Wireless communication method and communication device

Abstract

Provided are a wireless communication method and a communication device. The method comprises: a first communication device sends first information to a second communication device, the first information being associated with a data plane. In embodiments of the present application, the first information associated with the data plane can be interacted between the first communication device and the second communication device, thereby improving the success rate of communication between the communication devices.

Description

Wireless communication methods and communication equipment Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to a method and device for wireless communication. Background Technology

[0002] In some scenarios, communication systems introduce new data planes. In such cases, communication devices may not be able to determine the relevant information of the data plane used for communication. Taking a communication system as a terminal device as an example, the terminal device may not be able to determine the data plane that needs to be accessed.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a method and apparatus for wireless communication. The various aspects covered in this application are described below.

[0005] In a first aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, comprising: a first communication device sending first information to a second communication device, the first information being associated with a data plane.

[0006] In a second aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, comprising: a second communication device receiving first information sent by a first communication device, wherein the first information is associated with a data plane service.

[0007] Thirdly, a wireless communication method is provided, comprising: a terminal device receiving second information sent by a third core network element, the second information including one or more of the following: information for determining the address of a data plane serving the terminal device; information for indicating a fourth core network element; wherein the fourth core network element is associated with the data plane serving the terminal device, and the fourth core network element is used to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane.

[0008] Fourthly, a wireless communication method is provided, comprising: a third core network element sending second information to a terminal device, the second information including one or more of the following: information for determining the address of a data plane serving the terminal device; information for instructing a fourth core network element, wherein the fourth core network element is associated with the data plane serving the terminal device, and the fourth core network element is used to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane.

[0009] Fifthly, a wireless communication method is provided, comprising: a fifth core network element sending third information to a terminal device, the third information being used to instruct the third core network element, the third core network element being used to request a DNS server to provide a data plane address for the terminal device, the data plane providing services to the terminal device, and / or the third core network element being used to request the DNS server to provide an address of a fourth core network element for the terminal device, the fourth core network element being associated with the data plane serving the terminal device, the fourth core network element being used to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, comprising: a terminal device receiving fifth information sent by a fourth core network element, the fifth information being used to identify a data plane providing services to the terminal device.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, comprising: a fourth core network element sending fifth information to a terminal device, the fifth information being used to identify a data plane providing services to the terminal device.

[0012] Eighthly, a wireless communication method is provided, comprising: a sixth core network element sending subscription information of a terminal device to a fourth core network element, wherein the subscription information is associated with a data plane.

[0013] A ninth aspect provides a method for wireless communication, comprising: a seventh core network element receiving a sixth request sent by an eighth core network element, the sixth request being used to request the discovery of a fourth core network element associated with a data plane; and / or the seventh core network element sending response information to the eighth core network element in response to the sixth request, the response information being used to instruct the fourth core network element; wherein the fourth core network element is used to control or manage communication devices accessing the data plane.

[0014] A tenth aspect provides a method for wireless communication, comprising: an eighth core network element sending a sixth request to a seventh core network element, the sixth request being used to request the discovery of a fourth core network element associated with a data plane; and / or the eighth core network element receiving response information sent by the seventh core network element in response to the sixth request, the response information being used to instruct the fourth core network element; wherein the fourth core network element is used to control or manage communication devices to access the data plane.

[0015] Eleventhly, a wireless communication method is provided, comprising: a fourth core network element sending a registration request to a seventh core network element, the registration request being used to request registration of the fourth core network element, wherein the fourth core network element is used to control or manage the access of communication devices to the data plane.

[0016] In a twelfth aspect, a communication device is provided, the communication device being a first communication device, comprising: a transmitting unit for transmitting first information to a second communication device, the first information being associated with a data plane.

[0017] In a thirteenth aspect, a communication device is provided, the communication device being a second communication device, comprising: a receiving unit for receiving first information sent by a first communication device, the first information being associated with a data plane service.

[0018] In a fourteenth aspect, a terminal device is provided, comprising: a receiving unit for receiving second information sent by a third core network element, the second information including one or more of the following: information for determining the address of a data plane serving the terminal device; information for indicating a fourth core network element; wherein the fourth core network element is associated with the data plane serving the terminal device, and the fourth core network element is used to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane.

[0019] In a fifteenth aspect, a core network element is provided, the core network element being the third core network element, comprising: a transmitting unit, configured to transmit second information to a terminal device, the second information including one or more of the following: information for determining the address of a data plane serving the terminal device; information for instructing a fourth core network element, wherein the fourth core network element is associated with the data plane serving the terminal device, and the fourth core network element is configured to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane.

[0020] In a sixteenth aspect, a core network element is provided, the core network element being a fifth core network element, comprising: a sending unit, configured to send third information to a terminal device, the third information being used to instruct a third core network element, the third core network element being used to request a DNS server to provide a data plane address for the terminal device, the data plane providing services to the terminal device, and / or the third core network element being used to request a DNS server to provide an address of a fourth core network element for the terminal device, the fourth core network element being associated with a data plane serving the terminal device, the fourth core network element being used to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane.

[0021] In a seventeenth aspect, a terminal device is provided, comprising: a receiving unit for receiving fifth information sent by a fourth core network element, the fifth information being used to identify a data plane providing services to the terminal device.

[0022] Eighteenthly, a core network element is provided, characterized in that the core network element is a fourth core network element, comprising: a sending unit, used to send fifth information to a terminal device, the fifth information being used to identify the data plane providing services to the terminal device.

[0023] In a nineteenth aspect, a core network element is provided, characterized in that the core network element is a sixth core network element, comprising: a sending unit, used to send subscription information of a terminal device to a fourth core network element, wherein the subscription information is associated with the data plane.

[0024] In a twentieth aspect, a core network element is provided, characterized in that the core network element is a seventh core network element, comprising: a receiving unit for receiving a sixth request sent by an eighth core network element, the sixth request being for requesting the discovery of a fourth core network element associated with the data plane; and / or a sending unit for sending response information to the eighth core network element in response to the sixth request, the response information being for instructing the fourth core network element; wherein the fourth core network element is used to control or manage communication devices accessing the data plane.

[0025] In a twenty-first aspect, a core network element is provided, characterized in that the core network element is an eighth core network element, comprising: a sending unit, configured to send a sixth request to a seventh core network element, the sixth request being used to request the discovery of a fourth core network element associated with the data plane; and / or a receiving unit, configured to receive response information sent by the seventh core network element in response to the sixth request, the response information being used to instruct the fourth core network element; wherein the fourth core network element is used to control or manage communication devices accessing the data plane.

[0026] In a twenty-second aspect, a core network element is provided, characterized in that the core network element is a fourth core network element, comprising: a sending unit, configured to send a registration request to a seventh core network element, the registration request being used to request registration of the fourth core network element, wherein the fourth core network element is used to control or manage communication equipment access to the data plane.

[0027] In a twentieth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor, a memory, and a communication interface, wherein the memory is used to store one or more computer programs, and the processor is used to invoke the computer programs in the memory to cause the communication device to perform some or all of the steps of the methods described in the preceding aspects.

[0028] In a twentieth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication system including the aforementioned terminal device and / or network device. In another possible design, the system may further include other devices that interact with the terminal device or network device as described in the embodiments of this application.

[0029] In a twentieth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that causes a communication device (e.g., a terminal device or a network device) to perform some or all of the steps in the methods described above.

[0030] In a twentieth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product, wherein the computer program product includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program operable to cause a communication device (e.g., a terminal device or a network device) to perform some or all of the steps of the methods described in the foregoing aspects. In some implementations, the computer program product may be a software installation package.

[0031] In a twentieth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a chip including a memory and a processor, the processor being able to call and run a computer program from the memory to implement some or all of the steps described in the methods of the foregoing aspects.

[0032] In this embodiment of the application, the first communication device and the second communication device can exchange first information associated with the data plane, which helps to improve the success rate of communication between the communication devices. Attached Figure Description

[0033] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture applicable to an embodiment of this application.

[0034] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the blockchain architecture applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0035] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a communication architecture including a data plane provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0036] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the data plane provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0037] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the operation logic of the smart contract in the embodiments of this application.

[0038] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of this application.

[0039] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication method according to another embodiment of this application.

[0040] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication method according to another embodiment of this application.

[0041] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the method for discovering the data plane in an embodiment of this application.

[0042] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication method according to another embodiment of this application.

[0043] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the process by which a terminal device requests registration with a fourth core network element in an embodiment of this application.

[0044] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication method according to another embodiment of this application.

[0045] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the method for discovering the fourth core network element in an embodiment of this application.

[0046] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0047] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0048] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0049] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the core network elements in an embodiment of this application.

[0050] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of the core network elements in an embodiment of this application.

[0051] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0052] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the core network elements in an embodiment of this application.

[0053] Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of the core network elements in an embodiment of this application.

[0054] Figure 22 is a schematic diagram of the core network elements in an embodiment of this application.

[0055] Figure 23 is a schematic diagram of the core network elements in an embodiment of this application.

[0056] Figure 24 is a schematic diagram of the core network elements in an embodiment of this application.

[0057] Figure 25 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0058] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For ease of understanding, the following description will first introduce a schematic diagram of the communication system architecture of an embodiment of this application with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture applicable to an embodiment of this application. This network architecture may include terminal equipment, access network (AN) elements, and core network elements.

[0059] It should be understood that the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: 5th generation (5G) systems or new radio (NR), long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, etc. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as 6th generation mobile communication systems, satellite communication systems, and so on.

[0060] The terminal device in this application embodiment can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), MT, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless core network element, user agent, or user device. The terminal device in this application embodiment can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, and can be used to connect people, objects, and machines, such as a handheld device with wireless connectivity, vehicle-mounted device, etc. The terminal devices in the embodiments of this application can be mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, etc. Optionally, the terminal device can be used to act as a base station. For example, the terminal device can act as a dispatching entity, providing sidelink signals between terminal devices in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) or device-to-device (D2D) communications. For example, cellular phones and cars communicate with each other using sidelink signals. Cellular phones and smart home devices communicate without relaying communication signals through base stations.

[0061] Access network elements can be access network devices. Access network devices are devices that terminals use to wirelessly access the network architecture. They are primarily responsible for air interface-side radio resource management, Quality of Service (QoS) management, data compression, and encryption. Access network devices can also be called radio access network (RAN) devices, such as base stations. A base station can broadly encompass, or be replaced by, various names including: NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next-generation NodeB (gNB), relay station, access point, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), master eNB (MeNB), secondary eNB (SeNB), multi-standard radio (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. A base station can be a macro base station, micro base station, relay node, donor node, or similar entities, or combinations thereof. A base station can also refer to a communication module, modem, or chip installed within the aforementioned equipment or apparatus. A base station can also be a mobile switching center, a device that performs base station functions in D2D, V2X, and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, a network-side device in a 6G network, or a device that performs base station functions in future communication systems. A base station can support networks using the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or device forms used in the access network equipment.

[0062] Base stations can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move depending on the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or drone can be configured as a device to communicate with another base station.

[0063] In some deployments, the access network device in this application embodiment may refer to a CU or a DU, or the access network device may include both a CU and a DU. The gNB may also include an AAU.

[0064] The core network elements can be categorized into several types, including user plane function (UPF) elements, access and mobility management function (AMF) elements, session management function (SMF) elements, policy control function (PCF) elements, application function (AF) elements, data network (DN) elements, network slice selection function (NSSF) elements, authentication server function (AUSF) elements, unified data management (UDM) elements, network exposure function (NEF) elements, network repository function (NRF) elements, and network slice-specific authentication and authorization function (NSSAAF). Among these, UPF elements are primarily responsible for user data transmission. The other elements, which can be referred to as control plane function elements, are mainly responsible for authentication, authorization, registration management, session management, mobility management, and policy control to ensure reliable and stable user data transmission.

[0065] UPF network elements can be used to forward and receive data from terminals. For example, a UPF network element can receive service data from the data network and transmit it to the terminal through access network equipment; a UPF network element can also receive user data from the terminal through access network equipment and forward it to the data network. The transmission resources allocated and scheduled by the UPF network element for the terminal are managed and controlled by the SMF network element. The bearer between the terminal and the UPF network element can include: the user plane connection between the UPF network element and the access network equipment, and the establishment of a channel between the access network equipment and the terminal. The user plane connection is where a QoS flow (transmission flow) for data transmission can be established between the UPF network element and the access network equipment.

[0066] AMF network elements can be used to manage terminal access to the core network, such as terminal location updates, network registration, access control, terminal mobility management, and terminal attachment and detachment. When providing services for a terminal's session, AMF network elements can also provide control plane storage resources for that session to store session identifiers and the associated SMF network element identifiers.

[0067] SMF network elements can be used to select user plane network elements for terminals, redirect user plane network elements for terminals, assign Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to terminals, establish bearers (also known as sessions) between terminals and UPF network elements, modify and release sessions, and perform QoS control.

[0068] PCF network elements are used to provide policies to AMF and SMF network elements, such as QoS policies and slice selection policies.

[0069] AF network elements are used to interact with 3GPP core network elements to support the routing of application-affected data, access network exposure functions, and interact with PCF network elements for policy control, etc.

[0070] A Data Network (DN) can provide data services to users for networks such as IP Multimedia Service (IMS) and the Internet. A DN can contain various application servers (AS) that provide different application services, such as carrier services, Internet access, or third-party services. The AS can implement the functions of an Application Server (AF).

[0071] NSSF is used for network slice selection and supports the following functions: selecting a set of network slice instance examples to serve the end device; determining allowed network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI), and, when necessary, determining the mapping to the subscribed single-network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI); determining the configured NSSAI, and, when necessary, determining the mapping to the subscribed S-NSSAI; determining the set of AMFs that may be used to query the end device, or determining a list of candidate AMFs based on the configuration.

[0072] AUSF is used to receive AMF requests for terminal authentication. It requests a key from UDM and then forwards the issued key to AMF for authentication processing.

[0073] UDM includes functions such as generating and storing user subscription information and managing authentication data, and supports interaction with external third-party servers.

[0074] NEF is used for capability exposure, meaning that based on NEF, network capabilities can be exported to external networks. Untrusted external applications can access core network data through NEF to ensure network security. NEF can provide functions such as QoS capability exposure for external applications, event subscription, and AF request distribution.

[0075] The Network Request Forwarder (NRF) is used for the registration, management, and status detection of core network elements, thereby achieving automated management of core network elements. When a core network element starts up, it must register with the NRF before it can provide services. Registration information may include, for example, the type, address, and service list of the core network element.

[0076] In addition, some networks (such as 5G networks) have added network data analytics function (NWDAF) to the core network. Based on NWDAF, data can be collected from various network elements and network management systems in the core network, and big data statistics, analysis or intelligent data analysis can be performed to obtain network-side analysis or prediction data, thereby assisting various network elements to more effectively control terminal device access based on the data analysis results.

[0077] In some communication systems (such as 5G systems), core network elements can also be called network functions (NFs).

[0078] The network elements in Figure 1 can be network components in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualization functions implemented on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). It should be noted that the network architecture shown in the above figures is merely an illustrative representation of the network elements included in the overall network architecture. In this application embodiment, the network elements included in the entire network architecture are not limited.

[0079] Those skilled in the art will understand that the network architecture shown in Figure 1 does not constitute a limitation on the network architecture. In specific implementations, the network architecture may include more or fewer network elements than shown in the figure, or combine certain network elements, etc. It should be understood that AN or RAN is represented in Figure 1 as (R)AN.

[0080] In some scenarios, network devices and terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can also be deployed in the air on airplanes, balloons, and satellites. This application does not limit the scenarios in which the network devices and terminal devices are located.

[0081] By way of example and not limitation, in the embodiments of this application, the network device may have mobility characteristics; for example, the network device may be a mobile device. In some embodiments of this application, the network device may be a satellite or a balloon station. For example, the satellite may be a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a high elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite, etc. In some embodiments of this application, the network device may also be a base station located on land, water, or other similar locations.

[0082] In this embodiment, the network device can provide services to a cell. The terminal device communicates with the network device through the transmission resources (e.g., frequency domain resources, or spectrum resources) used by the cell. The cell can be the cell corresponding to the network device (e.g., a base station). The cell can belong to a macro base station or to a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cell can include: metro cell, micro cell, pico cell, femto cell, etc. These small cells have the characteristics of small coverage area and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0083] It should be understood that the term "instruction" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a direct instruction, an indirect instruction, or an indication of a relationship. For example, A instructing B can mean that A directly instructs B, such as B being able to obtain information through A; it can also mean that A indirectly instructs B, such as A instructing C, so B can obtain information through C; or it can mean that there is a relationship between A and B.

[0084] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the term "correspondence" may indicate that there is a direct or indirect correspondence between two things, or that there is an association between two things, or that there is a relationship of instruction and being instructed, configuration and being configured, etc.

[0085] The “configuration” in this application embodiment may include configuration via at least one of system messages, radio resource control (RRC) signaling, and media access control element (MAC CE).

[0086] In some embodiments of this application, "predefined" or "preset" can be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other means that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device (e.g., including terminal devices and network devices). This application does not limit the specific implementation method. For example, "predefined" can refer to what is defined in the protocol.

[0087] In some embodiments of this application, the term "protocol" may refer to standard protocols in the field of communications, such as LTE protocols, NR protocols, and related protocols applied in future communication systems. This application does not limit the scope of the term.

[0088] To facilitate understanding, some related technical knowledge involved in the embodiments of this application is first introduced. The following related technologies are optional solutions and can be arbitrarily combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, all of which fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application. The embodiments of this application include at least some of the following contents.

[0089] Blockchain

[0090] Referring to Figure 2, Blockchain 200 is a typical distributed collaborative system. This system includes multiple blockchain nodes 210. These multiple blockchain nodes 210 can jointly maintain a continuously growing distributed data record. The data in these records can be protected in terms of content and time sequence using cryptographic techniques, making it difficult for any party to tamper with, deny, or forge. Blockchain nodes 210 can be devices with computing capabilities, such as servers, server groups, blockchain chips, etc., where server groups can be centralized or distributed. In other implementations, the aforementioned servers can also be servers providing services to a cloud platform.

[0091] In some implementations, a blockchain can include three basic elements: transactions, blocks, and a chain. In a blockchain, data (such as transaction information, transaction execution results (also known as "state results")) can be encapsulated in the form of blocks. Blocks can be linked together through forward references to form a "chain," also known as a blockchain.

[0092] In some implementations, a transaction can be understood as an operation, where executing a transaction may trigger a change in the state of the ledger in the blockchain.

[0093] In some implementations, these blocks are used to record transactions and state outcomes that occur over a period of time. The nodes responsible for record-keeping in the blockchain can reach a consensus on the current ledger state based on these blocks; the consensus mechanism is described below.

[0094] In some implementations, blockchain can record a log of all state changes. That is, each block in the blockchain stores data records (i.e., transactions, also known as "data transactions") within a specified time period, and uses cryptography to build a secure and reliable chain, forming an immutable, universally owned distributed ledger (also known as a data ledger). Simply put, a blockchain is a ledger that records all historical transactions, with each node holding a copy. A consensus algorithm among nodes ensures that everyone's ledger eventually converges to consistency. Each block in the blockchain is like a page in the ledger, recording a batch of transaction entries. In this way, all transaction details are recorded in a public ledger visible to any node. To modify a recorded transaction, all nodes holding the ledger must modify it simultaneously. Furthermore, because each page of the blockchain ledger records a summary of the previous page, if a page of the ledger is modified (i.e., a block is tampered with), its summary will not match the summary recorded on the next page. This necessitates modifying the content of the next page, which in turn leads to a mismatch between the summary of the next page and the page after that. This cycle continues; tampering with one transaction leads to modifications of the summaries of all subsequent blocks. Considering that everyone must acknowledge these changes, this would be an enormous and nearly impossible task. This is precisely why blockchain possesses the characteristic of immutability.

[0095] Typically, a block can include a block header and a block body. The block header contains basic information about the current block to ensure it is correctly entered into the blockchain. For example, the block header might record the block hash of the previous block. It might also record the block height, which identifies the block's position in the blockchain. In some implementations, the genesis block has a height of 0. The block body records transaction information, such as the number of transactions and transaction data.

[0096] Blockchains are generally classified into three types: public blockchains, private blockchains, and consortium blockchains. Furthermore, combinations of these types are possible, such as private blockchains + consortium blockchains, or consortium blockchains + public blockchains. The implementation methods provided in this application can be implemented in suitable types of blockchains.

[0097] consensus mechanism

[0098] Consensus mechanism can be understood as how the nodes responsible for recording transactions in a blockchain (or accounting nodes) reach a consensus to determine the validity of a record.

[0099] Blockchain's consensus mechanism features "majority rule" and "equality for all." "Majority rule" doesn't solely refer to the number of nodes; it can also be computing power, shareholding, or other comparable computer characteristics. "Equality for all" means that when nodes meet certain conditions, all nodes have the right to propose a consensus result first, which can then be directly accepted by other nodes and potentially become the final consensus result. Taking Bitcoin as an example, it uses proof-of-work. Only by controlling more than 51% of the network's accounting nodes is it possible to forge a non-existent record. When a sufficient number of nodes join the blockchain, this becomes virtually impossible, thus eliminating the possibility of forgery.

[0100] The self-trust inherent in blockchain technology lies in the fact that users distributed across the blockchain do not need to trust the other party in a transaction, nor do they need to trust a centralized institution; they only need to trust the software system under the blockchain protocol to complete a transaction. This self-trust is predicated on the blockchain's consensus mechanism. In a market where there is no mutual trust, the necessary and sufficient condition for nodes to reach a consensus is that each node, driven by the pursuit of its own maximum benefit, will spontaneously and honestly adhere to the pre-defined rules of the protocol, verify the authenticity of each record, and ultimately record the verifiable records in the blockchain. In other words, if nodes have independent interests and compete with each other, it is virtually impossible for them to collude to deceive you. This is especially evident when nodes possess public credibility within the network. Blockchain technology uses a consensus-based mathematical algorithm to establish a "trust" network between machines, thereby creating new forms of credit through technological endorsement rather than centralized credit institutions.

[0101] The consensus mechanism of a blockchain can be one of the following: Proof of Work (PoW), Proof of Stake, Delegated Proof of Stake, Verification Pool, and Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT).

[0102] Smart contracts

[0103] A smart contract is a set of promises defined in digital form, including protocols that allow the contract participants to execute these promises. Alternatively, a smart contract can be understood as a program deployed on a computer system that can be automatically executed when its triggering conditions are met.

[0104] The emergence of blockchain provides the technological support for the implementation of smart contracts. By writing smart contracts into the blockchain in digital form, the characteristics of blockchain technology ensure that the entire process of storing, reading, and executing smart contracts is transparent, traceable, and immutable. Furthermore, a state machine system can be built using the consensus algorithm inherent in blockchain, enabling smart contracts to run efficiently. For a transaction, if the conditions of the smart contract are met, the transaction is considered valid, and correspondingly, the transaction information can be recorded on the blockchain and the ledger updated.

[0105] In some implementations, users can invoke smart contracts by submitting transactions to the blockchain system, setting data recorded in the smart contracts, and storing the configured smart contracts on the blockchain. Correspondingly, when specific conditions of the smart contract are triggered, blockchain nodes can execute the smart contract and record the execution result and execution status.

[0106] In some implementations, smart contracts can contain code functions and can also interact with other contracts, make decisions, store data, and perform other functions.

[0107] Currently, various industries, and even certain sectors within industries (such as finance, public welfare, insurance, and cross-border payments), are building different types of blockchains based on their own industrial structures, and recording valuable information and assets within their industries on the blockchain.

[0108] Data plane (DP)

[0109] In some scenarios (e.g., practical experience with 5G network intelligence), data acquisition is extremely difficult, and data quality is hard to guarantee. On the one hand, data collection based on network management suffers from limited data types, long collection cycles (15 minutes), and inconsistent data formats, naming conventions, and calculation methods across different vendors, making it difficult to make network management data publicly available. On the other hand, collecting data from terminal devices is even more difficult because it may lead to privacy leaks and reduced data security. Therefore, ensuring that data collected from terminal devices can be processed by trusted nodes to avoid leaking user privacy, or how to track collected data throughout its entire lifecycle to ensure that every piece of data used by any data consumer is recorded, are currently unsolvable problems.

[0110] To address the aforementioned issues, some network architectures (e.g., 6G network architecture) have proposed adding a "data plane." In some implementations, the data elements in the data plane will encompass both internal and external network data, specifically including service data, user data, network data, sensing data, and external data. That is, the data plane can include one or more network elements providing basic data services for the aforementioned data elements; or, in other words, the data plane includes one or more functions (or network elements) to support one or more of the following data services: trusted and flexible data collection between data sources and data consumers, data openness, data preprocessing, data storage, and data tracking. The data source and / or data consumer can be any node; for example, the data source can be any node with data storage needs, and the data consumer can be any node with data retrieval needs.

[0111] In some implementations, basic data services include data acquisition, data preprocessing, data storage, data access, data sharing, and collaboration. These basic data services may possess the following characteristics: support for trusted authentication, authorization, and access; efficient data storage and management; on-demand data acquisition and preprocessing; and external data accessibility.

[0112] In some networks (e.g., 6G networks), "trustworthiness" will become a crucial requirement for users of data services. Data services primarily manifest in the stages of data collection, data storage, data access, and data sharing. How to provide trusted storage and traceability of data during the data service delivery process is a key issue that needs to be addressed in the data plane.

[0113] Therefore, to address the aforementioned problems, this application introduces a data plane in its embodiments. The following description, in conjunction with Figure 3, illustrates a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture including a data plane provided by an embodiment of this application.

[0114] In some implementations, the data plane can be used to support one or more of the following functions: trusted data collection, trusted data storage, trusted data access, and trusted data sharing. It should be understood that the term "data plane" is not limited in the embodiments of this application. In future communication architectures, this term can be replaced with the name corresponding to network elements with the same or similar functions in the future communication architecture. For ease of description, the embodiments of this application use the data plane as an example for introduction.

[0115] Referring to Figure 3, the data plane 310 may include network element 1 and / or network element 2. In some implementations, network element 1 is used to provide data plane storage functionality, or in other words, network element 1 is used to provide storage space for data to be stored in the data plane. Accordingly, network element 1 can also be called a "data plane repository function (DPRF)". Of course, in this embodiment, the name of network element 1 is not limited. For example, network element 1 can also be called "data plane repository infrastructure".

[0116] In some implementations, network element 1 can be a blockchain node located in the blockchain (e.g., blockchain node 210), which helps to realize functions such as trusted data storage in the communication system architecture by leveraging the characteristics of blockchain introduced above.

[0117] It should be noted that network element 1 can correspond to one or more physical devices (e.g., a server). If network element 1 corresponds to multiple physical devices, then the network element can be understood as distributed. Some or all of these physical devices can reside in a blockchain. For example, multiple physical devices can correspond to multiple blockchain nodes.

[0118] In some implementations, if network element 1 is distributed and the multiple physical devices corresponding to network element 1 belong to the same blockchain node, then the multiple physical devices will store the same data, thereby ensuring that the data is immutable.

[0119] In some implementations, Element 1 can be used for one or more of the following: processing transaction requests, collaborating with other peer nodes, adding successfully verified transaction information to newly created blocks, updating and maintaining the ledger corresponding to each blockchain node, and providing an application programming interface (API).

[0120] In some implementations, the above-mentioned processing of transaction requests may include, for example, storing data based on the transaction request, and / or retrieving data based on the transaction request.

[0121] In some implementations, the aforementioned collaboration with other peer nodes (also known as peer-to-peer DPRF) may include, for example, verifying the consistency of transaction data, and / or, providing distributed storage for data together with other peer nodes. Here, a peer node can refer to a blockchain node that stores copies of the ledger and / or smart contracts.

[0122] In some implementations, adding successfully verified transaction information to a newly created block can include adding the successfully verified transaction information to the newly created block after verification through smart contracts and consensus algorithms, and then connecting the blockchain to the blockchain.

[0123] In some implementations, NET1 can update and maintain the ledger corresponding to each blockchain node, which helps to provide transaction information for tracking each transaction.

[0124] In some implementations, network element 1 can expose an API interface, allowing other network elements (such as network element 2 described below) to call the interface to perform blockchain-based data services with network element 1.

[0125] The above describes network element 1 in the data plane provided in the embodiments of this application. The following describes network element 2 in the data plane provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0126] In some implementations, network element 2 is used to manage or control data plane access; therefore, network element 2 can also be called a data plane access controller (DPAC). Of course, in the embodiments of this application, network element 2 can also be called one or more of the following: data plane management network element, data plane interface, data plane control network element; the embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0127] In some implementations, network element 2 can be a network element in the core network, or in other words, network element 2 can be a core network element.

[0128] In some implementations, the aforementioned management or control of data plane access may include one or more of the following: collecting data to be stored on the data plane; performing security verification on the data to be stored on the data plane; managing the identification information of the data source of the data to be stored on the data plane; managing the identification information of the data consumer of the data to be stored on the data plane; managing access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; format conversion; data tracking of the data stored in the data plane; and interacting with the storage network elements in the data plane.

[0129] In some implementations, the data to be collected and stored in the data plane may include data from the communication system (e.g., the communication system shown in Figure 1) to be stored in the data plane.

[0130] In some implementations, the aforementioned security verification of the data to be stored on the data plane may include, for example, using smart contracts and / or consensus mechanisms to perform security verification on the data to be stored.

[0131] In some implementations, the data source identification information mentioned above can be understood as the identification information of the data source corresponding to the stored data. For example, if terminal device 1 stores data to the data plane, then the data source identification information may include the identification information of terminal device 1, and correspondingly, network element 2 is used to store the identification information of terminal device 1 corresponding to the data. As another example, if AF1 stores data to the data plane, then the data source identification information may include the identification information of AF1, and correspondingly, network element 2 is used to store the identification information of AF1 corresponding to the data.

[0132] In some implementations, the aforementioned data consumer identification information can be understood as the identification information of the consumer who purchases or subscribes to this data. For example, if AF2 subscribes to data from the user plane, then the data consumer corresponding to that data is AF2, and correspondingly, network element 2 is used to store the identification information of AF2 corresponding to that data.

[0133] In some implementations, the aforementioned access permissions can be used to indicate which users or devices can access the data, or in other words, the aforementioned access permissions can be used to indicate which data a particular user or device can access.

[0134] In some scenarios, the format of the data received by network element 2 may differ from the format supported by the storage network element. Accordingly, the aforementioned format conversion may include network element 2 converting the format of the received data to the format supported by the storage network element. Of course, in this embodiment, the aforementioned format conversion may also include network element 2 converting the format of the data stored in the storage network element to the format supported by the data requesting end (e.g., the data consumer). The storage network element may, for example, be network element 1 as described above.

[0135] In some implementations, data tracing of data stored in the data plane may include tracking the modification process corresponding to the data. Of course, in this embodiment, the tracing data may include the data source corresponding to the tracing data, and / or the data consumer that calls the tracing data.

[0136] In some implementations, interacting with storage network elements in the data plane can be understood as network element 2 interacting with network element 1 in the data plane. For example, network element 2 can store data in network element 1; that is, network element 2 can send a transaction request to network element 1 to request that data to be stored be stored in network element 2. The data to be stored can be data sent from a data source to network element 1. As another example, network element 2 can retrieve data to be accessed (or called) from network element 1; that is, network element 2 can send a transaction request to network element 1 to request the data to be accessed. The data to be accessed can be data requested by a data consumer from network element 2.

[0137] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the function corresponding to network element 2 can be implemented by enhancing the data collection coordination function (DCCF). That is to say, network element 2 and DCCF can be a single network element. Of course, in this embodiment, network element 2 can be an independent core network element.

[0138] As mentioned earlier, to improve data credibility and traceability, Network Element 1 can be implemented using a blockchain architecture; for example, Network Element 1 can be a blockchain node. In this case, Network Element 2 can interact with the blockchain to store data from the communication network (e.g., a 6G communication network) into the blockchain.

[0139] For ease of understanding, the following section uses data collection from a terminal device as an example to introduce network element 1 and network element 2 in this application embodiment. Assume the terminal device is the data source, network element 1 is the DPRF, and network element 2 is the DPAC. During the transaction between the terminal device and the data plane, the terminal device can send a transaction request to the DPAC. This transaction request carries one or more of the following: data source ID (i.e., terminal device ID), the data itself, and data description information. Accordingly, the DPAC verifies the data source ID based on the transaction request sent by the terminal device. If the verification is successful, the DPAC can send the data source ID, the data itself, and the data description information to the DPRF for storage. The data description information describes the function of the data, or in other words, it describes the content of the data. For example, for the terminal device's sensing data, the data description information indicates that the data is the terminal device's sensing data.

[0140] Referring again to Figure 3, network element 2 in data plane 310 can communicate with control plane (CP) 320 via an interface. Taking network element 2 as a DPAC as an example, this interface can be represented as N. DPAC .

[0141] In some implementations, network elements in the control plane 320 can communicate with network elements in the user plane (UP) 330. For example, the AMF in the control plane 320 can communicate with the terminal equipment (UE) in the user plane 330 through the N1 interface. As another example, the AMF in the control plane 320 can communicate with the access network equipment in the user plane 330 through the N2 interface. And as yet another example, the SMF in the control plane 320 can communicate with the UPF in the user plane 330 through the N4 interface.

[0142] Based on the architecture shown in Figure 3, in some implementations, the terminal device can access the data plane 310 through the user plane. In other implementations, the terminal device can access the data plane 310 through the control plane 320. For example, the terminal device can communicate with network element 2 (i.e., DPAC) through the AMF.

[0143] In some implementations, the access network device can access the data plane 310 via the user plane 330. For example, the access network device can access the control plane 320 (e.g., SMF) via the UPF, and then access the DPAC in the data plane 310 via the control plane 320. In other implementations, the access network device can connect to the control plane 320 via interface N2, and access the data plane 310 via the control plane 320. Of course, in the embodiments of this application, the terminal device and / or the access network device can establish separate connections to communicate with the data plane 320 respectively.

[0144] In some scenarios, the data plane is a distributed architecture, which helps support flexible and efficient data management. That is, a distributed data plane can include multiple network elements 1, and correspondingly, different network elements 1 can be associated with different or the same network elements 2. In this case, the data source can select the closer data plane (or network element 2) for access, thereby reducing data transmission latency.

[0145] The foregoing described network element 1 and network element 2 included in the data plane of this application embodiment. In this application embodiment, the network elements included in the data plane are not limited. In some implementations, referring to Figure 4, the data plane 310 may also include network element 3 and / or network element 4.

[0146] In some implementations, the NET3 is used to provide data plane smart contracts. These smart contracts are used to verify the validity of transaction requests, the validity of data associated with a transaction request, or the validity of the transaction associated with a transaction request. Therefore, the NET3 can also be called a data plane smart contract (DPSC).

[0147] In some implementations, network element 3 can include multiple conditions. Generally, if a transaction meets all the conditions recorded in network element 3, the transaction is considered valid and can be executed accordingly (for example, only the data requested by the transaction will be stored in network element 1). Conversely, if a transaction does not meet some or all of the conditions recorded in network element 3, the transaction is considered invalid and will not be executed accordingly.

[0148] In some implementations, the network element 4 is used to record the ledger of the data plane, where the ledger is used to record the transaction information that occurs. The transaction information may include one or more of the following: the data itself, the data source, the data consumer, the timestamp, the subsequent use of the data, and the data description information of the data.

[0149] In some implementations, the same ledger is stored for each element 1 (i.e., DPRF) of the same blockchain, which helps to improve the traceability and immutability of the data.

[0150] As mentioned above, network element 4 is used to record the ledger of the data plane. Therefore, network element 4 can also be called the data plane data ledger (DPDL).

[0151] For ease of understanding, the operational logic of the smart contract in this embodiment is described below with reference to Figure 5. Referring to Figure 5, assume network element 1 is DPRF and network element 2 is DPAC. If DPAC sends a transaction request to DPRF, DPRF will send parameter 1 associated with the transaction request to DPSC so that DPSC can determine whether the transaction request is valid. Correspondingly, DPSC can determine whether the transaction request is valid based on pre-configured conditions and output parameter 2 to DPRF.

[0152] In some implementations, parameter 1 may include one or more of the following: identification information of the smart contract; information indicating a request for a blockchain-based transaction; a transaction request; ledger status information; and identification information associated with the transaction.

[0153] In some implementations, the identification information of a smart contract may be, for example, the smart contract's ID. In this embodiment, the method for determining the identification information of a smart contract is not limited. For example, DPRF can determine the identification information of a smart contract based on the type of transaction request.

[0154] In some implementations, parameter 1 includes information indicating a request for a blockchain-based data transaction. That is, parameter 1 can be used to indicate that the transaction corresponds to a blockchain-based data transaction, where the data transaction may include, for example, data storage and / or data retrieval.

[0155] In some implementations, a transaction request may include data description information of the data associated with the transaction request. The data associated with the transaction request may include the data that the transaction request requests to invoke, and / or the data that the transaction request requests to be stored.

[0156] In some implementations, DPRF can provide the ledger status information of the currently stored ledger to DPSC so that DPSC can verify the validity of the data and ensure its traceability.

[0157] In some implementations, the identification information associated with the transaction is used to indicate the data service associated with the transaction request. That is, the identification information can indicate whether each transaction request sent by DPRF is for the same data service. In some scenarios, due to reasons such as request message capacity and blockchain performance, the data associated with a data service may need to be divided into multiple transactions for execution, with multiple transactions associated with multiple transaction requests. In this case, the aforementioned identification information can be used to indicate that multiple transaction requests are for data from the same data service.

[0158] In some implementations, parameter 2 may include one or more of the following information: information for indicating whether a transaction is accepted or rejected; information for indicating whether a transaction is valid; information for indicating the reason why a transaction is invalid; and the updated ledger status.

[0159] In some implementations, if DPSC determines a transaction is valid based on its internal logic, parameter 2 includes information indicating acceptance of the transaction. Conversely, if DPSC determines a transaction is invalid based on its internal logic, parameter 2 includes information indicating rejection of the transaction.

[0160] In some implementations, if DPSC determines a transaction is valid based on its internal logic (such as the pre-configured conditions described above), then parameter 2 includes information indicating that the transaction is valid. Conversely, if DPSC determines a transaction is invalid based on its internal logic, then parameter 2 includes information indicating that the transaction is invalid.

[0161] It should be noted that the information used to indicate whether a transaction is accepted or rejected, as well as the information used to indicate whether a transaction is valid, can be indicated by the same information to reduce transmission overhead. Of course, in the embodiments of this application, the information used to indicate whether a transaction is accepted or rejected, and the information used to indicate whether a transaction is valid, can be independent information.

[0162] In some implementations, parameter 2 may include information indicating the reason for the invalid transaction, so that the user can confirm the reason for the invalid transaction and improve the user experience.

[0163] In some implementations, if the transaction is valid, parameter 2 can include the updated ledger state so that the DPRF can store the updated ledger state.

[0164] For example, the transaction request in parameter 1 carries data description information for data 1, and this data description information indicates that data 1 is a sensing result of the terminal device. Accordingly, after receiving parameter 1, the DPSC can determine that data 1 is a sensing result of the terminal device based on the data description information. Then, the DPSC can determine whether data 1 is within the valid time, i.e., whether data 1 is valid, based on the pre-configured validity period of the sensing result. If the generation time of data 1 exceeds the validity period, the DPSC determines that data 1 is invalid. If the generation time of data 1 does not exceed the validity period, the DPSC determines that data 1 is valid.

[0165] It should be noted that network element 1, network element 2, network element 3, and network element 4 mentioned above can be understood as network elements abstracted from the functional level. That is to say, some or all of the network elements in network element 1, network element 2, network element 3, and network element 4 can be implemented by one or more hardware devices. Accordingly, in some scenarios, the above network element 1, network element 2, network element 3, and network element 4 can also be referred to as function 1, function 2, function 3, and function 4.

[0166] In addition, in this embodiment of the application, for ease of explanation, the term "data plane" is used as an example. The data plane can also be called "data plane" or "data network element set". Of course, this term can also be replaced by other terms with the same or similar functions in the communication system.

[0167] In addition, in the embodiments of this application, some network elements (e.g., one or more of network element 1, network element 3, and network element 4) described above may be located in the blockchain. It can be understood that the above network elements are blockchain network elements, or that the above network elements are blockchain node implementations in the blockchain. The embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0168] In some scenarios, communication systems introduce a data plane. In such cases, communication devices may be unable to determine the relevant information about the data plane used for communication. Taking a communication system as a terminal device as an example, the terminal device may be unable to determine the data plane it needs to access, leading to communication failure. For instance, the communication system may include any of the data planes described above, such as data plane 310 (see the data planes described in Figures 3 and / or 4). In this situation, communication devices participating in data plane transmission may be unable to determine the data plane used for communication, resulting in communication failure.

[0169] Therefore, to address the above-mentioned problems, this application provides a wireless communication method. In this method, a first communication device and a second communication device can exchange first information associated with the data plane, which helps to improve the success rate of communication between the communication devices. The wireless communication method of this application embodiment is described below with reference to FIG6. The method shown in FIG6 includes step S610.

[0170] In step S610, the first communication device sends first information to the second communication device, and the first information is associated with the data plane.

[0171] In some implementations, the data plane associated with the first piece of information can be a blockchain-based data plane, or in other words, some or all of the nodes in the data plane are located on the blockchain; for example, this data plane is data plane 310. Of course, in the embodiments of this application, the data plane can also be other types of data planes introduced in future communication systems.

[0172] The first information of the embodiments of this application is described below with reference to Embodiments 1 to 4.

[0173] Example 1: The first information includes the capability information of the terminal device associated with the data plane.

[0174] In some scenarios, different types of terminal devices have different capabilities; some terminal devices support communication processes based on this data plane, while others do not. Therefore, the first communication device and the second communication device can exchange capability information of the terminal devices associated with the data plane, which helps the network device allocate appropriate data planes to the terminal devices.

[0175] In this application, the first communication device and the second communication device are not limited. In some implementations, the first communication device is a terminal device and the second communication device is a first core network element. In other implementations, the first communication device is a terminal device and the second communication device is an access network device. In still other implementations, the first communication device is an access network device and the second communication device is a first core network element. The first core network element may, for example, be an AMF (Advanced Feature Array).

[0176] In some implementations, this capability information is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports access to data plane services, or whether the terminal device supports communication based on the data plane. In some scenarios, the aforementioned capability information of the terminal device associated with the data plane can also be referred to as DP capability information, or 6G DP capability.

[0177] In some implementations, the capability information includes one or more of the following: information indicating whether the terminal device supports accessing the data plane; information indicating whether the terminal device supports requesting data based on the data plane; and information indicating whether the terminal device supports storing data based on the data plane.

[0178] In this embodiment, the method of carrying the above information in the capability information is not limited. For example, the capability information can directly carry information indicating whether the terminal device supports access to the data plane. Accordingly, if the capability information is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports access to the data plane, then the capability information can indirectly indicate whether the terminal device supports requesting data based on the data plane and whether the terminal device supports storing data based on the data plane, which helps to reduce the overhead of transmitting capability information.

[0179] For example, capability information can directly carry information indicating that the terminal device supports data requests based on the data plane. Accordingly, if the capability information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports data requests based on the data plane, then the capability information can indirectly indicate that the terminal device supports access to the data plane. Conversely, if the capability information is used to indicate that the terminal device does not support data requests based on the data plane, then the capability information can indirectly indicate that the terminal device does not support access to the data plane, which helps to reduce the overhead of transmitting capability information.

[0180] For example, capability information can directly carry information indicating that the terminal device supports data storage based on the data plane. Accordingly, if the capability information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports data storage based on the data plane, then the capability information can indirectly indicate that the terminal device supports access to the data plane. Conversely, if the capability information is used to indicate that the terminal device does not support data storage based on the data plane, then the capability information can indirectly indicate that the terminal device does not support access to the data plane, which helps to reduce the overhead of transmitting capability information.

[0181] Of course, in the embodiments of this application, the three types of information contained in the capability information can all be directly carried in the capability information, which helps to improve the flexibility of the capability information of the terminal device.

[0182] In the embodiments of this application, the aforementioned direct bearer can be understood as the capability information containing dedicated bits to represent the corresponding information. The aforementioned indirect bearer can be understood as the capability information using multiplexed bits to indirectly represent the corresponding information.

[0183] In some implementations, capability information can be carried in the registration request message of the terminal device, that is, the registration request message is used to request the registration of the terminal device. This will be described in conjunction with Figure 7 below.

[0184] Example 2: The first information includes the contract information of the terminal device associated with the data plane.

[0185] In this embodiment of the application, subscription information associated with the data plane can be introduced so that network devices (e.g., second core network elements) can determine whether to authorize terminal devices to provide data plane services based on the subscription information of the first core network element.

[0186] In some implementations, the first communication device can be a first core network element, and correspondingly, the second communication device can be a second core network element. The first core network element can be, for example, a UDM (User Device Manager), or any other network element storing subscription information. The second core network element can be, for example, an AMF (User Device Manager), or any other network element requiring subscription information.

[0187] In some implementations, the aforementioned contract information is used to indicate the data plane services that the terminal device can use. Therefore, in some scenarios, this contract information is also called "data plane contract information," or in other words, the type of this contract information is "data plane contract information."

[0188] In some implementations, the contract information includes one or more of the following: information indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to use the data plane; information indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to store data based on the data plane; information indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to request data based on the data plane; information indicating the access method for the terminal device to access the data plane; and information indicating the data planes that the terminal device can access.

[0189] In some implementations, the information used to indicate whether a terminal device is authorized to use the data plane can be replaced with information used to indicate whether a terminal device is authorized to use data plane services. Using the data plane or using data plane services can include data storage and / or data retrieval based on the data plane.

[0190] In some implementations, the information used to indicate whether the terminal device is authorized to store data based on the data plane can be replaced with information used to indicate whether the terminal device is authorized to store data to the data plane.

[0191] In some implementations, the information used to indicate whether a terminal device is authorized to request data based on the data plane can be replaced with information used to indicate whether a terminal device is authorized to request data from the data plane (or in other words, to call data).

[0192] In some implementations, the access method for the aforementioned data plane may include accessing the data plane via a CP and / or via a UP. Of course, in this embodiment, the access method may also include accessing the data plane via a new link.

[0193] In some implementations, the information used to indicate the data plane that the terminal device can access may include the data plane identifier and / or the data plane address information. The data plane identifier may, for example, be a fully qualified domain name (FQDN).

[0194] In this embodiment, the method of carrying the above information in the contract information is not limited. In some implementations, as shown in Table 1, the contract information may include domain 1 and domain 2, wherein domain 1 is used to carry information related to whether the terminal device is authorized to use data plane services, therefore, domain 1 is also called "data plane service authorization". That is to say, domain 1 is used to carry one or more of the following information: information indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to use data plane; information indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to store data based on data plane; information indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to request data based on data plane. Domain 2 is used to carry information related to the data plane that the terminal device can access (or is authorized to access), therefore, domain 2 is also called "data plane access". That is to say, domain 2 is used to carry information indicating the data plane that the terminal device can access. Of course, in this embodiment, the above information may also be carried in one domain of the contract information. Alternatively, the above information may each occupy a domain in the contract information.

[0195] Table 1

[0196] In some implementations, the above method further includes: the second communication device sending a first request to the first communication device, the first request being used to request subscription information. Of course, in this embodiment, the subscription information can also be sent proactively from the first communication device to the second communication device. For example, if the first communication device detects a change in the subscription information of the terminal device, the first communication device can proactively send first information to the second communication device.

[0197] Example 3: The first information is used to indicate the data plane used by the authorized terminal device.

[0198] In some implementations, the first communication device is a first core network element, and the second communication device is a terminal device. The first core network element can be, for example, an AMF (Advanced Component Array).

[0199] In some implementations, the first information includes one or more of the following: the service type of the data plane authorized for use by the terminal device; and the access method of the data plane authorized for use by the terminal device.

[0200] In some implementations, the service types of the aforementioned data plane may include data storage based on the data plane and / or data retrieval based on the data plane.

[0201] In some implementations, the access method for the aforementioned data plane may include accessing the data plane via a CP and / or via a UP. Of course, in this embodiment, the access method may also include accessing the data plane via a new link.

[0202] In some implementations, the data plane is determined based on the terminal device's capability information and / or its subscription information. The capability information is associated with the data plane; for example, the capability information can be the capability information described above in conjunction with Embodiment 1. The subscription information is associated with the data plane; for example, the subscription information can be the capability information described above in conjunction with Embodiment 2.

[0203] In some implementations, the first piece of information is carried in the registration and acceptance message of the terminal device.

[0204] Example 4: The first information is used to indicate the data surface associated with the data surface.

[0205] In some implementations, the first information may include the identification information of the data plane, which may be, for example, the FQDN. That is to say, the first information includes the FQDN of the data plane.

[0206] In some implementations, the first communication device is a first core network element, and the second communication device is a terminal device. The first core network element can be, for example, an AMF (Advanced Component Array).

[0207] In some scenarios, the data plane identification information (e.g., FQDN) may change. For example, if the organization owning the domain name changes the domain name, the FQDN will change. In this case, the updated FQDN can be sent to the terminal device via a UE configuration update message. That is to say, the first piece of information is carried in the UE configuration update information.

[0208] In the embodiments of this application, the first information described above in conjunction with Embodiments 1 to 4 can be used alone. Of course, in the embodiments of this application, the first information described above in conjunction with Embodiments 1 to 4 can be used in combination with each other. For ease of understanding, the wireless communication method of the embodiments of this application is described below with reference to FIG7. The method shown in FIG7 includes steps S710 to S760.

[0209] In step S710, the terminal device sends a registration request message to the AMF.

[0210] In some implementations, the registration request message includes the terminal device's capability information and the terminal device ID, where the capability information can be found in the relevant description of Example 1.

[0211] In step S720, the AMF requests the terminal device's subscription information from the UDM based on the terminal device ID.

[0212] In some implementations, the contract information is associated with the data plane, and the contract information can be found in the relevant description of Example 2.

[0213] In step S730, UDM sends the terminal device's subscription information to AMF.

[0214] In step S740, the AMF determines whether the terminal device is authorized to use data plane services based on the terminal device's capability information and subscription information.

[0215] In some implementations, the AMF can determine, based on the contract information, whether the terminal device can collect data based on the data plane, whether it can retrieve data based on the data plane, and the access method for the terminal device to access the data plane.

[0216] In step S750, the AMF sends a registration acceptance message to the terminal device, which includes instructions to the terminal device to authorize the use of data plane services.

[0217] In some implementations, the registration acceptance message may include data plane service functions that the terminal device can use, such as the ability of the terminal device to perform data plane-based data collection or data retrieval. In other implementations, the registration acceptance message may instruct the terminal device on the access method for data plane access.

[0218] In step S760, the AMF sends a UE configuration update message to the terminal device, which carries the updated data plane identification information.

[0219] In some scenarios, the data plane identification information (e.g., FQDN) may change. For example, if the organization owning the domain name changes the domain name, the FQDN will change. In this case, the updated FQDN can be sent to the terminal device via a UE configuration update message. That is to say, the first piece of information is carried in the UE configuration update information.

[0220] In this embodiment, the terminal device can initiate a data plane service registration process with the AMF. Accordingly, the AMF can authorize the terminal device to use its subscription information and capability information, and instruct the terminal device on the connection method for communicating with the data plane. Furthermore, after the terminal device completes registration, the AMF can send the data plane identification information (e.g., FQDN) to the terminal device, thereby ensuring the terminal device can subsequently perform the data plane discovery process.

[0221] In some scenarios, network devices send data plane identification information to terminal devices to indicate the data plane the terminal device is accessing. Taking the FQDN (Functionally Queued Domain Name) as an example, since an FQDN represents a domain name, and data planes are distributed, multiple data planes will use the same FQDN. If a terminal device accesses a data plane based on this identification information, it may result in an inappropriate data plane being accessed. For instance, if the data plane associated with the FQDN is in a distributed architecture, where network element 1 is closer to the terminal device and network element 2 is farther away, if the terminal device accesses the data plane based on the FQDN, it might access network element 2, which is farther away, leading to a larger latency in data transmission between the terminal device and the data plane.

[0222] On the other hand, terminal devices can access the data plane through fourth core network elements (e.g., element 2 mentioned above). For distributed data planes, multiple fourth core network elements can be associated with the same identification information (e.g., FQDN). If a terminal device accesses the data plane based on the data plane identification information, it may result in an unreasonable fourth core network element being accessed. For example, if the data plane associated with the FQDN has a distributed architecture, where fourth core network element 1 associated with the data plane is closer to the terminal device, and fourth core network element 2 associated with the data plane is farther away, then if the terminal device accesses the data plane based on the FQDN, it may access fourth core network element 2, which is farther away from the terminal device, resulting in a larger latency required for data transmission between the terminal device and the data plane.

[0223] Therefore, to address the above problems, this application provides a wireless communication method. In this method, a third core network element can send second information to a terminal device to assist the terminal device in accessing the data plane, thereby improving the rationality of the data plane accessed by the terminal device. It should be understood that in this application embodiment, some or all nodes in the data plane are located in the blockchain. For example, the data plane can be the data plane 310 described above. Of course, in this application embodiment, the data plane can also be other data planes introduced in future communication systems. The wireless communication method of this application embodiment is described below with reference to FIG8. The method shown in FIG8 includes step S810.

[0224] In step S810, the third core network element sends second information to the terminal device. This third core network element assists the terminal device in interacting with the DNS server to determine relevant data plane information (e.g., data plane address information). In some scenarios, the third core network element may also be referred to as the "data plane discovery function (DPDF)".

[0225] In some implementations, the second information includes one or more of the following: information for determining the address of the data plane serving the terminal device; and information for indicating the fourth core network element.

[0226] In some implementations, the address information of the data plane may include the IP address of the data plane.

[0227] In some implementations, the information used to indicate the fourth core network element may include the identification information of the fourth core network element and / or the IP address of the fourth core network element. The fourth core network element is associated with the data plane serving the terminal device and is used to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane. For example, the fourth core network element could be network element 2 as described above.

[0228] In some implementations, the aforementioned control or management terminal equipment accessing the data plane includes one or more of the following: collecting data to be stored on the data plane; performing security verification on the data to be stored on the data plane; managing the identification information of the data source of the data to be stored on the data plane; managing the identification information of the data consumer of the data to be stored on the data plane; managing access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; converting the format corresponding to the data request to the format supported by the network element storing the data in the data plane; and performing data tracking on the data stored in the data plane. For a detailed description of each function, please refer to the previous introduction of network element 2; for brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0229] In some implementations, the above method further includes: the terminal device sending a second request to a third core network element for requesting second information, the third core network element requesting a DNS server to provide the terminal device with a data plane address. In some scenarios, the second request may also be referred to as a DNS query request.

[0230] In some implementations, the second request carries identification information of the data plane, such as the FQDN of the data plane.

[0231] In some implementations, the method further includes: a third core network element sending a second request to a DNS server; and the DNS server sending a response to the second request to the third core network element, the response being used to determine the second information. For example, the response may include address information of the data plane and / or address information of a fourth core network element.

[0232] In some implementations, the third core network element can be indicated to the terminal device by the fifth core network element, where the fifth core network element can be, for example, an SMF. That is, the above method also includes: the fifth core network element sending third information to the terminal device, wherein the third information is used to indicate the third core network element.

[0233] In some implementations, the third information carries the address of the third core network element. Of course, in this embodiment, the third information may carry the identification information of the third core network element.

[0234] In some implementations, the third core network element is determined based on one or more of the following: the location of the terminal device; and the identification information of the data plane.

[0235] Taking the determination of third core network elements based on the location of terminal devices as an example, among multiple third core network elements, the distance between the third core network element and the terminal device can be less than or equal to the distance between other core network elements and the terminal device. For example, the third core network element can be the core network element with the smallest distance to the terminal device among multiple core network elements.

[0236] Taking the identification of third core network elements based on data plane identification information as an example, a third core network element can be a third core network element associated with the identification information of the data plane. For example, a third core network element can be a core network element that interacts with a DNS server that stores the address information of the data plane.

[0237] In some implementations, the aforementioned third core network element can be requested via a third request, which can also be referred to as an access request for DP services. That is, the method further includes: the terminal device sending a third request to the fifth core network element, the third request being used to request the third core network element that serves the terminal device.

[0238] In some implementations, the aforementioned third request includes one or more of the following: information for instructing the requesting auxiliary terminal device to perform data plane discovery; data plane identification information (e.g., the data plane's FQDN).

[0239] In some implementations, the information used to instruct the requesting terminal device to perform data plane discovery can be understood as the terminal device requesting the DNS server to assist the terminal device in performing DP discovery through a third request.

[0240] In some implementations, after the third core network element is determined, the fifth core network element can send fourth information to the third core network element to create a context for the second request (also known as a DNS query request) within the third core network element. That is, the above method also includes: the fourth information sent by the fifth core network element to the third core network element, which is used to create a context for the second request for the terminal device.

[0241] In some implementations, the aforementioned data plane is associated with multiple fourth core network elements. The distance between the fourth core network element indicated by the second information and the terminal device is less than or equal to the distance between other core network elements and the terminal device. The other core network elements are the core network elements other than the fourth core network element indicated by the indication information among the multiple fourth core network elements.

[0242] In some implementations, the aforementioned data plane includes multiple data plane network elements, wherein the data plane identifiers associated with the multiple data plane network elements are the same; and / or at least some of the multiple data plane network elements correspond to different fourth core network elements. For example, the data plane network elements may include network element 1 as described above.

[0243] For ease of understanding, the method for discovering the data plane in this application embodiment is described below with reference to Figure 9. Assume the fourth core network element is DPAC, the fifth core network element is SMF, and the third core network element is DPDF. The method shown in Figure 9 includes steps S910 to S980.

[0244] In step S910, the terminal device sends an access request for the DP service to the SMF.

[0245] In some implementations, the access request for DP services instructs the terminal device to request a DNS server to assist the terminal device in DP discovery. Additionally, the access request for DP services may include identification information (e.g., FQDN) of the data plane 1 that the terminal device wishes to discover. It should be understood that the data plane identification information can be obtained, for example, through the method shown in Figure 7.

[0246] In step S911, the SMF determines the address of the DPDF based on the location of the terminal device and the FQDN. The DPDF assists the terminal device in interacting with the DNS server to obtain address information for Data Plane 1.

[0247] In step S912, the SMF sends fourth information to the DPDF to create a context for the DNS query request in the DPDF.

[0248] In some implementations, the fourth piece of information includes the location information of the terminal device, thereby creating a context for DNS query requests about the terminal device in the DPDF.

[0249] In step S913, the SMF sends the address information of the DPDF to the terminal device.

[0250] In step S914, the terminal device sets DPDF as a DNS server.

[0251] In step S915, the terminal device sends a DNS query request to DPDF, which includes the FQDN of data plane 1.

[0252] In step S916, DPDF sends a DNS query request to the DNS server based on the FQDN, and the DNS query request includes the location of the terminal device.

[0253] In step S917, the DNS server determines the address information of data plane 1 based on the FQDN and the location of the terminal device.

[0254] In step S918, the DNS server sends the address information of data plane 1 (e.g., the address information of the DPAC associated with data plane 1) to the DPDF. Here, data plane 1 can be the address information of the DPAC that is closest to the terminal device among the multiple data planes indicated by the FQDN.

[0255] In step S919, DPDF sends the address information of data plane 1 (e.g., the address information of the DPAC associated with data plane 1) to the terminal device. Here, data plane 1 can be the address information of the DPAC that is closest to the terminal device among the multiple data planes indicated by FQDN.

[0256] In this embodiment, with the assistance of DNDF, the terminal device can interact with the DNS server to obtain the FQDN and discover the optimal DPAC address information. The optimal DPAC address information can be the DPAC closest to the terminal device, thereby reducing the latency required for data interaction between the terminal device and the DPAC.

[0257] In some scenarios, a fourth core network element (e.g., DPAC) may serve as an interface for multiple data planes. That is to say, the identification information of the fourth core network element and the data plane is not in a one-to-one correspondence. In this case, after the terminal device identifies the fourth core network element, it cannot determine the data plane accessed through the fourth core network element.

[0258] Therefore, to address the above problems, this application provides a wireless communication method. In this method, a fourth core network element can indicate the data plane providing services to a terminal device through fifth information; or, in other words, the fourth core network element can identify the data plane accessed by the terminal device through the fifth information, which helps improve the accuracy of the terminal device accessing the data plane. The wireless communication method of this application embodiment is described below with reference to FIG10. The method shown in FIG10 includes step S1010.

[0259] In step S1010, the fourth core network element sends fifth information to the terminal device. The fifth information is used to identify the data plane that provides services to the terminal device.

[0260] In some implementations, the fifth piece of information is used to uniquely identify the data plane; for example, the fifth piece of information includes the DP ID. This helps the terminal device to accurately access the data plane. Of course, in the embodiments of this application, if the fourth core network element is associated with multiple data planes, the fifth piece of information is used to uniquely identify the data plane among the multiple data planes.

[0261] In some implementations, the fourth core network element is used to control or manage terminal equipment access to the data plane. This control or management includes one or more of the following: collecting data to be stored on the data plane; performing security verification on the data to be stored on the data plane; managing the identification information of the data source of the data to be stored on the data plane; managing the identification information of the data consumer of the data to be stored on the data plane; managing access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; converting the format corresponding to the data request to a format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; and performing data tracking on the data stored in the data plane. For example, the fourth core network element can be network element 2 as described above.

[0262] In some implementations, the fourth core network element is associated with one or more data planes, and the data plane identified by the fifth information belongs to one of the multiple data planes. In other words, the fourth core network element is associated with one or more data plane network elements, and correspondingly, the data plane network element identified by the fifth information belongs to one of the multiple data plane network elements. The data plane network element can be, for example, the network element 1 described above.

[0263] In some implementations, the above method further includes: the sixth core network element sending the terminal device's subscription information to the fourth core network element, the subscription information being associated with the data plane. The subscription information can be found in the relevant description in Embodiment 2. Furthermore, the sixth core network element can be a network element storing the subscription information; for example, the sixth core network element can be a UDM.

[0264] In some implementations, the above method further includes: the fourth core network element sending a fifth request to the sixth core network element, the fifth request being used to request subscription information. Of course, in this embodiment, the subscription information can be proactively sent from the sixth core network element to the fourth core network element. For example, if the subscription information of the terminal device changes, the sixth core network element proactively sends the changed subscription information to the fourth core network element.

[0265] In some implementations, the above method further includes: the fourth core network element authorizing the terminal device to use the data plane based on subscription information. For example, if the subscription information indicates that the terminal device has permission to use the data plane, then the fourth core network element can authorize the terminal device to use the data plane. Conversely, if the subscription information indicates that the terminal device does not have permission to use the data plane, then the fourth core network element can refuse to authorize the terminal device to use the data plane.

[0266] In some implementations, prior to step S1010, the method further includes: a fourth core network element receiving a fourth request sent by a terminal device, the fourth request being used to request registration with the data plane. Correspondingly, the fifth information can be understood as response information to this request.

[0267] In some scenarios, the fourth request is also called a "data plane access request". Correspondingly, the fifth message is also called a "data plane access request response message" or a "data plane access acceptance message".

[0268] In some implementations, the fourth request carries the address information of the data plane.

[0269] In some implementations, after a terminal device registers, the fourth core network element stores the correspondence between the terminal device and the fifth piece of information. This allows the fourth core network to assign the same fifth piece of information (e.g., DP ID) to the terminal device upon re-registration, supporting data trustworthiness and traceability. For example, if the data plane is based on blockchain, the data within it cannot be altered or deleted. To ensure the data plane can completely store the terminal device's data, thereby guaranteeing accurate and efficient access to the terminal device's data by other data consumers, the terminal device needs to access the original data plane after re-registration to continue data storage or retrieval based on that data plane.

[0270] For ease of understanding, the process of a terminal device requesting registration with the fourth core network element in this embodiment of the application is described below with reference to Figure 11. It is assumed that the fourth core network element is DPAC and the sixth core network element is UDM. The method shown in Figure 11 includes steps S1110 to S1150.

[0271] In step S1110, the terminal device sends a data plane access registration request to the DPAC.

[0272] In some implementations, the address information of the DPAC can be determined using the method shown in Figure 9.

[0273] In step S1120, DPAC sends a request to UDM to request subscription information for the terminal device.

[0274] In step S1130, UDM sends the terminal device's subscription information to DPAC.

[0275] In step S1140, the DPAC authorizes the terminal device to perform data plane services based on the terminal device's subscription information and assigns data plane identification information (e.g., DP ID) to the terminal device.

[0276] In step S1150, the DPAC sends a data plane access acceptance message to the terminal device, which carries the DP ID assigned to the terminal device.

[0277] In some implementations, after a terminal device registers, DPAC can save the mapping between the terminal device ID and the DP ID. This allows DPAC to assign the same DP ID to the terminal device upon re-registration. This is to support data trustworthiness and traceability. In other words, for blockchain-based data, terminal devices can store data on the same blockchain after each registration, ensuring complete data storage and enabling other data consumers to access the data accurately and efficiently.

[0278] It should be noted that the solution in this application does not consider the mobility of the terminal device. That is, after the terminal device is re-registered, it can still discover the previously registered DPAC, thereby ensuring that the same DP ID is assigned to the terminal device.

[0279] In some implementations, communication devices (such as terminal devices, network devices, network management devices, AF, etc.) can access the data plane through the fourth core network element. Therefore, how to discover the fourth core network element is an urgent problem to be solved.

[0280] Therefore, to address the aforementioned problems, this application provides a wireless communication method in which a seventh core network element assists in the discovery of a fourth core network element. The seventh core network element can be a network element with fourth core network element discovery capabilities; for example, the seventh core network element can be an NRF (Network RF System). Furthermore, the fourth core network element can be network element 2 as described above, and related information can be found above. That is to say, since the fourth core network element (e.g., DPAC) is a core network element, it can interact with other network elements based on a service-based architecture (SBA). Correspondingly, other core network elements can discover the fourth core network element through an NRF.

[0281] The wireless communication method of this application embodiment is described below with reference to FIG12. The method shown in FIG12 includes steps S1210 and / or S1220.

[0282] In step S1210, the eighth core network element sends a sixth request to the seventh core network element. The sixth request is used to request the discovery of the fourth core network element associated with the data plane. In some scenarios, the fourth core network element may be, for example, a DPAC (DPoceptive Controller), and the sixth request may also be called a "DPAC discovery request".

[0283] In some implementations, the sixth request includes one or more of the following: information indicating the service area associated with the fourth core network element to be discovered; information indicating the network slice associated with the fourth core network element to be discovered; and information indicating the data plane associated with the fourth core network element to be discovered.

[0284] In some implementations, the network slice information associated with the fourth core network element may include the network slice information supported by the fourth core network element, wherein the network slice information may include, for example, S-NSSAI.

[0285] In some implementations, the information of the data plane associated with the fourth core network element may include the identification information of the data plane associated with the fourth core network element, wherein the identification information may include, for example, the address information of the data plane and / or the ID of the data plane.

[0286] In step S1220, the seventh core network element sends a response to the sixth request to the eighth core network element. The response information is used to instruct the fourth core network element. In some scenarios, the sixth request may also be called a "DPAC discovery request," and correspondingly, the above response information may be called a "discovery response."

[0287] In some implementations, the response information carries the address information of the fourth core network element. For example, the address information of the fourth core network element includes its IP address.

[0288] In some implementations, the eighth core network element can be any core network element other than the fourth and seventh core network elements. Accordingly, the eighth core network element can be represented as NFx.

[0289] In some implementations, the above method further includes: the seventh core network element receiving a registration request sent by the fourth core network element, the registration request being used to request the registration of the fourth core network element.

[0290] In some implementations, the registration request includes one or more of the following: information indicating the service area of ​​the fourth core network element; information indicating the data plane associated with the fourth core network element; information indicating the network slice associated with the fourth core network element; and address information of the fourth core network element.

[0291] In some implementations, the network slice information associated with the fourth core network element may include the network slice information supported by the fourth core network element, wherein the network slice information may include, for example, S-NSSAI.

[0292] In some implementations, the information of the data plane associated with the fourth core network element may include the identification information of the data plane associated with the fourth core network element, wherein the identification information may include, for example, the address information of the data plane and / or the ID of the data plane.

[0293] In some implementations, the above method further includes: the seventh core network element sending a registration response to the fourth core network element, the registration response indicating acceptance of the registration of the fourth core network element.

[0294] For ease of understanding, the method for discovering the fourth core network element in this application embodiment is described below with reference to Figure 13. It is assumed that the fourth core network element is DPAC, the seventh core network element is NRF, and the eighth core network element is NFx. The method shown in Figure 13 includes steps S1310 to S1340.

[0295] In step S1310, DPAC sends a DPAC registration request to NRF.

[0296] In some implementations, the registration request carries a DPAC profile, which includes one or more of the following: the DPAC's service area, the DP ID corresponding to the DPAC, the S-NSSAI supported by the DPAC, and the DPAC's address.

[0297] In step S1320, the NRF sends a registration acceptance message to the DPAC.

[0298] In some implementations, the NRF marks the DPAC as a valid network element and sends a registration acceptance message to the DPAC.

[0299] In step S1330, NFx sends a DPAC discovery request to NRF.

[0300] In some implementations, the DPAC discovery request carries the service area associated with the DPAC, the network slices supported by the DPAC, and the DP ID associated with the DPAC (if the NFx has previously interacted with the DP and assigned a DP ID).

[0301] In step S1340, NRF sends a discovery response to NFx.

[0302] In some implementations, the response contains DPAC address information.

[0303] In this embodiment of the application, the discovery process of DPAC by other core network elements is realized through the traditional SBA architecture, which helps to enable core network elements to use data plane services, such as data storage based on data plane or data retrieval based on data plane.

[0304] The method embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to Figures 1 to 13. The apparatus embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 14 to 25. It should be understood that the descriptions of the method embodiments correspond to the descriptions of the apparatus embodiments; therefore, any parts not described in detail can be referred to the preceding method embodiments.

[0305] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1400 shown in Figure 14 is a first communication device, and the communication device 1400 includes: a transmitting unit 1410.

[0306] The sending unit 1410 is used to send first information to the second communication device, the first information being associated with the data plane.

[0307] In some implementations, the first information includes capability information of the terminal device associated with the data plane.

[0308] In some implementations, the capability information includes one or more of the following: information indicating whether the terminal device supports accessing the data plane; information indicating whether the terminal device supports requesting data based on the data plane; and information indicating whether the terminal device supports data storage based on the data plane.

[0309] In some implementations, the capability information is carried in a registration request message, which is used to request the registration of the terminal device.

[0310] In some implementations, the first communication device is the terminal device, and the second communication device is a first core network element.

[0311] In some implementations, the first information includes the subscription information of the terminal device associated with the data plane.

[0312] In some implementations, the subscription information includes one or more of the following: information indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to use the data plane; information indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to store data based on the data plane; information indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to request data based on the data plane; information indicating the access method of the terminal device to access the data plane; and information indicating the data plane that the terminal device is authorized to access.

[0313] In some implementations, the communication device further includes a receiving unit for receiving a first request sent by the second communication device, the first request being for requesting the subscription information.

[0314] In some implementations, the first communication device is a first core network element, and the second communication device is a second core network element.

[0315] In some implementations, the first information is used to indicate the data plane used by the authorized terminal device.

[0316] In some implementations, the first information includes one or more of the following: authorizing the terminal device to use the service type of the data plane; authorizing the terminal device to use the access method of the data plane.

[0317] In some implementations, the data plane is determined based on the terminal device's capability information and / or the terminal device's subscription information, wherein the capability information is associated with the data plane, and the subscription information is associated with the data plane.

[0318] In some implementations, the first information is carried in the registration acceptance message of the terminal device.

[0319] In some implementations, the first communication device is a first core network element, and the second communication device is a terminal device.

[0320] In some implementations, the first information is used to indicate the data plane associated with the data plane.

[0321] In some implementations, the first information includes the fully qualified domain (FQDN) of the data plane.

[0322] In some implementations, the first information is carried in the UE configuration update information.

[0323] In some implementations, the first communication device is a first core network element, and the second communication device is a terminal device.

[0324] In some implementations, some or all of the nodes in the data plane are located on the blockchain.

[0325] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1500 shown in Figure 15 is a second communication device, and the communication device 1500 includes: a receiving unit 1510.

[0326] The receiving unit 1510 is used to receive first information sent by the first communication device, the first information being associated with a data plane service.

[0327] In some implementations, the first information includes capability information of the terminal device associated with the data plane.

[0328] In some implementations, the capability information includes one or more of the following: information indicating whether the terminal device supports accessing the data plane; information indicating whether the terminal device supports requesting data based on the data plane; and information indicating whether the terminal device supports data storage based on the data plane.

[0329] In some implementations, the capability information is carried in a registration request message, which is used to request the registration of the terminal device.

[0330] In some implementations, the first communication device is the terminal device, and the second communication device is a first core network element.

[0331] In some implementations, the first information includes the subscription information of the terminal device associated with the data plane.

[0332] In some implementations, the subscription information includes one or more of the following: information indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to use the data plane; information indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to store data based on the data plane; information indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to request data based on the data plane; information indicating the access method of the terminal device to access the data plane; and information indicating the data plane that the terminal device is authorized to access.

[0333] In some implementations, the communication device further includes a sending unit, configured to send a first request to the first communication device, the first request being used to request the subscription information.

[0334] In some implementations, the first communication device is a first core network element, and the second communication device is a second core network element.

[0335] In some implementations, the first information is used to indicate the data plane used by the authorized terminal device.

[0336] In some implementations, the first information includes one or more of the following: authorizing the terminal device to use the service type of the data plane; authorizing the terminal device to use the access method of the data plane.

[0337] In some implementations, the data plane is determined based on the terminal device's capability information and / or the terminal device's subscription information, wherein the capability information is associated with the data plane, and the subscription information is associated with the data plane.

[0338] In some implementations, the first information is carried in the registration acceptance message of the terminal device.

[0339] In some implementations, the first communication device is a first core network element, and the second communication device is a terminal device.

[0340] In some implementations, the first information is used to indicate the data plane associated with the data plane.

[0341] In some implementations, the first information includes the fully qualified domain (FQDN) of the data plane.

[0342] In some implementations, the first information is carried in the UE configuration update information.

[0343] In some implementations, the first communication device is a first core network element, and the second communication device is a terminal device.

[0344] In some implementations, some or all of the nodes in the data plane are located on the blockchain.

[0345] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application. The terminal device 1600 shown in Figure 16 includes a receiving unit 1610.

[0346] The receiving unit 1610 is configured to receive second information sent by a third core network element, the second information including one or more of the following: information for determining the address of a data plane serving the terminal device; information for instructing a fourth core network element; wherein the fourth core network element is associated with the data plane serving the terminal device, and the fourth core network element is used to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane.

[0347] In some implementations, some or all of the nodes in the data plane are located on the blockchain.

[0348] In some implementations, the second information carries the address of the fourth core network element.

[0349] In some implementations, controlling or managing the terminal device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: collecting data to be stored in the data plane; performing security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; managing the identification information of the data source of the data to be stored in the data plane; managing the identification information of the data consumer of the data to be stored in the data plane; managing access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; converting the format corresponding to the data request into a format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; and performing data tracking on the data stored in the data plane.

[0350] In some implementations, the terminal device further includes: a first sending unit, configured to send a second request to the third core network element for requesting the second information, wherein the third core network element is configured to request a DNS server to provide the data plane address for the terminal device.

[0351] In some implementations, the second request carries identification information of the data plane.

[0352] In some implementations, the receiving unit is further configured to: receive third information sent by the fifth core network element, the third information being used to instruct the third core network element.

[0353] In some implementations, the third information carries the address of the third core network element.

[0354] In some implementations, the third core network element is determined based on one or more of the following: the location of the terminal device; the identification information of the data plane.

[0355] In some implementations, the terminal device further includes: a second sending unit, configured to send a third request to a fifth core network element, the third request being used to request a third core network element to serve the terminal device.

[0356] In some implementations, the third request includes one or more of the following: information indicating a request to assist the terminal device in data plane discovery; and identification information of the data plane.

[0357] In some implementations, the data plane is associated with multiple fourth core network elements. The distance between the fourth core network element indicated by the second information and the terminal device is less than or equal to the distance between other core network elements and the terminal device. The other core network elements are other core network elements among the multiple fourth core network elements besides the fourth core network element indicated by the indication information.

[0358] In some implementations, the data plane includes multiple data plane network elements, wherein the data plane identifiers associated with the multiple data plane network elements are the same; and / or at least some of the multiple data plane network elements correspond to different fourth core network elements.

[0359] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the core network element according to an embodiment of this application. The core network element 1700 shown in Figure 17 is a third core network element, and the core network element 1700 includes: a transmitting unit 1710.

[0360] The sending unit 1710 is configured to send second information to a terminal device, the second information including one or more of the following: information for determining the address of a data plane serving the terminal device; information for indicating a fourth core network element, wherein the fourth core network element is associated with the data plane serving the terminal device, and the fourth core network element is used to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane.

[0361] In some implementations, some or all of the nodes in the data plane are located on the blockchain.

[0362] In some implementations, the second information carries the address of the fourth core network element.

[0363] In some implementations, controlling or managing the terminal device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: collecting data to be stored in the data plane; performing security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; managing the identification information of the data source of the data to be stored in the data plane; managing the identification information of the data consumer of the data to be stored in the data plane; managing access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; converting the format corresponding to the data request into a format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; and performing data tracking on the data stored in the data plane.

[0364] In some implementations, the core network element further includes: a first receiving unit, configured to receive a second request sent by the terminal device for requesting the second information.

[0365] In some implementations, the second request carries identification information of the data plane.

[0366] In some implementations, the sending unit is used to send the second request to the DNS server; the second receiving unit is used to receive response information sent by the DNS server in response to the second request, the response information being used to determine the second information.

[0367] In some implementations, the core network element further includes a third receiving unit, configured to receive fourth information sent by the fifth core network element, the fourth information being used to create a context for the second request for the terminal device.

[0368] In some implementations, the second request includes a DNS query request.

[0369] In some implementations, the data plane is associated with multiple fourth core network elements. The distance between the fourth core network element indicated by the second information and the terminal device is less than or equal to the distance between other core network elements and the terminal device. The other core network elements are other core network elements among the multiple fourth core network elements besides the fourth core network element indicated by the second information.

[0370] In some implementations, the data plane includes multiple data plane network elements, wherein the data plane identifiers associated with the multiple data plane network elements are the same; and / or at least some of the multiple data plane network elements correspond to different fourth core network elements.

[0371] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of the core network element according to an embodiment of this application. The core network element 1800 shown in Figure 18 is the fifth core network element, and the core network element 1800 includes: a transmitting unit 1810.

[0372] The sending unit 1810 is configured to send third information to a terminal device, wherein the third information is used to instruct a third core network element, the third core network element is used to request a DNS server to provide a data plane address for the terminal device, the data plane provides services to the terminal device, and / or the third core network element is used to request a DNS server to provide an address of a fourth core network element for the terminal device, the fourth core network element is associated with the data plane that provides services to the terminal device, and the fourth core network element is used to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane.

[0373] In some implementations, the third information carries the address of the third core network element.

[0374] In some implementations, the core network element further includes a processing unit, configured to determine the third core network element based on one or more of the following: the location of the terminal device; and the identification information of the data plane.

[0375] In some implementations, the sending unit is further configured to: send fourth information to the third core network element, the fourth information being used to create a context for a second request for the terminal device, the second request being used to request the address of the data plane.

[0376] In some implementations, before the fifth core network element sends the third information to the terminal device, the core network element further includes: a first receiving unit, used to receive a third request sent by the terminal device, the third request being used to request a third core network element to serve the terminal device.

[0377] In some implementations, the third request includes one or more of the following: information indicating a request to assist the terminal device in data plane discovery; and identification information for the data plane.

[0378] In some implementations, controlling or managing the terminal device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: collecting data to be stored in the data plane; performing security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; managing the identification information of the data source of the data to be stored in the data plane; managing the identification information of the data consumer of the data to be stored in the data plane; managing access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; converting the format corresponding to the data request into a format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; and performing data tracking on the data stored in the data plane.

[0379] In some implementations, the data plane is associated with multiple fourth core network elements. The distance between the fourth core network element indicated by the second information and the terminal device is less than or equal to the distance between other core network elements and the terminal device. The other core network elements are other core network elements among the multiple fourth core network elements besides the fourth core network element indicated by the second information.

[0380] In some implementations, the data plane includes multiple data plane network elements, wherein the data plane identifiers associated with the multiple data plane network elements are the same; and / or at least some of the multiple data plane network elements correspond to different fourth core network elements.

[0381] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application. The terminal device 1900 shown in Figure 19 includes a receiving unit 1910.

[0382] The receiving unit 1910 is used to receive the fifth information sent by the fourth core network element, the fifth information being used to identify the data plane that provides services to the terminal device.

[0383] In some implementations, the fourth core network element is used to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane.

[0384] In some implementations, controlling or managing the terminal device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: collecting data to be stored in the data plane; performing security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; managing the identification information of the data source of the data to be stored in the data plane; managing the identification information of the data consumer of the data to be stored in the data plane; managing access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; converting the format corresponding to the data request into a format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; and performing data tracking on the data stored in the data plane.

[0385] In some implementations, the fourth core network element is associated with one or more data planes, and the data plane identified by the fifth information belongs to the multiple data planes.

[0386] In some implementations, the terminal device further includes a sending unit, configured to send a fourth request to the fourth core network element, the fourth request being used to request registration with the data plane.

[0387] In some implementations, the fourth request carries the address information of the data plane and / or the address information of the fourth core network element associated with the data plane.

[0388] In some implementations, the fifth piece of information is used to uniquely identify the data plane.

[0389] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the core network element according to an embodiment of this application. The core network element 2000 shown in Figure 20 is the fourth core network element, and the core network element 2000 includes: a transmitting unit 2010.

[0390] The sending unit 2010 is used to send fifth information to the terminal device, the fifth information being used to identify the data plane that provides services to the terminal device.

[0391] In some implementations, the fourth core network element is used to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane.

[0392] In some implementations, controlling or managing the terminal device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: collecting data to be stored in the data plane; performing security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; managing the identification information of the data source of the data to be stored in the data plane; managing the identification information of the data consumer of the data to be stored in the data plane; managing access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; converting the format corresponding to the data request into a format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; and performing data tracking on the data stored in the data plane.

[0393] In some implementations, the fourth core network element is associated with one or more data planes, and the data plane identified by the fifth information belongs to the multiple data planes.

[0394] In some implementations, the core network element further includes: a first receiving unit, configured to receive the subscription information of the terminal device sent by the sixth core network element, wherein the subscription information is associated with the data plane.

[0395] In some implementations, the subscription information includes one or more of the following: information indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to use the data plane; information indicating whether the terminal device can store data based on the data plane; information indicating whether the terminal device can request data based on the data plane; information indicating the access method of the terminal device to access the data plane; and information indicating the data planes that the terminal device can access.

[0396] In some implementations, the sending unit is further configured to: send a fifth request to the sixth core network element, the fifth request being used to request the subscription information.

[0397] In some implementations, the core network element further includes a processing unit, used to authorize the terminal device to use the data plane based on the subscription information.

[0398] In some implementations, the core network element further includes: a second receiving unit, used to receive a fourth request sent by the terminal device, the fourth request being used to request registration with the data plane.

[0399] In some implementations, the fourth request carries the address information of the data plane.

[0400] In some implementations, the fifth piece of information is used to uniquely identify the data plane.

[0401] Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of the core network element according to an embodiment of this application. The core network element 2100 shown in Figure 21 is the sixth core network element, and the core network element 2100 includes: a transmitting unit 2110.

[0402] The sending unit 2110 is used to send the subscription information of the terminal device to the fourth core network element, and the subscription information is associated with the data plane.

[0403] In some implementations, the subscription information includes one or more of the following: information indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to use the data plane; information indicating whether the terminal device can store data based on the data plane; information indicating whether the terminal device can request data based on the data plane; information indicating the access method of the terminal device to access the data plane; and information indicating the data planes that the terminal device can access.

[0404] In some implementations, the core network element further includes a receiving unit, configured to receive a fifth request sent by the fourth core network element, the fifth request being used to request the subscription information.

[0405] Figure 22 is a schematic diagram of the core network element according to an embodiment of this application. The core network element 2200 shown in Figure 22 is the seventh core network element, and the core network element 2200 includes: a receiving unit 2210 and / or a transmitting unit 2220.

[0406] Receiving unit 2210 is configured to receive a sixth request sent by an eighth core network element, the sixth request being used to request the discovery of a fourth core network element associated with the data plane; and / or

[0407] The sending unit 2220 is used to send response information to the sixth request to the eighth core network element, the response information being used to instruct the fourth core network element; wherein the fourth core network element is used to control or manage the communication equipment's access to the data plane.

[0408] In some implementations, controlling or managing the communication device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: collecting data to be stored in the data plane; performing security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; managing the identification information of the data source of the data to be stored in the data plane; managing the identification information of the data consumer of the data to be stored in the data plane; managing access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; converting the format corresponding to the data request into a format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; and performing data tracking on the data stored in the data plane.

[0409] In some implementations, the sixth request includes one or more of the following: information indicating the service area associated with the fourth core network element to be discovered; information indicating the network slice associated with the fourth core network element to be discovered; and information indicating the data plane associated with the fourth core network element to be discovered.

[0410] In some implementations, the response information carries the address information of the fourth core network element.

[0411] In some implementations, the receiving unit is further configured to: receive a registration request sent by the fourth core network element, the registration request being used to request registration of the fourth core network element.

[0412] In some implementations, the registration request includes one or more of the following: information indicating the service area of ​​the fourth core network element; information indicating the data plane associated with the fourth core network element; information indicating the network slice associated with the fourth core network element; and address information of the fourth core network element.

[0413] In some implementations, the sending unit is further configured to send a registration response to the fourth core network element, the registration response being used to indicate acceptance of the registration of the fourth core network element.

[0414] Figure 23 is a schematic diagram of the core network element according to an embodiment of this application. The core network element 2300 shown in Figure 23 is the eighth core network element, and the core network element 2300 includes: a transmitting unit 2310 and / or a receiving unit 2320.

[0415] Sending unit 2310 is configured to send a sixth request to the seventh core network element, the sixth request being used to request the discovery of the fourth core network element associated with the data plane; and / or

[0416] The receiving unit 2320 is used to receive response information sent by the seventh core network element in response to the sixth request, the response information being used to instruct the fourth core network element; wherein the fourth core network element is used to control or manage the communication equipment's access to the data plane.

[0417] In some implementations, controlling or managing the communication device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: collecting data to be stored in the data plane; performing security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; managing the identification information of the data source of the data to be stored in the data plane; managing the identification information of the data consumer of the data to be stored in the data plane; managing access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; converting the format corresponding to the data request into a format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; and performing data tracking on the data stored in the data plane.

[0418] In some implementations, the sixth request includes one or more of the following: information indicating the service area associated with the fourth core network element to be discovered; information indicating the network slice associated with the fourth core network element to be discovered; and information indicating the data plane associated with the fourth core network element to be discovered.

[0419] In some implementations, the response information carries the address information of the fourth core network element.

[0420] Figure 24 is a schematic diagram of the core network element according to an embodiment of this application. The core network element 2400 shown in Figure 24 is the fourth core network element, and the core network element 2400 includes: a transmitting unit 2410.

[0421] The sending unit 2410 is used to send a registration request to the seventh core network element. The registration request is used to request the registration of the fourth core network element, wherein the fourth core network element is used to control or manage the access of communication equipment to the data plane.

[0422] In some implementations, controlling or managing the communication device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: collecting data to be stored in the data plane; performing security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; managing the identification information of the data source of the data to be stored in the data plane; managing the identification information of the data consumer of the data to be stored in the data plane; managing access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; converting the format corresponding to the data request into a format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; and performing data tracking on the data stored in the data plane.

[0423] In some implementations, the registration request includes one or more of the following: information indicating the service area of ​​the fourth core network element; information indicating the data plane associated with the fourth core network element; information indicating the network slice associated with the fourth core network element; and address information of the fourth core network element.

[0424] In some implementations, the core network element further includes a receiving unit, configured to receive a registration response sent by the seventh core network element, the registration response indicating acceptance of the registration of the fourth core network element.

[0425] Figure 25 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application. The dashed lines in Figure 25 indicate that the unit or module is optional. This device 2500 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. Device 2500 can be a chip, a terminal device, or a network device.

[0426] Apparatus 2500 may include one or more processors 2510. The processor 2510 may support apparatus 2500 in implementing the methods described in the preceding method embodiments. The processor 2510 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the processor may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0427] The apparatus 2500 may further include one or more memories 2520. The memories 2520 store a program that can be executed by the processor 2510, causing the processor 2510 to perform the methods described in the preceding method embodiments. The memories 2520 may be independent of the processor 2510 or integrated into the processor 2510.

[0428] The device 2500 may also include a transceiver 2530. The processor 2510 can communicate with other devices or chips via the transceiver 2530. For example, the processor 2510 can send and receive data with other devices or chips via the transceiver 2530.

[0429] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a program. This computer-readable storage medium can be applied to a terminal or network device provided in this application, and the program causes a computer to execute the methods performed by the terminal or network device in various embodiments of this application.

[0430] This application also provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes a program. The computer program product can be applied to a terminal or network device provided in this application embodiment, and the program causes a computer to execute the methods performed by the terminal or network device in various embodiments of this application.

[0431] This application also provides a computer program. This computer program can be applied to the terminal or network device provided in this application, and the computer program causes the computer to execute the methods performed by the terminal or network device in various embodiments of this application.

[0432] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" in this application can be used interchangeably. Furthermore, the terminology used in this application is only for explaining specific embodiments of the application and is not intended to limit the application. The terms "first," "second," "third," and "fourth," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0433] In the embodiments of this application, the term "instruction" can be a direct instruction, an indirect instruction, or an indication of a relationship. For example, A instructing B can mean that A directly instructs B, such as B being able to obtain information through A; it can also mean that A indirectly instructs B, such as A instructing C, so B can obtain information through C; or it can mean that there is a relationship between A and B.

[0434] In the embodiments of this application, "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A, and B can be determined based on A. However, it should also be understood that determining B based on A does not mean that B is determined solely based on A; B can also be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0435] In the embodiments of this application, the term "correspondence" can indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between two things, or an association between two things, or a relationship such as instruction and being instructed, configuration and being configured.

[0436] In this application embodiment, "predefined" or "preconfigured" can be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other means that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device (e.g., including terminal devices and network devices). This application does not limit the specific implementation method. For example, predefined can refer to what is defined in the protocol.

[0437] In this application embodiment, the "protocol" may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communication, such as the LTE protocol, the NR protocol, and related protocols applied to future communication systems. This application does not limit this.

[0438] In the embodiments of this application, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0439] In the various embodiments of this application, the order of the above-mentioned processes does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0440] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0441] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The 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 the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0442] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0443] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can read or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., digital video discs (DVDs)), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks (SSDs)).

[0444] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, characterized in that, include: The first communication device sends first information to the second communication device, and the first information is associated with the data plane.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first information includes capability information of the terminal device associated with the data plane.

3. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The capability information includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate whether the terminal device supports access to the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device supports requesting data based on the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device supports data storage based on the data plane.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The capability information is carried in a registration request message, which is used to request the registration of the terminal device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2-4, characterized in that, The first communication device is the terminal device, and the second communication device is the first core network element.

6. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first information includes the subscription information of the terminal device associated with the data plane.

7. The method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The contract information includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate whether the terminal device is authorized to use the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device is authorized to store data based on the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device is authorized to request data based on the data plane; Information used to indicate the access method of the terminal device to access the data plane; Information used to indicate the data plane that the terminal device is authorized to access.

8. The method as described in claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first communication device receives a first request sent by the second communication device, the first request being used to request the subscription information.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6-8, characterized in that, The first communication device is a first core network element, and the second communication device is a second core network element.

10. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first information is used to indicate the data plane used by the authorized terminal device.

11. The method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The first information includes one or more of the following: Authorize the terminal device to use the service type of the data plane; The terminal device is authorized to use the data plane access method.

12. The method as described in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The data plane is determined based on the capability information of the terminal device and / or the subscription information of the terminal device, wherein the capability information is associated with the data plane and the subscription information is associated with the data plane.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10-12, characterized in that, The first information is carried in the registration acceptance message of the terminal device.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10-13, characterized in that, The first communication device is a first core network element, and the second communication device is a terminal device.

15. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first information is used to indicate the data surface associated with the data surface.

16. The method as described in claim 15, characterized in that, The first information includes the fully qualified domain (FQDN) of the data plane.

17. The method as described in claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, The first piece of information is contained in the UE configuration update information.

18. The method according to any one of claims 15-17, characterized in that, The first communication device is a first core network element, and the second communication device is a terminal device.

19. The method according to any one of claims 1-18, characterized in that, Some or all of the nodes in the data plane are located on the blockchain.

20. A method for wireless communication, characterized in that, include: The second communication device receives the first information sent by the first communication device, and the first information is associated with the data plane service.

21. The method as described in claim 20, characterized in that, The first information includes capability information of the terminal device associated with the data plane.

22. The method as described in claim 21, characterized in that, The capability information includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate whether the terminal device supports access to the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device supports requesting data based on the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device supports data storage based on the data plane.

23. The method according to any one of claims 20-22, characterized in that, The capability information is carried in a registration request message, which is used to request the registration of the terminal device.

24. The method according to any one of claims 21-23, characterized in that, The first communication device is the terminal device, and the second communication device is the first core network element.

25. The method as described in claim 20, characterized in that, The first information includes the subscription information of the terminal device associated with the data plane.

26. The method as described in claim 25, characterized in that, The contract information includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate whether the terminal device is authorized to use the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device is authorized to store data based on the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device is authorized to request data based on the data plane; Information used to indicate the access method of the terminal device to access the data plane; Information used to indicate the data plane that the terminal device is authorized to access.

27. The method as described in claim 25 or 26, characterized in that, The method further includes: The second communication device sends a first request to the first communication device, the first request being used to request the subscription information.

28. The method according to any one of claims 25-27, characterized in that, The first communication device is a first core network element, and the second communication device is a second core network element.

29. The method as described in claim 20, characterized in that, The first information is used to indicate the data plane used by the authorized terminal device.

30. The method as described in claim 29, characterized in that, The first information includes one or more of the following: Authorize the terminal device to use the service type of the data plane; The terminal device is authorized to use the data plane access method.

31. The method as described in claim 24 or 25, characterized in that, The data plane is determined based on the capability information of the terminal device and / or the subscription information of the terminal device, wherein the capability information is associated with the data plane and the subscription information is associated with the data plane.

32. The method according to any one of claims 29-31, characterized in that, The first information is carried in the registration acceptance message of the terminal device.

33. The method according to any one of claims 29-32, characterized in that, The first communication device is a first core network element, and the second communication device is a terminal device.

34. The method as described in claim 20, characterized in that, The first information is used to indicate the data surface associated with the data surface.

35. The method as described in claim 34, characterized in that, The first information includes the fully qualified domain (FQDN) of the data plane.

36. The method as described in claim 34 or 35, characterized in that, The first piece of information is contained in the UE configuration update information.

37. The method according to any one of claims 34-36, characterized in that, The first communication device is a first core network element, and the second communication device is a terminal device.

38. The method according to any one of claims 20-37, characterized in that, Some or all of the nodes in the data plane are located on the blockchain.

39. A method for wireless communication, characterized in that, include: The terminal device receives second information sent by a third core network element, the second information including one or more of the following: Information used to determine the address of the data plane serving the terminal device; Information used to indicate the network elements of the fourth core network; The fourth core network element is associated with the data plane that serves the terminal device, and the fourth core network element is used to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane.

40. The method as described in claim 39, characterized in that, Some or all of the nodes in the data plane are located on the blockchain.

41. The method as described in claim 39 or 40, characterized in that, The second information carries the address of the fourth core network element.

42. The method according to any one of claims 39-41, characterized in that, The control or management of the terminal device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: Collect data to be stored in the data plane; Perform security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data source that manages the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data consumers who manage the data to be stored in the data plane; Manage access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; Convert the format corresponding to the data request into the format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; Data tracking is performed on the data stored in the data plane.

43. The method according to any one of claims 39-42, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device sends a second request to the third core network element for requesting the second information, and the third core network element requests the DNS server to provide the data plane address for the terminal device.

44. The method as described in claim 43, characterized in that, The second request carries the identification information of the data plane.

45. The method according to any one of claims 39-44, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device receives third information sent by the fifth core network element, and the third information is used to instruct the third core network element.

46. ​​The method as described in claim 45, characterized in that, The third information carries the address of the third core network element.

47. The method as described in claim 45 or 46, characterized in that, The third core network element is determined based on one or more of the following: The location of the terminal device; The identification information of the data plane.

48. The method according to any one of claims 45-47, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device sends a third request to the fifth core network element, the third request being used to request the third core network element that provides services to the terminal device.

49. The method as described in claim 48, characterized in that, The third request includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate a request for assistance from the terminal device in data plane discovery; The identification information of the data plane.

50. The method according to any one of claims 39-49, characterized in that, The data plane is associated with multiple fourth core network elements. The distance between the fourth core network element indicated by the second information and the terminal device is less than or equal to the distance between other core network elements and the terminal device. Among them, the other core network elements are the core network elements other than the fourth core network element indicated by the indication information among the multiple fourth core network elements.

51. The method according to any one of claims 39-50, characterized in that, The data plane includes multiple data plane network elements, wherein the data plane identifiers associated with the multiple data plane network elements are the same; and / or at least some of the multiple data plane network elements correspond to different fourth core network elements.

52. A method for wireless communication, characterized in that, include: The third core network element sends second information to the terminal device, the second information including one or more of the following: Information used to determine the address of the data plane serving the terminal device; Information used to indicate the network elements of the fourth core network The fourth core network element is associated with the data plane that serves the terminal device, and the fourth core network element is used to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane.

53. The method as described in claim 52, characterized in that, Some or all of the nodes in the data plane are located on the blockchain.

54. The method as described in claim 52 or 53, characterized in that, The second information carries the address of the fourth core network element.

55. The method according to any one of claims 52-54, characterized in that, The control or management of the terminal device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: Collect data to be stored in the data plane; Perform security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data source that manages the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data consumers who manage the data to be stored in the data plane; Manage access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; Convert the format corresponding to the data request into the format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; Data tracking is performed on the data stored in the data plane.

56. The method according to any one of claims 52-55, characterized in that, The method further includes: The third core network element receives a second request sent by the terminal device for requesting the second information.

57. The method as described in claim 56, characterized in that, The second request carries the identification information of the data plane.

58. The method as described in claim 56 or 57, characterized in that, The method further includes: The third core network element sends the second request to the DNS server; The third core network element receives the response information sent by the DNS server in response to the second request, and the response information is used to determine the second information.

59. The method as described in claim 58, characterized in that, The method further includes: The third core network element receives fourth information sent by the fifth core network element, the fourth information being used to create a context for the second request for the terminal device.

60. The method according to any one of claims 56-59, characterized in that, The second request includes a DNS query request.

61. The method according to any one of claims 52-60, characterized in that, The data plane is associated with multiple fourth core network elements. The distance between the fourth core network element indicated by the second information and the terminal device is less than or equal to the distance between other core network elements and the terminal device. Among them, the other core network elements are the core network elements other than the fourth core network element indicated by the second information among the multiple fourth core network elements.

62. The method according to any one of claims 52-61, characterized in that, The data plane includes multiple data plane network elements, wherein the data plane identifiers associated with the multiple data plane network elements are the same; and / or at least some of the multiple data plane network elements correspond to different fourth core network elements.

63. A method for wireless communication, characterized in that, include: The fifth core network element sends third information to the terminal device. This third information instructs the third core network element to request a DNS server to provide a data plane address for the terminal device. The data plane provides services to the terminal device, and / or... The third core network element is used to request the DNS server to provide the terminal device with the address of the fourth core network element. The fourth core network element is associated with the data plane that serves the terminal device and is used to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane.

64. The method as described in claim 63, characterized in that, The third information carries the address of the third core network element.

65. The method as described in claim 63 or 64, characterized in that, The method further includes: The fifth core network element determines the third core network element based on one or more of the following: The location of the terminal device; The identification information of the data plane.

66. The method as described in claim 65, characterized in that, The method further includes: The fifth core network element sends fourth information to the third core network element. The fourth information is used to create a context for the second request for the terminal device. The second request is used to request the address of the data plane.

67. The method according to any one of claims 63-66, characterized in that, Before the fifth core network element sends the third information to the terminal device, the method further includes: The fifth core network element receives a third request sent by the terminal device, the third request being used to request a third core network element to serve the terminal device.

68. The method as described in claim 67, characterized in that, The third request includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate a request for assistance from the terminal device in data plane discovery; This refers to the identification information of the data surface.

69. The method according to any one of claims 63-68, characterized in that, The control or management of the terminal device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: Collect data to be stored in the data plane; Perform security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data source that manages the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data consumers who manage the data to be stored in the data plane; Manage access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; Convert the format corresponding to the data request into the format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; Data tracking is performed on the data stored in the data plane.

70. The method according to any one of claims 63-69, characterized in that, The data plane is associated with multiple fourth core network elements. The distance between the fourth core network element indicated by the second information and the terminal device is less than or equal to the distance between other core network elements and the terminal device. Among them, the other core network elements are the core network elements other than the fourth core network element indicated by the second information among the multiple fourth core network elements.

71. The method according to any one of claims 63-70, characterized in that, The data plane includes multiple data plane network elements, wherein the data plane identifiers associated with the multiple data plane network elements are the same; and / or at least some of the multiple data plane network elements correspond to different fourth core network elements.

72. A method for wireless communication, characterized in that, include: The terminal device receives the fifth information sent by the fourth core network element, the fifth information being used to identify the data plane that provides services to the terminal device.

73. The method as described in claim 72, characterized in that, The fourth core network element is used to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane.

74. The method as described in claim 72 or 73, characterized in that, The control or management of the terminal device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: Collect data to be stored in the data plane; Perform security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data source that manages the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data consumers who manage the data to be stored in the data plane; Manage access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; Convert the format corresponding to the data request into the format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; Data tracking is performed on the data stored in the data plane.

75. The method according to any one of claims 72-74, characterized in that, The fourth core network element is associated with one or more data planes, and the data plane identified by the fifth information belongs to the multiple data planes.

76. The method according to any one of claims 72-75, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device sends a fourth request to the fourth core network element, the fourth request being used to request registration with the data plane.

77. The method as described in claim 76, characterized in that, The fourth request carries the address information of the data plane and / or the address information of the fourth core network element associated with the data plane.

78. The method according to any one of claims 72-77, characterized in that, The fifth piece of information is used to uniquely identify the data plane.

79. A method for wireless communication, characterized in that, include: The fourth core network element sends fifth information to the terminal device, the fifth information being used to identify the data plane that provides services to the terminal device.

80. The method as described in claim 79, characterized in that, The fourth core network element is used to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane.

81. The method as described in claim 79 or 80, characterized in that, The control or management of the terminal device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: Collect data to be stored in the data plane; Perform security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data source that manages the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data consumers who manage the data to be stored in the data plane; Manage access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; Convert the format corresponding to the data request into the format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; Data tracking is performed on the data stored in the data plane.

82. The method according to any one of claims 79-81, characterized in that, The fourth core network element is associated with one or more data planes, and the data plane identified by the fifth information belongs to the multiple data planes.

83. The method according to any one of claims 79-82, characterized in that, The method further includes: The fourth core network element receives the subscription information of the terminal device sent by the sixth core network element, and the subscription information is associated with the data plane.

84. The method as described in claim 83, characterized in that, The contract information includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate whether the terminal device is authorized to use the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device can store data based on the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device can request data based on the data plane; Used to indicate the access method of the terminal device to access the data plane; Information used to indicate the data planes that the terminal device can access.

85. The method as described in claim 83 or 84, characterized in that, The method further includes: The fourth core network element sends a fifth request to the sixth core network element, the fifth request being used to request the contract information.

86. The method according to any one of claims 83-85, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the signed information, the fourth core network element authorizes the terminal device to use the data plane.

87. The method according to any one of claims 79-86, characterized in that, The method further includes: The fourth core network element receives a fourth request sent by the terminal device, the fourth request being used to request registration with the data plane.

88. The method as described in claim 87, characterized in that, The fourth request carries the address information of the data plane.

89. The method according to any one of claims 79-88, characterized in that, The fifth piece of information is used to uniquely identify the data plane.

90. A method for wireless communication, characterized in that, include: The sixth core network element sends the terminal device's subscription information to the fourth core network element, and the subscription information is associated with the data plane.

91. The method as described in claim 90, characterized in that, The contract information includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate whether the terminal device is authorized to use the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device can store data based on the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device can request data based on the data plane; Used to indicate the access method of the terminal device to access the data plane; Information used to indicate the data planes that the terminal device can access.

92. The method as described in claim 90 or 91, characterized in that, The method further includes: The sixth core network element receives a fifth request sent by the fourth core network element, the fifth request being used to request the contract information.

93. A method for wireless communication, characterized in that, include: The seventh core network element receives a sixth request sent by the eighth core network element, the sixth request being used to request the discovery of the fourth core network element associated with the data plane; and / or The seventh core network element sends a response message to the eighth core network element in response to the sixth request. The response message is used to instruct the fourth core network element. The fourth core network element is used to control or manage the access of communication devices to the data plane.

94. The method as described in claim 93, characterized in that, The control or management of the communication device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: Collect data to be stored in the data plane; Perform security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data source that manages the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data consumers who manage the data to be stored in the data plane; Manage access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; Convert the format corresponding to the data request into the format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; Data tracking is performed on the data stored in the data plane.

95. The method as described in claim 93 or 94, characterized in that, The sixth request includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate the service area associated with the fourth core network element to be discovered; Information used to indicate the network slice associated with the fourth core network element to be discovered; Information used to indicate the data plane associated with the fourth core network element to be discovered.

96. The method according to any one of claims 93-95, characterized in that, The response information carries the address information of the fourth core network element.

97. The method according to any one of claims 93-96, characterized in that, The method further includes: The seventh core network element receives a registration request sent by the fourth core network element, the registration request being used to request registration of the fourth core network element.

98. The method as described in claim 97, characterized in that, The registration request includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate the service area of ​​the fourth core network element; Information used to indicate the data plane associated with the fourth core network element; Information used to indicate the network slice associated with the fourth core network element; The address information of the fourth core network element.

99. The method as described in claim 97 or 98, characterized in that, The method further includes: The seventh core network element sends a registration response to the fourth core network element, the registration response indicating acceptance of the registration of the fourth core network element.

100. A method for wireless communication, characterized in that, include: The eighth core network element sends a sixth request to the seventh core network element, the sixth request being used to request the discovery of the fourth core network element associated with the data plane; and / or The eighth core network element receives the response information sent by the seventh core network element in response to the sixth request, and the response information is used to instruct the fourth core network element; The fourth core network element is used to control or manage the access of communication devices to the data plane.

101. The method as described in claim 100, characterized in that, The control or management of the communication device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: Collect data to be stored in the data plane; Perform security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data source that manages the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data consumers who manage the data to be stored in the data plane; Manage access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; Convert the format corresponding to the data request into the format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; Data tracking is performed on the data stored in the data plane.

102. The method as described in claim 100 or 101, characterized in that, The sixth request includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate the service area associated with the fourth core network element to be discovered; Information used to indicate the network slice associated with the fourth core network element to be discovered; Information used to indicate the data plane associated with the fourth core network element to be discovered.

103. The method according to any one of claims 100-102, characterized in that, The response information carries the address information of the fourth core network element.

104. A method for wireless communication, characterized in that, include The fourth core network element sends a registration request to the seventh core network element. The registration request is used to request the registration of the fourth core network element, wherein the fourth core network element is used to control or manage the access of communication equipment to the data plane.

105. The method as described in claim 104, characterized in that, The control or management of the communication device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: Collect data to be stored in the data plane; Perform security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data source that manages the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data consumers who manage the data to be stored in the data plane; Manage access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; Convert the format corresponding to the data request into the format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; Data tracking is performed on the data stored in the data plane.

106. The method as described in claim 104 or 105, characterized in that, The registration request includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate the service area of ​​the fourth core network element; Information used to indicate the data plane associated with the fourth core network element; Information used to indicate the network slice associated with the fourth core network element; The address information of the fourth core network element.

107. The method according to any one of claims 104-106, characterized in that, The method further includes: The fourth core network element receives a registration response sent by the seventh core network element, and the registration response is used to indicate acceptance of the registration of the fourth core network element.

108. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is a first communication device, comprising: The sending unit is used to send first information to the second communication device, the first information being associated with the data plane.

109. The communication device as described in claim 108, characterized in that, The first information includes capability information of the terminal device associated with the data plane.

110. The communication device as described in claim 109, characterized in that, The capability information includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate whether the terminal device supports access to the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device supports requesting data based on the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device supports data storage based on the data plane.

111. The communication device as described in any one of claims 108-110, characterized in that, The capability information is carried in a registration request message, which is used to request the registration of the terminal device.

112. The communication device as described in any one of claims 109-111, characterized in that, The first communication device is the terminal device, and the second communication device is the first core network element.

113. The communication device as described in claim 108, characterized in that, The first information includes the subscription information of the terminal device associated with the data plane.

114. The communication device as described in claim 113, characterized in that, The contract information includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate whether the terminal device is authorized to use the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device is authorized to store data based on the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device is authorized to request data based on the data plane; Information used to indicate the access method of the terminal device to access the data plane; Information used to indicate the data plane that the terminal device is authorized to access.

115. The communication device as described in claim 113 or 114, characterized in that, The communication device also includes: A receiving unit is configured to receive a first request sent by the second communication device, wherein the first request is used to request the subscription information.

116. The communication device as described in any one of claims 113-115, characterized in that, The first communication device is a first core network element, and the second communication device is a second core network element.

117. The communication device as described in claim 108, characterized in that, The first information is used to indicate the data plane used by the authorized terminal device.

118. The communication device as described in claim 117, characterized in that, The first information includes one or more of the following: Authorize the terminal device to use the service type of the data plane; The terminal device is authorized to use the data plane access method.

119. The communication device as described in claim 112 or 113, characterized in that, The data plane is determined based on the capability information of the terminal device and / or the subscription information of the terminal device, wherein the capability information is associated with the data plane and the subscription information is associated with the data plane.

120. The communication device as described in any one of claims 117-119, characterized in that, The first information is carried in the registration acceptance message of the terminal device.

121. The communication device as described in any one of claims 117-12, characterized in that, The first communication device is a first core network element, and the second communication device is a terminal device.

122. The communication device as described in claim 108, characterized in that, The first information is used to indicate the data surface associated with the data surface.

123. The communication device as described in claim 122, characterized in that, The first information includes the fully qualified domain (FQDN) of the data plane.

124. The communication device as described in claim 122 or 123, characterized in that, The first piece of information is contained in the UE configuration update information.

125. The communication device as described in any one of claims 122-124, characterized in that, The first communication device is a first core network element, and the second communication device is a terminal device.

126. The communication device as described in any one of claims 108-125, characterized in that, Some or all of the nodes in the data plane are located on the blockchain.

127. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is a second communication device, comprising: The receiving unit is used to receive first information sent by the first communication device, wherein the first information is associated with a data plane service.

128. The communication device as claimed in claim 127, characterized in that, The first information includes capability information of the terminal device associated with the data plane.

129. The communication device as described in claim 128, characterized in that, The capability information includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate whether the terminal device supports access to the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device supports requesting data based on the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device supports data storage based on the data plane.

130. The communication device as described in any one of claims 127-129, characterized in that, The capability information is carried in a registration request message, which is used to request the registration of the terminal device.

131. The communication device as described in any one of claims 128-130, characterized in that, The first communication device is the terminal device, and the second communication device is the first core network element.

132. The communication device as described in claim 127, characterized in that, The first information includes the subscription information of the terminal device associated with the data plane.

133. The communication device as described in claim 132, characterized in that, The contract information includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate whether the terminal device is authorized to use the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device is authorized to store data based on the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device is authorized to request data based on the data plane; Information used to indicate the access method of the terminal device to access the data plane; Information used to indicate the data plane that the terminal device is authorized to access.

134. The communication device as described in claim 132 or 133, characterized in that, The communication device also includes: The sending unit is configured to send a first request to the first communication device, wherein the first request is used to request the subscription information.

135. The communication device as described in any one of claims 132-134, characterized in that, The first communication device is a first core network element, and the second communication device is a second core network element.

136. The communication device as claimed in claim 127, characterized in that, The first information is used to indicate the data plane used by the authorized terminal device.

137. The communication device as described in claim 136, characterized in that, The first information includes one or more of the following: Authorize the terminal device to use the service type of the data plane; The terminal device is authorized to use the data plane access method.

138. The communication device as described in claim 131 or 132, characterized in that, The data plane is determined based on the capability information of the terminal device and / or the subscription information of the terminal device, wherein the capability information is associated with the data plane and the subscription information is associated with the data plane.

139. The communication device as described in any one of claims 136-138, characterized in that, The first information is carried in the registration acceptance message of the terminal device.

140. The communication device as described in any one of claims 136-139, characterized in that, The first communication device is a first core network element, and the second communication device is a terminal device.

141. The communication device as claimed in claim 127, characterized in that, The first information is used to indicate the data surface associated with the data surface.

142. The communication device as described in claim 141, characterized in that, The first information includes the fully qualified domain (FQDN) of the data plane.

143. The communication device as described in claim 141 or 142, characterized in that, The first piece of information is contained in the UE configuration update information.

144. The communication device as described in any one of claims 141-143, characterized in that, The first communication device is a first core network element, and the second communication device is a terminal device.

145. The communication device as described in any one of claims 127-144, characterized in that, Some or all of the nodes in the data plane are located on the blockchain.

146. A terminal device, characterized in that, include: The receiving unit is configured to receive second information sent by a third core network element, the second information including one or more of the following: Information used to determine the address of the data plane serving the terminal device; Information used to indicate the network elements of the fourth core network; The fourth core network element is associated with the data plane that serves the terminal device, and the fourth core network element is used to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane.

147. The terminal device as described in claim 146, characterized in that, Some or all of the nodes in the data plane are located on the blockchain.

148. The terminal device as described in claim 146 or 147, characterized in that, The second information carries the address of the fourth core network element.

149. The terminal device as described in any one of claims 146-148, characterized in that, The control or management of the terminal device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: Collect data to be stored in the data plane; Perform security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data source that manages the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data consumers who manage the data to be stored in the data plane; Manage access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; Convert the format corresponding to the data request into the format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; Data tracking is performed on the data stored in the data plane.

150. The terminal device as described in any one of claims 146-149, characterized in that, The terminal device also includes: The first sending unit is configured to send a second request to the third core network element for requesting the second information, wherein the third core network element is configured to request the DNS server to provide the data plane address for the terminal device.

151. The terminal device as described in claim 150, characterized in that, The second request carries the identification information of the data plane.

152. The terminal device as described in any one of claims 146-151, characterized in that, The receiving unit is further configured to: The third information is received from the fifth core network element, and the third information is used to instruct the third core network element.

153. The terminal device as described in claim 152, characterized in that, The third information carries the address of the third core network element.

154. The terminal device as described in claim 152 or 153, characterized in that, The third core network element is determined based on one or more of the following: The location of the terminal device; The identification information of the data plane.

155. The terminal device as described in any one of claims 152-154, characterized in that, The terminal device also includes: The second sending unit is used to send a third request to the fifth core network element, the third request being used to request the third core network element to serve the terminal device.

156. The terminal device as described in claim 155, characterized in that, The third request includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate a request for assistance from the terminal device in data plane discovery; The identification information of the data plane.

157. The terminal device as described in any one of claims 146-156, characterized in that, The data plane is associated with multiple fourth core network elements. The distance between the fourth core network element indicated by the second information and the terminal device is less than or equal to the distance between other core network elements and the terminal device. Among them, the other core network elements are the core network elements other than the fourth core network element indicated by the indication information among the multiple fourth core network elements.

158. The terminal device as described in any one of claims 146-157, characterized in that, The data plane includes multiple data plane network elements, wherein the data plane identifiers associated with the multiple data plane network elements are the same; and / or at least some of the multiple data plane network elements correspond to different fourth core network elements.

159. A core network element, characterized in that, The core network element is the third core network element, including: The sending unit is configured to send second information to the terminal device, the second information including one or more of the following: Information used to determine the address of the data plane serving the terminal device; Information used to indicate the network elements of the fourth core network The fourth core network element is associated with the data plane that serves the terminal device, and the fourth core network element is used to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane.

160. The core network element as described in claim 159, characterized in that, Some or all of the nodes in the data plane are located on the blockchain.

161. The core network element as described in claim 159 or 160, characterized in that, The second information carries the address of the fourth core network element.

162. The core network element as described in any one of claims 159-161, characterized in that, The control or management of the terminal device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: Collect data to be stored in the data plane; Perform security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data source that manages the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data consumers who manage the data to be stored in the data plane; Manage access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; Convert the format corresponding to the data request into the format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; Data tracking is performed on the data stored in the data plane.

163. The core network element as described in any one of claims 159-162, characterized in that, The core network elements also include: The first receiving unit is configured to receive a second request sent by the terminal device for requesting the second information.

164. The core network element as described in claim 163, characterized in that, The second request carries the identification information of the data plane.

165. The core network element as described in claim 163 or 164, characterized in that, The sending unit is used to send the second request to the DNS server; The second receiving unit is configured to receive response information sent by the DNS server in response to the second request, the response information being used to determine the second information.

166. The core network element as described in claim 165, characterized in that, The core network elements also include: The third receiving unit is used to receive fourth information sent by the fifth core network element, the fourth information being used to create a context for the second request for the terminal device.

167. The core network element as described in any one of claims 163-166, characterized in that, The second request includes a DNS query request.

168. The core network element as described in any one of claims 159-167, characterized in that, The data plane is associated with multiple fourth core network elements. The distance between the fourth core network element indicated by the second information and the terminal device is less than or equal to the distance between other core network elements and the terminal device. Among them, the other core network elements are the core network elements other than the fourth core network element indicated by the second information among the multiple fourth core network elements.

169. The core network element as described in any one of claims 159-168, characterized in that, The data plane includes multiple data plane network elements, wherein the data plane identifiers associated with the multiple data plane network elements are the same; and / or at least some of the multiple data plane network elements correspond to different fourth core network elements.

170. A core network element, characterized in that, The core network element is the fifth core network element, including: A sending unit is configured to send third information to a terminal device, wherein the third information is used to instruct a third core network element, the third core network element is used to request a DNS server to provide a data plane address for the terminal device, the data plane provides services to the terminal device, and / or The third core network element is used to request the DNS server to provide the terminal device with the address of the fourth core network element. The fourth core network element is associated with the data plane that serves the terminal device and is used to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane.

171. The core network element as described in claim 170, characterized in that, The third information carries the address of the third core network element.

172. The core network element as described in claim 170 or 171, characterized in that, The core network elements also include: The processing unit is configured to determine the third core network element based on one or more of the following: The location of the terminal device; The identification information of the data plane.

173. The core network element as described in claim 172, characterized in that, The transmitting unit is further configured to: Send fourth information to the third core network element. The fourth information is used to create a context for the second request for the terminal device. The second request is used to request the address of the data plane.

174. The core network element as described in any one of claims 170-173, characterized in that, Before the fifth core network element sends the third information to the terminal device, the core network element further includes: The first receiving unit is configured to receive a third request sent by the terminal device, the third request being used to request a third core network element to serve the terminal device.

175. The core network element as described in claim 174, characterized in that, The third request includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate a request for assistance from the terminal device in data plane discovery; This refers to the identification information of the data surface.

176. The core network element as described in any one of claims 170-175, characterized in that, The control or management of the terminal device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: Collect data to be stored in the data plane; Perform security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data source that manages the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data consumers who manage the data to be stored in the data plane; Manage access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; Convert the format corresponding to the data request into the format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; Data tracking is performed on the data stored in the data plane.

177. The core network element as described in any one of claims 170-176, characterized in that, The data plane is associated with multiple fourth core network elements. The distance between the fourth core network element indicated by the second information and the terminal device is less than or equal to the distance between other core network elements and the terminal device. Among them, the other core network elements are the core network elements other than the fourth core network element indicated by the second information among the multiple fourth core network elements.

178. The core network element as described in any one of claims 170-177, characterized in that, The data plane includes multiple data plane network elements, wherein the data plane identifiers associated with the multiple data plane network elements are the same; and / or at least some of the multiple data plane network elements correspond to different fourth core network elements.

179. A terminal device, characterized in that, include: The receiving unit is used to receive the fifth information sent by the fourth core network element, wherein the fifth information is used to identify the data plane that provides services to the terminal device.

180. The terminal device as described in claim 179, characterized in that, The fourth core network element is used to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane.

181. The terminal device as described in claim 179 or 180, characterized in that, The control or management of the terminal device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: Collect data to be stored in the data plane; Perform security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data source that manages the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data consumers who manage the data to be stored in the data plane; Manage access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; Convert the format corresponding to the data request into the format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; Data tracking is performed on the data stored in the data plane.

182. The terminal device as described in any one of claims 179-181, characterized in that, The fourth core network element is associated with one or more data planes, and the data plane identified by the fifth information belongs to the multiple data planes.

183. The terminal device as described in any one of claims 179-182, characterized in that, The terminal device also includes: The sending unit is used to send a fourth request to the fourth core network element, the fourth request being used to request registration with the data plane.

184. The terminal device as described in claim 183, characterized in that, The fourth request carries the address information of the data plane and / or the address information of the fourth core network element associated with the data plane.

185. The terminal device as described in any one of claims 179-184, characterized in that, The fifth piece of information is used to uniquely identify the data plane.

186. A core network element, characterized in that, The core network element is the fourth core network element, including: The sending unit is used to send fifth information to the terminal device, the fifth information being used to identify the data plane that provides services to the terminal device.

187. The core network element as described in claim 186, characterized in that, The fourth core network element is used to control or manage the terminal device's access to the data plane.

188. The core network element as described in claim 186 or 187, characterized in that, The control or management of the terminal device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: Collect data to be stored in the data plane; Perform security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data source that manages the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data consumers who manage the data to be stored in the data plane; Manage access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; Convert the format corresponding to the data request into the format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; Data tracking is performed on the data stored in the data plane.

189. The core network element as described in any one of claims 186-188, characterized in that, The fourth core network element is associated with one or more data planes, and the data plane identified by the fifth information belongs to the multiple data planes.

190. The core network element as described in any one of claims 186-189, characterized in that, The core network elements also include: The first receiving unit is used to receive the subscription information of the terminal device sent by the sixth core network element, and the subscription information is associated with the data plane.

191. The core network element as described in claim 190, characterized in that, The contract information includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate whether the terminal device is authorized to use the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device can store data based on the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device can request data based on the data plane; Used to indicate the access method of the terminal device to access the data plane; Information used to indicate the data planes that the terminal device can access.

192. The core network element as described in claim 190 or 191, characterized in that, The transmitting unit is further configured to: A fifth request is sent to the sixth core network element, the fifth request being used to request the subscription information.

193. The core network element as described in any one of claims 190-192, characterized in that, The core network elements also include: A processing unit is configured to authorize the terminal device to use the data plane based on the subscription information.

194. The core network element as described in any one of claims 186-193, characterized in that, The core network elements also include: The second receiving unit is used to receive a fourth request sent by the terminal device, the fourth request being used to request registration with the data plane.

195. The core network element as described in claim 194, characterized in that, The fourth request carries the address information of the data plane.

196. The core network element as described in any one of claims 186-195, characterized in that, The fifth piece of information is used to uniquely identify the data plane.

197. A core network element, characterized in that, The core network element is the sixth core network element, including: The sending unit is used to send the subscription information of the terminal device to the fourth core network element, and the subscription information is associated with the data plane.

198. The core network element as described in claim 197, characterized in that, The contract information includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate whether the terminal device is authorized to use the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device can store data based on the data plane; Information used to indicate whether the terminal device can request data based on the data plane; Used to indicate the access method of the terminal device to access the data plane; Information used to indicate the data planes that the terminal device can access.

199. The core network element as described in claim 197 or 198, characterized in that, The core network elements also include: The receiving unit is used to receive a fifth request sent by the fourth core network element, the fifth request being used to request the subscription information.

200. A core network element, characterized in that, The core network element is the seventh core network element, including: The receiving unit is configured to receive a sixth request sent by an eighth core network element, the sixth request being used to request the discovery of a fourth core network element associated with the data plane; and / or The sending unit is used to send response information to the sixth request to the eighth core network element, the response information being used to instruct the fourth core network element; The fourth core network element is used to control or manage the access of communication devices to the data plane.

201. The core network element as described in claim 200, characterized in that, The control or management of the communication device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: Collect data to be stored in the data plane; Perform security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data source that manages the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data consumers who manage the data to be stored in the data plane; Manage access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; Convert the format corresponding to the data request into the format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; Data tracking is performed on the data stored in the data plane.

202. The core network element as described in claim 200 or 201, characterized in that, The sixth request includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate the service area associated with the fourth core network element to be discovered; Information used to indicate the network slice associated with the fourth core network element to be discovered; Information used to indicate the data plane associated with the fourth core network element to be discovered.

203. The core network element as described in any one of claims 200-202, characterized in that, The response information carries the address information of the fourth core network element.

204. The core network element as described in any one of claims 200-203, characterized in that, The receiving unit is further configured to: The system receives a registration request sent by the fourth core network element, the registration request being used to request the registration of the fourth core network element.

205. The core network element as described in claim 204, characterized in that, The registration request includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate the service area of ​​the fourth core network element; Information used to indicate the data plane associated with the fourth core network element; Information used to indicate the network slice associated with the fourth core network element; The address information of the fourth core network element.

206. The core network element as described in claim 204 or 205, characterized in that, The sending unit is further configured to send a registration response to the fourth core network element, the registration response being used to indicate acceptance of the registration of the fourth core network element.

207. A core network element, characterized in that, The core network element is the eighth core network element, including: The sending unit is configured to send a sixth request to the seventh core network element, the sixth request being used to request the discovery of the fourth core network element associated with the data plane; and / or The receiving unit is configured to receive response information sent by the seventh core network element in response to the sixth request, wherein the response information is used to instruct the fourth core network element. The fourth core network element is used to control or manage the access of communication devices to the data plane.

208. The core network element as described in claim 207, characterized in that, The control or management of the communication device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: Collect data to be stored in the data plane; Perform security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data source that manages the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data consumers who manage the data to be stored in the data plane; Manage access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; Convert the format corresponding to the data request into the format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; Data tracking is performed on the data stored in the data plane.

209. The core network element as described in claim 207 or 208, characterized in that, The sixth request includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate the service area associated with the fourth core network element to be discovered; Information used to indicate the network slice associated with the fourth core network element to be discovered; Information used to indicate the data plane associated with the fourth core network element to be discovered.

210. The core network element as described in any one of claims 207-209, characterized in that, The response information carries the address information of the fourth core network element.

211. A core network element, characterized in that, The core network element is the fourth core network element, including: The sending unit is used to send a registration request to the seventh core network element, the registration request being used to request the registration of the fourth core network element, wherein the fourth core network element is used to control or manage the access of communication equipment to the data plane.

212. The core network element as described in claim 211, characterized in that, The control or management of the communication device's access to the data plane includes one or more of the following: Collect data to be stored in the data plane; Perform security verification on the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data source that manages the data to be stored in the data plane; The identification information of the data consumers who manage the data to be stored in the data plane; Manage access permissions for the data stored in the data plane; Convert the format corresponding to the data request into the format supported by the storage network element in the data plane; Data tracking is performed on the data stored in the data plane.

213. The core network element as described in claim 211 or 212, characterized in that, The registration request includes one or more of the following: Information used to indicate the service area of ​​the fourth core network element; Information used to indicate the data plane associated with the fourth core network element; Information used to indicate the network slice associated with the fourth core network element; The address information of the fourth core network element.

214. The core network element as described in any one of claims 211-213, characterized in that, The core network elements also include: The receiving unit is configured to receive a registration response sent by the seventh core network element, wherein the registration response is used to indicate acceptance of the registration of the fourth core network element.

215. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a transceiver, a memory, and a processor. The memory stores a program, and the processor invokes the program in the memory and controls the transceiver to receive or send signals so that the terminal device performs the method as described in any one of claims 1-107.

216. An apparatus, characterized in that, Includes a processor for calling a program from memory to cause the device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-107.

217. A chip, characterized in that, Includes a processor for calling a program from memory, causing a device on which the chip is mounted to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-107.

218. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, It contains a program that causes a computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-107.

219. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a program that causes a computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-107.

220. A computer program, characterized in that, The computer program causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-107.

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