Communication method, apparatus and system

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method, apparatus and system. The method comprises: determining slice support-related information of a first cell, wherein the slice support-related information of the first cell is used for determining a network slice supported by a user equipment (UE) in the first cell, and the first cell is a cell of a second network device; and sending first information to the second network device, wherein the first information comprises the slice support-related information of the first cell. Thus, the support status of a network slice for a UE in a cell can be acquired, enabling a network device where the cell is located to make more rational resource reservation and allocation decisions for the UE.

Description

Communication method, device and system

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on April 1, 2024, with application number 202410391965.1 and application name “A Communication Method, Device and System”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

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

[0003] With the continuous advancement of communications technology, a variety of new services and application scenarios are constantly emerging. These services have very different requirements for network functionality, connectivity performance, and security. If a single network is used to carry these services, it will be difficult to simultaneously meet the requirements of high bandwidth, low latency, and high reliability. In addition, building a new network for each service separately would incur huge costs. This requires the network to be flexible and scalable while being able to meet different service requirements. To this end, end-to-end network slicing (also known as slicing) has been proposed to provide users with customized network services. For example, through flexible allocation of network resources and on-demand networking, networks such as 5G networks can virtualize multiple, isolated logical subnets with different characteristics on the same physical equipment, providing targeted services to users through different logical subnets.

[0004] With the continuous development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, base stations can use AI to predict user equipment (UE) related information, such as the cells the UE will pass through, the length of time it will stay in each cell, and the performance requirements within each cell. This can be used to guide resource reservation, ensure that the UE can successfully access the cell, and ensure service performance. In the scenario of network slicing, the UE can predict the slice resources.

[0005] However, based on the core network configuration, UEs in different registration areas (RAs) may support the same or different network slices. When the source base station predicts slice resource requirements, if the cell the UE will pass through in the future is located in a different registration area under the target base station, the target base station may not support the slice required by the UE. Therefore, how to enable the target base station to obtain its support status for the UE's network slice becomes a problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method, device and system that can obtain the support status of the network slice of the UE in the cell, so that the network equipment in the cell can make more reasonable resource reservation and allocation decisions for the UE.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a first network device side, specifically, the method is performed by the first network device or a device (e.g., a chip) in the first network device. The method includes: determining slice support related information of a first cell, wherein the slice support related information of the first cell is used to determine the network slices supported by the UE in the first cell, and the first cell is a cell of a second network device.

[0008] Since the core network can configure supported network slices for the UE based on the region, for example, the first core network device can configure the same network slice or different network slices for the UE in different regions. In the present application, the first network device can first determine the network slices supported by the UE in the cell, and make a handover decision based on the prediction information obtained by the first network device. The first network device makes a handover decision based on the network slices supported by the cell, which can make the handover decision more reasonable.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: sending first information to the second network device, where the first information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

[0010] This application first determines the network slices supported by the UE in the first cell, and informs the network device to which the cell belongs, so that the network device can prepare resources or decide whether resources need to be reserved for the UE. This application takes the second network device as an example, which is a network device that the UE has not yet accessed, and the second network device includes a first cell. The first network device obtains the slice support related information of the first cell to determine the network slices supported by the UE in the first cell, and informs the second network device, to illustrate this communication method, wherein the first cell can be a target cell on the predicted UE moving path. The first network device sends the first information to the second network device, and the second network device can decide whether to reserve resources for the UE based on the network slices supported by the UE in the first cell and the ability of the second network device itself to support network slicing, so as to make the reservation and allocation decisions of the resources of the second network device more reasonable.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate whether the first cell belongs to a first area, and the first area corresponds to the current area of ​​the UE. That is, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate that the first cell belongs to the first area, or the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate that the first cell does not belong to the first area. Exemplarily, the first area is the RA currently registered by the UE, and the RA can be recorded as RA 1.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate whether the UE supports the first slice in the first cell, and the first slice is a network slice supported by the UE, that is, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate that the first cell supports the first slice, or, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate that the first cell does not support the first slice. Exemplarily, the first slice includes at least one network slice.

[0013] Alternatively, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate at least one network slice supported by the UE in the first cell. Exemplarily, the UE's requirement may be that the UE needs to support network slice 1 and network slice 2, and the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate that the first cell provides network slice 1 and network slice 2 for the UE. In this case, the second network device may reserve resources for network slice 1 and network slice 2 for the UE. The UE's requirement may be that the UE needs to support network slice 1 and network slice 2, and the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate that the first cell provides network slice 3 and network slice 4 for the UE. In this case, the second network device may not reserve resources for network slice 1 and network slice 2 for the UE. In this case, the slice support related information can fully determine the network slices supported by the UE in the first cell, which can further improve the rationality of the second network device's resource reservation and allocation decisions.

[0014] Since the UE has not yet accessed the second network device, for example, the second network device may be a network device that needs to reserve resources for the UE based on the predicted resource information obtained by AI prediction, or may be a network device on the predicted moving path of the UE predicted by AI. In this case, the first network device does not know which cells are included in the second network device and which area these cells belong to. Therefore, the relevant information of the cells in the second network device can be obtained in the following manner.

[0015] In one possible implementation, fourth information sent by the second network device is received, where the fourth information includes cell information of the first cell, and the cell information includes at least one of area information corresponding to the first cell or an identifier of the first cell. Exemplarily, the second network device may send the fourth information to RAN 1 after cell planning based on interaction between network devices.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the second network device triggers the sending of the fourth information based on the request of the first network device, that is, the first network device and the second network device send fifth information, and the fifth information is used to request to obtain the cell information of the first cell; the first network device receives the fourth information sent by the second network device.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the second network device is further configured to send thirteenth information to the first network device, for indicating the UE's slice resource demand for the first cell. Optionally, the thirteenth information may be the same as the fifth information.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the UE's resource demand for the first cell includes at least one of performance demand information for the network slice of the first cell, demand information for the number of network slice resources of the first cell, demand information for the rate at which data is transmitted between the UE and the first cell, and demand information for the number of protocol data unit information exchanges. The fifth information also indicates the UE's resource demand for the first cell. The resource demand may be predicted by AI. The first network device informs the second network device of its resource demand through the fifth information, which can provide more data support for the second network device to decide to reserve network resources for the UE, making resource reservation and configuration more reasonable.

[0019] Optionally, if the fifth information includes the UE's slice resource requirement for the first cell, the fourth information should carry corresponding information for the requirement. For example, the fifth information includes the estimated size of resources required for each network slice, and the fifth information should carry the numerical value of the estimated size of resources required for each network slice and be fed back to the first network device.

[0020] The first network device can determine the slice support related information of the first cell through various means.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the first network device may determine the slice support related information of the first cell based on the area information corresponding to the first cell, where the area information corresponding to the first cell is used to indicate the area where the first cell is located.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the first network device may obtain slice support related information of the first cell from the first core network device, such as receiving second information sent by the first core network device, where the second information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the first network device may obtain slice support related information of the first cell from the UE, such as receiving third information sent by the UE, where the third information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

[0024] By determining the slice support related information of the first cell through multiple channels, the communication method provided in this application can be applied to a wider range of scenarios. When facing scenarios with different needs, it is possible to more flexibly select appropriate channels to determine the slice support related information of the first cell.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the first network device can obtain slice support related information of the first cell from the UE, which can be achieved by the following method: the first network device sends sixth information to the UE, and the sixth information includes area information corresponding to the first cell; receives third information sent by the UE, and the third information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

[0026] Exemplarily, the area information corresponding to the first cell may be the tracking area (TA) of the first cell, the first area being the current RA of the UE, the second area being the TA within the current RA of the UE, and the first area information being information related to the TA within the current RA of the UE (such as being recorded as a tracking area list (TAL)).

[0027] A judgment is made. If the TA of the first cell is in the TA list included in the UE's current area, the TA of the first cell is also within the UE's current RA. If the TA of the first cell is not within the TAL included in the UE's current area, the TA of the first cell is outside the UE's current RA. The UE indicates to the first network device the slice support related information of the first cell. If the TA of the first cell is within the UE's current RA, the first network device indicates the slice support related information of the first cell to the second network device. The second network device can judge that resources of the network slices supported by the UE in the current cell can be reserved for the UE. If the TA of the first cell is outside the UE's current RA (or the TA of the first cell is not within the UE's current RA), the first network device indicates the slice support related information of the first cell to the second network device. The second network device can judge that resources may not be reserved for the UE, or further judge the specific network slices supported by the UE in the first cell, and then determine whether to reserve corresponding resources for the UE. This method obtains slice support related information of the first cell through the interaction between the first network device and the UE. The application scenario is simple and can be implemented in scenarios with network devices and UEs, making it more applicable.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the first network device may obtain eighth information from the UE to independently determine slice support related information of the first cell. This may be achieved by: the first network device sends seventh information to the UE, the seventh information being used to request obtaining first area information, the first area including at least one second area, the first area information including area information of the second area within the first area, the area information of the second area being used to indicate the area in which the second area is located; receives eighth information sent by the UE, the eighth information including the first area information; and determines whether the first cell belongs to the first area based on the first area information and the area information corresponding to the first cell. That is, the first network device obtains the area information corresponding to the first cell from the UE, compares it with multiple second areas included in the first area currently located by the UE, determines whether the first cell belongs to the second area, and further determines whether the first cell belongs to the first area. Exemplarily, the area information of the first cell is the TA information (or TA identification information) of the first cell, and the second area is the UE's current RA, such as RA 1. Information on which TAs are included can be recorded as the TAL of RA 1, and the TAL includes at least one TA in RA 1. The first network device obtains the TAL of RA 1 from the UE, and determines whether the first cell is within RA 1 based on whether the TA information of the first cell corresponds to a TA in the TAL. This method can obtain the slice support information of the first cell through interaction between the first network device and the UE, but the step of determining the slice support information of the first cell is not performed in the UE, which reduces the UE operation and can make the UE more energy-efficient.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the first network device may obtain slice support related information of the first cell from the first core network device, which may be implemented by the following method: sending ninth information to the first core network device, the ninth information including at least one of the identifier of the UE, the area information corresponding to the first cell, or the identifier of the first cell; and receiving second information sent by the first core network device. The slice support related information of the first cell determined by the first core network device may be whether the first cell is within the current RA of the UE, whether the first cell supports the current first slice of the UE, or the network slices supported by the UE in the first cell. The slice support related information obtained through the second core network device is more diverse and has greater flexibility in different scenarios. For example, when the second network device needs to more accurately determine which network slices the UE supports in the cell it includes, such as the first cell, it may be set as the second information indicated by the second core network device, indicating which network slices the UE supports in the first cell.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the first network device may first determine whether the second network device belongs to the same first area as the first network device. If so, it indicates that the cell of the second network device is also within the first area, that is, it is highly likely to support the network slice to which the UE is currently connected. If it is determined that the second network device does not belong to the first area, the ninth information is sent to the first core network device, and then the slice support related information of the first cell is determined. This method of first determining whether the network devices belong to the same area can more accurately determine whether the first core network still needs to indicate the slice support related information of the first cell.

[0031] In one possible implementation, if the second network device does not belong to the first area, the first information further includes area change indication information. If the first cell does not belong to the first area, illustratively, area change indication information (such as RA change indication information) may be carried in the first information to indicate that the second network device does not belong to the first area, i.e., its area has changed.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the method also includes: receiving feedback information from a second network device, where the feedback information is used to feed back actual information about the network slice of the UE in one or more cells, where the actual information may include actual performance, actual resource usage, and other actual information, and the one or more cells include the first cell, or the one or more cells do not include the first cell.

[0033] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a second network device side, specifically, the method is performed by the second network device or a device (e.g., a chip) in the second network device. The method includes: receiving first information sent by a first network device, the first information including slice support related information of a first cell, the first cell being the cell of the second network device, and the slice support related information of the first cell is used to determine the network slices supported by the user equipment UE in the first cell.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate whether the first cell belongs to a first area, and the first area corresponds to the current area of ​​the UE.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate whether the UE supports the first slice in the first cell, and the first slice is a network slice supported by the UE; or, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate at least one network slice supported by the UE in the first cell.

[0036] The slice support related information of the first cell provided in the present application can be obtained by the first network device of the first aspect and then indicated to the second network device, and can also be obtained by the second network device interacting with the core network device. Assuming that the core network device corresponding to the second network device is the first core network device, the method also includes: receiving tenth information sent by the first network device, the tenth information including the identifier of the UE; sending eleventh information to the first core network device, the eleventh information including the identifier of the UE, the area information corresponding to the first cell, or at least one of the identifier of the first cell; receiving twelfth information sent by the first core network device, the twelfth information including the slice support related information of the first cell. This method can be used when the UE has not yet accessed the second network base station, the second network device obtains the identifier of the UE from the first network device currently accessed by the UE, and then sends the identifier of the UE to the first core network device, and the first core network device determines the UE based on the identifier of the UE. Since the network slices supported by the UE in each RA are configured by the core network device, the first core network device can determine the RA in which the UE is located and the network slices supported in the RA. One possible example is that the second network device needs to obtain the network slices supported by the UE in the first cell and the second cell, and the first cell and the second cell both belong to TA 4, and TA4 belongs to RA 2. The first core network device can indicate to the second network device: the network slices supported by the UE in the first cell and the second cell, the network slices supported by the UE in TA 4, or the network slices supported by the UE in RA 2; another possible example is that the second network device needs to obtain the network slices supported by the UE in the first cell and the second cell, and the first cell belongs to TA 4, the second cell belongs to TA 3, TA 3 belongs to RA 3, and TA4 belongs to RA 2. The first core network device can indicate to the second network device: the network slices supported by the UE in the first cell and the second cell respectively, the network slices supported by the UE in TA 3 and TA 4 respectively, or the network slices supported by the UE in RA 3 or RA 2 respectively.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the UE has accessed a cell of the second network device. According to the prediction of AI, the UE may subsequently experience other cells of the second network device. In this case, the second network device can obtain the UE's identifier and send an eleventh message to the first core network device. The eleventh message carries the cell identifiers or area information of multiple cells of the second network device; and then receives the twelfth message sent by the first core network device. The twelfth message includes slice support related information of the multiple cells. This method can simplify the process of obtaining slice support related information of a cell. The second network device to which the UE accesses obtains the slice support related information of the cell of the network device that the UE will experience, making the acquisition more convenient and accurate.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the method of indicating slice support related information of a first cell by a first network device to a second network device also includes: sending fourth information to the first network device, the fourth information including cell information of the first cell, the cell information including at least one of the area information corresponding to the first cell or the identifier of the first cell, and the area information is used to indicate the area where the first cell is located.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving fifth information sent by the first network device, where the fifth information is used to request acquisition of the cell information of the first cell; and sending fourth information to the first network device based on the fifth information.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving thirteenth information sent by the first network device, where the thirteenth information is used to indicate the UE's slice resource requirements for the first cell. Optionally, the thirteenth information may be the same information as the fifth information.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the UE's resource requirements for the first cell include at least one of performance requirement information for the network slice of the first cell, requirement information for the number of network slice resources of the first cell, requirement information for the rate at which data is transmitted between the UE and the first cell, and requirement information for the number of protocol data unit information interactions.

[0042] In a possible implementation manner, the first information further includes area change indication information.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the area information is TA information, and the UE supports the same network slice in the cell included in the same TA.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the method also includes: sending feedback information to the first network device, where the feedback information is used to feedback actual network slice information of the UE in one or more cells, where the one or more cells include the first cell, or the one or more cells do not include the first cell.

[0045] It should be understood that the second aspect of this application corresponds to the technical solution of the first aspect of this application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation methods are similar, which will not be repeated here.

[0046] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a first core network device side, specifically, the method is performed by the first core network device or a device (e.g., a chip) in the first core network device. The method includes: sending second information to a first network device, the second information including slice support related information of a first cell, wherein the first cell is a cell of the second network device, and the slice support related information of the first cell is used to determine the network slices supported by the user equipment UE in the first cell.

[0047] In one possible implementation, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate whether the first cell belongs to a first area, and the first area corresponds to the current area of ​​the UE.

[0048] In one possible implementation, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate whether the UE supports the first slice in the first cell, and the first slice is a network slice supported by the UE; or, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate at least one network slice supported by the UE in the first cell.

[0049] In a possible implementation, the method also includes: receiving ninth information sent by the first network device, the ninth information including at least one of the identifier of the UE, the area information corresponding to the first cell, or the identifier of the first cell; obtaining first area information according to the identifier of the UE, the first area information including area information of a second area in the first area, the first area corresponding to the current area of ​​the UE, the first area including at least one second area, the area information of the second area being used to indicate the area where the second area is located; determining slice support related information of the first cell according to the first area information and the area information corresponding to the first cell, the area information corresponding to the first cell being used to indicate the area where the first cell is located.

[0050] The method also includes: receiving eleventh information sent by the second network device, the eleventh information including at least one of the identifier of the UE, the area information corresponding to the first cell, or the identifier of the first cell; obtaining the first area information according to the identifier of the UE; determining the slice support related information of the first cell according to the first area information and the area information corresponding to the first cell; and sending twelfth information to the second network device, the twelfth information including the slice support related information of the first cell.

[0051] In one possible implementation, the area information is TA information, the UE supports the same network slice in the same cell included in the TA, the first area information is the TAL of the first area, and the second area is the TA; determining the slice support related information of the first cell based on the first area information and the area information corresponding to the first cell includes: determining the slice support related information of the first cell based on the TA corresponding to the first cell and the tracking area list TAL of the first area, and the TAL includes at least one TA.

[0052] It should be understood that the third aspect of this application corresponds to the technical solutions of the first and second aspects of this application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation methods are similar, which will not be repeated here.

[0053] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a UE side, specifically, the method is performed by the UE or a device (e.g., a chip) of the UE. The method includes: sending third information to a first network device, the third information including slice support related information of a first cell, wherein the first cell is a cell of a second network device, and the slice support related information of the first cell is used to determine the network slices supported by the user equipment UE in the first cell.

[0054] In one possible implementation, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate whether the first cell belongs to a first area, and the first area corresponds to the current area of ​​the UE.

[0055] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving sixth information sent by the first network device, where the sixth information includes area information corresponding to the first cell, and the area information corresponding to the first cell is used to indicate an area where the first cell is located.

[0056] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving seventh information sent by the first network device, the seventh information being used to request acquisition of the first area information, the first area including at least one second area, the first area information including area information of the second area in the first area, the area information of the second area being used to indicate the area where the second area is located; and sending eighth information to the first network device, the eighth information including the first area information.

[0057] In one possible implementation, the area information is TA information, and the UE supports the same network slice in the cell included in the same TA.

[0058] In a possible implementation, the first area information is the TAL of the first area, and the second area is the TA.

[0059] It should be understood that the fourth aspect of the present application corresponds to the technical solutions of the first and second aspects of the present application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation methods are similar, which will not be repeated here.

[0060] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to the second network device side, specifically, the method is performed by the second network device or a device (such as a chip) in the second network device. The method includes: sending eleventh information to the first core network device, the eleventh information including at least one of the UE identifier, first area information, and the first cell identifier, wherein the first cell is the cell of the second network device, and the first area identifier is the area corresponding to the first cell; receiving twelfth information sent by the first core network device, the twelfth information is used to indicate the first slice support related information of the first area, or the slice support related information of the first cell.

[0061] The second network device can interact with the core network to request the core network to indicate the network slices supported by the UE in the first cell or other cells, or the network slices supported in the corresponding areas of the first cell or other cells. The second network device can decide whether to reserve resources for the UE based on the indication of the core network and the ability of the second network device itself to support network slicing, so that resource reservation and allocation decisions can be more reasonable.

[0062] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: the second network device acquiring at least one of an identifier of the UE, area information corresponding to the first cell, or an identifier of the first cell.

[0063] Exemplarily, the first core network device is a core network device accessed by the second network device. The second network device includes at least one cell, which may include a first cell, a second cell, a fourth cell, etc. The at least one cell may also be defined as a cell of the second network device. Exemplarily, the cells of the second network device include a first cell, a second cell, a third cell, and a fourth cell. The target cells of the UE are, in a predicted arrival order, the first cell, the fourth cell, and the second cell, respectively.

[0064] In one possible implementation, the second network device may initiate acquisition of slice support related information of the UE in the cell of the second network device when the UE accesses the second network device. For example, the second network device sends a request message (i.e., the eleventh message) to the first core network device, and receives slice support related information of the cell of the second device, such as the first cell indicated by the first core network device.

[0065] In one possible implementation, the network device currently accessed by the UE is a first network device and has not yet accessed a second network device. The second network device can obtain an identifier of the UE from the first network device, and the method further includes: receiving tenth information sent by the first network device, the tenth information including the identifier of the UE. This method can obtain the identifier of the UE from the first network device side, and the second network device can request information related to slice support of its cell from the first core network device based on the received identifier of the UE.

[0066] In one possible implementation, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate whether the first cell belongs to a first area, and the first area corresponds to the current area of ​​the UE. That is, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate that the first cell belongs to the first area, or the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate that the first cell does not belong to the first area. Exemplarily, the first area is the RA currently registered by the UE, and the RA can be recorded as RA 1.

[0067] In one possible implementation, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate whether the UE supports the first slice in the first cell, and the first slice is a network slice supported by the UE, that is, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate that the first cell supports the first slice, or the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate that the first cell does not support the first slice.

[0068] Alternatively, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate at least one network slice supported by the first cell.

[0069] In a possible implementation, the second network device may further receive prediction information sent by the first network device. The prediction information may be sent separately or carried in the tenth information.

[0070] In one possible implementation, the second network device sends feedback information to the first network device, and the feedback information includes slice support related information of the first cell. Exemplarily, if the cells of the second network device include the first cell, the second cell, the third cell, and the fourth cell, and the target cells of the UE are the first cell, the fourth cell, and the second cell, respectively, the feedback information may indicate the slice support related information corresponding to the first cell, the second cell, the third cell, and the fourth cell, respectively; or, the feedback information may indicate the slice support related information corresponding to the target cell of the UE, such as indicating the slice support related information corresponding to the first cell, the second cell, and the fourth cell, respectively. The feedback information can be used by the first network device to make a handover decision, making the handover decision of the first network device more reasonable.

[0071] In a possible implementation, the feedback information also includes: actual slice resource usage.

[0072] In one possible implementation, the area information is TA information, and the UE supports the same network slice in the cell included in the same TA.

[0073] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a first core network device side, specifically, the method is performed by the first core network device or a device (e.g., a chip) of the first core network device. The method includes: receiving eleventh information sent by a second network device, the eleventh information including at least one of an identifier of a UE, first area information, and an identifier of a first cell, wherein the first cell is a cell of the second network device, and the first area identifier is an area corresponding to the first cell; and sending twelfth information to the second network device, the twelfth information being used to indicate first slice support related information of the first area, or slice support related information of the first cell.

[0074] In one possible implementation, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate whether the first cell belongs to a first area, and the first area corresponds to the current area of ​​the UE.

[0075] In one possible implementation, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate whether the UE supports the first slice in the first cell, and the first slice is a network slice supported by the UE, that is, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate that the first cell supports the first slice, or, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate that the first cell does not support the first slice; or, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate at least one network slice supported by the first cell.

[0076] It should be understood that the sixth aspect of the present application is identical or corresponding to the technical solution of the fifth aspect of the present application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation methods are similar, which will not be repeated here.

[0077] In the seventh aspect, the present application provides a first network device, including: a processing module and a transceiver module, the processing module is used to determine the slice support related information of the first cell, wherein the slice support related information of the first cell is used to determine the network slice supported by the UE in the first cell, and the first cell is the cell of the second network device.

[0078] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is used to send first information to the second network device, where the first information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

[0079] In one possible implementation, the processing module is specifically used to determine the slice support related information of the first cell based on the area information corresponding to the first cell, and the area information corresponding to the first cell is used to indicate the area where the first cell is located.

[0080] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is specifically used to receive second information sent by the first core network device, where the second information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

[0081] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is specifically used to receive third information sent by the UE, where the third information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

[0082] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further used to receive fourth information sent by the second network device, where the fourth information includes cell information of the first cell, and the cell information includes at least one of area information corresponding to the first cell or an identifier of the first cell.

[0083] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to send fifth information to the second network device, where the fifth information is used to request acquisition of the cell information of the first cell.

[0084] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to send sixth information to the UE, where the sixth information includes area information corresponding to the first cell.

[0085] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is further used to send seventh information to the UE, where the seventh information is used to request acquisition of the first area information, where the first area includes at least one second area, and the first area information includes area information of the second area in the first area, where the area information of the second area is used to indicate the area where the second area is located; and receive eighth information sent by the UE, where the eighth information includes the first area information; and the processing module is further used to determine whether the first cell belongs to the first area based on the first area information and the area information corresponding to the first cell.

[0086] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to send ninth information, where the ninth information includes at least one of an identifier of the UE, area information corresponding to the first cell, or an identifier of the first cell.

[0087] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module is specifically configured to send the ninth information to the first core network device if it is determined that the second network device does not belong to the first area.

[0088] It should be understood that the seventh aspect of the present application is identical or corresponding to the technical solution of the first aspect of the present application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation methods are similar, which will not be repeated here.

[0089] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a second network device, comprising: a processing module and a transceiver module, the transceiver module being configured to receive first information sent by a first network device, the first information including slice support related information of a first cell, the first cell being the cell of the second network device, the slice support related information of the first cell being used to determine a network slice supported by a UE in the first cell. The processing module being configured to decide, based on the slice support related information of the first cell, to reserve a network slice for the UE.

[0090] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is further used to send fourth information to the first network device, where the fourth information includes cell information of the first cell, where the cell information includes at least one of the area information corresponding to the first cell or the identifier of the first cell, and the area information is used to indicate the area where the first cell is located.

[0091] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to receive fifth information sent by the first network device, where the fifth information is used to request acquisition of the cell information of the first cell.

[0092] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is also used to receive tenth information, which includes the identifier of the UE; send eleventh information to the first core network device, which includes at least one of the identifier of the UE, the area information corresponding to the first cell, or the identifier of the first cell; and receive twelfth information sent by the first core network device, which includes slice support related information of the first cell.

[0093] It should be understood that the eighth aspect of the present application is identical or corresponding to the technical solutions of the first and second aspects of the present application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation methods are similar, which will not be repeated here.

[0094] In the ninth aspect, the present application provides a first core network device, including: a processing module and a transceiver module, the transceiver module is used to send second information to the first network device, the second information including slice support related information of the first cell, wherein the first cell is the cell of the second network device, and the slice support related information of the first cell is used to determine the network slice supported by the UE in the first cell.

[0095] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is also used to receive ninth information sent by the first network device, and the ninth information includes at least one of the identifier of the UE, the area information corresponding to the first cell, or the identifier of the first cell; the processing module is also used to obtain first area information according to the identifier of the UE, and the first area information includes area information of a second area in the first area, the first area corresponds to the current area of ​​the UE, the first area includes at least one second area, and the area information of the second area is used to indicate the area where the second area is located; based on the first area information and the area information corresponding to the first cell, the slice support related information of the first cell is determined, and the area information corresponding to the first cell is used to indicate the area where the first cell is located.

[0096] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is further used to receive eleventh information sent by the second network device, where the eleventh information includes at least one of the identifier of the UE, the area information corresponding to the first cell, or the identifier of the first cell; the processing module is further used to obtain the first area information based on the identifier of the UE; determine the slice support related information of the first cell based on the first area information and the area information corresponding to the first cell; the transceiver module is further used to send twelfth information to the second network device, where the twelfth information includes the slice support related information of the first cell.

[0097] It should be understood that the ninth aspect of the present application corresponds to the technical solutions of the first, second and third aspects of the present application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation methods are similar, so they will not be repeated here.

[0098] In the tenth aspect, the present application provides a UE, including: a processing module and a transceiver module, the transceiver module is used to send third information to a first network device, the third information including slice support related information of a first cell, wherein the first cell is a cell of a second network device, and the slice support related information of the first cell is used to determine the network slice supported by the user equipment UE in the first cell.

[0099] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to receive sixth information sent by the first network device, where the sixth information includes area information corresponding to the first cell, where the area information corresponding to the first cell is used to indicate the area where the first cell is located. The processing module is configured to determine slice support related information of the first cell based on the area information corresponding to the first cell and the acquired first area information.

[0100] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is further used to receive seventh information sent by the first network device, where the seventh information is used to request the first area information, where the first area includes at least one second area, and the first area information includes area information of the second area in the first area, where the area information of the second area is used to indicate the area where the second area is located; and send eighth information to the first network device, where the eighth information includes the first area information.

[0101] It should be understood that the ninth aspect of the present application corresponds to the technical solutions of the first, second, third and fourth aspects of the present application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation methods are similar, so they will not be repeated here.

[0102] In the eleventh aspect, the present application provides a second network device, including: a processing module and a transceiver module, the transceiver module is used to send eleventh information to the first core network device, the eleventh information including at least one of the identifier of the UE, the area information corresponding to the first cell, or the identifier of the first cell, wherein the first cell is the cell of the second network device; receive twelfth information sent by the first core network device, the twelfth information including slice support related information of the first cell.

[0103] In a possible implementation, the processing module is configured to enable the second network device to obtain at least one of an identifier of the UE, area information corresponding to the first cell, or an identifier of the first cell.

[0104] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to receive tenth information sent by the first network device, where the tenth information includes an identifier of the UE. This method can obtain the identifier of the UE from the first network device, and the second network device can request information related to slice support for its cell from the first core network device based on the received identifier of the UE.

[0105] In one possible implementation, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate whether the first cell belongs to a first area, where the first area corresponds to the current area of ​​the UE. That is, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate that the first cell belongs to the first area, or the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate that the first cell does not belong to the first area.

[0106] Exemplarily, the first area is the RA where the UE is currently registered.

[0107] In one possible implementation, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate whether the first cell supports the first slice, and the first slice is a network slice supported by the UE, that is, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate that the first cell supports the first slice, or, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate that the first cell does not support the first slice. Exemplarily, the first slice includes at least one network slice, and the second network device can request to obtain the first slice from the first network device.

[0108] Alternatively, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate that the first cell provides at least one network slice that supports the needs of the UE.

[0109] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is also used to send feedback information to the first network device, and the feedback information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

[0110] In one possible implementation, the area information is TA information, and the UE supports the same network slice in the cell included in the same TA.

[0111] It should be understood that the eleventh aspect of the present application corresponds to the technical solution of the fifth aspect of the present application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation methods are similar, so they will not be repeated here.

[0112] In a twelfth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which, when executed, implements the method described in any one of the above aspects or any possible implementation of any one of the aspects.

[0113] In a thirteenth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a terminal device or a device in a terminal device (e.g., a chip). The communication device includes a module for executing the method described in any one of the above aspects or any possible implementation of any one of the aspects, such as a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module may be a processor, and the transceiver module may be a transceiver. When the communication device is a terminal device, the transceiver may be a radio frequency module. When the communication device is a device in a terminal device, the transceiver may be an input / output interface, a pin, or a circuit, etc.

[0114] In a fourteenth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a network device or a device in a network device (e.g., a chip). The communication device includes a module for executing the method described in any one of the above aspects or any possible implementation of any one of the aspects, such as a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module may be a processor, and the transceiver module may be a transceiver. When the communication device is a network device, the transceiver may be a radio frequency module. When the communication device is a device in a network device, the transceiver may be an input / output interface, a pin, or a circuit, etc.

[0115] In a fifteenth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a core network device or a device in a core network device (e.g., a chip). The communication device includes a module for executing the method described in any one of the above aspects or any possible implementation of any one of the aspects, such as a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module may be a processor, and the transceiver module may be a transceiver. When the communication device is a network device, the transceiver may be a radio frequency module. When the communication device is a device in a network device, the transceiver may be an input / output interface, a pin, or a circuit, etc.

[0116] In a sixteenth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising at least one processor coupled to a storage medium, the storage medium storing instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by the processor, the processor is configured to execute the method as described in any of the above aspects or any possible implementation of any of the aspects. The storage medium may be included in the device or may be located external to the device.

[0117] In the seventeenth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the method described in any one of the above aspects or any possible implementation method of any one of the aspects.

[0118] In an eighteenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed on a processor, implement the method described in any one of the above aspects or any possible implementation of any one of the aspects.

[0119] In the nineteenth aspect, the present application provides a system, which includes one or more of the first network device as described in the first aspect, the second network device as described in the second aspect, the first core network device as described in the third aspect, and the UE as described in the fourth aspect.

[0120] In the twentieth aspect, the present application provides a system, which includes the second network device as described in the fifth aspect and the first core network device as described in the sixth aspect.

[0121] In a possible implementation, the system further includes one or both of the first network device as described in the first aspect and the UE as described in the fourth aspect.

[0122] It should be understood that the twelfth to twentieth aspects of the present application are consistent with the technical solutions of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth or sixth aspects of the present application or the beneficial effects achieved by the corresponding aspects and corresponding feasible implementation methods are similar, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0123] 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 of the present application. 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 any creative work.

[0124] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system 100 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0125] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system 200 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0126] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of slice support for UE cross-RA switching provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0127] FIG4 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0128] FIG5a is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0129] FIG5 b is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0130] FIG6 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0131] FIG7 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0132] FIG8 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0133] FIG9 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0134] FIG10 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0135] FIG11 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0136] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system 400 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0137] FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of a RAN intelligent controller (RIC) in an open RAN provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0138] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of a first network device or an apparatus in the first network device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0139] FIG15 is a schematic structural diagram of a second network device or an apparatus in the second network device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0140] FIG16 is a schematic structural diagram of a first core network device or an apparatus in the first core network device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0141] FIG17 is a schematic structural diagram of a UE or a UE device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0142] FIG18 is a schematic structural diagram of a device 50 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0143] FIG19 is a schematic structural diagram of a device 60 provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0144] In order to enable people in this technical field to better understand the solutions in this application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below in combination with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments.

[0145] The term "and / or" herein is merely a description of the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. A and B can be single or multiple. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions is used to indicate any combination of the listed items. For example, at least one of A, B, and / or C can mean: A exists alone, B exists alone, C exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, B and C exist at the same time, A and C exist at the same time, and A, B, and C exist at the same time. A, B, and C can be single or multiple.

[0146] In the description and claims of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order of objects. For example, the terms "first target object" and "second target object" are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order of objects.

[0147] In the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be interpreted as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0148] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more. For example, "multiple processing units" means two or more processing units; "multiple systems" means two or more systems.

[0149] For ease of understanding, the following first explains the relevant nouns or terms used in the embodiments of this application:

[0150] 1. AI

[0151] Current mobile networks, supporting an increasing diversity of services, are required to meet diverse demands, such as ultra-high speeds, ultra-low latency, ultra-high reliability, and a vast number of connections. This complicates network planning, configuration, and resource scheduling. Furthermore, as mobile networks utilize increasingly higher spectral bandwidth, base station energy efficiency requirements are also increasing. These new demands, scenarios, and features present unprecedented challenges for mobile network planning, maintenance, and efficient operations. Network planning, self-optimization, and resource scheduling based on manual experience or simple algorithms are time-consuming, costly, and lack the adaptability of self-optimization and scheduling algorithms, making them incapable of meeting these new challenges.

[0152] Introducing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning into mobile networks can significantly improve the efficiency of network planning, configuration, and resource scheduling, achieving network intelligence. AI can simulate arbitrary nonlinear models, effectively adapting to real-world environments and approaching performance limits. AI and machine learning acquire large amounts of data, use machine learning algorithms to perform model training and / or decision inference on this data, and output AI models and / or decision results (such as forecasts of service data volumes for a specific time period). To achieve RAN intelligence, key technologies such as the RAN intelligent radio network framework, AI module / platform functions, and protocol processes are required.

[0153] 2. TA

[0154] TA is a concept introduced in the core network of mobile communication systems to facilitate tracking of UE locations. Upon access, the core network assigns a TA to the UE. The UE then registers with the assigned TA. This allows the core network to paging only to all cells in all TAs where the UE is registered, eliminating the need to search the entire network for the UE. If the UE moves to a TA where it is not registered, a TA update process is initiated to notify the core network of the UE's location change.

[0155] 3. Tracking area code (TAC)

[0156] The TAC is a unique code assigned to each TA by each operator and broadcast to UEs via system messages across all cells within the TA. Because TACs may be the same for different operators, the TAI (tracking area identity) is introduced to uniquely identify TAs globally. The TAI consists of the PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) identifier and the TAC.

[0157] 4. RA

[0158] RAs include multiple TAs. A UE moving within a TA within the same RA does not require a registration update. The core network, which has already registered with the current RA, indicates the corresponding TAL to the UE. The TAL is a list of multiple TAs within the current RA. For example, if the UE's current RA is RA 1, and the UE moves outside of RA 1, such as from RA 1 to a cell within a TA within RA 2, the UE's TA is no longer within the TAL corresponding to the current RA (i.e., RA 1), and the UE needs to perform a registration update. After the registration update, the core network corresponding to RA 2 indicates the corresponding TAL to the UE.

[0159] 5. Slicing

[0160] With the development of mobile communications technology, various new services and application scenarios are constantly emerging. These services have very different requirements for network functions, connection performance, and security. If a single network is used to carry these services, it will be difficult to simultaneously meet the requirements of high bandwidth, low latency, and high reliability. In addition, building a new network for each service separately will incur huge costs. This requires 5G to be flexible and scalable while being able to meet different business needs. To this end, 5G provides users with customized network services through end-to-end network slicing. For example, through flexible allocation of network resources and on-demand networking, 5G can virtualize multiple logical subnets with different characteristics and mutual isolation on the same physical infrastructure to provide targeted services to users.

[0161] Different logical subnets are identified and distinguished by single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI). Each S-NSSAI may include a slice / service type (SST) and a Slice Differentiator (SD), where SD is optional. SST points to slice-specific features and service types; SD, as a supplement to SST, can further distinguish multiple network slice instances that meet the same SST.

[0162] NSSAI is a collection of S-NSSAIs, or NSSAI is equivalent to an S-NSSAI list, or NSSAI includes one S-NSSAI or multiple S-NSSAIs. Network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) can distinguish network slices of different types and uses. NSSAI is specifically categorized as follows: subscribed NSSAI, default NSSAI, requested NSSAI, allowed NSSAI, and configured NSSAI.

[0163] Among them, subscribed NSSAI belongs to the user's subscription data.

[0164] The default NSSAI means that according to the operator's policy, one or more of the user's subscribed NSSAIs may be set as the default NSSAI. If the UE does not carry an allowed NSSAI in the registration request message, the network (such as the core network device), if a default NSSAI is already stored, will use the default NSSAI to provide services to the UE.

[0165] Requested NSSAI refers to the allowed NSSAI or configured NSSAI carried by the UE in the registration request message;

[0166] Allowed NSSAI: refers to the allowed NSSAI of the UE in the current registration area (RA), indicating which S-NSSAI(s) in the NSSAI requested by the UE are allowed by the network. The network will carry it to the UE in the "Allowed NSSAI" information element (IE) of the registration accept message. In addition, the protocol also introduces partially allowed NSSAI, which is used to indicate that the UE only partially supports network slices in the current RA.

[0167] Configured NSSAI refers to the NSSAI that the network configures for the UE to use. After receiving the configured NSSAI, the UE can determine which S-NSSAI(s) are available in the network. The network will carry the "Configured NSSAI" IE to the UE in the registration accept message. In some scenarios, if the UE configuration changes after registration, the network can notify the UE of the update through a configuration update command. In some scenarios, the UE will save the configured NSSAI configured by each network in non-volatile storage space. Each public land mobile network (PLMN) can only be configured with one Configured NSSAI.

[0168] 6. AI module

[0169] An AI module is a module with machine learning computing capabilities, used to implement corresponding AI functions. In a wireless communication system, the AI ​​modules installed in different network elements can be the same or different. The AI ​​module model can implement different functions based on different parameter configurations. The AI ​​module model can be configured based on one or more of the following parameters: structural parameters (e.g., at least one of the number of neural network layers, neural network width, inter-layer connectivity, neuron weights, neuron activation functions, or biases in activation functions), input parameters (e.g., the type and / or dimension of input parameters), or output parameters (e.g., the type and / or dimension of output parameters). The bias in the activation function can also be referred to as the bias of the neural network. An AI module can have one or more models. A model can infer an output, which includes one or more parameters. The learning, training, or inference processes of different models can be deployed in different nodes or devices, or they can be deployed in the same node or device.

[0170] 7. Access and mobility management function (AMF)

[0171] It is mainly used for mobility management and access management. For example, in the 5G mobile communication system, the AMF mainly implements functions such as mobility management, access authentication / authorization, and transmits user policies between the terminal and the policy control function (PCF) network element.

[0172] 8. Network slice selection function (NSSF)

[0173] Mainly used for the selection and management of network slices. NSSF can analyze user needs and network resources to select the most appropriate network slice to provide services. For example, network slices with different performance, security, and service quality can be selected based on user needs to meet the needs of different application scenarios.

[0174] The communication method and device provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as wireless local area network (WLAN), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), global system for mobile communications (GSM), enhanced data rate for GSM evolution (EDGE), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), code division multiple access 2000 (CDMA2000), time division-synchronization code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA), LTE system, satellite communication, fifth-generation 5G communication system, sixth-generation (6G) communication system or new communication systems that will appear in the future. Figure 1 is a structural diagram of a communication system 100 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the system 100 includes multiple network devices, such as a first network device 10 and a second network device 20. The system 100 also includes a first core network device 30 and a UE 40.

[0175] The user equipment (UE) referred to in the embodiments of the present application, such as UE 40 shown in Figure 1, is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities that provides at least one of voice or data connectivity to a user. It is also known as a terminal device, mobile station (MS), or mobile terminal (MT). UEs can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water, such as on ships; and in the air, such as on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. UEs can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminals, augmented reality (AR) terminals, wireless terminals used in industrial control, wireless terminals used in self-driving vehicles, wireless terminals used in remote medical care, wireless terminals used in smart grids, wireless terminals used in transportation safety, wireless terminals used in smart cities, wireless terminals used in smart homes, and user equipment (UE). In some scenarios, UEs may also include built-in AI modules capable of training ML models and providing wireless-related data analysis and policy feedback to network devices, such as access network equipment.

[0176] The network devices involved in the embodiments of the present application are devices in a wireless network, such as the first network device 10 and the second network device 20 provided in FIG1 . The network devices may be radio access network (RAN) nodes that connect UEs to a wireless network. The network devices are capable of managing wireless resources, providing access services for UEs, completing the data or resources required by UEs, and forwarding between UEs and core network devices. They can also be understood as base stations in the network. Currently, some examples of RAN nodes are: gNB, transmission reception point (TRP), evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home Node B (HNB), base band unit (BBU), or wireless fidelity (Wifi) access point (AP), integrated access and backhaul (IAB), etc. In some scenarios, network equipment may also include built-in AI module functions that can perform ML model training to provide wireless-related data analysis and policy feedback.

[0177] In a network structure, the network device is a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) separated architecture, that is, the network device can refer to the CU or the network device can refer to the DU. In a network structure, the network device can also be composed of a CU and a DU. CU and DU can be understood as a division of the base station from a logical function perspective. Among them, the CU and DU can be physically separated or deployed together, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this. Figure 2 is a structural diagram of a communication system 200 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2, the system 200 includes an open CU and DU architecture, that is, the CU and DU can be separated and serve as a network device respectively, or the CU and DU form a network device. The open RAN architecture may also include other network elements in addition to the network elements shown in Figure 2.

[0178] Multiple DUs can share one CU (not shown in Figure 2), and one DU can also be connected to multiple CUs (not shown in Figure 2). The CU and DU can be connected through an interface, such as an F1 interface. The CU and DU can be divided according to the protocol layer of the wireless network. For example, one possible division method is: the CU is used to perform the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) layer, the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, while the DU is used to perform the functions of the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, the physical layer, etc. It can be understood that the division of the CU and DU processing functions according to this protocol layer is only an example. In actual deployment, it can be divided in other ways, such as dividing the CU or DU into functions with more protocol layers. Exemplarily, the CU or DU can also be divided into partial processing functions with protocol layers. In one possible design, some functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layers above the RLC layer are set in the CU, and the remaining functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layers below the RLC layer are set in the DU. In another possible design, the functions of the CU or DU can also be divided according to the service type or other system requirements. For example, according to the delay, the functions whose processing time needs to meet the delay requirements are set in the DU, and the functions that do not need to meet the delay requirements are set in the CU. In another possible design, the CU can also have one or more functions of the core network. One or more CUs can be set centrally or separately. For example, the CU can be set on the network side for convenient centralized management. The DU can have multiple radio frequency functions, or the radio frequency functions can be set remotely, and so on.

[0179] The functions of the CU can be implemented by a single entity or by different entities. For example, the functions of the CU can be further divided, such as separating the control plane (CP) and the user plane (UP). Referring to Figure 2, the system may also include a CU control plane (CU-CP) and a CU user plane (CU-UP). For example, the CU-CP and CU-UP can be implemented by different functional entities and connected via an interface. The CU-CP and CU-UP can be coupled with the DU to jointly perform the functions of the base station.

[0180] In the communication system shown in Figure 2, each network element (including network equipment, UE, core network equipment) can be connected through an interface (such as NG interface, Xn interface) or an air interface Uu interface. One or more devices in these network elements can also be provided with one or more AI modules (for the sake of clarity, only one AI module is shown in Figure 2 for example). Optionally, the network device can serve as a separate RAN node, or it can include multiple RAN nodes, for example, including CU and DU. At least one of the CU or DU can also be provided with one or more AI modules, such as the example in Figure 2, where an AI module is respectively provided in the CU and the DU. Optionally, the CU is split into CU-CP and CU-UP, and at least one of the CU-CP or CU-UP can also be provided with one or more AI models, such as the example in Figure 2, where an AI module is respectively provided in the CU-CP and the CU-UP.

[0181] The core network involved in the embodiments of the present application may be a 5G core network (5GC). The core network may be an evolved packet core (EPC) of a 4G core network, or a 5GC (5G core Network), or a possible core network form in the future, such as a 6G core network, etc., which is not limited here. The core network may include multiple network elements, such as an AMF network element, a network element function (NEF) network element, a slice resource management network element, etc. The core network device refers to the device deployed in the core network, and its main function is to provide user connection, user management, and service carrying, and to provide an interface to the external network as a bearer network.

[0182] In the system provided in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 , when a UE moves, it may switch from one network device to another network device. For example, referring to FIG. 1 , the UE may move from the cell of the current first network device to the cell of the second network device. If the network devices (including the first network device and the second network device) have AI or ML prediction capabilities, the UE mobility information can be predicted based on the UE's current information, such as the UE's historical mobility information and UE measurement reports. In addition, the first network device and the second network device can exchange the UE's mobility information for the second network device to perform subsequent UE resource management. In one possible implementation, when the UE is currently connected to the first network device, it moves in the current RA (for example, the current RA is RA 1), but when the UE accesses the second network device, such as when the UE enters the first cell, the first cell may be within RA 1 and can continue to support the network slice required by the UE, or the first cell may be outside RA 1, such as the first cell may belong to RA 2. This is equivalent to the UE needing to re-register or perform a registration update, and it is not yet certain whether the first cell within RA 2 can continue to support the network slice required by the UE. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a slice support situation for UE cross-RA switching provided by an embodiment of the present application. Referring to the examples of Figures 1 and 3, in a scheme for reserving resources based on UE predicted mobility and predicted slice resource requirements, the UE is currently accessed to the first network device 10. The first network device 10 can predict the UE slice resource requirements and obtain the predicted resource information of the UE. If it can be concluded that the network device to which the UE subsequently accesses includes the second network device 20, the predicted resource information can be sent to the second network device 20, so that the second network device 20 can reserve the resources required by the UE based on the predicted resource information. For example, if the second network device 20 and the first network device 10 are in different RAs, as shown in FIG3 , the cell currently accessed by the UE belongs to TA 1, which is in RA1. Assume that the allowed NSSAI of the UE in RA1 includes S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2, that is, each TA (including TA1) in RA 1 supports UE application slices S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2. When the UE moves to the first cell of the second network device 20, the first cell belongs to TA 4, which is in RA 2. In this case, if the UE needs service slices S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2, and the second network device 20 determines, based on the predicted resource information indicated by the first network device 10, that the resources required by the UE are S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2, and reserves them.However, since the slice resource management network element on the network side (i.e., the corresponding core network device) will plan the slice support status in each RA for the UE based on the network resource situation, that is, the allowed NSSAI of the UE may be different in different RAs, it may happen that: the allowed NSSAI allocated by the core network to RA 2 includes S-NSSAI 3 and S-NSSAI 4. When the UE accesses the second network device 20, because RA 2 does not support the slices S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 required by the UE, the slice NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 services of the UE will be terminated, and the second network device 20 mistakenly decides to reserve resources for slices S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 for the UE, and rejects normal access of other UEs that need slices S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 resources, resulting in unreasonable resource allocation and other resource waste. In other words, the decision to reserve resources for S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 for the UE is unreasonable.

[0183] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application enables the second network device to obtain its support status for the network slice required by the UE (also referred to as slice in the embodiment of the present application), and then reasonably allocate resources.

[0184] Optionally, the first network device may send indication information to the second network device, and the indication information may be defined as first information, wherein the first information includes slice support related information of the first cell; or, the first information includes slice support related information of the first cell and predicted resource information for the UE; or, the first information includes slice support related information of the first cell and predicted mobility information for the UE; or, the first information includes slice support related information of the first cell, predicted resource information and predicted mobility information for the UE.

[0185] Among them, the predicted resource information for the UE refers to the resource requirements of at least one cell on the predicted mobile path of the UE, such as the quality of service (QoS) to be guaranteed by the network slicing service, the required load, the size of the air interface resource requirements, etc.

[0186] In conventional technology, a first network device may send indication information to a second network device. The indication information may include at least one of predicted resource information and predicted mobility information for a UE. If the indication information includes the predicted resource information and predicted mobility information for the UE, the predicted resource information may be predicted resource information for a specific time period or a specific cell. The predicted mobility information may include the cells that the UE will pass through (e.g., cell identifiers) and the duration of stay in each cell. Based on the indication information, the second network device can determine which cells the UE will pass through in the future and how much resources it will require in these cells. However, because the second network device cannot accurately determine which resources the UE's target cell can support, it reserves the resources required by the UE for the UE. As a result, when the target cell does not support the UE's use of the resources, the resources reserved in advance for the UE by the second network device are wasted. Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, the first network device may indicate to the second network device information related to slice support for the first cell (the first cell is the UE's target cell) via the first information, or the second network device may obtain information related to slice support for the first cell through interaction with a core network device. This is equivalent to the second network device obtaining that the first cell supports the UE to use network slicing and will occupy the resources of the second network device, or that the first cell does not support the UE to use network slicing and will not occupy resources. The second network device can decide whether to reserve resources for the UE based on this.

[0187] In an embodiment of the present application, the first network device can first determine the slice support related information of the first cell and then indicate it to the second network device.

[0188] FIG4 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG4 , the method is described by taking the execution of the method by the first network device as an example, but not limiting, and the method includes: S101 to S102.

[0189] S101. A first network device determines slice support related information of a first cell, wherein the slice support related information of the first cell is used to determine a network slice supported by the UE in the first cell, and the first cell is a cell of a second network device.

[0190] Referring to the communication system of Figure 1, assuming that the UE is currently in a cell of the first network device and accesses the first core network device through the first network device, the first network device can obtain prediction information for the UE. The prediction information may include at least one of predicted resource information or predicted mobility information. For example, the first network device knows based on the prediction information that the first cell is the target cell for the UE to move, and the predicted resource information may include the size of the UE's demand for network slice resources.

[0191] Optionally, the first network device may infer that the UE may subsequently pass through multiple cells, for example, based on AI or ML capabilities, predict the UE's mobility information, and at the same time, separately infer the predicted resource information of the UE in each cell passed through, for example, the network slice resource requirement size. Exemplarily, if the first network device infers that the cells that the UE may subsequently pass through include multiple cells such as a first cell, a second cell, and a third cell, the first network device may determine the network slice resource requirement size of the first cell, the network slice resource requirement size of the second cell, etc. based on the predicted resource information.

[0192] Optionally, there may be multiple ways for the first network device to obtain prediction information such as prediction resource information. For example, the first network device may be a network device with reference to Figure 2, which has an AI module internally provided therein. The first network device may obtain the prediction resource information of the UE through the internal AI module. Alternatively, the first network device may be a network device that does not include an AI module, and the AI ​​module may be a module provided in other devices or equipment. The first network device may obtain the prediction resource information by receiving information sent by other devices or equipment. The first network device may be a network device that does not include an AI module, and the AI ​​module may be a separately provided node. The first network device may obtain the prediction resource information by receiving information sent by the node.

[0193] Exemplarily, the first network device may obtain multiple types of prediction information, such as the predicted resource information and predicted mobility information in the examples of the embodiments of the present application, and may also include other prediction content that can be used to obtain slice support related information of the first cell, without being limited to the examples of the embodiments of the present application.

[0194] Optionally, the first network device may determine the slice support related information of the first cell through a variety of ways, such as: the first network device may determine the slice support related information of the first cell based on the acquired area information corresponding to the first cell, where the area information is used to indicate the area where the first cell is located, and the area information is associated with the UE slice support related information. Alternatively, the first network device may obtain the slice support related information of the first cell from the first core network device. Alternatively, the first network device may obtain the slice support related information of the first cell from the UE, etc.

[0195] When the first network device determines the cells corresponding to the predicted mobility information of multiple UEs based on the prediction information, the cells corresponding to the predicted mobility information of these UEs, such as the second cell and the third cell, can refer to the method for determining the slice support related information of the first cell to obtain the slice support related information corresponding to the cell. The cells corresponding to the predicted mobility information of these UEs can be cells of the second network device or other network devices. If a cell is a cell of another network device, the operation of the other network device can refer to the operation of the second network device provided in the embodiment of the present application, and will not be described one by one in the embodiment of the present application.

[0196] In a possible implementation, the slice support related information of the first cell indicates that the UE supports the first slice in the first cell, or the slice support related information of the first cell indicates that the UE does not support the first slice in the first cell, wherein the first slice may be a network slice supported by the UE, the first slice may also be a network slice required by the UE, the first slice may also be a slice supported by the network device in the first cell, etc. For example, referring to the example of FIG3 , if the UE is UE 1, the current RA is RA 1, the network slices to be connected for the service required by UE 1 are S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2, TA 4 includes the first cell, TA 4 corresponds to RA 2, and the allowed NSSAI of the UE in RA 2 includes S-NSSAI 3 and S-NSSAI 4, the slice support related information of the first cell may indicate that the UE 1 does not support the UE using resources of S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 in the first cell, or the slice support related information of the first cell may indicate that the UE supports the UE using S-NSSAI 3 and S-NSSAI 4 in the first cell. In this case, it can be determined that UE 1 does not support the first slice in the first cell. When the first network device sends the first information to the second network device for indication, it may include that the UE does not support the first slice in the first cell. When the slice support related information of the first cell indicates whether UE 1 supports the first slice in the first cell, the second network device has a certain probability of determining the network slices supported by the UE in the first cell (or the TA where the first cell is located): when the slice support related information of the first cell indicates that the first cell supports the first slice and indicates the first slice, the second network device can determine the network slices supported by UE 1 in the first cell (or the TA where the first cell is located); when the slice support related information of the first cell indicates that the first cell does not support the first slice, the second network device can determine the network slices that UE 1 does not support in the first cell (or the TA where the first cell is located), and judge on its own whether it needs to further obtain which network slices UE 1 supports in the first cell. The network slices supported in a certain cell, a certain TA, etc. determined for the UE described in the embodiments of the present application are all for specific UEs, such as UE 1, and UE is usually used in the context to describe.

[0197] In a possible implementation, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate the slice support information of the first cell. For example, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate that the first cell supports UE to use S-NSSAI 3 and S-NSSAI 4. In this case, when the first network device sends the first information to the second network device for indication, it may indicate that the first cell supports the specific network slices used by the UE, such as the first information includes that the first cell supports UE to use S-NSSAI 3 and S-NSSAI 4. When the slice support related information of the first cell indicates which network slices are supported by the first cell, the second network device can fully determine the network slices supported by the UE in the first cell (or the TA where the first cell is located).

[0198] In a possible implementation, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate whether the first cell is within a first area, where the first area refers to the area where the cell where the UE is currently located is located, such as the area may be an RA, and the first area may be RA1. When the slice support related information of the first cell indicates whether the first cell is within the current RA, the second network device has a certain probability of determining the network slices supported by the UE in the first cell (or the TA where the first cell is located): when the slice support related information of the first cell indicates that the first cell is within the current RA, the second network device can determine that the network slices supported by the UE in the first cell (or the TA where the first cell is located) are likely to be the same as those in the area where the current UE is located, and further determine that resources corresponding to its predicted resource information can be reserved for the UE; when the slice support related information of the first cell indicates that the first cell is not within the current RA, the second network device can determine whether it is necessary to further obtain which network slices the UE supports in the first cell.

[0199] S102. The first network device sends first information to the second network device, where the first information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

[0200] Optionally, the first information including the slice support related information of the first cell may indicate the slice support related information of the first cell in different ways. Exemplarily, it may be indicated by the slice support related information corresponding to the first cell, or it may be indicated by the slice support related information corresponding to the TA where the first cell is located, or it may be indicated by the slice support related information of the corresponding network device where the first cell is located, that is, the second network device. For example, if the slice support related information is whether the first cell is within the current RA, the first information may include the identifier of the first cell and an indication that it is within the current RA, or the identifier of the first cell and an indication that it is not within the current RA; or, referring to Figure 3, the TA in which the first cell is located is TA 4, the first information may include the identifier of TA 4 and an indication that it is within the current RA, or the identifier of TA 4 and an indication that it is not within the current RA; or, the first information may include the identifier of the second network device and an indication that it is within the current RA, or the identifier of the second network device and an indication that it is not within the current RA. If the slice support related information is other content in the example of S101, the example herein may be referred to for indication. For example, if the slice support related information is whether the first cell supports the first slice, the example may include: the first cell supports the first slice; or the first cell does not support the first slice. The corresponding content of other slice support related information is not further described. The first network device may generate first information based on the determined slice support related information of the first cell and send the first information to the second network device. Optionally, if the first network device determines, based on the predicted resource information, the resources to be reserved for the UE, the predicted resource information may be carried in the first information.

[0201] For example, if the first network device determines the cells that the UE may pass through in its subsequent moving path based on the predicted mobile information of the UE, and determines the network devices corresponding to each cell, then these network devices can refer to the method in which the second network device obtains the first information in the embodiment of the present application to obtain the corresponding first information. Alternatively, other network devices can also obtain the first information by forwarding between network devices. For example, in the subsequent moving path of the UE, it may pass through the first cell of the second network device and the second cell of the third network device. The first information includes the slice support related information of the first cell and the slice support related information of the second cell. The first network device can send the first information to the second network device and the third network device respectively, or the first network device sends the first information to the second network device, and the second network device forwards the first information to the third network device. Alternatively, the first network device generates the first information for the slice support related information of the first cell of the second network device, sends it to the second network device, generates the first information based on the slice support related information of the third cell, and sends it to the third network device, etc.

[0202] Typically, the core network configures supported network slices for the UE based on the area. For example, the same network slice or different network slices can be configured for the UE in different RAs. Therefore, the first network device can determine whether the area where the UE is located in the first cell belongs to a different area, and instruct the second network device, which is used by the second network device as a reference for determining the network slice resource requirements of the UE under the second network device. Alternatively, the first network device can determine the network slices that the first cell specifically supports or does not support, and use the second network device as a reference for determining the network slice resource requirements of the UE under the second network device. Alternatively, the first network device can also make switching decisions based on the network slices supported by the UE in the cell. In an embodiment of the present application, the slice support related information of the cell is determined by the first network device. The slice support related information of the cell can be used for switching decisions by the first network device that the UE is currently accessing, and can also be used for cell resource reservation by the second network device that the UE may access in the future, so that resource allocation decisions are more reasonable.

[0203] Figure 5a is a schematic flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. In the communication method provided in Figure 5a , in combination with Scenario 1 provided in the above example, the slice support related information includes whether the first cell belongs to RA 1. Taking the first network device as RAN 1 and the second network device as RAN 2 as an example, as shown in Figure 5a , the method is performed by RAN 1, RAN 2, and a UE as an example, but is not limited thereto. The method includes: S201 to S209.

[0204] S201. RAN 1 predicts the slice resource requirements of the UE and determines the prediction information.

[0205] For example, RAN 1 may perform prediction based on AI or ML to obtain prediction information for the UE, where the prediction information may include at least one of the predicted resource information and predicted mobility information provided in the example of reference S101.

[0206] Optionally, RAN 1 may obtain prediction information through a built-in AI module. For example, the prediction information may include predicted resource information and predicted mobility information. The prediction information may also be obtained through interaction with other devices, equipment, independent AI nodes, etc.

[0207] Exemplarily, the predicted resource information may include information about relevant resources of one or more UEs. Taking a certain UE as an example, the predicted resource information may include one or more of the following: predicting the resource usage or demand of the UE in a certain time period or time periods, predicting relevant information of the network device to which the UE will connect, predicting the UE's slice service requirements, predicting the slice resource status of the network device to which the UE will connect, etc.

[0208] For example, the predicted resource information may include one or more of the following information: predicted S-NSSAI or predicted S-NSSAI list, predicted number of protocol data unit sessions (PDU sessions), predicted estimated size of resources required for each S-NSSAI (which may be the size of transmission resources required within a single cell, for example, PRB usage), predicted average maximum bit rate (maximum bit rate, MBR), predicted slice maximum bit rate (slice-MBR), predicted value of delay information, etc.

[0209] The predicted mobility information may include the cell identifiers that the UE passes through and the length of time it stays in each cell. As a possible implementation method, the network equipment of the target cell, such as the second network equipment, can perform mobility management of the UE, such as selecting a cell, based on the predicted mobility information of the UE; or, for example, the second network equipment can reserve cell resources based on the predicted mobility information of the UE. Therefore, data information collection based on AI or ML allows the base station to predict and optimize the resource management and performance assurance of the base station. In an embodiment of the present application, based on the predicted mobility information of a UE, the mobile path of the UE can be inferred, which is also referred to as the predicted mobile path below.

[0210] S202. RAN 2 sends fourth information to RAN 1. The fourth information includes cell information of the first cell. The cell information includes at least one of area information corresponding to the first cell or an identifier of the first cell.

[0211] Exemplarily, the area information may be a TA, and the area information corresponding to the first cell is information of the TA of the first cell, which may be defined as TA identification information, and the TA identification information may be a TAC or a TAI.

[0212] Optionally, the fourth information may also include the slice resource situation of RAN 2, which is used to indicate the slice resource situation of RAN 2 to RAN1. Exemplarily, the slice resource situation of RAN 2 includes the current slice resource situation of RAN2, or the predicted slice resource situation of RAN 2, or the slice resource situation of each cell in RAN, etc.

[0213] In a possible implementation, RAN 2 may send the fourth information to RAN 1 after cell planning based on interaction between network devices.

[0214] The embodiment of the present application does not impose any restrictions on the order between S201 and S202.

[0215] In another possible implementation, RAN 2 may send fourth information to RAN 1 based on the request of RAN 1, as shown in FIG5 b . The steps thereof differ from those in FIG5 a in that S202 is replaced by S2021 and S2022. The method of FIG5 b includes: S201, S2021, S2022, and S203 to S209.

[0216] S2021. RAN1 sends fifth information to RAN2, where the fifth information is used to request obtaining cell information of the first cell.

[0217] S2022: RAN 2 sends fourth information to RAN 1 based on the fifth information.

[0218] Exemplarily, the fifth information may be used to request cell information of all cells in RAN 2 .

[0219] Optionally, the fifth information may also be used to indicate the UE's slice resource requirements for the first cell. Alternatively, S2022 may further include sending thirteenth information to RAN 1, using the thirteenth information to indicate the UE's slice resource requirements for the first cell, etc.

[0220] For example, the resource requirement may be one or more of the following: performance requirement information for the network slice of the first cell, requirement information for the number of network slice resources of the first cell, requirement information for the rate of data transmission between the UE and the first cell, and requirement information for the number of protocol data unit information interactions.

[0221] Exemplarily, the UE's resource requirement for the first cell may be one or more of the following: one or more items in the information: S-NSSAI or S-NSSAI list, the number of protocol data unit information exchanges (PDU sessions), the estimated size of resources required for each S-NSSAI (which may be the size of transmission resources required within a single cell, for example, PRB usage), average maximum bit rate (MBR), slice maximum bit rate (slice-MBR), current value of delay information or predicted value of delay information, and other information.

[0222] Optionally, when the fifth information includes the UE's resource requirements for the first cell, the fourth information can send all the acquired predicted resource information, or the fourth information can carry the part of the fifth information that RAN 1 requests to send. For example, the fifth information includes the estimated size of resources required for each S-NSSAI, and the fifth information should carry the numerical value of the estimated size of resources required for each S-NSSAI and be fed back to RAN 2.

[0223] The order relationship between S201 and S2021 / S2022 is not limited. In some solutions, S201 can be executed after S2022, and in some solutions, S203 can be executed before S2201.

[0224] S203: RAN 1 receives fourth information.

[0225] S204. RAN 1 obtains area information corresponding to the first cell according to the received fourth information.

[0226] Exemplarily, the fourth information received by RAN 1 includes TA identification information of all cells in RAN 2, or the fourth information includes TA identification information of cells in RAN 2 that are on the predicted moving path of the UE.

[0227] For example, in actual deployment, the predicted resource information can indicate the relevant resource conditions of multiple cells. For example, there are two cells in RAN 2 that are both in the predicted resource information of RAN1 or on the predicted moving path of the UE, namely the first cell and the second cell. At this time, RAN2 can carry the area information of the two cells in the fourth information according to the instructions or request of RAN1. In one possibility, the first cell and the second cell belong to the same area, such as both in TA 4. The fourth information can indicate the TA identifier of TA 4 and point to the two cells. In another possibility, the two cells belong to different areas, such as the first cell belongs to TA 4 and the second cell belongs to TA 3. Then the fourth information can indicate the area information corresponding to each cell respectively.

[0228] Furthermore, if the fourth information also includes the slice resource status of RAN 2, and if the fourth information indicates to RAN1 that RAN 2 supports at least one network slice, and the at least one network slice is S-NSSAI 1, S-NSSAI 2, S-NSSAI 3, and S-NSSAI 4, RAN 1 may further determine the slice resource status of RAN 2 based on the fourth information. If the fourth information indicates to RAN1 that TA 4 supports at least one network slice is S-NSSAI 1, S-NSSAI 2, S-NSSAI 3, and S-NSSAI 4, RAN 1 may further determine the slice resource status of TA 4 based on the fourth information. If the fourth information indicates to RAN1 that the at least one network slice supported by the first cell is S-NSSAI 1, S-NSSAI 2, S-NSSAI 3, and S-NSSAI 4, RAN 1 may further determine the slice resource status of the first cell based on the fourth information.

[0229] Exemplarily, in some possible solutions (applicable to Figures 5a and 5b), the fourth information may also include slice resource information of the first cell, and the slice resource information includes the current slice resource situation of the cell and the predicted resource situation, such as the slice resource situation at a certain time or certain times in the future. The slice resource situation may include the resources that have been used (for example, the PRB usage ratio for a certain slice), and the remaining available resources (slice available capability). In one possible implementation, the fourth information includes the TA identification information of all cells of RAN2. RAN 1 can determine which cells the UE will stay in based on the received fourth information and the obtained predicted mobility information of the UE. For example, RAN 1 determines that the UE will stay in the first cell based on the received fourth information and the obtained predicted mobility information of the UE. Therefore, RAN 1 determines the TA identification information of the first cell from the TA identification information of all cells of RAN2, and then obtains whether the first cell is within the current RA of the UE.

[0230] Optionally, an embodiment of the present application provides multiple ways for the UE to determine whether the first cell belongs to the first area. After S204, executing S205 to S207 provides one example; after S204, executing S210 to S213 provides another example; after S204, RAN 1 executes S213 based on pre-stored area information corresponding to the first cell, such as TA information corresponding to the UE's current RA, which is another example.

[0231] S205. RAN 1 sends sixth information to the UE, where the sixth information includes area information corresponding to the first cell.

[0232] Exemplarily, if RAN 1 obtains the TA identification information of the first cell based on the fourth information, the TA identification information of the first cell may be carried in the sixth information. In some scenarios, RAN 1 may receive fourth information fed back by multiple other RANs, corresponding to TA identification information of multiple cells. In such scenarios, the sixth information may include the TA identification information of the multiple cells received by RAN 1, or the sixth information may include the TA identification information of the cells corresponding to the UE's predicted mobility information among the multiple cells received by RAN 1, or include the TA identification information of all cells.

[0233] For example, RAN 1 obtains the TA identification information of the first cell, the second cell and the third cell based on receiving at least one fourth information, wherein the first cell is on the predicted moving path of the UE, the sixth information may include the TAC of the first cell, or the sixth information may include a TAC list consisting of the TACs of the first cell, the second cell and the third cell.

[0234] Furthermore, RAN1 may send the TA identification information of the first cell to the UE. If RAN 1 and the UE have agreed that the TA identification information is used to request the UE to indicate whether the first cell is within the current RA, if the request information received by the UE includes the TA identification information, the UE may determine whether the TA corresponding to the TA indication information needs to be indicated within the current RAN 1.

[0235] Optionally, the embodiment of the present application provides multiple methods for determining whether the first cell belongs to the first area. S205 to S207 provide one example, and S210 to S213 provide another example. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the method for determining whether the first cell belongs to the first area.

[0236] S206. The UE determines whether the first cell belongs to a first area based on the area information corresponding to the first cell, where the first area corresponds to the current area of ​​the UE.

[0237] The UE can determine whether the first cell belongs to the first area based on the area information corresponding to the first cell and the area information included in the first area, usually the TA information. If the area information corresponding to the first cell belongs to the area information included in the first area, it means that the first cell belongs to the first area; otherwise, it means that the first cell does not belong to the first area.

[0238] For example, the first area is RA 1, and the UE obtains the TAL of RA 1. If, when the UE accesses, the network slices supported in RA 1 allocated by the core network to the UE are S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2, the TAL of RA 1 includes TA 1, TA 2, and TA 4, and the area information of the first cell indicates that the first cell belongs to TA 4, and TA 4 is in the TAL of RA 1, then the UE can determine that the first cell belongs to RA 1. If, when the UE accesses, the network slices supported in RA 1 allocated by the core network to the UE are S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2, the TAL of RA 1 includes TA 1 and TA 2, and the area information of the first cell indicates that the first cell belongs to TA 4, then the UE can determine that the first cell is outside RA 1 and does not belong to RA 1.

[0239] S207. The UE sends third information to RAN 1, where the third information is used to indicate whether the first cell belongs to the first area.

[0240] Optionally, the third information is used to indicate that the first cell belongs to the first area, or the third information is used to indicate that the first cell does not belong to the first area (or the first cell is outside the first area).

[0241] S208. RAN1 sends first information to RAN2 based on the third information. The first information indicates whether the first cell belongs to the first area.

[0242] Optionally, the indication content of the first information should be consistent with that of the third information. The first information is used to indicate that the first cell belongs to the first area, or the first information is used to indicate that the first cell does not belong to the first area (or the first cell is outside the first area).

[0243] For example, if the third information indicates that the first cell belongs to the first area, such as indicating that the first cell is within the current RA, it means that when the UE enters and stays in the first cell, the first cell still supports the network slices required by the UE, that is, S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2. The first information sent by RAN 1 to RAN 2 can indicate that the first cell is within the RA of RAN1, and RAN 2 decides to reserve resources for S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 for the UE based on the indication of the first information.

[0244] If the third information indicates that the first cell does not belong to the first area, such as indicating that the first cell is not in the current RA, it means that when the UE enters the first cell and stays there, the first cell may not support the network slice required by the UE, that is, the S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 slice services required by the UE may be interrupted. The first information sent by RAN 1 to RAN 2 can indicate that the first cell is not in the RA of RAN 1, and RAN 2 determines whether to reserve resources for the UE.

[0245] Optionally, if the first cell does not belong to the first area, RAN 1 may carry area change indication information (such as RA change indication information) in the first information to inform RAN 2 that the first cell is outside RA1. Alternatively, RAN 1 and RAN 2 may pre-agreed that if the first information carries area change indication information, it indicates that the first cell is outside RA 1; if it does not carry area change indication information, it indicates that the first cell is within the UE's current RA. Furthermore, since the first information may include area change indication information for multiple cells, a corresponding location of area change indication information may be assigned to each cell, so that RAN 2 can identify whether the cell is within the UE's current RA.

[0246] Optionally, the first information may also include a request for relevant information about the resources required by the UE. The resources required by the UE are one or more of the following information: the cells that the UE will go through, the length of time the UE stays in each cell to be experienced, the slice S-NSSAI or NSSAI list (list) required by the UE, the number of protocol data unit information interactions (protocol data unit session, PDU session), the estimated size of the resources required for each S-NSSAI (which may be the size of the transmission resources required in a single cell), the average maximum bit rate (maximum bit rate, MBR), the slice maximum bit rate (slice-MBR), the current value of the delay information or the predicted value of the delay information, etc. Furthermore, the request for the information required by the UE may correspond to that carried in the fifth information. That is, the items requested in the fifth information are also included in the first information.

[0247] S209. RAN 2 decides to reserve a network slice for the UE based on the first information.

[0248] For example, if the first cell is within RA 1 and supports S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 required by the UE, RAN 2 may reserve resources for S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 for the UE. If TA 4 where the first cell is located is within RA 2, RA 2 supports slices S-NSSAI 1, S-NSSAI 2, S-NSSAI 3, and S-NSSAI 4, etc., but does not support the UE to use S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2, RAN 2 may provide slices S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 for other UEs to use.

[0249] If RAN2 determines that the first cell that the UE will pass through or stay in is outside the UE's current RA, there is a certain probability that the UE will not occupy the resources of the first cell. For example, referring to Figure 2, if RAN2 is also equipped with an AI module, it can predict whether the UE will occupy RAN2 resources based on whether the first cell is within a certain RA, such as whether the first cell is within the UE's current RA. For example, if RA2 does not support S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 required by the UE, but the UE does not need S-NSSAI 3 and S-NSSAI 4 supported by RA2, the AI ​​module can output a result that the UE does not occupy the resources of the first cell based on the fact that the first cell is outside the UE's current RA. RAN2 can use the received first information as a reference for resource management, making resource management more reasonable.

[0250] The examples in Figure 5a or Figure 5b are examples of the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application. In different application scenarios, multiple steps can be selected to perform the communication method. For example, in one example, the communication method may include: S201 to S204; in another example, the communication method may include: S201 to S207. The present invention is not limited to the examples in the embodiments of the present application. After executing S201 to S204 or S201 to S207, the first network device may perform other operations based on the acquired information. For example, after executing S201 to S204, the first network device may allow the UE to perform other operations based on the area information of the first cell, such as determining whether the first cell is within the current RA. For example, after executing S201 to S207, the first network device can obtain that the first cell is not within the current RA. To expand on this, if the UE's predicted mobility information infers that the second cell and the third cell of the second network device are both on the predicted mobility path, and the fourth cell and the fifth cell of the third network device are both on the predicted mobility path, the first network device obtains whether each cell is within the current RA: the first cell, the second cell and the third cell are not within the current RA, and the fourth cell and the fifth cell are both within the current RA, then the first network device can make a switching decision based on this, allowing the UE to access the third network device in the future.

[0251] Figure 6 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication method provided in Figure 6 can be implemented based on the communication method provided in Figure 5 by replacing S205 with S209 and S206 to S208 with S210 to S212. For example, in the case where the first network device is RAN 1 and the second network device is RAN 2, as shown in Figure 6, the method is performed by RAN 1, RAN 2, and a UE. However, this method is not intended to be limiting. The method includes S201 to S204, S210 to S214, and S209.

[0252] S201. RAN 1 predicts the slice resource requirements of the UE and determines the prediction information.

[0253] S202: RAN 2 sends fourth information to RAN 1, where the fourth information includes cell information of the first cell, and the cell information includes at least one of area information corresponding to the first cell or an identifier of the first cell.

[0254] S203: RAN 1 receives fourth information.

[0255] S204. RAN 1 obtains area information corresponding to the first cell according to the received fourth information.

[0256] S201 to S204 can be implemented with reference to FIG5a, or S201 to S204 (with S202 replaced by S2021 and S2022) can be implemented with reference to the example of FIG5b, which will not be further elaborated here.

[0257] S210. RAN 1 sends seventh information to UE, where the seventh information is used to request first area information. The first area includes at least one second area. The first area information includes area information of a second area in the first area. The area information of the second area is used to indicate an area where the second area is located.

[0258] Exemplarily, the first area may refer to the RA where the UE is currently located, which is also recorded as RA 1 in the embodiment of the present application. The second area included in the first area may be a TA. The first area information may refer to the information of RA 1 where the UE is currently located, such as the TAL composed of TAs included in RA 1. The TAL may be a list composed of TACs of each TA, that is, a TAC list.

[0259] S211. The UE feeds back eighth information to the RAN 1 according to the request of the seventh information. The eighth information carries the first area information.

[0260] Illustratively, if the seventh information is used to request the TAC list of RA 1, the eighth information carries the TAC list.

[0261] S212. RAN 1 receives the eighth information sent by the UE and obtains the first area information.

[0262] S213. RAN1 determines whether the first cell belongs to the first area based on the first area information and the area information corresponding to the first cell.

[0263] RAN 1 may compare the first area information with the area information corresponding to the first cell to determine whether the first area information includes the area information of the first cell. If included, it indicates that the first cell belongs to the first area; otherwise, it indicates that the first cell does not belong to the first area.

[0264] For example, referring to scenario 1, the first area is RA 1, and the UE obtains the TAC list of RA 1. Suppose, when the UE accesses, the network slices supported in RA 1 allocated to the UE by the network are S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2. The TAL of RA 1 includes TA 1, TA 2 and TA 4. Since TAC is a unique code corresponding to each TA, the TAL can usually be represented by a TAC list. For example, the TAC of TA 1 is 00, the TAC of TA 2 is 01, the TAC of TA 3 is 10, and the TAC of TA 4 is 11. The TAC list may include: 00, 01 and 11. If the area information of the first cell indicates that the first cell belongs to TA 4, RAN 1 can query whether 00 is included in the TAC list based on the TAC of TA 4 being 11. When the TAC list includes: 00, 01 and 11, RAN 1 can determine that the first cell belongs to the current RA. When the TAC list is 00 and 01, RAN 1 can determine that the first cell does not belong to the current RA.

[0265] In addition, RAN1 can determine whether the multiple cells corresponding to the predicted resource information of the UE belong to the first area. For example, if the predicted resource information includes the resources of certain network devices, the cells of these network devices belong to the cells corresponding to the predicted resource information. Alternatively, if the predicted resource information includes predicted mobility information, the multiple cells corresponding to the predicted mobility path of the UE in the predicted mobility information are the multiple cells corresponding to the predicted resource information. Optionally, RAN1 can determine whether the cells that the UE will pass through belong to the first area in the order in which the UE arrives at the cells on the predicted mobility path. The determination method is similar to RAN1's ​​determination of the first cell and will not be further described.

[0266] S214. RAN1 sends first information to RAN 2, where the first information is used to indicate whether the first cell belongs to the first area. Optionally, if the first cell does not belong to the first area, RAN 1 may carry area change indication information (such as RA change indication information) in the first information to indicate to RAN 2 that the first cell is outside RA1. Alternatively, RAN 1 and RAN 2 may pre-agreed that if the first information carries area change indication information, it indicates that the first cell is outside RA 1; if it does not carry area change indication, it indicates that the first cell is within the current RA of the UE, that is, within RA 1. Furthermore, since the first information may include area change indication information of multiple cells, a corresponding location of area change indication information may be assigned to each cell, so that RAN 2 can identify whether the cell is within the current RA.

[0267] S209. RAN 2 decides to reserve a network slice for the UE based on the first information.

[0268] Refer to the example of S209 in FIG5 , which will not be described in detail.

[0269] In one possible implementation, RAN 1 has obtained a TAC list, and the communication method may include S201 to S204, S212 to S213, and S208. In another possible implementation, RAN 1 does not have a TAC list and needs to request the UE for the TAC list corresponding to the current RA. This communication method may be implemented using the method provided in FIG6 .

[0270] Figure 6 is an example of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. In different application scenarios, multiple steps may be selected to execute the communication method. For example, in one example, the communication method may include: S201 to S204, and S210 to S213; this is not limited to the examples of the embodiments of the present application. After executing S204 or S213, the first network device may perform other operations based on the obtained information. For example, after executing S213, the first network device may obtain whether the first cell is within the current RA and make a handover decision based on this information.

[0271] In the embodiment of the present application, through the communication method provided in Figures 5a, 5b, and 6, whether the first cell is in the current RA is determined based on whether the TA information (such as TAC) of the first cell is in the TAL of RAN 1. This enables the RAN 1 currently accessed by the UE to indicate to RAN 2 whether the first cell belongs to the first area through the first information, so that RAN 2 can decide whether the UE will occupy the resources of the first cell based on the information and realize reasonable resource allocation.

[0272] In actual deployment scenarios, in addition to the scenario provided in Scenario 1 including RAN 1 and RAN 2, there are also cases where the UE will pass through or stay in multiple cells, and may belong to more RANs.

[0273] Figure 7 is a schematic flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. In the communication method provided in Figure 7 , taking the first network device being RAN 1, the second network device being RAN 2, and the third network device being RAN 3 as an example, as shown in Figure 7 , the method is performed by RAN 1, RAN 2, RAN 3, and a UE as an example, but is not limited thereto. The method includes: S301 to S311.

[0274] In the method shown in FIG7 , RAN 3 interacts with RAN 1 through RAN 2 forwarding. For the method of RAN 3 directly interacting with RAN 1, reference can be made to the interaction between RAN 2 and RAN 1 in the examples of FIG5 or FIG6 , and no further description is given.

[0275] S301. RAN 1 predicts the slice resource requirements of the UE and determines the prediction information.

[0276] S301 may refer to the example of S201 in FIG. 5 a , and will not be described in detail.

[0277] S302: RAN 2 sends fourth information to RAN 1, where the fourth information includes cell information of the first cell, and the cell information of the first cell includes at least one of area information corresponding to the first cell or an identifier of the first cell.

[0278] The present embodiment does not restrict the order of S301 and S302. S302 can be implemented with reference to FIG5a, or S302 can be replaced with S2021 and S2022 in FIG5b and implemented with reference to the example of FIG5b, which will not be further described here.

[0279] S303: RAN 3 sends fourth information to RAN 2, which is forwarded by RAN 2 to RAN 1. The fourth information includes cell information of the second cell. The cell information of the second cell includes at least one of area information corresponding to the second cell or an identifier of the second cell.

[0280] S303 can be implemented with reference to FIG5a, or S303 can be replaced with S2021 and S2022 in FIG5b and implemented with reference to the example of FIG5b, which will not be described in detail here. There is no order relationship between S302 and S303.

[0281] S304: RAN 1 receives fourth information.

[0282] Exemplarily, by receiving at least one fourth information, the area information corresponding to multiple cells can be obtained. For example, RAN 1 can refer to the method for obtaining the area information corresponding to the first cell to obtain the area information corresponding to these cells. The embodiment of the present application takes RAN 1 obtaining the area information corresponding to the first cell and the area information corresponding to the second cell as an example for illustration, but is not limited to this.

[0283] Optionally, the fourth information received by RAN 1 includes TA identification information of all cells in RAN 2 and TA identification information of all cells in RAN 3; or, the fourth information includes TA identification information of cells on the predicted moving path of the UE in RAN 2 and RAN 3, such as the TA identification information of the first cell and the TA identification information of the second cell in this example.

[0284] Furthermore, the fourth information can also indicate to RAN1 at least one network slice supported by RAN 2. For example, RAN 2 can indicate to RAN 1 through the fourth information that it supports slices S-NSSAI 1, S-NSSAI 2, S-NSSAI 3 and S-NSSAI 4, etc., and RAN 3 can indicate to RAN 1 through the fourth information that it supports slices S-NSSAI 1, S-NSSAI 2, S-NSSAI 3 and S-NSSAI 4, etc.

[0285] S305. RAN 1 obtains area information corresponding to the first cell and area information corresponding to the second cell according to the received fourth information.

[0286] For example, if RAN 1 obtains the TA identification information of the first cell and the second cell based on the fourth information, the TA identification information of the first cell and the TA identification information of the second cell may be carried in the sixth information. For example, the sixth information includes a TAC list, which includes the TAC of the first cell and the TAC of the second cell.

[0287] Alternatively, if RAN 2 also includes a fourth cell, and RAN 3 also includes a fifth cell and a sixth cell, RAN 1 obtains the TA identification information of the first cell to the fifth cell based on the fourth information, and generates sixth information. For example, the sixth information may include a TAC list composed of the TACs of the first cell to the fifth cell.

[0288] Furthermore, RAN1 can send the TAC (or TAC list) of these cells to the UE. If RAN 1 and the UE have agreed that the TAC is used to request the UE to indicate whether the first cell is within the current RA1, if the request information received by the UE includes the TAC of the first cell, the UE can determine whether it needs to indicate whether the first cell, or the TA corresponding to the first cell, or the second network device corresponding to the first cell is within the current RAN 1. Similarly, if the request information received by the UE includes the TAC list of multiple cells, it can be obtained whether each cell, or the TA corresponding to each cell, or the second network device corresponding to each cell is within the current RAN 1.

[0289] S306. RAN 1 sends sixth information to the UE, where the sixth information includes area information corresponding to the first cell and area information corresponding to the second cell.

[0290] The embodiment of the present application is illustrated by taking the sixth information sent as an example, in which the cells on the predicted mobile path of the UE, namely the first cell and the second cell, are carried, but this is not limited to the sixth information. The sixth information may also include area information corresponding to all cells obtained based on the fourth information.

[0291] The UE sends third information to the RAN 1, where the third information is used to indicate whether the first cell belongs to the first area and whether the second cell belongs to the first area.

[0292] S307. The UE determines whether the first cell belongs to the first area based on the area information corresponding to the first cell, and determines whether the second cell belongs to the first area based on the area information corresponding to the second cell.

[0293] The method for the UE to determine whether the cell belongs to the first area can refer to the method in S206 where the UE determines whether the first cell belongs to the first area according to the corresponding area information of the first cell, and no further details will be given.

[0294] S308. The UE sends third information to the RAN 1, where the third information is used to indicate whether the first cell belongs to the first area and whether the second cell belongs to the first area.

[0295] For example, the third information may indicate whether the first cell belongs to the first area and whether the second cell belongs to the first area; or the third information may indicate whether the TA of the first cell belongs to the first area and whether the TA of the second cell belongs to the first area; or the third information may indicate whether the second network device belongs to the first area and whether the third network device belongs to the first area.

[0296] S309 . RAN1 sends first information to RAN2 based on the third information. The first information is used to indicate whether the first cell belongs to the first area and whether the second cell belongs to the first area.

[0297] The implementation of S308 to S309 may refer to the example of S207 to S208. This embodiment of the application is described by taking RAN 1 sending the first information to RAN 2, which is then forwarded to RAN 3 as an example. In another example, RAN 1 may send the first information to RAN 2 and RAN 3 respectively for instructions.

[0298] S310. RAN 2 decides to reserve a network slice for the UE based on the first information.

[0299] The implementation of S310 may refer to the example of S209.

[0300] S311. RAN 2 forwards first information to RAN 3, where the first information is used to indicate whether the second cell belongs to the first area.

[0301] There is no sequential relationship between S311 and S310.

[0302] Exemplarily, the first information forwarded by RAN 2 to RAN 3 may be forwarded directly, or the indication of whether the first cell belongs to the first area may be discarded, and only related cells, such as whether the second cell belongs to the first area, may be indicated to RAN 3.

[0303] S312. RAN 3 decides to reserve a network slice for the UE based on the first information.

[0304] For example, if RAN 3 determines, based on the indication of the first information, that the second cell is within the current RA, it can determine that the second cell should support the network slice resources required by the UE and can reserve the corresponding resources for the UE. If TA 5 where the second cell is located is within RA 3, and RA 3 supports slices S-NSSAI 1, S-NSSAI 2, S-NSSAI 3, and S-NSSAI 4, etc., but does not support the UE's use of S-NSSAI 2, the first information received by RAN 3 may indicate that the second cell is not within the UE's current RA. Therefore, RAN 3 can decide not to reserve resources for the UE. In addition to the example of Figure 7, in a scenario with multiple RANs, the first information can be sent to other RANs, such as RAN 2 and RAN 3, with reference to the communication method of Figure 6, so that these RANs can decide to reserve network slices for the UE based on the first information. In the method shown in Figure 6, RAN 3 can also interact with RAN 1 through RAN 2, which will not be further described. In one possible implementation, the RAN can relay and forward through its neighboring RANs. Refer to the examples of Figures 4 to 7 to implement this communication method.

[0305] The example of Figure 6 is an example of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. In different application scenarios, multiple steps can be selected to execute the communication method. For example, in one example, the communication method may include: S301 to S305; in another example, the communication method may include: S301 to S308; the example of the embodiment of the present application is not limited. The first network device may perform other operations based on the acquired information after executing S301 to S305 or S301 to S308. For example, after executing S301 to S305, the first network device may allow the UE to perform other operations based on the area information of the first cell and the area information of the second cell, such as determining whether the first cell is within the current RA, determining whether the second cell is within the current RA, etc. For example, after executing S301 to S305, the first network device may obtain whether the first cell and the second cell are within the current RA and make a handover decision.

[0306] In one possible implementation, in the communication method provided in Figures 5a to 7, RAN 1 determines whether cells in multiple RANs along the predicted mobile path of the UE are within the current RA and indicates this to other RANs. However, in some scenarios, a RAN such as RAN 2 needs to determine the specific slice support status of the UE in the cells it includes, such as whether the first cell can specifically support the first slice, or which slices the first cell supports for use by the UE. In this case, after RAN 1 determines whether the first cell is within the current RA based on feedback from the UE, it needs to further determine the specific network slices supported by the UE in the first cell.

[0307] Exemplarily, if RAN 1 determines that the cell is outside the current RA based on the feedback from the UE, RAN 1 may determine the slice support related information of the first cell by referring to the example of determining the slice support related information of the first cell in S406 or S411 or S505.

[0308] Optionally, in the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, after RAN 1 sends the first information to RAN 2, for example, after S102, S209, S312, or S409, the method may further include: RAN 2 sending feedback information to RAN 1. The feedback information may include RAN 2's support for network slicing, actual resource usage, physical resource block usage (PRB usage), etc. The feedback information may be used by RAN 1 for predictive model training, etc.

[0309] In some actual deployment scenarios, the slice support related information of the cell can be determined by the UE, as shown in the examples of Figures 5a to 7. The slice support related information of the cell can also be determined by the core network device. Optionally, when the slice support related information of the cell is determined by the core network device, the slice support related information may be whether the cell is within the current first area of ​​the UE, and the slice related information may also be the network slice specifically supported by the cell, such as, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate whether the first cell supports the network slice required by the UE; or, the slice support related information of the first cell is used to determine the slice support information of the first cell, and the slice support information of the first cell includes at least one network slice that the first cell provides support for the service needs of the UE.

[0310] The communication method is described with reference to the examples of Figures 1 to 2. For other scenarios, reference can be made to the example implementation of the embodiments of the present application. Figure 8 is a flow chart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. In the communication method provided in Figure 8, the slice support related information of the first cell includes whether the first cell belongs to the current RA of the UE. Or, the slice support information of the first cell includes whether the UE supports S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 in the first cell; or the slice support information of the UE in the first cell includes whether the slice support information of the first cell is a certain S-NSSAI or certain S-NSSAIs.

[0311] Assuming that the first network device is RAN 1 and the second network device is RAN 2, the first core network device is denoted as CN 1, which may include AMF 1 and NSSF 1, and the second core network device is denoted as CN 2, which may include AMF 2 and NSSF 2. As shown in FIG8 , the method is performed by RAN 1, RAN 2, and CN 1 as an example. The method includes: S401 to S409. In other examples, the method may include S401 to S407, and is not limited to the example in FIG8 .

[0312] S401. RAN 1 predicts the slice resource requirements of the UE and determines the prediction information.

[0313] S402. RAN 2 sends fourth information to RAN 1, where the fourth information includes cell information of the first cell.

[0314] S403: RAN 1 receives fourth information.

[0315] S404. RAN 1 obtains area information corresponding to the first cell according to the received fourth information.

[0316] S401 to S404 can be implemented with reference to FIG5a, or S401 to S404 (with S402 replaced by S2021 and S2022) can be implemented with reference to the example of FIG5b, which will not be further elaborated here.

[0317] Exemplarily, the cell information of the first cell is TA information of the first cell. For example, the first cell is a cell of RAN 2 and belongs to TA 4.

[0318] S405. RAN 1 sends ninth information to CN 1. The ninth information includes at least one of the UE identifier, the area information corresponding to the first cell, or the identifier of the first cell. The ninth information may also include slice information required by the UE, for example, indicating that services of S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 need to be sliced ​​in the first cell.

[0319] Optionally, RAN 1 may indicate to CN 1 the TA information of all cells included in RAN 2, or may indicate the cell corresponding to the predicted mobility information of the UE, which may be one or more cells. As an example, if only the first cell among the cells of RAN 2 is on the predicted mobility path of the UE, the ninth information is used to indicate at least one of the area information corresponding to the first cell or the identifier of the first cell; if the first cell and the fifth cell among the cells of RAN 2 are on the predicted mobility path of the UE, the ninth information is used to indicate at least one of the area information corresponding to the first cell or the identifier of the first cell, and further indicates at least one of the area information corresponding to the fifth cell or the identifier of the fifth cell. For cell information corresponding to other cells of other RANs, refer to the example of the cell information of the first cell and will not be further described.

[0320] In the embodiment of the present application, a first cell among cells of RAN 2 is described as being on the predicted moving path of the UE. Exemplarily, the ninth information is used to indicate the TA information of the cell of RAN 2. For example, the TA information of the first cell may be indicated by a TAC corresponding to the first cell or an identifier of the first cell.

[0321] Optionally, the ninth information may also include the area information corresponding to the first cell or the identifier of the first cell on the basis of the UE identifier (such as the core network identifier information of the UE). The UE identifier can facilitate AMF 1 to identify the UE.

[0322] Optionally, RAN 1 may send the ninth information to AMF 1 of CN 1 through a UE (NG application protocol, NGAP) message. In this case, the ninth information may not carry the UE identifier, and CN 1 may identify the UE through the NGAP message.

[0323] S406. CN 1 determines the slice support related information of the first cell according to the ninth information.

[0324] Optionally, the slice support related information may include one or more of the following examples:

[0325] Indicates whether the corresponding cell or cell TA indicated by RAN1 is within the UE's current RA;

[0326] Indicates whether the UE supports the slice required by the UE in the corresponding cell or cell TA;

[0327] Indicates the slice information associated with the cell or the cell's corresponding TA, for example, the UE's allowed NSSAI, partially allowed NSSAI, rejected NSSAI, alternative NSSAI, etc. Based on this information, RAN 2 can independently determine whether it supports the NSSAI required by the UE.

[0328] Exemplarily, the slice support related information of the first cell may be one or more of the following: whether the first cell (or the TA to which the first cell belongs, such as TA 4) belongs to the current RA, or whether the first cell or TA 4 supports the S-NSSAI required by the UE (such as S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 required by the UE), or which S-NSSAI is the allowed NSSAI of the first cell or TA 4.

[0329] There is a correspondence between these items, that is, if TA 4 belongs to RA 1, the slice support information of the first cell may include one or more of the following items: indicating that TA 4 is within the current RA, or, the first cell or TA 4 supports S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 required by the UE. If TA 4 belongs to RA 2, the slice support information of the first cell may include one or more of the following items: indicating that TA 4 is not within the current RA, or, the first cell or TA 4 does not support S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 required by the UE, or, the allowed NSSAI of the first cell or TA 4 includes S-NSSAI 3 and S-NSSAI 4.

[0330] In a possible implementation, there are two situations for the TA corresponding to the first cell, such as TA 4, one is that TA 4 is within RA 1, and the other is that TA 4 is outside RA 1.

[0331] If TA 4 is within RA 1, AMF 1 indicates the UE's TA to NSSF 1, and NSSF indicates the slice support information within the TA to the UE based on the UE's TA.

[0332] If RAN2 is not within the scope of the current CN 1 (or AMF1), step S406 can be further extended as follows: if the CN corresponding to RAN2 is CN 2, AMF1 needs to indicate ninth information to AMF 2 where RAN2 is located, where the ninth information includes at least one of the UE identifier, the area information corresponding to the first cell, or the identifier of the first cell. The ninth information may also include slice information required by the UE. For example, the ninth information may include TA information and UE identifier information, and request AMF2 to determine and feedback second information, where the second information includes slice support related information of the first cell, such as slice support information of the UE in the corresponding cell or area. The method for AMF 2 to determine the slice support information of the UE in the corresponding TA is that AMF 2 indicates the TA of the UE (such as TA 4) to NSSF 2, and NSSF indicates the slice support information of the UE within the TA (such as TA 4) according to the TA of the UE (such as TA 4) (for example, the slices supported by TA 4 for the UE include S-NSSAI 3 and S-NSSAI 4).

[0333] S407. CN 1 sends second information to RAN 1, where the second information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

[0334] Exemplarily, the slice support related information of the first cell included in the second information is consistent with the slice support related information of the first cell in the ninth information sent by CN 1.

[0335] S408. RAN1 sends first information to RAN2, where the first information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

[0336] RAN 1 receives the second information and obtains the slice support related information of the first cell. The slice support related information of the first cell included in the first information is consistent with the slice support related information of the first cell in the second information sent by RAN1.

[0337] Exemplarily, the first information may carry area change indication information. For the area change indication information, reference may be made to the description of S208 and will not be repeated here.

[0338] S409. RAN 2 decides to reserve a network slice for the UE based on the first information.

[0339] The implementation of S409 may refer to the example of S209 in FIG5 , and will not be described in detail.

[0340] The communication method provided in Figure 8 enables RAN 1 to determine whether the cell is within the current RA based on the indication information of CN 1 (the embodiment of the present application takes the first cell as an example, and other cells can refer to the first cell to determine whether they are within the current RA). Alternatively, RAN 1 can further obtain the specific slice support status of the cell to inform its corresponding RAN, such as RAN 2, so that RAN 2 can determine whether the cell is within the current RA based on the specific slice support status, such as which slices the UE supports in the first cell, or which slices the UE supports in the TA where the first cell is located, or which slices the UE supports in the second network device where the first cell is located, etc., so that the second network device can judge whether the UE will occupy the resources of the first cell and make more reasonable resource decisions.

[0341] Figure 8 is an example of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. In different application scenarios, multiple steps may be selected to execute the communication method. For example, in one example, the communication method may include: S401 to S404. In another example, the communication method may include: S401 to S407. This is not limited to the examples of the embodiments of the present application. After executing S404 or S407, the first network device may perform other operations based on the acquired information. For example, after executing S407, the first network device may acquire whether the first cell supports the NSSAI required by the UE, or at least one of the slice information associated with the TA corresponding to the first cell, and make a handover decision based on the acquired information. For example, if the information obtained based on the predicted mobility information of the UE is that the UE will stay at position A, position A is covered by the first cell and the sixth cell, and the slices required by the UE are NSSAI 1 and NSSAI 2, if the slice support related information of the cell obtained by RAN 1 is that the slices supported by the UE in the first cell are NSSAI 3 and NSSAI 4, and the slices supported in the sixth cell are NSSAI 1 and NSSAI 2, then RAN 1 can make a handover decision and decide to access the RAN of the sixth cell when the UE arrives at position A to avoid NSSAI 1.

[0342] The method shown in FIG8 provided in the embodiment of the present application is an example of communication between RAN 1 and RAN 2. In a scenario where cells in a network slice supporting a UE need to be obtained and belong to multiple RANs, for example, in a scenario where a cell belongs to RAN3, RAN 3 and other RANs can refer to the method in FIG7 and interact with CN 1 through RAN 1. Alternatively, RAN 3 and other RANs can interact with CN 1 through adjacent RAN relays. The implementation method can be obtained by combining the examples of FIG7 and FIG8, and will not be elaborated here. In a possible implementation method, based on the process of FIG8, the embodiment of the present application also provides a communication method. As shown in FIG9, RAN 1 accesses the first core network device. The method includes S401 to S404, S410 to S411, and S407 to S409.

[0343] Take the example where the first network device is RAN 1, the second network device is RAN 2, the first core network device is denoted as CN 1, and operations in CN 1 are mainly performed by AMF 1 and NSSF 1.

[0344] S401. Predict the slice resource requirements of the UE and determine the prediction information.

[0345] S402. RAN 2 sends fourth information to RAN 1, where the fourth information includes cell information of the first cell.

[0346] S403: RAN 1 receives fourth information.

[0347] S404. RAN 1 obtains area information corresponding to the first cell according to the received fourth information.

[0348] S401 to S404 can be implemented with reference to FIG5a, or S401 to S404 (with S402 replaced by S2021 and S2022) can be implemented with reference to the example of FIG5b, which will not be further elaborated here.

[0349] S410. If RAN 1 determines that RAN 2 does not belong to the first area, it sends ninth information to CN 1. The ninth information includes at least one of the UE identifier, the area information corresponding to the first cell, or the identifier of the first cell. The ninth information may also include slice information required by the UE.

[0350] Optionally, RAN1 determines whether RAN 2 belongs to the first area. Referring to S207, RAN1 can determine from the UE whether the first cell belongs to the first area, and then determine whether RAN 2 belongs to the first area. Alternatively, referring to S213, RAN 1 can determine on its own whether the first cell belongs to the first area, and then determine whether RAN 2 belongs to the first area. Alternatively, RAN 1 can determine from the first core network device whether the first cell belongs to the first area, and then determine whether RAN 2 belongs to the first area.

[0351] RAN 1 can configure this determination method. If RAN 2 includes only one cell, namely the first cell, then if the first cell belongs to the first area, RAN 2 also belongs to the first area, and vice versa. If RAN 2 includes multiple cells, it can be configured so that if more than half of the cells belong to the first area, RAN 2 also belongs to the first area, and so on. These two determination methods are only examples and are not limiting. In actual application scenarios, you can refer to this example for settings or customize them as needed.

[0352] The implementation of S410 may refer to the example of S405 in FIG8 , and will not be further described.

[0353] S411. CN 1 determines the slice support related information of the first cell according to the ninth information.

[0354] Optionally, since it has been determined that RAN 2 does not belong to the first area, the slice support related information may include: indicating whether the UE supports the slice required by the UE in the corresponding cell or cell TA, or indicating the slice information associated with the cell or the cell corresponding TA, for example, indicating the allowed NSSAI (allowed NSSAI), partially allowed NSSAI (partially allowed NSSAI), rejected (rejected NSSAI), alternative (alternative NSSAI) information of the UE in the corresponding TA, etc.

[0355] In a possible implementation, the TA corresponding to the first cell, such as TA 4, is outside RA 1 because RAN 2 does not belong to the first area, that is, TA 4 is outside RA 1. If the TA where RAN2 is located is not within the range of the current CN 1 (or AMF1), in Figure 9, step S411 can be further extended as follows: if the CN corresponding to RAN 2 is CN 2, AMF1 needs to indicate ninth information to RAN2, the ninth information including at least one of the UE identifier, the area information corresponding to the first cell, or the identifier of the first cell, and the ninth information may also include slice information required by the UE. For example, the ninth information may include TA information and UE identifier information, and request AMF2 to determine and feedback second information, the second information including slice support related information of the first cell, such as slice support information of the UE in the corresponding cell or area. The method for AMF 2 to determine the slice support information of the UE in the corresponding TA is that AMF 2 indicates the UE's TA (such as TA 4) to NSSF 2, and NSSF indicates the slice support information of the UE in the TA (such as TA 4) according to the UE's TA (such as TA 4) (such as TA 4 supports UE slices including S-NSSAI 3 and S-NSSAI 4).

[0356] S407. CN 1 sends second information to RAN 1, where the second information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

[0357] Exemplarily, the slice support related information of the first cell included in the second information is consistent with the slice support related information of the first cell in the ninth information sent by CN 1.

[0358] S408. RAN1 sends first information to RAN2, where the first information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

[0359] RAN 1 receives the second information and obtains the slice support related information of the first cell. The slice support related information of the first cell included in the first information is consistent with the slice support related information of the first cell in the second information sent by RAN1.

[0360] S409. RAN 2 decides to reserve a network slice for the UE based on the first information.

[0361] The above example illustrates the method by which RAN 1 obtains slice support related information of the UE's first cell and indicates it to RAN 2. In some actual deployment scenarios, this communication method can also be implemented by RAN 2 requesting the core network device to indicate slice support related information of the first cell.

[0362] Figure 9 is an example of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. In different application scenarios, multiple steps may be selected to execute the communication method. For example, in one example, the communication method may include: S401 to S404. In another example, the communication method may include: S401 to S404, S410 to S411. The present application is not limited to the examples of the embodiments of the present application. After executing S404 or S407, the first network device may perform other operations based on the obtained information. For example, after executing S407, the first network device may obtain whether the first cell supports the NSSAI required by the UE, or at least one of the slice information associated with the TA corresponding to the first cell, and make a switching decision based on the obtained information.

[0363] The communication method is explained with reference to the examples of Figures 1 to 2. For other scenarios, reference can be made to the example implementation of the embodiments of the present application. Figure 10 is a flow chart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. In the communication method provided in Figure 10, the slice support information of the first cell includes whether the first cell supports S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2; or, the slice support information of the first cell includes whether the slice support information of the first cell is a certain S-NSSAI or certain S-NSSAIs; or, the slice support related information of the first cell includes whether the first cell belongs to the current RA of the UE. Assuming that the first network device is RAN 1, the second network device is RAN 2, and the first core network device is denoted as CN 1, the operations are mainly performed by AMF 1 and NSSF 1. In the example of Figure 10, the CN 1 is the core network device corresponding to the access of RAN 2. In some examples, CN 1 may also be the core network device corresponding to RAN 1.

[0364] In one possible implementation, when RAN 1 predicts the slice resource requirements of the UE, it can predict the UE's moving path, and then learn which cells are included in the UE's predicted moving path. For example, RAN 1 learns that the UE's predicted moving path includes the first cell. RAN 1 can determine RAN 2 where the first cell is located based on the first cell, and send the tenth message to RAN 2. The tenth message includes the UE's identifier. After receiving the tenth message, RAN 2 requests CN 1 for slice support related information of the first cell, which is used for RAN 2 to determine the network slices supported by the UE in the first cell.

[0365] As shown in FIG10 , the method is performed by RAN 1, RAN 2, and CN 1 as an example. The method includes: S501 to S507.

[0366] S501. RAN 1 predicts the slice resource requirements of the UE and determines the prediction information.

[0367] Optionally, RAN 1 may perform prediction based on AI or ML to obtain prediction information for the UE, where the prediction information may include at least one of predicted resource information and predicted mobility information.

[0368] Optionally, RAN 1 can obtain the prediction information through a built-in AI module, the structure of which can be referred to in Figure 2; alternatively, RAN 1 can obtain the prediction information through interaction with other devices, equipment, independent AI nodes, etc. For example, RAN 1 can provide a network structure based on Figure 12 or Figure 13 to obtain the prediction information from a non-built-in AI module.

[0369] Exemplarily, the predicted resource information includes: a predicted S-NSSAI or a predicted S-NSSAI list, a predicted number of protocol data unit information exchanges (PDU sessions), a predicted estimated size of resources required for each S-NSSAI (which may be the size of the transmission resources required within a single cell, for example, PRB usage), a predicted MBR, a predicted slice maximum bit rate (slice-MBR), a predicted value of delay information, etc. The predicted resource information may be predicted resource information within a specific time or for a specific cell. The predicted mobility information may include: the cells that the UE passes through (such as the cell identifier) ​​and the length of stay in each cell.

[0370] S502: RAN 1 sends tenth information to RAN 2, where the tenth information includes an identifier of the UE.

[0371] After receiving the tenth message, RAN 2 requests CN 1 for the process of slice support related information of the first cell.

[0372] In one possible manner, the tenth information is information related to the UE's handover process, such as a handover request message, which is used to instruct the UE to switch from RAN1 to RAN 2. The carried UE identifier may be one or more of the UE's cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), an identifier on the Xn interface, and the like. Optionally, the tenth information may also include one or more items of the prediction information obtained in S501, so that RAN 2 can reserve and make decisions on corresponding resources based on the prediction information carried in the tenth information. If the prediction information also includes predicted mobility information, RAN 2 can determine, based on the predicted mobility information, that its first cell is on the path where the UE may move or stay, and can determine the UE's stay time in the first cell, etc.

[0373] For example, in order to support RAN2 in requesting CN 1 to obtain information related to slice support of the UE, the tenth information may also indicate relevant non-access stratum (NAS) information of the UE, for example, the UE identifier, so that RAN2 can determine the support status of the UE's slice within its service range based on the information indicated by RAN1. In one possible manner, RAN1 and RAN2 may perform capability exchange in advance to determine whether both RAN1 and RAN2 support the interaction and parsing of NAS information.

[0374] S503: RAN 2 obtains one or more of the following: the UE identifier, the area information corresponding to the first cell, or the identifier of the first cell.

[0375] Optionally, RAN 2 also determines the slice service requirements of the UE based on the tenth information. For example, RAN 2 also determines that the UE needs the services of slices S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 based on the tenth information.

[0376] In a possible manner, the area information may be TA information, and the area information corresponding to the first cell may be TA information corresponding to the first cell, such as TAC or TAI.

[0377] In one possible manner, the identifier of the first cell is the identifier of the target cell of the handover; in another possible manner, the first cell is represented by the identifier of the cell corresponding to the UE mobility information.

[0378] S504. RAN 2 sends the eleventh information to CN 1. The eleventh information includes at least one of the UE identifier, the first area information, or the first cell identifier. The eleventh information may also include the slice information required by the UE, which is used to indicate the network slicing requirements of the UE, for example, indicating that the services of S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 need to be sliced ​​in the first cell.

[0379] Exemplarily, the eleventh information includes the UE identifier, the first area information, and the first cell identifier.

[0380] In one example, when RAN 2 sends the eleventh message to CN 1, the UE is not yet ready to access RAN 2. In this case, the UE identifier carried in the eleventh message can be obtained from the tenth message. Since CN 1 does not know which cell the area identifier belongs to, the eleventh message can carry the first area information to facilitate CN 1's identification. The first area information refers to the area information corresponding to the UE's current RA. For details, please refer to the above example and will not be detailed here.

[0381] In one example, when RAN 2 sends the eleventh message to CN 1, the UE accesses RAN 2. In this case, the UE identifier carried in the eleventh message may be an identifier of another UE, such as the UE identifier on the NG interface between RAN 2 and CN 1 after switching to RAN2 (NGAP UE ID, i.e., the NG interface uniquely identifies the UE within the AMF).

[0382] S505. CN 1 determines the slice support related information of the first cell according to the eleventh information.

[0383] In one possible manner, CN 1 determines the network slice support status of the UE in the first cell based on the UE identifier and one or more of the first area information and / or the identifier of the first cell, specifically the network slice support status of the UE in the first cell or the area corresponding to the first cell.

[0384] CN1 receives the eleventh information and determines the network slice support status of the UE in the first cell, which also includes two scenarios, one is a switching scenario and the other is a non-switching scenario.

[0385] In a handover scenario, there is no concept of the UE's current RA. The UE is currently in RAN 2. In this case, CN 1 determines and indicates one or more of the following:

[0386] Indicate whether the UE supports a certain slice or several slices, for example, RAN2 may indicate the required switching of the UE to the first core network device, or the first core network device may determine what to indicate itself.

[0387] Indicates the specific slice support status of the UE under RAN 2, including information such as allowed NSSAI, partially allowed NSSAI, and alternative NSSAI. Based on this information, RAN 2 can independently determine whether it supports the NSSAI required by the UE.

[0388] In one possible implementation, CN 1 may receive information previously sent by RAN 2 requesting an indication of whether the UE supports a certain slice or slices. For example, CN 1 may receive information previously sent by RAN 2 requesting an indication of whether the UE can support S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 in RAN 2 (or a certain TA in RAN 2). In another possible implementation, CN 1 may independently indicate to RAN 2 whether the UE can support S-NSSAI 2 and S-NSSAI 3 in RAN 2 (or a certain TA in RAN 2). In another possible implementation, CN 1 may independently indicate to RAN 2 the specific slice support status of the UE in RAN 2 (or a certain TA in RAN 2), such as the allowed NSSAI. In another possible implementation, in a non-handover scenario, the UE's current RA can be considered as the RA of RAN 1. For example, CN 1 may first obtain the first area where the UE is currently located and the first area information (corresponding to RAN 1) according to the UE identifier. The first area is the UE's current RA, such as RA 1, and the first area information may be the TAL of RA 1, such as a TAC list.

[0389] Exemplarily, CN 1 can determine whether the first cell is in the current RA of the UE based on the TAL of RA 1. For example, when the UE accesses RAN 1, the network slices supported by CN1 in RA 1 allocated to the UE are S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2, and the TAL of RA 1 includes TA 1, TA 2 and TA 4. The area information of the first cell indicates that the first cell belongs to TA 4. If TA 4 is in the TAL of RA 1, CN 1 can determine that the first cell belongs to RA 1, that is, it can generate twelve information, which can indicate that the first cell is in the current RA of the UE; if the network slices supported by CN1 in RA 1 allocated to the UE are S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2, and the TAL of RA 1 includes TA 1 and TA 2, and the area information of the first cell indicates that the first cell belongs to TA 4, CN 1 can determine that the first cell is outside RA 1 and does not belong to RA 1, that is, it can generate twelve information, which can indicate that the first cell is not in the current RA of the UE.

[0390] Exemplarily, CN 1 may also determine whether the first cell supports the first slice. If the first slice is S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2, the network slices supported in RA 1 allocated by CN1 to the UE are S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2. If CN 1 determines that the first cell is within RA 1, it determines that the UE supports S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 in the TA corresponding to the first cell or the first cell. If the first slice is S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2, the network slices supported in RA 2 allocated to the UE are S-NSSAI 3 and S-NSSAI 4. If CN 1 determines that the first cell is within RA 2, it determines that the UE does not support S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 in the TA corresponding to the first cell or the first cell, or determines that the UE supports S-NSSAI 3 and S-NSSAI 4 in the TA corresponding to the first cell or the first cell.

[0391] Based on this, the eleventh information that CN 1 may generate may include one or more of the following examples: indicating whether the corresponding cell or cell TA indicated by RAN 1 is within the current RA of the UE; indicating whether the UE supports the slice required by the UE within the corresponding cell or cell TA; indicating slice information associated with the cell or the cell corresponding TA, for example, information on the allowed NSSAI, partially allowed NSSAI, rejected NSSAI, and alternative NSSAI of the UE in the corresponding TA. RAN 2 can independently determine whether the NSSAI required by the UE is supported based on this situation.

[0392] S506. CN 1 sends twelfth information to RAN 2. The twelfth information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

[0393] Exemplarily, the slice support related information of the first cell included in the twelfth information is consistent with the slice support related information of the first cell determined by CN 1 in S505.

[0394] For example, in a handover scenario, the slice support related information of the first cell included in the twelfth information is consistent with the slice support related information of the first cell determined by CN 1 in the handover scenario as illustrated in S505.

[0395] In the switching scenario, the slice support related information of the first cell included in the twelfth information is consistent with the slice support related information of the first cell determined by CN 1 in the non-switching scenario as exemplified in S505.

[0396] S507. RAN 2 decides to reserve a network slice for the UE based on the second information.

[0397] Optionally, in one possible implementation, RAN 2 may also send feedback information to RAN 1. The feedback information may include RAN 2's support for network slicing (e.g., whether it supports the slice indicated by RAN 1), as well as actual resource usage, physical resource block utilization (PRB usage), etc. This feedback information may be used by RAN 1 for predictive model training, etc.

[0398] In the communication method provided in Figure 10, RAN 2 interacts with CN 1 to obtain slice support related information of multiple cells (including slice support related information of the first cell of RAN 2), and then makes decisions such as resource reservation based on the slice support related information of the cells in RAN 2.

[0399] In another possible implementation, the predicted mobile path of the UE may include multiple cells of RAN 2 (such as the first cell, the second cell, and the fourth cell). When the UE accesses the first cell, RAN 2 can determine the network slices supported by the UE in other cells of RAN 2, so that RAN 2 can reserve or allocate resources, making resource configuration more reasonable.

[0400] As shown in FIG11 , the method is performed by RAN 2 and CN 1 as an example. The method includes: S601 to S605.

[0401] S601, RAN 2 obtains the UE identifier, the area information of the cell of RAN 2 or the identifier of the cell of RAN 2, and may also obtain the slice information required by the UE, for example, indicating that a cell in RAN 2 needs to slice the services of S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2, and another cell also needs the services of S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2, or another cell needs the services of S-NSSAI 3 and S-NSSAI 4, etc.

[0402] In one possible implementation, RAN 2 determines the network slicing support status of the UE in the cell based on the UE identifier and one or more of the area information corresponding to each cell in RAN 2 and / or the identifier of its cell. Specifically, if RAN 2 includes a first cell, a second cell, and a third cell, etc., RAN 2 can obtain the network slicing support status of the UE in the first cell or the area corresponding to the first cell, the network slicing support status of the UE in the second cell or the area corresponding to the second cell, or the network slicing support status of the UE in the third cell or the area corresponding to the third cell, etc.

[0403] The example in Figure 11 illustrates a handover scenario. In this scenario, the UE is currently in RAN 2. RAN 2 can obtain the UE's identity through various means, such as through a received handover request message, which instructs the UE to handover from RAN 1 to RAN 2. The handover request message may carry the UE identity, which may be one or more of the following: the UE's C-RNTI, an identifier on the Xn interface, and so on. Alternatively, because the UE has already accessed a cell in RAN 2, RAN 2 may obtain the UE's identity, such as by obtaining the UE's identity on the NG interface between RAN 2 and CN 1 (NGAP UE ID, i.e., the NG interface uniquely identifies the UE within the AMF). RAN 2 may include at least one cell, such as a first cell, a second cell, and a third cell. RAN 2 may obtain the area information of each of these cells, or the cell identifiers of each of these cells. The area information may be TA information, and the area information corresponding to the first cell may be the TA information corresponding to the first cell, such as TAC or TAI. The cell identifier may represent the target cell for handover, or may be the identifier of the cell corresponding to the UE's mobility information.

[0404] In one possible implementation, RAN 2 may also obtain prediction information of the UE. For example, RAN 2 may also perform prediction based on AI or ML to obtain prediction information for the UE. The prediction information may include at least one of predicted resource information and predicted mobility information.

[0405] Optionally, RAN 2 can obtain the prediction information through a built-in AI module, the structure of which can be referred to in Figure 2; alternatively, RAN 2 can obtain the prediction information through interaction with other devices, equipment, independent AI nodes, etc. For example, RAN 2 can provide a network structure based on Figure 12 or Figure 13 to obtain the prediction information from a non-built-in AI module.

[0406] S602. RAN 2 sends eleventh information to CN 1. The eleventh information includes at least one of the UE identifier, the first area information, or the identifier of the cell of RAN 2. The eleventh information may also include slice information required by the UE, which is used to indicate the network slicing requirement of the UE, for example, indicating that the services of S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 are required in all cells of RAN 2 where the UE is located, or indicating that the services corresponding to the required slices are required in each cell of RAN 2 where the UE is located.

[0407] Exemplarily, the eleventh information includes the UE identifier, the area information corresponding to the cell of RAN 2, and part of the identifier of the cell of RAN 2, such as the eleventh information includes the UE identifier and the area information corresponding to the cell of RAN 2, or the eleventh information includes the UE identifier and the identifier of the cell of RAN 2.

[0408] S603. CN 1 determines slice support related information of the cell of RAN 2 according to the identifier of the UE, the area information corresponding to the cell of RAN 2, and the identifier of the cell of RAN 2.

[0409] Exemplarily, CN 1 may determine and indicate one or more of the following based on the identifier of the UE, the area information corresponding to the cell of RAN 2, and the identifier of the cell of RAN 2:

[0410] Indicate whether the UE supports a certain slice or several slices, for example, RAN2 may indicate the required switching of the UE to the first core network device, or the first core network device may determine what to indicate itself.

[0411] Indicates the specific slice support status of the UE under RAN 2, including information such as allowed NSSAI, partially allowed NSSAI, and alternative NSSAI. Based on this information, RAN 2 can independently determine whether it supports the NSSAI required by the UE.

[0412] For an example of indication, reference may be made to the example in S505 and no further details will be given.

[0413] Furthermore, when CN 1 determines slice support information for cells in RAN 2, it can be determined at the cell level or at the TA level. For example, cells in RAN 2 can be in the same TA or in different TAs. For example, if multiple cells in RAN 2 are in different TAs, for example, if the first and third cells are in TA 4, and the second cell is in TA 3, one possibility is that TA 4 and TA 3 are in the same RA, and another possibility is that TA 4 and TA 3 are in different RAs.

[0414] In the example shown in FIG11 , because the cells in RAN 2 may belong to different RAs, the network slices supported by the UE in different cells can be obtained separately, or the network slices supported by the UE in different TAs can be obtained. For example, if the first cell, the second cell and the third cell are all in TA 4, TA 4 belongs to RA 2, and the slice support status of RA 2 configured by RAN 2 is that the UE supports S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 in RA 2, then the slice support related information of the cell of RAN 2 can be determined that the UE supports S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 in the first cell, the second cell and the third cell; or, the slice support related information of the cell of RAN 2 is determined to be that the UE supports S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 in TA 4; if the first cell and the third cell are both in TA 4, the second cell is in TA3, RA 2 includes TA4, and RA 3 includes TA 3. If RA 3 and RA 4 are both configured by CN 1, then CN 1 can obtain the slices supported by the UE in RA 3 and RA 4 respectively, such as, the slice support status of RA 2 configured by RAN 2 is that the UE supports S-NSSAI in RA 2. 1 and S-NSSAI 2, and the slice support status of RA 3 configured by RAN 2 is that the UE supports S-NSSAI 3 and S-NSSAI 4 in RA 3, then the slice support related information for determining the cell of RAN 2 can be that the UE supports S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 in the first cell and the third cell respectively, and the UE supports S-NSSAI 3 and S-NSSAI 4 in the second cell; or, the UE supports S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 in TA 4, and the UE supports S-NSSAI 3 and S-NSSAI 4 in TA 3, etc.

[0415] Furthermore, if RA 3 is not configured by RAN 2, RAN 2 may request CN 2 that configures RA 3 to obtain the network slices supported by the UE in RA 3, and then determine the slice support related information of each cell. For example, if the CN corresponding to RA 1 and RA 2 is CN 1, and the CN corresponding to RA 3 is CN 2, AMF 1 indicates TA 4 of the UE to NSSF 1, and NSSF indicates the slice support information of the UE in the TA 4 according to the TA 4 of the UE; AMF1 needs to indicate the TA 3 information and UE identification information to AMF 2, and request AMF2 to determine and feedback the slice support information of the UE in the corresponding TA 3. The method for AMF 2 to determine the slice support information of the UE in the corresponding TA 3 is that AMF 2 indicates the TA 3 of the UE to NSSF 2.

[0416] S604. CN 1 sends twelfth information to RAN 2. The twelfth information includes slice support related information of the cell of RAN 2.

[0417] For example,

[0418] Exemplarily, the slice support related information of the first cell included in the twelfth information is consistent with the slice support related information of the RAN 2D cell determined by CN 1 in S603.

[0419] S605. RAN 2 decides to reserve a network slice for the UE based on the second information.

[0420] Optionally, since the UE has already started accessing the first cell, RAN 2 can decide which network slices to reserve for the second cell and the third cell. In this method, when the UE starts accessing RAN 2, RAN 2 obtains slice support information for other RAN 2 cells. This obtains more accurate slice support information and reduces transmission overhead between network devices.

[0421] The embodiments of the present application provide a variety of communication methods that can be more widely applicable to various communication systems and flexibly used in different scenarios to achieve more reasonable resource decisions for network slicing.

[0422] In one possible implementation, the RAN provided in the embodiment of the present application is a device under an open RAN architecture. Referring to Figure 2, the RAN can be divided into two parts: CU and DU. In combination with the methods shown in Figures 4 to 10 above, under the CU-DU separation architecture, the CU of RAN 1 is used to perform the operation of obtaining UE predicted resource information. The CU can also refer to the methods provided in Figures 5a to 7 to obtain the slice support related information of the first cell from the UE, or the CU can also refer to the method provided in Figures 8 or 9 to obtain the slice support related information of the first cell from RAN 1. The CU of RAN 2 can also refer to the method provided in Figure 10 to obtain the slice support related information of the first cell from RAN 1. After the CU obtains the resource-related information, it can be submitted to the DU. The resource-related information may include part or all of the UE prediction information, which includes: the cells that the UE will go through, the length of time the UE stays in each cell to be gone through, the slice S-NSSAI or NSSAI list (list) required by the UE, the number of PDU sessions, the estimated size of resources required for each S-NSSAI (which may be the size of the transmission resources required in a single cell), the average MBR, slice-MBR, the current value of the delay information or the predicted value of the delay information, etc. One or more of the following information. In different scenarios, different schemes can be supported. For example, the CU can send information other than slice support related information to the DU first, and after obtaining the slice support related information of each cell, send it to the DU through another message. Specifically, in the message sent later, the cell identifier of each cell corresponding to the UE prediction information and the slice support related information of the corresponding cell can also be carried. This communication method is applicable to communication systems under a CU-DU separation architecture. This method ensures that the DU obtains UE prediction information while also obtaining slice support information for each cell corresponding to the UE's prediction information, thereby determining the UE's resource requirements and making reasonable slice resource reservations. This allows the method provided by the embodiments of the present application to be used in a wider range of scenarios and support more flexible and diverse RAN architectures.

[0423] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system 400 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 12, the RAN architecture included in the communication system 400 can be a CU and DU separated architecture. The core network equipment, UE, and RAN in the system 400 can all interact with a separately configured AI to obtain the various prediction information obtained in the above examples.

[0424] In addition to the examples in Figures 12 and 2, RAN may also include other architectures. Figure 13 is a structural diagram of a RAN intelligent controller (RIC) in an open RAN provided in an embodiment of the present application. The RIC can be applied to a RIC architecture communication system, and can also be combined with the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application to obtain cell slice support related information. Referring to Figure 13, RIC includes near-real time RIC (near-RT RIC) and non-real time RIC (non-RT RIC).

[0425] Near real-time RIC is used for model training and reasoning. For example, it is used to train an AI model and use the AI ​​model for reasoning. Near real-time RIC can obtain prediction information from any one or more sides of the RAN (such as CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and / or RU (Radio unit)), or the UE side or the CN side, i.e., the prediction resource information provided in the above example. The prediction resource information can be used as training data or reasoning data. Optionally, the near real-time RIC can submit the reasoning results to one or more of the CN, RAN or UE. Optionally, the reasoning results can be exchanged between the CU and DU, and / or between the DU and RU. For example, the near real-time RIC submits the reasoning results to the DU, and the DU sends it to the RU.

[0426] Non-real-time RIC is used for model training and reasoning. For example, it is used to train an AI model and use the model for reasoning. Non-real-time RIC can obtain prediction information from any one or more sides of the RAN (such as CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and / or RU (Radio unit)), or the UE side or the CN side, i.e., the prediction resource information provided in the above example. The predicted resource information can be used as training data or reasoning data, and the reasoning result can be submitted to one or more of the CN, RAN or UE. Optionally, the reasoning results can be exchanged between the CU and the DU, and / or between the DU and the RU. For example, the non-real-time RIC submits the reasoning result to the DU, and the DU sends it to the RU. Near-real-time RIC and non-real-time RIC can also be set up separately as a network element. Optionally, near real-time RIC and non-real-time RIC may also be part of other devices. For example, near real-time RIC is set in RAN (e.g., CU, DU), while non-real-time RIC is set in operations, administration and maintenance (OAM), cloud servers, core network devices, or other network devices.

[0427] Optionally, the embodiment of the present application takes a cell as an example, but is not limited to a cell. The cell can be replaced by a synchronization signal block (SSB), etc.

[0428] Figure 14 is a structural diagram of a first network device or an apparatus in the first network device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 14, the first network device 10 or the apparatus in the first network device includes: a processing module 101 and a transceiver module 102.

[0429] Processing module 101 is used to determine the slice support related information of the first cell, wherein the slice support related information of the first cell is used to determine the network slice supported by the UE in the first cell, and the first cell is a cell of the second network device.

[0430] The transceiver module 102 is used to send first information to the second network device, where the first information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

[0431] In a possible implementation, the processing module 101 is specifically used to determine the slice support related information of the first cell based on the area information corresponding to the first cell, and the area information corresponding to the first cell is used to indicate the area where the first cell is located.

[0432] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 102 is specifically used to receive second information sent by the first core network device, where the second information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

[0433] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 102 is specifically used to receive third information sent by the UE, where the third information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

[0434] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 102 is further configured to receive fourth information sent by the second network device, where the fourth information includes cell information of the first cell, where the cell information includes at least one of area information corresponding to the first cell or an identifier of the first cell.

[0435] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 102 is further configured to send fifth information to the second network device, where the fifth information is used to request acquisition of the cell information of the first cell.

[0436] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 102 is further configured to send sixth information to the UE, where the sixth information includes area information corresponding to the first cell.

[0437] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 102 is further used to send seventh information to the UE, where the seventh information is used to request the first area information, where the first area includes at least one second area, and the first area information includes the area information of the second area in the first area, where the area information of the second area is used to indicate the area where the second area is located; and receive eighth information sent by the UE, where the eighth information includes the first area information; and the processing module 101 is further used to determine whether the first cell belongs to the first area based on the first area information and the area information corresponding to the first cell.

[0438] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 102 is further configured to send ninth information, where the ninth information includes at least one of an identifier of the UE, area information corresponding to the first cell, or an identifier of the first cell.

[0439] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 102 is specifically configured to send the ninth information to the first core network device if it is determined that the second network device does not belong to the first area.

[0440] It should be understood that the modules shown in Figure 14 are only examples, and each module can refer to the method portion in the embodiment of the present application to perform its operation, or perform a variation of its operation. In the examples provided in the embodiment of the present application, other operations can also be performed, and are not limited to the examples in the embodiment of the present application.

[0441] Figure 15 is a structural diagram of a second network device or an apparatus in the second network device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 15, the second network device 20 or the apparatus in the second network device includes: a processing module 201 and a transceiver module 202.

[0442] The transceiver module 202 is used to receive first information sent by a first network device, where the first information includes slice support related information of a first cell. The first cell is a cell of the second network device, and the slice support related information of the first cell is used to determine the network slice supported by the UE in the first cell.

[0443] The processing module 201 is used to decide to reserve network slices for the UE based on the slice support related information of the first cell.

[0444] In another example, the transceiver module 202 is used to send eleventh information to the first core network device, where the eleventh information includes at least one of the identifier of the UE, the area information corresponding to the first cell, or the identifier of the first cell; and receive twelfth information sent by the first core network device, where the twelfth information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

[0445] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 202 is further used to send fourth information to the first network device, where the fourth information includes cell information of the first cell, where the cell information includes at least one of the area information corresponding to the first cell or the identifier of the first cell, and the area information is used to indicate the area where the first cell is located.

[0446] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 202 is further configured to receive fifth information sent by the first network device, where the fifth information is used to request acquisition of the cell information of the first cell.

[0447] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 202 is also used to receive tenth information, which includes the identifier of the UE; send eleventh information to the first core network device, which includes at least one of the identifier of the UE, the area information corresponding to the first cell, or the identifier of the first cell; and receive twelfth information sent by the first core network device, which includes slice support related information of the first cell.

[0448] It should be understood that the modules shown in Figure 15 are only examples, and each module can refer to the method portion in the embodiment of the present application to perform its operation, or perform a variation of its operation. In the examples provided in the embodiment of the present application, other operations can also be performed, and are not limited to the examples in the embodiment of the present application.

[0449] Figure 16 is a structural diagram of a first core network device or an apparatus in the first core network device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 16, the first core network device 30 or the apparatus in the first core network device includes: a processing module 301 and a transceiver module 302.

[0450] The transceiver module 302 is used to send second information to the first network device, where the second information includes slice support related information of the first cell, wherein the first cell is a cell of the second network device, and the slice support related information of the first cell is used to determine the network slice supported by the UE in the first cell.

[0451] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 302 is also used to receive ninth information sent by the first network device, and the ninth information includes at least one of the identifier of the UE, the area information corresponding to the first cell, or the identifier of the first cell; the processing module 301 is used to obtain the first area information according to the identifier of the UE, and the first area information includes the area information of the second area in the first area, the first area corresponds to the current area of ​​the UE, the first area includes at least one second area, and the area information of the second area is used to indicate the area where the second area is located; based on the first area information and the area information corresponding to the first cell, the slice support related information of the first cell is determined, and the area information corresponding to the first cell is used to indicate the area where the first cell is located.

[0452] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 302 is further used to receive eleventh information sent by the second network device, where the eleventh information includes at least one of the identifier of the UE, the area information corresponding to the first cell, or the identifier of the first cell; the processing module 301 is further used to obtain the first area information based on the identifier of the UE; determine the slice support related information of the first cell based on the first area information and the area information corresponding to the first cell; the transceiver module 302 is also used to send twelfth information to the second network device, where the twelfth information includes the slice support related information of the first cell.

[0453] It should be understood that the modules shown in Figure 16 are only examples, and each module can refer to the method portion in the embodiment of the present application to perform its operation, or perform a variation of its operation. In the examples provided in the embodiment of the present application, other operations can also be performed, and are not limited to the examples in the embodiment of the present application.

[0454] FIG17 is a schematic structural diagram of a UE or a device of a UE provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG17 , the UE 40 or the device in the UE includes: a processing module 401 and a transceiver module 402 .

[0455] The transceiver module 402 is used to send third information to the first network device, where the third information includes slice support related information of the first cell, wherein the first cell is a cell of the second network device, and the slice support related information of the first cell is used to determine the network slice supported by the user equipment UE in the first cell.

[0456] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 402 is further configured to receive sixth information sent by the first network device, where the sixth information includes area information corresponding to the first cell, where the area information corresponding to the first cell is used to indicate the area where the first cell is located. The processing module 401 is configured to determine slice support related information of the first cell based on the area information corresponding to the first cell and the acquired first area information.

[0457] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 402 is also used to receive seventh information sent by the first network device, where the seventh information is used to request the first area information, where the first area includes at least one second area, and the first area information includes area information of the second area in the first area, where the area information of the second area is used to indicate the area where the second area is located; and send eighth information to the first network device, where the eighth information includes the first area information.

[0458] It should be understood that the modules shown in Figure 17 are only examples, and each module can refer to the method portion in the embodiment of the present application to perform its operation, or perform a variation of its operation. In the examples provided in the embodiment of the present application, other operations can also be performed, and are not limited to the examples in the embodiment of the present application.

[0459] In the embodiment of the present application, the first network device or the device in the first network device provided in Figure 14 can be applied in the scenarios provided in Figures 1, 2, 3, 12 and 13, as the first network device 10, the network device or its component to implement the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application. The second network device or the device in the second network device provided in Figure 15 can be applied in the scenarios provided in Figures 1, 2, 3, 12 and 13, as the second network device 20, the network device or its component to implement the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application. The first core network device or the device in the first core network device provided in Figure 16 can be applied in the scenarios provided in Figures 1, 2, 3, 12 and 13, as the first network device 30, the core network device or its component to implement the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application. The UE or the device in the UE provided in Figure 17 can be applied in the scenarios provided in Figures 1, 2, 3, 12 and 13, as the UE 40 or its component to implement the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0460] For example, the system 100 in the scenario provided in FIG. 1 , the system 200 in the scenario provided in FIG. 2 , the system 300 in the scenario provided in FIG. 3 , and the system 400 in the scenario provided in FIG. 12 may be a 5G NR system. The 5G NR system includes a 5G core network (5GC) and a 5G radio access network (RAN, generally referred to as NG-RAN because the interface between the RAN and the 5GC is NG). The 5GC includes an access and mobility management function (AMF) and a user plane function (UPF). The NG-RAN may include at least one network device, such as a 5G network device (generally referred to as a gNB) and a 4G network device (generally referred to as an ng-eNB) connected to the 5GC. When the network device provides services to a UE, the gNB is responsible for providing the UE with the user plane and control plane protocol functions of 5G NR, and the ng-eNB is responsible for providing the UE with the user plane and control plane protocol functions of 4G E-UTRA. Figure 2 illustrates an example system architecture for implementing an embodiment of the present application, illustrating possible implementation scenarios of the embodiment of the present application. The communication methods of the embodiment of the present application can also be used in other systems without limitation. In some practical scenarios, the gNB can send information to the UE, such as paging information and information related to cell camp determination. The UE can also send information to the gNB, such as RRC connection establishment request messages or recovery request messages. The communication methods provided in the embodiments of the present application can be combined and applied in these scenarios.

[0461] In addition, as shown in Figure 18, Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a device 50 according to an embodiment of the present application. The device 50 shown in Figure 18 includes a transceiver 501 and a processor 502. The device 50 can be used to execute methods S101 to S102 in the above embodiments; or execute methods S201 to S209; or execute methods S201, S2021, S2022, S203 to S209; or execute methods S201 to S204, S210 to S214, and S209; or execute methods S301 to S311; or execute methods S401 to S409; or execute methods S401 to S404, S410 to S411, S407 to S409; or execute methods S501 to S507; or execute methods S601 to S605. Device 50 is equivalent to the first network device cited in the method, or device 50 is equivalent to the second network device cited in the method, or device 50 is equivalent to the first core network device cited in the method, or device 50 is equivalent to the UE cited in the method.

[0462] It should be noted that the division of each part in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. The various functions in the embodiment of the present application are integrated in a processor, or the transceiver and the processor may exist separately, etc. The above-mentioned integrated devices can be implemented in the form of hardware, such as a chip, or in the form of a software functional unit. For example, the first network device, the second network device, the first core network device and the UE can be implemented in the form of hardware, such as a chip, or in the form of a software functional unit, or in a combination of hardware and software. The AI ​​module can be implemented in the form of a software functional unit.

[0463] In addition, an embodiment of the present application further provides a device 60, as shown in FIG19 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a device 60 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG19 , the device 60 may include a processor 601, a memory 602 coupled to the processor 601, and a transceiver 603. The transceiver 603 may include a communication interface, an optical module, etc., for receiving messages or data information, etc. The processor 601 may include a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), or a combination of a CPU and an NP, for executing the relevant steps of the wake-up signal processing in the device exemplified in the above embodiment. The processor may also be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The above-mentioned PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. The processor 601 may refer to a single processor or may include multiple processors. The memory 602 may include a volatile memory, such as a random-access memory (RAM); the memory may also include a non-volatile memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid-state drive (SSD); the memory 602 may also include a combination of the above types of memory. The memory 602 may refer to a single memory or may include multiple memories for storing program instructions. In one embodiment, the memory 602 stores computer-readable instructions, which include multiple software modules, such as a sending module, a processing module, and a receiving module. After executing each software module, the processor 601 may perform corresponding operations according to the instructions of each software module. In this embodiment, the operation performed by a software module actually refers to the operation performed by the processor 601 according to the instructions of the software module. Optionally, the processor 601 may also store program code or instructions for executing the embodiment of the present application. In this case, the processor 601 does not need to read the program code or instructions from the memory 602.

[0464] The device 60 can be used to execute the method in the above embodiment. Specifically, the device 60 can execute the method in the above embodiment. The method in the above embodiment S101 to S102; or execute S201 to S209, or execute S201, S2021, S2022, S203 to S209; or execute S201 to S204, S210 to S214, and S209; or execute S301 to S311; or execute S401 to S409; or execute S401 to S404, S410 to S411, S407 to S409; or execute S501 to S507; or execute S601 to S605, the operation performed by the first network device, or the operation performed by the second network device, or the operation performed by the first core network device, or the operation performed by the UE.

[0465] In addition, embodiments of the present application further provide a communication device. The communication device includes a storage medium and a processor connected to the storage medium. The storage medium stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the processor, the processor is configured to implement some or all of the operations of any of the methods in any of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0466] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores instructions. When the computer-readable storage medium is executed on a processor, it implements part or all of the operations in any of the methods in any of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0467] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program, which, when executed on a processor, implements part or all of the operations in any of the methods in any of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0468] The present application also provides a chip including an interface circuit and a processor connected to each other, wherein the processor is configured to cause the chip to execute part or all of the operations in any of the methods in any of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0469] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip system, including: a processor, the processor is coupled to a memory, the memory is used to store programs or instructions, when the program or instructions are executed by the processor, the chip system implements part or all of the operations of any one of the methods of any one of the embodiments described above.

[0470] Optionally, there may be one or more processors in the chip system. The processor may be implemented in hardware or software. When implemented in hardware, the processor may be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc. When implemented in software, the processor may be a general-purpose processor implemented by reading software code stored in a memory.

[0471] Optionally, the memory in the chip system may be one or more. The memory may be integrated with the processor or may be provided separately from the processor, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, the memory may be a non-transient processor, such as a read-only memory (ROM), which may be integrated with the processor on the same chip or provided on different chips. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit the type of memory or the configuration of the memory and the processor.

[0472] Exemplarily, the chip system can be an FPGA, an ASIC, a system on chip (SoC), a CPU, an NP, a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips.

[0473] The embodiment of the present application further provides a system, including at least one of a first network device 10, a second network device 20, a first core network device 30, and a UE 40. The embodiment of the present application further provides a system, including one or more of the above-mentioned devices, apparatuses, computer-readable storage media, computer program products, chips, or chip systems.

[0474] The system provided in the embodiment of the present application can be a system applied in any scenario of Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3 or Figure 12, without limitation.

[0475] The terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," and the like (if any) in the specification and claims of this application and in the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a particular order or sequential sequence. It should be understood that the terms used in this manner are interchangeable where appropriate so that the embodiments described herein can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, e.g., a process, method, system, product, or apparatus comprising a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0476] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0477] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of units is only a logical business division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0478] Units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0479] In addition, each business unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated into a processing unit, each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into a single unit. The above-mentioned integrated units can be implemented in the form of hardware or software business units.

[0480] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software business unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, all or part of the technical solution of the present application can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, ROM, RAM, Random Access Memory, disk or optical disk, etc. Various media that can store program code.

[0481] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in one or more of the examples above, the services described herein may be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, these services may be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, wherein communication media include any medium that facilitates the transmission of computer programs from one location to another. Storage media may be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0482] The above specific implementation methods further describe in detail the purpose, technical solutions and beneficial effects of this application. It should be understood that the above are only specific implementation methods of this application.

[0483] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Determining slice support related information of a first cell, wherein the slice support related information of the first cell is used to determine a network slice supported by a user equipment UE in the first cell, and the first cell is a cell of a second network device; Send first information to the second network device, where the first information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate whether the first cell belongs to a first area, and the first area corresponds to the current area of ​​the UE.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate whether the UE supports a first slice in the first cell, where the first slice is a network slice supported by the UE; or The slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate at least one network slice supported by the UE in the first cell.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The determining of slice support related information of the first cell includes: According to the area information corresponding to the first cell, the slice support related information of the first cell is determined, and the area information corresponding to the first cell is used to indicate the area where the first cell is located.

5. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The determining of slice support related information of the first cell includes: Receive second information sent by the first core network device, where the second information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

6. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The determining of slice support related information of the first cell includes: Receive third information sent by the UE, where the third information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that Also includes: Receive fourth information sent by the second network device, where the fourth information includes cell information of the first cell, and the cell information includes at least one of area information corresponding to the first cell or an identifier of the first cell.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that Also includes: Send fifth information to the second network device, where the fifth information is used to request obtaining the cell information of the first cell.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that Also includes: Send sixth information to the UE, where the sixth information includes area information corresponding to the first cell.

10. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that Also includes: Sending seventh information to the UE, where the seventh information is used to request obtaining the first area information, where the first area includes at least one second area, the first area information includes area information of the second area within the first area, and the area information of the second area is used to indicate an area where the second area is located; receiving eighth information sent by the UE, where the eighth information includes the first area information; Determine whether the first cell belongs to the first area according to the first area information and area information corresponding to the first cell.

11. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that Also includes: Ninth information is sent, where the ninth information includes at least one of an identifier of the UE, area information corresponding to the first cell, or an identifier of the first cell.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The sending of the ninth information includes: If it is determined that the second network device does not belong to the first area, the ninth information is sent to the first core network device.

13. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that Also includes: Thirteenth information is sent to the second network device, where the thirteenth information is used to indicate the UE's slice resource requirements for the first cell.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that Also includes: Receive feedback information from a second network device, where the feedback information is used to feed back actual network slice information of the UE in one or more cells, where the one or more cells include the first cell, or the one or more cells do not include the first cell.

15. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Receive first information sent by a first network device, where the first information includes slice support related information of a first cell, where the first cell is a cell of the second network device, and the slice support related information of the first cell is used to determine the network slices supported by the user equipment UE in the first cell.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate whether the first cell belongs to a first area, and the first area corresponds to the current area of ​​the UE.

17. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate whether the UE supports a first slice in the first cell, where the first slice is a network slice supported by the UE; or The slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate at least one network slice supported by the UE in the first cell.

18. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, characterized in that Also includes: Send fourth information to the first network device, where the fourth information includes cell information of the first cell, the cell information includes at least one of area information corresponding to the first cell or an identifier of the first cell, and the area information is used to indicate the area where the first cell is located.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that Also includes: Receive fifth information sent by the first network device, where the fifth information is used to request acquisition of the cell information of the first cell.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein Also includes: receiving tenth information, where the tenth information includes an identifier of the UE; Sending eleventh information to the first core network device, where the eleventh information includes at least one of an identifier of the UE, area information corresponding to the first cell, or an identifier of the first cell; Receive the twelfth information sent by the first core network device, where the twelfth information includes slice support related information of the first cell.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein Also includes: Receive thirteenth information sent by the first network device, where the thirteenth information is used to indicate the UE's slice resource requirements for the first cell.

22. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 21, characterized in that Also includes: Feedback information is sent to the first network device, where the feedback information is used to feedback actual network slice information of the UE in one or more cells, where the one or more cells include the first cell, or the one or more cells do not include the first cell.

23. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Second information is sent to the first network device, where the second information includes slice support related information of the first cell, wherein the first cell is a cell of the second network device, and the slice support related information of the first cell is used to determine the network slices supported by the user equipment UE in the first cell.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein The slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate whether the first cell belongs to a first area, and the first area corresponds to the current area of ​​the UE.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that The slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate whether the UE supports a first slice in the first cell, where the first slice is a network slice supported by the UE; or The slice support related information of the first cell is used to indicate at least one network slice supported by the UE in the first cell.

26. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 25, characterized in that Also includes: Receive ninth information sent by the first network device, where the ninth information includes at least one of an identifier of the UE, area information corresponding to the first cell, or an identifier of the first cell.

27. The method according to claim 24 or 25, characterized in that Also includes: receiving eleventh information sent by the second network device, where the eleventh information includes at least one of an identifier of the UE, area information corresponding to the first cell, or an identifier of the first cell; Acquire first area information according to the identifier of the UE; Determining slice support related information of the first cell according to the first area information and area information corresponding to the first cell; Send twelfth information to the second network device, where the twelfth information includes the slice support related information of the first cell.

28. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, or to implement the method according to any one of claims 15 to 22. The communication device is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 23 to 27.

29. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes a processor configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, or configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 15 to 22, or configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 23 to 27.

30. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium comprises instructions, which, when executed, enable the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 to be implemented, or enable the method according to any one of claims 15 to 22 to be implemented, or enable the method according to any one of claims 23 to 27 to be implemented.

31. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises instructions, which, when executed, enable the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 to be implemented, or enable the method according to any one of claims 15 to 22 to be implemented, or enable the method according to any one of claims 23 to 27 to be implemented.

32. A communication system, characterized in that: include: An apparatus for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14; An apparatus for implementing the method according to any one of claims 15 to 22; An apparatus for implementing the method according to any one of claims 23 to 27.

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