCI 5 based on the second PCC rule information.

[0207] After receiving the fourth request from the fourth network element, the third network element may establish relevant resources of the default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule information included in the fourth request.

[0208] For example, if the second PCC rule information includes QoS, filters, etc., the third network element may directly establish relevant resources for the default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the QoS, filters, etc. included in the second PCC rule information. If the second PCC rule information includes the name of the second PCC rule, such as "Voice-C", the third network element may first obtain the locally preconfigured second PCC rule based on the name of the second PCC rule, including the corresponding QoS parameters, filters, etc., and then establish relevant resources for the default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the QoS, filters, etc. included in the obtained second PCC rule.

[0209] 5033. When the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5 are successfully established, the third network element sends a fourth response to the fourth network element, where the fourth response is used to indicate that the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5 are successfully established.

[0210] After the third network element successfully establishes the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5, it can send a fourth response to the fourth network element.

[0211] The fourth network element may receive a fourth response from the third network element, wherein the fourth response may be used to indicate that relevant resources of the default bearer with a QCI of 5 are successfully established.

[0212] Exemplarily, the fourth response may be a PFCP session establishment response (PFCP session establishment response).

[0213] 504. The fourth network element sends a fifth request to the second network element, where the fifth request is used to request to obtain the updated dynamic PCC rule corresponding to the default bearer with a QCI of 5.

[0214] It is understandable that in some situations / scenarios (such as terminal device location change, access type change, etc.), the fourth network element needs to send a session management (SM) policy modification process to request the second network element to obtain the updated dynamic PCC rules.

[0215] Exemplarily, the fourth network element may send a fifth request to the second network element, wherein the fifth request may be used to request to obtain an updated dynamic PCC rule corresponding to the default bearer with a QCI of 5.

[0216] The fifth request may be a session management policy update request (SM policy update request), and may include relevant information triggering session modification (such as the changed location and access type of the terminal device), a default bearer (QCI=5) ID, and the like.

[0217] 505. When the fifth request is unreachable, the fourth network element updates the default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule.

[0218] After sending the fifth request, if no response is received from the second network element within a timeout period, the fourth network element may determine that the fifth request is unreachable, that is, the second network element is unreachable, for example, due to a fault in the second network element or a fault in the interface between the fourth network element and the second network element.

[0219] In an embodiment of the present application, when the fifth request is unreachable, that is, when the dynamic PCC rule corresponding to the updated default bearer (QCI=5) cannot be obtained, the fourth network element can update the default bearer with QCI of 5 based on the PCC rule corresponding to the pre-configured default bearer with QCI of 5 (the second PCC rule).

[0220] It can be understood that the fourth network element needs to perform a series of interactions with relevant network elements to update the default bearer with QCI 5 based on the second PCC rule, and notify the relevant network elements to update the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5. Exemplarily, the fourth network element needs to send the QoS, filters, etc. corresponding to the second PCC rule to the access network device and the terminal device through the AMF / MME network element, and notify the access network device and the terminal device to update the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5. After the access network device and the terminal device successfully update the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5, a response can be returned to the fourth network element through the AMF / MME, and the response can be used to indicate that the access network device and / or the terminal device successfully updated the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5. In addition to the terminal device, the access network device, etc., the fourth network element can also send the QoS, filters, etc. corresponding to the second PCC rule to the third network element, and notify the third network element to update the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5. After the third network element successfully updates the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5, it can return a response to the fourth network element, which can be used to indicate that the third network element has successfully updated the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5.

[0221] It is understandable that steps 501-503 establish a default bearer (QCI=5) based on the second PCC rule, and steps 504-505 update the default bearer (QCI=5) based on the second PCC rule. However, steps 501-503 and steps 504-505 are two completely independent processing flows and should not constitute a limitation. In some possible implementations, when the default bearer (QCI=5) was previously established using the second PCC rule, if the default bearer (QCI=5) is subsequently updated, the same second PCC rule still needs to be used. In this case, the default bearer (QCI=5) does not need to be updated.

[0222] The following is an exemplary description of steps 5051-5053 of how the fourth network element notifies the third network element to update related resources of the default bearer with QCI 5.

[0223] 5051. The fourth network element sends a sixth request to the third network element. The sixth request is used to request updating related resources of the default bearer with QCI 5. The sixth request includes the second PCC rule information.

[0224] When it is necessary to update the default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule, the fourth network element may send a sixth request to the third network element. Accordingly, the third network element may receive the sixth request from the fourth network element. The sixth request may be used to request an update of resources related to the default bearer with a QCI of 5, and the sixth request may include the second PCC rule information.

[0225] Exemplarily, the sixth request may be a PFCP session update request (PFCP session modify request).

[0226] 5052. The third network element updates the related resources of the default bearer with QCI 5 based on the second PCC rule information.

[0227] After receiving the sixth request from the fourth network element, the third network element may update relevant resources of the default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule information included in the sixth request.

[0228] Illustratively, if the second PCC rule information in the sixth request includes QoS, filters, etc., the third network element may directly update the relevant resources of the default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the QoS, filters, etc. included in the second PCC rule information. If the second PCC rule information in the sixth request includes the name of the second PCC rule, such as "Voice-C", the third network element may first obtain the locally pre-configured second PCC rule based on the name of the second PCC rule, including the corresponding QoS parameters, filters, etc., and then update the relevant resources of the default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the QoS, filters, etc. included in the obtained second PCC rule.

[0229] 5053. When the related resources of the default bearer with QCI 5 are successfully updated, the third network element sends a sixth response to the fourth network element, where the sixth response is used to indicate that the related resources of the default bearer with QCI 5 are successfully updated.

[0230] After successfully updating the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5, the third network element may send a sixth response to the fourth network element. Correspondingly, the fourth network element may receive the sixth response from the third network element. The sixth response may be used to indicate the successful update of the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5.

[0231] Exemplarily, the sixth response may be a PFCP session update response (PFCP session modify response).

[0232] In the above process, static PCC rules corresponding to the default bearer can be pre-configured on the fourth network element, the third network element, etc. Subsequently, when a PCF / PCRF failure or a related interface failure occurs, the fourth network element can use the pre-configured static PCC rules corresponding to the default bearer to establish or update the default bearer. This means that the fourth network element can activate the local low-priority PCC rule to allow the establishment / update of the default bearer (IMS session activation / update) to proceed normally, ensuring that subsequent voice services can continue normally.

[0233] Please refer to Figure 6, which is a flow chart of another communication method disclosed in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 6, the method may include but is not limited to the following steps:

[0234] 601. The terminal device sends an INVITE message / 183 message to the first network element.

[0235] It is understandable that both the calling terminal device and the called terminal device need to establish a dedicated voice bearer so that a call can be made between the calling terminal device and the called terminal device.

[0236] For the calling terminal device, when a call is needed, an INVITE message can be sent to the first network element corresponding to the calling terminal device, which can then trigger the establishment of a dedicated voice bearer corresponding to the calling terminal device. For the called terminal device, after receiving the INVITE message, the called terminal device can send a 183 message to the first network element corresponding to the called terminal device, which can then trigger the establishment of a dedicated voice bearer corresponding to the called terminal device.

[0237] It is understandable that step 601 is optional and is not limited here.

[0238] 602. The first network element sends a first message to the second network element, where the first message is used to request establishment of a dedicated voice bearer.

[0239] After receiving the INVITE message / 183 message, the first network element may send a first message to the second network element, wherein the first message is used to request the establishment of a dedicated voice bearer, or to request the second network element to trigger the establishment of a dedicated voice bearer, or to request the establishment of a call Rx interface session.

[0240] Exemplarily, the first message may be an AAR message.

[0241] 603. When the first message is unreachable, the first network element sends a first message to the third network element, and the source IP address of the first message is the first IP address of the first network element.

[0242] The first message being unreachable may include various situations. Specifically, after sending the fifth request, if no response is received from the second network element or the DRA network element (the DRA network element can be used to relay messages between the first network element and the second network element) within a timeout, the first network element may determine that the first message is unreachable. For example, this may be due to a DRA network element failure or a fault in the interface between the first network element and the DRA network element. Alternatively, after sending the fifth request, the first network element receives a response message from the DRA network element that includes a target error code (e.g., 3022). In this case, the first network element may determine that the first message is unreachable. For example, this may be due to a second network element failure or a fault in the interface between the second network element and the DRA network element.

[0243] If the first message is unreachable, the second network element cannot subsequently trigger the process for establishing a dedicated voice bearer. However, in this embodiment of the present application, if the first message is unreachable, the first network element can construct a first message and then send the first message to a third network element, thereby triggering the process for establishing a dedicated voice bearer through the third network element. Accordingly, the third network element can receive the first message from the first network element. The source IP address of the first message is the first IP address of the first network element. The source port of the first message can be the first port.

[0244] Exemplarily, the first message may be a real-time transport control protocol (RTCP) message, or other types of messages.

[0245] 604. When it is determined that the first message meets the first filtering condition, the third network element sends a first request to the fourth network element. The first request is used to request the establishment of a dedicated voice bearer. The first request includes first PCC rule information corresponding to the first filtering condition. The source IP address of the first filtering condition includes the first IP address of the first network element.

[0246] To ensure that a dedicated voice bearer can be established based on the pre-configured PCC rule corresponding to the dedicated voice bearer in the event of an anomaly (e.g., a PCF / PCRF failure) between the P-CSCF and all PCFs / PCRFs, a first filtering condition and the corresponding PCC rule information for the dedicated voice bearer (first PCC rule information) can be pre-configured on the third network element. The third network element can then inspect received messages (e.g., first messages) using the first filtering condition. If the message does not meet (does not match) the first filtering condition, no processing is performed. If the message meets (matches) the first filtering condition, it indicates that an anomaly may have occurred between the P-CSCF and all PCFs / PCRFs, requiring the establishment of a dedicated voice bearer based on the pre-configured PCC rule corresponding to the dedicated voice bearer (first PCC rule). The third network element can then send a first request to the fourth network element. Accordingly, the fourth network element can receive the first request from the third network element. The first request can be used to request the establishment of a dedicated voice bearer. The first request can include the first PCC rule information corresponding to the first filtering condition, and the source IP address of the first filtering condition includes the first IP address of the first network element. The first PCC rule information is associated with the first PCC rule.

[0247] The first filtering condition can be set based on the IP address of the first network element to detect messages from the first network element. For example, the source IP address of the first filtering condition can include the first IP address of the first network element. Alternatively, the source IP address of the first filtering condition can include the IP address segment corresponding to the first network element (including the first IP address). Exemplarily, the source IP address of the first filtering condition can include the IP address segment corresponding to the first network element, such as 127.121.23.X / 255.255.255.0 (X can represent any value from 0 to 255). After the third network element receives a message, it can determine whether the source IP address of the message meets the first filtering condition. If the source IP address of the message belongs to the IP address segment included in the first filtering condition, it can be determined that the source IP address of the message meets the first filtering condition. Otherwise, it does not meet the first filtering condition. In some possible implementations, the first filtering condition can also include a protocol type, such as RTCP protocol or UDP (user datagram protocol).

[0248] Exemplarily, the third network element may parse the first message through a deep packet inspection (DPI) module to obtain the IP address of the first message (the first IP address of the first network element), etc., and then match the IP address of the first message with the first filtering condition. It is understandable that the third network element may also obtain the source port (such as the first port) of the first message, the protocol type of the first message, etc. by parsing the first message through the deep packet inspection module.

[0249] Exemplarily, the first request may be a PFCP session report request (PFCP session report request).

[0250] The first request may include the first PCC rule information and other relevant information, such as URR ID (usage reporting rules identifier). The first PCC rule information may include the first PCC rule, such as the rule name (rulename) of the first PCC rule, the QoS of the first PCC rule, the filter of the first PCC rule, etc., that is, the rule name, QoS, filter and other parameters in the PCC rule corresponding to the locally pre-configured voice dedicated bearer (such as QCI=1). Alternatively, in some possible implementations, the first PCC rule information may be an identifier of the first PCC rule, such as a name, index, number, etc. Exemplarily, the fourth network element and the third network element are both locally pre-configured with the first PCC rule (QCI=1), and the name of the first PCC rule may be "Voice-U". In this case, the first PCC rule information carried in the first request sent by the third network element to the fourth network element may be the name of the first PCC rule, i.e., "Voice-U".

[0251] The first request may also include the IP address and port in the first message, such as the source IP address and source port, i.e., the first IP address and first port of the first network element. For example, the first IP address and first port of the first network element may be included in the first PCC rule information. That is, the first PCC rule information may include identification information (e.g., name) and first address information (the first IP address and first port of the first network element) of the first PCC rule.

[0252] 605. The fourth network element establishes a dedicated voice bearer based on the first PCC rule information.

[0253] After receiving the first request from the third network element, the fourth network element may establish a dedicated voice bearer based on the first PCC rule information in the first request. In this embodiment of the present application, the dedicated voice bearer may be a dedicated voice bearer with a QCI of 1.

[0254] Exemplarily, if the first PCC rule information includes QoS, filters, etc., the fourth network element may directly establish a dedicated voice bearer based on the QoS, filters, etc. included in the first PCC rule information. If the first PCC rule information includes the name of the first PCC rule, such as "Voice-U," the fourth network element may first obtain the locally preconfigured first PCC rule based on the name of the first PCC rule, including the corresponding QoS parameters, filters, etc., and then establish the dedicated voice bearer based on the QoS, filters, etc. included in the obtained first PCC rule. It will be appreciated that in some possible implementations, the filter may be a template, and the fourth network element may fill in specific values ​​based on the template. For example, the filter may be a five-tuple (*, IP address of the first network element, port of the first network element, UDP), which represents the source IP address, source port, destination IP address, destination port, and protocol type, respectively. If the first request includes the first IP address and first port of the first network element, the fourth network element may fill in the filter with (*, first IP address of the first network element, first port, UDP) and then establish the dedicated voice bearer based on the filled filter.

[0255] It is understandable that the fourth network element needs to perform a series of interactions with relevant network elements to establish the relevant resources for the voice-dedicated bearer based on the first PCC rule, and notify the relevant network elements to establish the relevant resources for the voice-dedicated bearer. Exemplarily, the fourth network element needs to send the QoS, filters, etc. corresponding to the voice-dedicated bearer to the access network device and terminal device through the AMF / MME network element, notifying the access network device and terminal device to establish the relevant resources for the voice-dedicated bearer. After the access network device and terminal device successfully establish the relevant resources for the voice-dedicated bearer, a response can be returned to the fourth network element through the AMF / MME. This response can be used to indicate that the access network device and / or terminal device successfully established the relevant resources for the voice-dedicated bearer. In addition to the terminal device and access network device, the fourth network element can also send the QoS, filters, etc. corresponding to the voice-dedicated bearer to the third network element, notifying the third network element to establish the relevant resources for the voice-dedicated bearer. After the third network element successfully establishes the relevant resources for the voice-dedicated bearer, a response can be returned to the fourth network element. This response can be used to indicate that the third network element successfully established the relevant resources for the voice-dedicated bearer.

[0256] The following describes the process of the fourth network element notifying the third network element to establish a dedicated voice bearer. For example, after receiving the first request, the fourth network element may send a first response to the third network element based on the PCC rule information in the first request. The first response may indicate the resources related to establishing the dedicated voice bearer. Accordingly, the third network element may receive the first response from the fourth network element and then establish the resources related to the dedicated voice bearer based on the first response.

[0257] Exemplarily, the first response may be a PFCP session report response. The first response may include first PCC rule information. In some possible implementations, after the third network element successfully establishes the relevant resources of the dedicated voice bearer, it may send a corresponding response to the fourth network element, where the response may indicate that the third network element has successfully established the relevant resources of the dedicated voice bearer.

[0258] For example, in an embodiment of the present application, the filter corresponding to the default bearer can be unrestricted (e.g., Any to Any), and the filter corresponding to the dedicated voice bearer can include the IP address segment corresponding to the first network element. In this way, media plane messages (voice messages) can match the filter corresponding to the dedicated voice bearer and be forwarded via the dedicated voice bearer. For IMS control plane messages, the IMS can ensure that IP addresses outside the IP address segment corresponding to the first network element are used and that they are matched to the default bearer for forwarding.

[0259] 606. The first network element sends a second message to the second network element, where the second message is used to request updating of the voice dedicated bearer.

[0260] When establishing a dedicated voice bearer, the IP address and port number of the filter used by the network element corresponding to the dedicated voice bearer may be the first IP address and first port number of the first network element, respectively. However, in subsequent processes, the IP address used for the dedicated voice bearer (or for transmitting voice messages) may change, or the dedicated voice bearer may change, or both the IP address and port number used for the dedicated voice bearer may change. In this case, the first network element may send a second message to the second network element. The second message may be used to request the second network element to trigger an update of the dedicated voice bearer, that is, to trigger an update of the filter related to the dedicated voice bearer.

[0261] Exemplarily, the second message may be an AAR message.

[0262] 607. When the second message is unreachable, the first network element sends a second message to the third network element, where the source IP address of the second message is the second IP address of the first network element and / or the source port of the second message is the second port.

[0263] If the second message is unreachable, the first network element may send a second message to the third network element. Correspondingly, the third network element may receive the second message from the first network element. The source IP address of the second message is the second IP address of the first network element and / or the source port of the second message is the second port.

[0264] In an embodiment of the present application, if an anomaly occurs between the P-CSCF and all PCFs / PCRFs (e.g., a PCF / PCRF failure), and the IP address and / or source port for the dedicated voice bearer changes, the first network element can directly send a second message to the third network element, with the source IP address of the second message being the second IP address of the first network element and / or the source port of the second message being the second port. Specifically, there are three scenarios: If the IP address for the dedicated voice bearer changes from the first IP address of the first network element to the second IP address, and the port remains unchanged, in this case, the source IP address of the second message can be the second IP address of the first network element, and the port can be the first port. If the port for the dedicated voice bearer changes from the first port of the first network element to the second port, and the IP address remains unchanged, in this case, the source IP address of the second message can be the first IP address of the first network element, and the port can be the second port. If the IP address for the dedicated voice bearer changes from the first IP address of the first network element to the second IP address, and the port changes from the first port of the first network element to the second port, in this case, the source IP address of the second message can be the second IP address of the first network element, and the port can be the second port.

[0265] The first message can be a downlink voice message during a call with the terminal device. That is, in an embodiment of the present application, during a voice call (such as a VoLTE / VoNR voice call), if the IP address and / or source port used for the dedicated voice bearer changes, the source IP address and / or source port of the downlink voice message can be directly changed. The third network element can monitor the source IP address and / or source port of the downlink voice message, and when it detects that the source IP address and / or source port of the downlink voice message has changed, it can trigger the update of the dedicated voice bearer.

[0266] Exemplarily, the first message may be a real-time transport protocol (RTP) message, or other types of messages.

[0267] It should be noted that, in some possible implementations, step 606 may not be performed, and step 607 may be performed directly. That is, in the case where the IP address and / or source port used for the dedicated voice bearer changes, the first network element may not send the second message to the second network element, but may directly send a second message to the third network element, where the second message carries the changed source IP address and / or source port. For example, if the first network element has previously determined that the first message is unreachable, then in the case where the IP address and / or source port used for the dedicated voice bearer subsequently changes, the first network element may not perform step 606, and may directly perform step 607.

[0268] 608. When it is determined that the second message meets the first filtering condition, the third network element sends a second request to the fourth network element, where the second request is used to request updating of the voice dedicated bearer and includes the first PCC rule information.

[0269] If a dedicated voice bearer has been established, the third network element can match received messages against the first filtering condition. If a message matches the first filtering condition, the third network element can determine whether the source IP address and source port of the message are the same as the source IP address and source port of the first network element corresponding to the filter used by the relevant network element corresponding to the current dedicated voice bearer. If they are the same, it indicates that the IP address and port of the first network element used for the dedicated voice bearer have not changed. If the source IP address is different, it indicates that the IP address of the first network element used for the dedicated voice bearer has changed. If the source port is different, it indicates that the source port of the first network element used for the dedicated voice bearer has changed. If the source IP address and / or source port of the first network element used for the dedicated voice bearer have changed, the third network element can send a second request to the fourth network element. Accordingly, the fourth network element can receive the second request from the third network element. The second request is for requesting an update of the dedicated voice bearer and can include the first PCC rule information.

[0270] The source IP address of the first filtering condition may further include the second IP address of the first network element. For example, the source IP address of the first filtering condition may include the IP address segment corresponding to the first network element (including the second IP address).

[0271] Exemplarily, the second request may be a PFCP session report request (PFCP session report request). The second request may include the first PCC rule information and other related information.

[0272] The second request may also include changed address information, such as the second IP address and / or second port of the first network element. For example, the second IP address and / or second port of the first network element may be included in the first PCC rule information. That is, the first PCC rule information may include identification information (such as a name) of the first PCC rule and second address information (the second IP address and / or second port of the first network element).

[0273] It should be noted that after the dedicated voice bearer is established, the first network element, the fourth network element, the terminal device and other network elements have established relevant resources for the dedicated voice bearer. Therefore, the first network element, the fourth network element, the terminal device and other network elements can determine whether the dedicated voice bearer is established based on local relevant information.

[0274] 609. The fourth network element updates the voice dedicated bearer based on the first PCC rule information.

[0275] After receiving the second request from the third network element, the fourth network element may update the dedicated voice bearer based on the first PCC rule information in the second request.

[0276] Specifically, the first PCC rule information may include the changed address information corresponding to the voice dedicated bearer, such as the second IP address and / or second port of the first network element. Afterwards, the fourth network element may notify the relevant network elements (such as terminal equipment, access network equipment, third network element, etc.) to update the relevant resources of the voice dedicated bearer, that is, to update the source IP address and / or source port of the first network element in the filter corresponding to the voice dedicated bearer. For example, if the first IP address and first port of the first network element are currently used in the filter corresponding to the voice dedicated bearer of the third network element, and the source IP address and source port of the first network element used for the voice dedicated bearer are changed to the second IP address and second port of the first network element, in this case, the fourth network element may notify the third network element to update the filter corresponding to the voice dedicated bearer, and replace the first IP address and first port of the first network element used in the filter corresponding to the voice dedicated bearer with the second IP address and second port of the first network element.

[0277] The following describes the process of the fourth network element notifying the third network element to update a dedicated voice bearer. For example, after receiving the second request, the fourth network element may send a second response to the third network element based on the PCC rule information in the second request. The second response may indicate an update of resources related to the dedicated voice bearer. Accordingly, the third network element may receive the second response from the fourth network element and then update resources related to the dedicated voice bearer based on the second response.

[0278] Exemplarily, the second response may be a PFCP session report response. The second response may include the first PCC rule information, which may include the second IP address and / or second port of the first network element. In some possible implementations, after the third network element successfully updates the relevant resources of the dedicated voice bearer, it may send a corresponding response to the fourth network element, which may indicate that the third network element has successfully updated the relevant resources of the dedicated voice bearer.

[0279] It is understandable that the relevant signaling during the voice dedicated bearer establishment process can be transmitted through the default bearer (QCI=5), such as the above-mentioned INVITE message, the first message, the first request, etc. can be transmitted through the default bearer.

[0280] In the above process, static PCC rules corresponding to dedicated voice bearers can be pre-configured on the fourth network element, the third network element, and so on. Subsequently, when a PCF / PCRF failure or a related interface failure occurs, the first network element can trigger the establishment and update of the dedicated voice bearer using the locally pre-configured PCC rules by sending corresponding messages (such as the first and second messages described above) to the third network element. This approach can be understood as using the low-priority PCC rules corresponding to the locally pre-configured dedicated voice bearer to facilitate the establishment / update of the dedicated voice bearer (calling and called voice services), allowing calls between the caller and the called party, thereby improving the reliability and service quality of the voice service.

[0281] It should be noted that the relevant information (ie, the same information or similar information) and related descriptions in the above different embodiments can refer to each other.

[0282] The above mainly introduces the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application. It can be understood that in order to realize the corresponding functions mentioned above, the third network element, the first network element and the fourth network element may include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. In combination with the units and steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0283] In the embodiment of the present application, the third network element, the first network element, and the fourth network element can be divided into functional modules according to the above method example. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0284] 7 shows a possible structural diagram of a communication device 700 in which the functional modules are divided according to their functions. The communication device 700 includes a receiving unit 701 and a sending unit 702 , and may further include a processing unit 703 .

[0285] In one possible design, the communication device 700 may be the third network element, or may be a chip in the third network element, or may be a processing system in the third network element, etc.

[0286] The receiving unit 701 is configured to receive a first message from a first network element, where a source Internet Protocol (IP) address of the first message is a first IP address of the first network element;

[0287] Sending unit 702 is used to send a first request to the fourth network element when it is determined that the first message meets the first filtering condition. The first request is used to request the establishment of a dedicated voice bearer. The first request includes first policy and charging control PCC rule information corresponding to the first filtering condition. The source IP address of the first filtering condition includes the first IP address of the first network element.

[0288] In one possible implementation, the receiving unit 701 is further configured to receive a first response from the fourth network element, where the first response is used to indicate relevant resources for establishing a dedicated voice bearer;

[0289] The device may also include:

[0290] The processing unit 703 is configured to establish related resources of a dedicated voice bearer based on the first response.

[0291] In a possible implementation, the receiving unit 701 is further configured to receive a second message from the first network element, where the source IP address of the second message is the second IP address of the first network element;

[0292] The sending unit 702 is further used to send a second request to the fourth network element when the voice dedicated bearer has been established and it is determined that the second message meets the first filtering condition. The second request is used to request an update of the voice dedicated bearer. The second request includes the first PCC rule information, and the source IP address of the first filtering condition also includes the second IP address of the first network element.

[0293] In one possible implementation, the receiving unit 701 is further configured to receive a second response from the fourth network element, where the second response is used to indicate updating of related resources of the dedicated voice bearer;

[0294] The processing unit 703 is further configured to update related resources of the dedicated voice bearer based on the second response.

[0295] In one possible implementation, before the third network element receives the first message from the first network element, the receiving unit 701 is further configured to receive a fourth request from the fourth network element, where the fourth request is used to request establishment of relevant resources of a default bearer with a quality of service level identifier (QCI) of 5, and the fourth request includes second PCC rule information;

[0296] The processing unit 703 is further configured to establish related resources of a default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule information.

[0297] In one possible implementation, the sending unit 702 is further used to send a fourth response to the fourth network element when the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5 are successfully established. The fourth response is used to indicate the successful establishment of relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5.

[0298] In one possible implementation, the receiving unit 701 is further configured to receive a sixth request from the fourth network element, where the sixth request is used to request updating related resources of a default bearer with a QCI of 5, and the sixth request includes the second PCC rule information;

[0299] The processing unit 703 is further configured to update related resources of the default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule information.

[0300] In one possible implementation, the sending unit 702 is further used to send a sixth response to the fourth network element when the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5 are successfully updated. The sixth response is used to indicate that the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5 are successfully updated.

[0301] The specific operations of each unit in the above-mentioned communication device 700 can refer to the corresponding description of the third network element or the module in the third network element in the above-mentioned method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0302] FIG8 shows a possible structural diagram of a communication device 800. The communication device 800 includes a sending unit 801.

[0303] In one possible design, the communication device 800 may be the first network element described above, or may be a chip in the first network element, or may be a processing system in the first network element, etc.

[0304] A sending unit 801 is configured to send a first message to a second network element, where the first message is used to request establishment of a dedicated voice bearer;

[0305] The sending unit 801 is further configured to send a first message to a third network element when the first message is unreachable, where the source Internet Protocol (IP) address of the first message is the first IP address of the first network element.

[0306] In one possible implementation, after sending the first message to the third network element, the sending unit 801 is further used to send a second message to the third network element when a dedicated voice bearer has been established, and the source IP address of the second message is the second IP address of the first network element.

[0307] The specific operations of each unit in the above-mentioned communication device 800 can refer to the corresponding description of the first network element or the module in the first network element in the above-mentioned method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0308] FIG9 shows a possible structural diagram of a communication device 900. The communication device 900 includes a receiving unit 901 and a processing unit 902. The communication device 900 may further include a sending unit 903.

[0309] In one possible design, the communication device 900 may be the fourth network element, or may be a chip in the fourth network element, or may be a processing system in the fourth network element, etc.

[0310] A receiving unit 901 is configured to receive a first request from a third network element, where the first request is used to request establishment of a dedicated voice bearer, and the first request includes first policy and charging control (PCC) rule information;

[0311] A processing unit 902 is configured to establish a dedicated voice bearer based on the first PCC rule information;

[0312] Among them, the communication device is UPF / PGW-U, when the communication device is UPF, the fourth network element is SMF, when the communication device is PGW-U, the third network element is PGW-C.

[0313] In a possible implementation, the processing unit 902 is specifically configured to: send a first response to the third network element through the sending unit 903 based on the first PCC rule information, where the first response is used to indicate relevant resources for establishing a dedicated voice bearer.

[0314] In one possible implementation, the receiving unit 901 is configured to receive a second request from the third network element, where the second request is used to request updating of a dedicated voice bearer, and the second request includes the first PCC rule information;

[0315] The processing unit 902 is further configured to update a dedicated voice bearer based on the first PCC rule information.

[0316] In a possible implementation, the processing unit 902 is further configured to send a second response to the third network element through the sending unit 903 based on the first PCC rule information, where the second response is used to indicate updating of related resources of the voice dedicated bearer.

[0317] In one possible implementation, before the fourth network element receives the first request from the third network element, the sending unit 903 is further configured to send a third request to the second network element, where the third request is used to request to obtain a dynamic PCC rule corresponding to a default bearer with a quality of service level identifier (QCI) of 5;

[0318] The processing unit 902 is further configured to establish a default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule when the third request is unreachable.

[0319] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 902 is also used to send a fourth request to the third network element through the corresponding sending based on the second PCC rule, and the fourth request is used to request to establish relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI of 5, and the fourth request includes the second PCC rule information.

[0320] In a possible implementation, the receiving unit 901 is further configured to receive a fourth response from the third network element, where the fourth response is configured to indicate that relevant resources of the default bearer with a QCI of 5 are successfully established.

[0321] In one possible implementation, the sending unit 903 is further configured to send a fifth request to the second network element, where the fifth request is used to request obtaining an updated dynamic PCC rule corresponding to the default bearer with a QCI of 5;

[0322] The processing unit 902 is further configured to update, if the fifth request is unreachable, a default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule.

[0323] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 902 is also used to send a sixth request to the third network element through the sending unit 903 based on the second PCC rule, and the sixth request is used to request to update the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5, and the sixth request includes the second PCC rule information.

[0324] In a possible implementation, the receiving unit 901 is further configured to receive a sixth response from the third network element, where the sixth response is configured to indicate a successful update of related resources of the default bearer with a QCI of 5.

[0325] In one possible implementation, in the communication device shown in Figures 7, 8 and 9, the processing unit can be one or more processors / logic circuits, the sending unit can be a transmitter, and the receiving unit can be a receiver. The sending unit and the receiving unit can be integrated into a device, such as a transceiver. In the embodiment of the present application, the processor and the transceiver can be coupled, etc., and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the connection method between the processor and the transceiver. In the process of executing the above method, the process of sending information (such as sending a first request, a first response, etc.) in the above method can be understood as the process of the processor outputting the above information. When outputting the above information, the processor can output the above information to the transceiver so that it can be transmitted by the transceiver. After being output by the processor, the above information may also need to undergo other processing before reaching the transceiver. Similarly, the process of receiving information (such as receiving a first request, a first response, etc.) in the above method can be understood as the process of the processor receiving the input information. When the processor receives the input information, the transceiver receives the above information and inputs it into the processor. Furthermore, after the transceiver receives the above information, the above information may need to be processed further before being input into the processor.

[0326] In another possible implementation, in the communication devices shown in Figures 7, 8, and 9, the processing unit may be one or more processors / logic circuits. The sending unit may be an output interface, and the receiving unit may be an input interface. The sending unit and the receiving unit are integrated into a single unit, such as an input / output interface, also known as a communication interface, an interface circuit, or an interface.

[0327] Figure 10 shows a schematic diagram of a possible hardware structure of a communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Communication device 1000 may include a communication interface 1004 and at least one processor 1002. Optionally, it may also include a bus 1003. Further optionally, it may also include at least one memory 1001, wherein memory 1001, processor 1002, and communication interface 1004 may be connected via bus 1003.

[0328] Memory 1001 is used to provide storage space for storing data such as an operating system and computer programs. Memory 1001 may be one or a combination of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM).

[0329] The processor 1002 is a module that performs arithmetic operations and / or logical operations, and can specifically be one or more combinations of processing modules such as a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microprocessor unit (MPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and a complex programmable logic device (CPLD).

[0330] The communication interface 1004 is used to receive data sent externally and / or send data externally, and can be a wired link interface such as an Ethernet cable, or a wireless link interface (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, general wireless transmission, etc.). Optionally, the communication interface 1004 can also include a transmitter (such as a radio frequency transmitter, antenna, etc.) or a receiver coupled to the interface.

[0331] In one design, the communication device 1000 can be used to perform the functions of the third network element in the aforementioned embodiment. For details, please refer to the corresponding description of the third network element in the above method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0332] In another design, the communication device 1000 can be used to perform the functions of the first network element in the aforementioned embodiment. For details, please refer to the corresponding description of the first network element in the above method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0333] In another design, the communication device 1000 can be used to perform the functions of the fourth network element in the aforementioned embodiment. For details, please refer to the corresponding description of the fourth network element in the above method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0334] In one possible design, the processor 1002 in the device 1000 is used to read the computer program stored in the memory 1001, and to execute the operations performed by the third network element, the first network element or the fourth network element in the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method described in any one of the embodiments in Figures 4, 5 or 6.

[0335] It should be noted that the communication device 1000 shown in FIG10 is only one implementation of the embodiment of the present application. In actual applications, the communication device 1000 may also include more or fewer components, which is not limited here.

[0336] An embodiment of the present application also discloses a communication system, which includes a third network element, a first network element and a fourth network element. The third network element is used to execute the operation executed by the third network element in any of the above-mentioned method embodiments, the first network element is used to execute the operation executed by the first network element in any of the above-mentioned method embodiments, and the fourth network element is used to execute the operation executed by the fourth network element in any of the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0337] An embodiment of the present application also discloses a chip, which includes a processor, wherein the processor is used to execute a computer program or computer instructions stored in a memory, so that the chip performs the operation performed by the third network element in the above method embodiment, or the chip performs the operation performed by the first network element in the above method embodiment, or the chip performs the operation performed by the fourth network element in the above method embodiment.

[0338] As a possible implementation, the memory is located outside the chip.

[0339] An embodiment of the present application further discloses a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed, perform the operations performed by the third network element in the above method embodiment, or the operations performed by the first network element in the above method embodiment, or the operations performed by the fourth network element in the above method embodiment.

[0340] An embodiment of the present application also discloses a computer program product including instructions, which, when executed, perform the operations performed by the third network element in the above method embodiment, or the operations performed by the first network element in the above method embodiment, or the operations performed by the fourth network element in the above method embodiment.

[0341] It should be understood that the transmission in the embodiments of the present application can be direct transmission or indirect transmission. Direct transmission means that a device or module sends information / data directly to a corresponding device or module, and indirect transmission means that a device or module sends information / data to a corresponding device or module through another device or module.

[0342] Obviously, the embodiments described above are only some of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. Reference to "embodiments" herein means that the specific features, structures, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of this phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor does it refer to independent or alternative embodiments that are mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It is understood, both explicitly and implicitly, that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments. All other embodiments derived by persons of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application. In the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application, the terms "first," "second," "third," and so on are used to distinguish between different objects, not to describe a specific order. Furthermore, the terms "including," "having," and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a list of steps or elements may be included, or alternatively, steps or elements not listed may be included, or alternatively, other steps or elements inherent to the process, method, product, or device may be included. It is understandable that, in some embodiments, the equal sign of the above-mentioned conditional judgment can be taken as greater than one end or less than one end. For example, the above-mentioned conditional judgment of a threshold being greater than, less than, or equal to can also be changed to a conditional judgment of the threshold being greater than, equal to, or less than. This is not limited here. It is also understandable that, for an architecture with multiple devices or modules, if one of the devices or modules generates information and another device or module uses the information, there can be multiple ways for the other device to obtain the information. For example, the device or module that generates the information can send the information directly to the device or module that uses the information (equivalent to direct sending), or the device or module that generates the information can send the information to the device or module that uses the information through other devices or modules (equivalent to indirect sending).

[0343] It will be appreciated that only the parts relevant to the present application, not all of the contents, are shown in the accompanying drawings. It will be appreciated that some exemplary embodiments are described as processes or methods depicted as flow charts. Although the flow charts describe the various operations (or steps) as sequential processes, many of the operations therein can be implemented in parallel, concurrently, or simultaneously. In addition, the order of the various operations can be rearranged as long as it is logical. The process can be terminated when its operation is completed, but can also have additional steps not included in the accompanying drawings. The process can correspond to a method, function, procedure, subroutine, subprogram, etc.

[0344] As used in this specification, the terms "component," "module," "system," "unit," and the like are used to refer to computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a unit can be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable file, an execution thread, a program, and / or distributed between two or more computers. In addition, these units can be executed from various computer-readable media having various data structures stored thereon. For example, a unit can communicate through local and / or remote processes based on signals having one or more data packets (e.g., data from a second unit interacting with another unit in a local system, a distributed system, and / or a network. For example, the Internet interacts with other systems via signals).

[0345] The specific implementation methods described above further illustrate the purpose, technical solutions and beneficial effects of this application. It should be understood that the above description is only the specific implementation methods of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made on the basis of the technical solutions of this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The third network element receives a first message from the first network element, where the source Internetwork Protocol IP address of the first message is the first IP address of the first network element; When it is determined that the first message meets the first filtering condition, a first request is sent to the fourth network element, where the first request is used to request establishment of a dedicated voice bearer, the first request includes first policy and charging control PCC rule information corresponding to the first filtering condition, and the source IP address of the first filtering condition includes the first IP address of the first network element.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving a first response from the fourth network element, where the first response is used to indicate relevant resources for establishing a dedicated voice bearer; Establish relevant resources of the voice dedicated bearer based on the first response.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving a second message from the first network element, where the source IP address of the second message is the second IP address of the first network element; If the dedicated voice bearer has been established and it is determined that the second message meets the first filtering condition, a second request is sent to the fourth network element, where the second request is used to request an update of the dedicated voice bearer, the second request includes the first PCC rule information, and the source IP address of the first filtering condition also includes the second IP address of the first network element.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving a second response from the fourth network element, where the second response is used to indicate updating of related resources of a dedicated voice bearer; Update relevant resources of the voice dedicated bearer based on the second response.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that Before the third network element receives the first message from the first network element, the method further includes: receiving a fourth request from the fourth network element, the fourth request being used to request establishment of relevant resources for a default bearer with a quality of service level identifier (QCI) of 5, the fourth request including second PCC rule information; Establish relevant resources of a default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule information.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The method further comprises: In the case where the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5 are successfully established, a fourth response is sent to the fourth network element, where the fourth response is used to indicate that the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5 are successfully established.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving a sixth request from the fourth network element, where the sixth request is used to request updating related resources of a default bearer with a QCI of 5, and the sixth request includes the second PCC rule information; Update related resources of the default bearer with a QCI of 5 based on the second PCC rule information.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: In the case where the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5 are successfully updated, a sixth response is sent to the fourth network element, where the sixth response is used to indicate that the relevant resources of the default bearer with QCI 5 are successfully updated.

9. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The fourth network element receives a first request from the third network element, where the first request is used to request establishment of a dedicated voice bearer, and the first request includes first policy and charging control (PCC) rule information; Establishing a dedicated voice bearer based on the first PCC rule information; Among them, the third network element is UPF / PGW-U. When the third network element is UPF, the fourth network element is SMF. When the third network element is PGW-U, the third network element is PGW-C.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The establishing of a dedicated voice bearer based on the first PCC rule information includes: A first response is sent to the third network element based on the first PCC rule information, where the first response is used to indicate relevant resources for establishing a dedicated voice bearer.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving a second request from the third network element, where the second request is used to request updating of a dedicated voice bearer, and the second request includes the first PCC rule information; A second response is sent to the third network element based on the first PCC rule information, where the second response is used to indicate updating of related resources of the dedicated voice bearer.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that: Before the fourth network element receives the first request from the third network element, the method further includes: Sending a third request to the second network element, where the third request is used to request obtaining a dynamic PCC rule corresponding to a default bearer with a quality of service level identifier (QCI) of 5; If the third request is unreachable, send a fourth request to the third network element, where the fourth request is used to request establishment of relevant resources of a default bearer with a QCI of 5, and the fourth request includes second PCC rule information.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: A fourth response is received from the third network element, where the fourth response is used to indicate that relevant resources of the default bearer with a QCI of 5 are successfully established.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Sending a fifth request to the second network element, where the fifth request is used to request obtaining an updated dynamic PCC rule corresponding to the default bearer with a QCI of 5; If the fifth request is unreachable, send a sixth request to the third network element, where the sixth request is used to request updating related resources of the default bearer with a QCI of 5, and the sixth request includes the second PCC rule information.

15. A communication system, characterized in that: The system comprises a first network element and a third network element, wherein: The first network element is configured to send a first message to the third network element, where a source Internetwork Protocol (IP) address of the first message is a first IP address of the first network element; The third network element is configured to receive the first message from the first network element; and upon determining that the first message meets a first filtering condition, send a first request to the fourth network element, where the first request is used to request establishment of a dedicated voice bearer, the first request includes first policy and charging control (PCC) rule information corresponding to the first filtering condition, and the source IP address of the first filtering condition includes the first IP address of the first network element.

16. The system according to claim 15, characterized in that The first network element is further configured to send a first message to the second network element, where the first message is used to request establishment of a dedicated voice bearer; The first network element being configured to send the first message to the third network element includes: sending the first message to the third network element when the first message is unreachable.

17. The system according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that The first network element is further configured to send a second message to the third network element when the dedicated voice bearer has been established, wherein the source IP address of the second message is the second IP address of the first network element.

18. The system according to any one of claims 15 to 17, characterized in that: The system further includes the fourth network element, The fourth network element is configured to receive the first request from the third network element; and establish a voice dedicated bearer based on the first PCC rule information.

19. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is used to receive and / or send data; the processor calls a computer program or computer instruction stored in a memory to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or implements the method according to any one of claims 9 to 14.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or computer instructions, and the computer program or computer instructions are executed by a processor to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or to implement the method according to any one of claims 9 to 14.

21. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product includes computer program codes or computer instructions. When the computer program codes or computer instructions are executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or the method according to any one of claims 9 to 14 is implemented.

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