Wireless communication method, terminal device, and network device

Abstract

Provided are a wireless communication method, a terminal device, and a network device. The method comprises: a terminal device sends, to a first network element, first user plane data carrying a first NAS message, wherein the first network element sends, on behalf of the terminal device, the first NAS message to a second network element by means of a service-based interface; and / or the terminal device receives second user plane data carrying a second NAS message and sent by the first network element, wherein the first network element obtains, on behalf of the terminal device, the second NAS message from the second network element by means of the service-based interface. The first network element is introduced in embodiments of the present application. Correspondingly, the first network element may communicate on behalf of the terminal device with the second network element by means of the service-based interface, wherein the first network element and the terminal device may communicate on the basis of a user plane, that is, information transmitted between the first network element and the terminal device is user plane data. Compared with the traditional solution of transmitting an NAS message on the basis of an AS message, the present invention facilitates reducing the AS message transmission overhead.

Description

Method of wireless communication, terminal device and network device TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of communication, and more particularly, to a method of wireless communication, a terminal device and a network device. BACKGROUND

[0002] In some scenarios, the interaction between some network elements supports a service interface, but the N1 interface between the terminal device and the mobility management network element and the N2 interface between the access network element and the mobility management network element still uses a traditional reference point for interaction. Due to the incomplete evolution of such a service-based architecture, the terminal device still accesses the network through the N1 interface from the mobility management network element, resulting in complex design of the dedicated interface of the terminal device and the mobility management network element.

[0003] For example, any interaction between the terminal device and the core network needs to be carried out through a non-access (none access stratum, NAS) message, and the NAS message is sent by the terminal device to the access network element in an access layer (access stratum, AS) message, that is, the transmission of the NAS message is always accompanied by the transmission of the AS message, and therefore, the transmission overhead of the AS message required for the terminal device to transmit the NAS message to the core network is large.

[0004] SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a method of wireless communication, a terminal device and a network device. The various aspects of the present application are described below.

[0006] In a first aspect, a method of wireless communication is provided, including: a terminal device sending first user plane data carrying a first NAS message to a first network element, the first network element sending the first NAS message to a second network element on behalf of the terminal device through a service interface, and / or the terminal device receiving second user plane data carrying a second NAS message sent by the first network element, the first network element obtaining the second NAS message from the second network element on behalf of the terminal device through a service interface.

[0007] In a second aspect, a method of wireless communication is provided, including: a first network element receiving first user plane data carrying a first non-access stratum (NAS) message from a terminal device, the first network element sending the first NAS message to a second network element on behalf of the terminal device through a service interface, and / or the first network element sending second user plane data carrying a second NAS message to the terminal device, the first network element obtaining the second NAS message from the second network element on behalf of the terminal device through a service interface.

[0008] In a third aspect, a method of wireless communication is provided, including: determining, by a target network element, a first network element to serve a terminal device, the first network element configured to communicate with a second network element on behalf of the terminal device via a service-based interface, and the first network element configured to transmit or receive a NAS message with the terminal device based on a user plane.

[0009] In a fourth aspect, a terminal device is provided, including: a transmitting unit configured to transmit first user plane data carrying a first NAS message to a first network element, the first network element configured to transmit the first NAS message to a second network element via a service-based interface on behalf of the terminal device, and / or a receiving unit configured to receive second user plane data carrying a second NAS message transmitted by the first network element, the first network element configured to obtain the second NAS message from the second network element via the service-based interface on behalf of the terminal device.

[0010] In a fifth aspect, a network device is provided, the network device being a first network element, including: a receiving unit configured to receive first user plane data carrying a first NAS message from a terminal device, the first network element configured to transmit the first NAS message to a second network element via a service-based interface on behalf of the terminal device, and / or a transmitting unit configured to transmit second user plane data carrying a second NAS message to the terminal device, the first network element configured to obtain the second NAS message from the second network element via the service-based interface on behalf of the terminal device.

[0011] In a sixth aspect, a network device is provided, the network device being a target network element, including: a processing unit configured to determine a first network element to serve a terminal device, the first network element configured to communicate with a second network element on behalf of the terminal device via a service-based interface, and the first network element configured to transmit or receive a NAS message with the terminal device based on a user plane.

[0012] In a seventh aspect, a terminal device is provided, including a processor, a memory, and a communication interface, the memory configured to store one or more computer programs, and the processor configured to invoke the computer programs in the memory to cause the terminal device to perform some or all of the steps in the method of the first aspect.

[0013] In an eighth aspect, a network device is provided, including a processor, a memory, and a transceiver, the memory configured to store one or more computer programs, and the processor configured to invoke the computer programs in the memory to cause the network device to perform some or all of the steps in the method of the second aspect or the third aspect.

[0014] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes the terminal device and / or the network device described above. In another possible design, the system can further include other devices interacting with the terminal device or the network device in the solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0015] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. The computer program causes a network device (for example, a terminal device or a network device) to perform some or all of the steps of the methods in the various aspects described above.

[0016] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. The computer program is operable to cause a network device (for example, a terminal device or a network device) to perform some or all of the steps of the methods in the various aspects described above. In some implementations, the computer program product can be a software installation package.

[0017] In a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip. The chip includes a memory and a processor. The processor can invoke and run a computer program from the memory, to implement some or all of the steps described in the methods in the various aspects described above.

[0018] In the embodiments of the present application, the first network element is introduced. Accordingly, the first network element can represent the terminal device to communicate (for example, transmit the first NAS message and / or the second NAS message) with the second network element through the service-based interface. The communication between the first network element and the terminal device can be based on the user plane, that is, the information transmitted between the first network element and the terminal device is user plane data (for example, the first user plane data and / or the second user plane data). Compared with the conventional solution of transmitting the NAS message based on the AS message, the solution can help reduce the transmission overhead of the AS message. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable.

[0020] FIG. 2 is an architecture diagram of a communication system in which an AN interacts with other network elements of a core network through a service-based interface.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a communication architecture in which a terminal device communicates with a first network element according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of protocol stacks of a terminal device, an access network element, a user plane function (UPF) network element, and a first network element according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0023] FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] FIGS. 6-9 are schematic flowcharts of wireless communication methods according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0025] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0026] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0027] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0028] FIG. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture to which embodiments of the present application are applicable. The network architecture can include a terminal device, an access network (AN) network element, and a core network network element.

[0031] It should be understood that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as a 5th generation (5G) system or new radio (NR), a long term evolution (LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD), etc. The technical solutions provided by the present application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as a 6th generation mobile communication system, a satellite communication system, etc.

[0032] The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can also be referred to as a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station (MS), an MT, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless core network network element, a user agent or a user apparatus. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity for a user, and can be used to connect people, things and machines, such as handheld devices with wireless connection functions, vehicle-mounted devices, etc. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer (Pad), a notebook computer, a palm computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, etc. Optionally, the terminal device can be used to act as a base station. For example, the terminal device can act as a scheduling entity, which provides sidelink signals between terminal devices in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) or device to device (D2D), etc. For example, a cellular phone and a car communicate with each other using sidelink signals. The cellular phone and the smart home device communicate with each other without relaying the communication signals through the base station.

[0033] The access network element can be an access device through which a terminal accesses the network architecture by wireless means, and is mainly responsible for wireless resource management, quality of service (QoS) management, data compression and encryption, etc. on the air interface side. The access network element can also be referred to as a radio access network (RAN) device, for example, the access network element can be a base station. The base station can broadly cover various names in the following or replace the following names, such as: 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. The base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, a donor node, or the like, or a combination thereof. The base station can also refer to a communication module, modem or chip used in the aforementioned device or apparatus. The base station can also be a mobile switching center and a device that performs the function of a base station in D2D, V2X, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, a network side device in a 6G network, a device that performs the function of a base station in a future communication system, etc. The base station can support networks of the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the access network element.

[0034] The base station can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or a drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move according to the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, the helicopter or the drone can be configured to act as a device that communicates with another base station.

[0035] In some deployments, the access network element in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a CU or a DU, or the access network element includes a CU and a DU. The gNB can also include an AAU.

[0036] The type of the core network element can include a UPF network element, an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, an SMF network element, a PCF network element, an application function (AF), a data network (DN), a network slice selection function (NSSF), an authentication server function (AUSF), a unified data management (UDM), a network exposure function (NEF), a network repository function (NRF), and a network slice-specific authentication and authorization function (NSSAAF). Among them, the UPF network element is mainly responsible for the transmission of user data, and other network elements can be referred to as control plane function network elements, which are mainly responsible for authentication, authorization, registration management, session management, mobility management, and policy control, etc. to ensure reliable and stable transmission of user data.

[0037] The UPF network element can be used to forward and receive data of the terminal. For example, the UPF network element can receive service data from a data network and transmit it to the terminal through the access network element; the UPF network element can also receive user data from the terminal through the access network element and forward it to the data network. Among them, 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 a user plane connection between the UPF network element and the access network element, and a channel established between the access network element and the terminal. Among them, the user plane connection is a QoS flow that can establish a data transmission between the UPF network element and the access network element.

[0038] The AMF network element can be used to manage the terminal access to the core network, for example: location update of the terminal, registration network, access control, mobility management of the terminal, attachment and detachment of the terminal, etc. The AMF network element can also provide storage resources for the control plane of the session for the terminal in the case of providing services for the session, to store the session identifier, the SMF network element identifier associated with the session identifier, etc.

[0039] The SMF network element can be used to select a user plane network element for the terminal, redirect a user plane network element for the terminal, allocate an internet protocol (IP) address for the terminal, establish a bearer (also referred to as a session) between the terminal and the UPF network element, modify the session, release, and QoS control.

[0040] The PCF network element is used to provide policies such as QoS policies, slice selection policies, etc. to the AMF network element and the SMF network element.

[0041] The AF network element is used to interact with the 3GPP core network element to support application influence data routing, access network exposure functions, and interact with the PCF network element for policy control, etc.

[0042] The DN can provide data services for users, such as IP multi-media service (IMS) networks, the Internet, etc. There can be various application servers (AS) in the DN to provide different application services, such as operator services, Internet access or third-party services, etc. The AS can implement the functions of the AF.

[0043] The NSSF is used for network slice selection, and the supported functions include: selecting a set of network slice implementations to serve the terminal device; determining the allowed network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI), and determining the mapping to the single-network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) of the subscription when needed; determining the configured NSSAI, and determining the mapping to the S-NSSAI of the subscription when needed; determining a set of AMFs that can be queried for the terminal device, or determining a list of candidate AMFs based on configuration.

[0044] The AUSF is used to receive a request for terminal authentication from the AMF, request a key from the UDM, and then forward the issued key to the AMF for authentication processing.

[0045] The UDM includes functions such as generation and storage of user subscription data, management of authentication data, and supports interaction with external third-party servers.

[0046] The NEF is used for capability exposure, that is, based on the NEF, the capability of the network can be output to an external network. An external untrusted application can access internal data of the core network through the NEF to ensure the security of the network. The NEF can provide functions such as external application QoS capability exposure, event subscription, AF request distribution, and the like.

[0047] The NRF is used for registering, managing, and detecting the state of core network elements, thereby realizing automatic management of the core network elements. When a core network element is started, it must be registered with the NRF to provide services. The registration information may, for example, include the type, address, and service list of the core network element.

[0048] In addition, some networks (for example, a 5G network) also increase a network data analysis function (network data analytics function, NWDAF) in the core network. Based on the NWDAF, data can be collected from various network elements, network management systems, and the like of the core network, and big data statistics, analysis, or intelligent data analysis can be performed, thereby obtaining analysis or prediction data on the network side, and further assisting various network elements in more effectively controlling terminal device access according to the data analysis results.

[0049] In some communication systems (for example, a 5G system), the core network element can also be referred to as a network function (network function, NF).

[0050] The network elements in FIG. 1 can be network elements in a hardware device, software functions running on a dedicated hardware, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform). It should be noted that in the network architecture shown in the above figure, only the network elements included in the entire network architecture are exemplarily illustrated. In the embodiments of the present application, the network elements included in the entire network architecture are not limited.

[0051] Those skilled in the art can understand that the network architecture shown in FIG. 1 does not constitute a limitation on the network architecture, and in actual implementation, the network architecture can include more or fewer network elements than those shown in the figure, or some network elements can be combined, and the like. It should be understood that the AN or RAN is represented in the form of (R)AN in FIG. 1.

[0052] In some scenarios, the network device and the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface; and can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites in the air. The scenarios in which the network device and the terminal device are located are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0053] By way of example, and without limitation, in embodiments of the present application, a network device can have a mobile characteristic, for example, the network device can be a mobile device. In some embodiments of the present application, the network device can be a satellite, a balloon station. For example, the satellite can 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 the present application, the network device can also be a base station arranged at a location on land, water, etc.

[0054] In embodiments of the present application, a network device can serve a cell, and a terminal device communicates with the network device through a transmission resource (for example, a frequency domain resource, or a spectrum resource) used by the cell. The cell can be a cell corresponding to the network device (for example, a base station), and the cell can belong to a macro base station or a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cell can include a metro cell, a micro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, etc., and these small cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmit power, and are suitable for providing high-rate data transmission services.

[0055] It should be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be direct indication, or indirect indication, or can be an indication of an associated relationship. For example, A indicates B, which can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can be obtained through A; or A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C; or A and B have an associated relationship.

[0056] In the description of embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" can mean a direct or indirect corresponding relationship between the two, or an associated relationship between the two, or an indication and being indicated, configuration and being configured, etc.

[0057] The "configuration" in the embodiments of the present application can include configuration through at least one of a system message, radio resource control (RRC) signaling, and a media access control control element (MAC CE).

[0058] In some embodiments of the present application, "predefined" or "preset" can be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables or other means for indicating related information in devices (for example, including terminal devices and network devices), and the specific implementation manner of the present application is not limited. For example, predefined can refer to defined in the protocol.

[0059] In some embodiments of the present application, the "protocol" can refer to a standard protocol in the communication field, which can include the LTE protocol, the NR protocol and the related protocol applied to the future communication system, and the present application is not limited thereto.

[0060] Based on the communication system shown in FIG. 1, it can be seen that the interaction between some core network elements supports the service interface, but the N1 interface between the terminal device and the AMF, the N2 interface between the AN and the AMF, and the N4 interface between the SMF and the UPF still use the traditional reference point for interaction. The evolution of the service-based architecture is not complete. Therefore, when designing the future network (for example, the 6G network), the design of the AN interacting with other network elements in the core network through the service interface can be considered. In order to facilitate understanding, the architecture diagram of the communication system in which the AN interacts with other network elements in the core network through the service interface is introduced below in combination with FIG. 2. Wherein, the AN interacting with other network elements in the core network through the service interface can be understood as the AN accessing the bus similar to the 5G core network element, and interacting with any core network element through the service interface.

[0061] Referring to the communication system shown in FIG. 2, the communication system can include a plurality of network elements (also referred to as "nodes" or "devices"), for example, a terminal device, an access network element, a UPF network element, a mobility management network element (such as the 6G mobility management (MM) shown in FIG. 2), a session management network element (such as the 6G session management (SM) shown in FIG. 2), an application function (application function, AF) network element. The communication system can also include a data network DN and the like. Wherein, the functions of part of the network elements in the communication system shown in FIG. 2 are the same as or similar to the functions of part of the network elements in the communication system shown in FIG. 1. For example, the function of the 6G MM is the same as or similar to the function of the AMF. For example, the function of the 6G SM is the same as or similar to the function of the SMF.

[0062] It should be understood that in the communication system shown in FIG. 2, the 5G network and the 6G network can share part of the NF, for example, share the UDM, the UPF and the NRF and the like.

[0063] It should be understood that the terminal device, the access network element, the mobility management network element (also referred to as a mobile management network element), the session management network element and the like shown in FIG. 2 are only names, and the names do not constitute a limitation on the devices themselves. In the 6G network and future other networks, the network elements corresponding to the terminal device, the access network element, the mobility management network element and the session management network element can also be other names, and the embodiments of the present application do not make a specific limitation thereon.

[0064] In some scenarios, the interaction between some network elements supports a service interface (for example, see FIG. 2), but the N1 interface between the terminal device and the mobility management network element and the N2 interface between the access network element and the mobility management network element still use traditional reference points for interaction. Due to the fact that the evolution of the service-based architecture is not complete, the terminal device still accesses the network through the N1 interface from the mobility management network element, which leads to the fact that the dedicated interface design of the terminal device and the mobility management network element is still very complex. For example, any interaction between the terminal device and the core network needs to be performed through a non-access NAS message, and the NAS message is carried in an AS message and sent by the terminal device to the access network element, that is, the transmission of the NAS message is always accompanied by the transmission of the AS message, and therefore, the transmission overhead of the AS message required for the terminal device to transmit the NAS message to the core network is large.

[0065] Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, a first network element is introduced in the embodiments of the present application, and accordingly, the first network element can represent the terminal device to communicate (for example, transmit a first NAS message and / or a second NAS message) with a second network element through a service interface. The first network element and the terminal device can communicate based on a user plane, that is, the information transmitted between the first network element and the terminal device is user plane data (for example, first user plane data and / or second user plane data in the following), which helps to reduce the transmission overhead of the AS message compared with the traditional scheme of transmitting the NAS message based on the AS message.

[0066] In some implementations, the first network element and the terminal device can communicate based on a user plane, which can be understood as that the first network element and the terminal device transmit the NAS message (for example, the first NAS message and / or the second NAS message introduced below) through an internet protocol (IP) link, or in other words, the NAS message (for example, the first NAS message and / or the second NAS message introduced below) transmitted between the first network element and the terminal device is carried in an IP data packet.

[0067] In some scenarios, the first network element can be a network element located in a core network, and thus the first network element is also referred to as a "first core network element". In other scenarios, the first network element can be a network element located in an operator network. In yet other scenarios, the first network element can be understood as a function for a virtual terminal device to communicate with the second network element through a service interface. For example, the first network element can instantiate a virtual UE to represent an actual terminal device to communicate with the second network element through the service interface. Thus, the first network element is also referred to as a "virtual UE function (VUEF)".

[0068] In some scenarios, the second network element can be a network element located in a core network, and thus the second network element is also referred to as a "second core network element". In other scenarios, the second network element can be a network element located in an operator network. For example, the second network element can include one or more of a mobility management network element, a session management network element, a policy control network element, and a positioning management network element. The mobility management network element can include, for example, a 6G MM (see FIG. 2) or an AMF. The session management network element can include, for example, a 6G SM (see FIG. 2) or an SMF.

[0069] Taking uplink transmission as an example, the first network element receives IP data from a terminal device and obtains a NAS message (also referred to as a second NAS message) from the IP data. Then, the first network element sends the second NAS message to a corresponding network element (i.e., the second network element) on behalf of the terminal device through a service interface.

[0070] Taking downlink transmission as an example, the first network element receives a NAS message (also referred to as a second NAS message) sent by the second network element through a service interface, carries the second NAS message in IP data, and sends the IP data to the terminal device. Accordingly, the terminal device can obtain the NAS message (also referred to as the second NAS message) from the IP data.

[0071] In the embodiments of the present application, since the first network element can interact with a core network element (as an example of the second network element) on behalf of a terminal device, the network topology information (e.g., the topology information between network elements in a core network (or an operator network)) can be shielded from the terminal device, which is beneficial to improve the security of the network.

[0072] In some implementations, the terminal device can communicate with the first network element through the access network element (see FIG. 3). The communication between the terminal device and the access network element can be transmitted through a data radio bearer (DRB), which is different from the conventional scheme in which the communication between the terminal device and the access network is based on the transmission of an AS message through a signalling radio bearer (SRB), and helps to reduce the signalling overhead of transmitting the AS message.

[0073] The transmission mode among the terminal device, the access network element, and the first network element in the embodiments of the present application is introduced above. The protocol stack applicable to the terminal device, the access network element, and the first network element in the embodiments of the present application is introduced below in combination with FIG. 4.

[0074] In some implementations, the first network element includes a first protocol layer, and the first protocol layer is configured to transmit the NAS message carried on the IP connection with the terminal device, and / or the terminal device includes the first protocol layer, and the first protocol layer is configured to transmit the NAS message carried on the IP connection with the first network element. Therefore, referring to FIG. 4, the first protocol layer is also referred to as a NAS over IP protocol layer.

[0075] In some implementations, the first network element includes a second protocol layer, and the first protocol layer is located above the second protocol layer, and the second protocol layer is configured to establish an IP connection with the UPF. In some implementations, the terminal device includes the second protocol layer, and the first protocol layer is located above the second protocol layer, and the second protocol layer is configured to establish an IP connection with the UPF. In some implementations, the UPF can include the second protocol layer, and the first protocol layer is located above the second protocol layer, and the second protocol layer is configured to establish an IP connection with the terminal device and / or the first network element. In some scenarios, referring to FIG. 4, the second protocol layer is also referred to as an IP layer.

[0076] In some implementations, the terminal device can include a third protocol layer, and the third protocol layer is configured to establish a DRB with the access network element, and / or the access network element can include the third protocol layer, and the access network element is configured to establish a DRB with the terminal device. In some scenarios, the third protocol layer can be referred to as a 5G-AN protocol layer.

[0077] It should be noted that only several protocol layers related to the embodiments of the present application are introduced above, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit other protocol layers contained in the terminal device, the access network element and the first network element. For example, continuing to refer to FIG. 4, the access network element can further include one or more protocol layers for communicating with the UPF: a general packet radio service tunneling protocol / user plane (GTP / U) layer; a user datagram protocol / IP (UDP / IP) layer; a layer 2 and a layer 1. Correspondingly, the UPF can further include one or more protocol layers for communicating with the access network element: the GTP / U; the UDP / IP layer; the layer 2 and the layer 1. The first network element can further include one or more protocol layers for communicating with the UPF: an IP layer; a layer 2 and a layer 1.

[0078] The protocol stacks applicable to the network devices in the embodiments of the present application are introduced above in combination with FIG. 4. The method of wireless communication in the embodiments of the present application is introduced below in combination with FIG. 5. It should be noted that the method shown in FIG. 5 is used in combination with the protocol stacks and the communication system introduced above, and the communication modes between the communication devices involved in FIG. 5 can be referred to the related introduction above, for example, the transmission mode between the terminal device and the first network element, the communication mode between the terminal device and the first network element through the access network element, and the like. For brevity, the details are not described below.

[0079] FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of the method of wireless communication in the embodiments of the present application. The method shown in FIG. 5 includes step S510 and / or step S520.

[0080] In step S510, the terminal device sends first user plane data carrying a first NAS message to the first network element, and the first network element sends the first NAS message to the second network element through the service-based interface on behalf of the terminal device.

[0081] That is to say, in the uplink transmission direction, the terminal device sends the first user plane data to the first network element, and the first user plane data carries the first NAS message. Correspondingly, the first network element can send the first NAS message to the second network element through the service-based interface.

[0082] In some implementations, the terminal device sends the first user plane data carrying the first NAS message to the first network element, and the first user plane data can include one or more data packets, that is to say, the terminal device sends one or more data packets to the first network element, and the one or more data packets carry the first NAS message.

[0083] In some implementations, the terminal device sends the first user plane data carrying the first NAS message to the first network element, which can be replaced by the terminal device sending the first NAS message to the first network element based on a user plane.

[0084] In some implementations, the first network element sends the first NAS message to the second network element on behalf of the terminal device through the service-based interface, which can be understood as that the first network element can virtually instantiate a UE to represent the actual terminal device, so as to send the first NAS message to the second network element through the service-based interface. For related description, please refer to the description in combination with FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 above.

[0085] In some implementations, the terminal device can send the first user plane data carrying the first NAS message to the first network element through the access network element, and accordingly, the first user plane data transmitted between the terminal device and the access network element can be transmitted through a DRB. For related description, please refer to the description in combination with FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 above.

[0086] In step S520, the first network element sends the second user plane data carrying the second NAS message to the terminal device, and the first network element obtains the second NAS message from the second network element on behalf of the terminal device through the service-based interface.

[0087] That is to say, in the downlink transmission direction, the first network element can receive the second NAS message sent by the second network element through the service-based interface on behalf of the terminal device, and send the second user plane data carrying the second NAS message to the terminal device.

[0088] In some implementations, the first network element sends the second user plane data carrying the second NAS message to the terminal device, wherein the second user plane data can include one or more data packets, that is, the terminal device sends one or more data packets to the first network element, and the one or more data packets carry the second NAS message.

[0089] In some implementations, the first network element sends the second user plane data carrying the second NAS message to the terminal device, which can be replaced by the first network element sending the second NAS message to the terminal device based on a user plane.

[0090] In some implementations, the first network element sends the first NAS message to the second network element on behalf of the terminal device through the service-based interface, which can be understood as that the first network element can virtually instantiate a UE to represent the actual terminal device, so as to send the first NAS message to the second network element through the service-based interface. For related description, please refer to the description in combination with FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 above.

[0091] In some implementations, the terminal device can receive, through the access network element, the second user plane data carrying the second NAS message sent by the first network element. Accordingly, the second user plane data transmitted between the terminal device and the access network element can be transmitted through a DRB. For details, refer to the description of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4.

[0092] The communication process between the terminal device and the first network element in the embodiments of the present application is introduced above. The scheme for determining the first network element in the embodiments of the present application is introduced below.

[0093] In some implementations, the first network element is determined based on one or more of the following information: preconfigured information of the terminal device; configuration information sent by the mobility management network element; and configuration information sent by the policy control network element.

[0094] Taking determination of the first network element based on the preconfigured information of the terminal device as an example, in some implementations, the preconfigured information of the terminal device can include information preconfigured when the terminal device is manufactured. For example, the preconfigured information can include information preconfigured in a subscriber identity module (SIM) card of the terminal device when the terminal device is manufactured. For another example, the preconfigured information can include information preconfigured in the terminal device when the terminal device is manufactured.

[0095] In some other implementations, the preconfigured information of the terminal device can include information preconfigured for the terminal device through remote configuration. For example, the preconfigured information can include information configured remotely using an open mobile alliance (OMA) protocol.

[0096] In the embodiments of the present application, the preconfigured information is not limited. For example, the preconfigured information can be used to indicate a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the first network element and / or an IP address of the first network element.

[0097] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can determine the first network element based on the preconfigured information, which helps to simplify the process of determining the first network element. This will be introduced below in combination with FIG. 9.

[0098] Taking determination of the first network element based on the configuration information sent by the mobility management network element as an example, that is, the first network element can be configured for the terminal device by the mobility management network element, which helps to improve the rationality of configuring the first network element.

[0099] In some implementations, the mobility management network element can determine the first network element serving the terminal device from the plurality of first network elements based on a location of the terminal device and a service range of each of the plurality of first network elements, wherein the first network element serving the terminal device can be a network element of the plurality of first network elements whose service range includes the location of the terminal device.

[0100] In some other implementations, the mobility management network element can determine the first network element serving the terminal device from the plurality of first network elements based on a distance between each of the plurality of first network elements and the terminal device, wherein the first network element serving the terminal device can be a network element of the plurality of first network elements that is closest to the terminal device.

[0101] In some other implementations, the mobility management network element can determine the first network element serving the terminal device from the plurality of first network elements based on a load of each of the plurality of first network elements, wherein the first network element serving the terminal device can be a network element of the plurality of first network elements that has the smallest load.

[0102] In some implementations, the configuration information sent by the mobility management network element can be carried in a registration response message, which will be described below in conjunction with FIG. 6 and FIG. 8.

[0103] In the embodiments of the present application, the manner in which the mobility management network element obtains the first network element is not limited. In some implementations, the first network element can be requested by the mobility management network element from a fourth network element.

[0104] That is, the above method further includes: the mobility management network element sending a third request to the fourth network element, the third request being used to request the first network element serving the terminal device. Correspondingly, the fourth network element sends a third response message to the mobility management network element in response to the third request, the third response message being used to indicate the first network element serving the terminal device.

[0105] In some implementations, the third request can carry identification information (for example, a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI)) of the terminal device.

[0106] In some implementations, the third response message can carry the FQDN of the first network element and / or the IP address of the first network element.

[0107] In some implementations, the fourth network element can be a data storage network element, which can include a UDM and / or a NRF, for example.

[0108] Of course, in the embodiment of the present application, the mobility management network element can select the first network element for the terminal device based on the locally stored information of the first network element, wherein the locally stored information of the first network element may, for example, include the FQDN of the first network element and / or the IP address of the first network element.

[0109] For example, the first network element is determined based on the configuration information sent by the policy control network element, that is, the first network element is configured for the terminal device by the policy control network element, which helps to improve the rationality of configuring the first network element.

[0110] In some implementations, the policy control network element can determine the first network element providing service for the terminal device from a plurality of first network elements based on the location of the terminal device and the service range of the first network element, wherein the first network element providing service for the terminal device can be the network element whose service range includes the location of the terminal device among the plurality of first network elements.

[0111] In other implementations, the policy control network element can determine the first network element providing service for the terminal device from a plurality of first network elements based on the distance between each network element in the plurality of first network elements and the terminal device, wherein the first network element providing service for the terminal device can be the network element closest to the terminal device among the plurality of first network elements.

[0112] In other implementations, the policy control network element can determine the first network element providing service for the terminal device from a plurality of first network elements based on the load of each first network element in the plurality of first network elements, wherein the first network element providing service for the terminal device can be the network element with the smallest load among the plurality of first network elements.

[0113] In some implementations, the configuration information sent by the policy control network element can be carried in the UE policy, which will be described below in conjunction with FIG. 7.

[0114] In the embodiment of the present application, the manner in which the policy control network element obtains the first network element is not limited. In some implementations, the first network element can be requested by the policy control network element from the fourth network element.

[0115] That is, the above method further includes: the policy control network element sends a third request to the fourth network element, the third request being used to request the first network element providing service for the terminal device. Correspondingly, the fourth network element sends a third response message to the policy control network element in response to the third request, the third response message being used to indicate the first network element providing service for the terminal device.

[0116] In some implementations, the third request can carry the identification information (for example, SUPI) of the terminal device.

[0117] In some implementations, the third response message can carry the FQDN of the first network element and / or the IP address of the first network element.

[0118] In some implementations, the fourth network element can be a data storage network element, where the data storage network element can include a UDM and / or an NRF, for example.

[0119] Of course, in the embodiments of the present application, the policy control network element can select the first network element for the terminal device based on the locally stored information of the first network element, where the locally stored information of the first network element can include the FQDN of the first network element and / or the IP address of the first network element, for example.

[0120] The above introduces the manner of determining the first network element in the embodiments of the present application, and the following introduces the scheme of requesting the first network element to provide services for the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application in combination with manner 1 and manner 2. It should be noted that the scheme of requesting the first network element to provide services for the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be used in combination with the above several schemes of determining the first network element, and the following will be described in combination with FIG. 6-FIG. 9 taking the uplink transmission scenario as an example. Of course, the scheme of requesting the first network element to provide services for the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be used independently of each other with the above several schemes of determining the first network element.

[0121] Manner 1: The mobility management network element requests the first network element to provide services for the terminal device.

[0122] In some implementations, the above method further includes: the mobility management network element sending a first request to the first network element, where the first request is used to request the first network element to communicate (for example, transmit the first NAS message and / or the second NAS message) with the second network element on behalf of the terminal device through the service interface.

[0123] As described above, the first network element can activate a virtual UE instance to communicate on behalf of the terminal device, and therefore, the first request can also be referred to as an “activate virtual UE request”.

[0124] In some implementations, the first request includes one or more of the following information: information of the terminal device; information of the mobility management network element; information of the second network element.

[0125] In some implementations, the information of the terminal device includes terminal device identification information, where the terminal device identification information can be a SUPI, for example.

[0126] In some implementations, the information of the mobility management network element can include a mobility management network element identifier and / or a mobility management network element name, for example, so that the first network element can store the information of the mobility management network element in the context of the terminal device.

[0127] In some implementations, the information of the second network element may, for example, comprise an identity of the information of the second network element and / or an IP address of the information of the second network element, so that the first network element determines the second network element.

[0128] It should be noted that if the second network element is a mobility management network element, the information of the second network element and the information of the mobility management network element can be understood as the same information.

[0129] In some implementations, the method further comprises: sending, by the first network element, a first response message for the first request to the mobility management network element, the first response message being used to indicate that the first network element allows the terminal device to communicate with the second network element through the service-based interface, or in other words, the first response message being used to indicate that the first network element allows to create a terminal device instance to communicate with the second network element through the service-based interface on behalf of the terminal device.

[0130] In some implementations, the method further comprises: sending, by the terminal device, a first request to the first network element, the first request being used to request the first network element to communicate with the second network element through the service-based interface on behalf of the terminal device (for example, transmitting the first NAS message and / or the second NAS message).

[0131] In some implementations, the method further comprises: sending, by the terminal device, a first request to the first network element, the first request being used to request the first network element to communicate with the second network element through the service-based interface on behalf of the terminal device (for example, transmitting the first NAS message and / or the second NAS message).

[0132] As described above, the first network element can activate a virtual UE instance to communicate on behalf of the terminal device, and therefore, the first request can also be referred to as an "activate virtual UE request".

[0133] In some implementations, the first request comprises information of the terminal device, wherein the information of the terminal device comprises terminal device identification information. Accordingly, the terminal device identification information may, for example, be a SUPI.

[0134] In some implementations, the method further comprises: sending, by the first network element, a first response message for the first request to the mobility management network element, the first response message being used to indicate that the first network element allows the terminal device to communicate with the second network element through the service-based interface, or in other words, the first response message being used to indicate that the first network element allows to create a terminal device instance to communicate with the second network element through the service-based interface on behalf of the terminal device.

[0135] As described above, in the manner 1, the first network element can obtain the information of the second network element from the mobility management network element. In the embodiments of the present application, the manner in which the first network element obtains the information of the second network element is not limited. It should be understood that the schemes for determining the second network element described below can be used in combination with the schemes for requesting the first network element to provide services for the terminal device described above, and / or the schemes for determining the first network element described above. The schemes for determining the second network element will be described below in combination with FIGS. 6 to 9. Of course, in the embodiments of the present application, the schemes for determining the second network element can be used alone.

[0136] In some implementations, the first network element can obtain the information of the second network element from a third network element. That is, the above method further includes: the first network element sends a second request to the third network element, the second request being used to request the second network element providing service for the terminal device; and the first network element receives a second response message sent by the third network element for the second request, the second response message being used to indicate the second network element.

[0137] In some implementations, the third network element can be a network element located in a core network, for example, the third network element includes a mobility management network element, an NRF, a UDM, etc. Of course, in the embodiments of the present application, the third network element can be other network elements storing the information of the second network element.

[0138] In some implementations, the information of the second network element may, for example, include identification information of the second network element, and / or an IP address of the second network element.

[0139] With the wide application of communication systems, different types of terminal devices have different capabilities, some terminal devices support service-based access through the first network element, and some terminal devices do not support service-based access through the first network element. Therefore, in order to improve the rationality of configuring the first network element for the terminal device, the terminal device can send second indication information to the mobility management network element to indicate whether the terminal device supports service-based access through the first network element. In some scenarios, the second indication information can also be referred to as "terminal capability information" or "service-based access identifier".

[0140] In some implementations, the second indication information can be sent to the mobility management network element, which will be introduced below in connection with FIG. 6. That is, the above method further includes: the target network element receives second indication information sent by the mobility management network element, the second indication information being used to indicate whether the terminal device supports service-based access through the first network element, and / or the second indication information being used to indicate whether the terminal device requests service-based access through the first network element. Therefore, the second indication information is also referred to as "service-based access identifier".

[0141] In some other implementations, the second indication information can be sent to the policy control network element through the mobility management network element, which will be introduced below in connection with FIG. 7. For example, the second indication information is carried in a UE policy control request and sent to the policy control network element by the mobility management network element.

[0142] For ease of understanding, the wireless communication method of the embodiments of the present application will be introduced below in connection with FIGS. 6 to 9, taking uplink transmission as an example. It is assumed that the first network element is VUEF and the mobility management network element is AMF. In the scheme shown in FIG. 6, the AMF is taken as an example to introduce the terminal device sending a first request to the first network element. The method shown in FIG. 6 includes steps S610 to S660.

[0143] In step S610, when the terminal device registers to the network, the terminal device sends a registration request message to the AMF through the access network element.

[0144] In some implementations, the registration of the terminal device to the network can include the initial registration of the terminal device to the network.

[0145] In some implementations, the registration request message is a NAS message, and accordingly, the terminal device sends an AS layer message (for example, a radio resource control (RRC) message) to the access network element, wherein the NAS message is included in the AS message. Accordingly, the access network element sends the NAS message to the AMF.

[0146] In some implementations, the registration request message includes a service access identifier, which is used to indicate that the terminal device has a service access capability, or which is used to indicate that the terminal device requests service access.

[0147] In step S615, the AMF sends a second request to the data storage network element to request to query the VUEF that provides services for the terminal device.

[0148] In some implementations, the second request carries one or more of the following: a terminal device identifier (for example, SUPI), information of the AMF, information of the second network element, wherein the related information can be referred to the above.

[0149] In step S620, the data storage network element sends the information of the VUEF to the AMF.

[0150] In some implementations, the information of the VUEF can include the FQDN of the VUEF and / or the IP address information of the VUEF.

[0151] In step S625, the AMF determines the VUEF that provides services for the terminal device.

[0152] In some implementations, the AMF can obtain the information of one or more VUEFs in step S620, at this time, the AMF can determine one VUEF that provides services for the terminal device from them, wherein the scheme of selecting the VUEF can be referred to the above.

[0153] It should be noted that steps S615 to S620 can also not be performed in the embodiments of the present application. For example, if the AMF is locally configured with the information of the VUEF, the determination of the VUEF that provides services for the terminal device by the AMF can include the determination of the VUEF that provides services for the terminal device by the AMF based on the locally configured information.

[0154] In step S630, the AMF sends a first request to the VUEF, the first request being used to request the VUEF to activate a virtual UE instance for the terminal device, the virtual UE instance being used to represent the terminal device to interact with the second network element via the service-based interface.

[0155] In some implementations, the first request can comprise terminal device information (e.g. SUPI), AMF information (e.g. AMF identity and / or AMF name).

[0156] In step S635, the VUEF saves the context of the terminal device.

[0157] In some implementations, the context of the terminal device can be used to save one or more of the following: terminal device information (e.g. SUPI), AMF information (e.g. AMF identity and / or AMF name) serving the terminal device.

[0158] In step S640, the VUEF sends a first response message to the AMF for the first request.

[0159] In some implementations, the first response message is used to indicate that the first network element allows the terminal device to communicate with the second network element via the service-based interface.

[0160] In step S645, the AMF sends a registration accept message to the terminal device.

[0161] In some implementations, the registration accept message is a NAS message sent to the terminal device via the access network element.

[0162] In some implementations, the registration accept message comprises information of the VUEF, e.g. FQDN of the VUEF and / or IP address of the VUEF.

[0163] In step S650, after the virtual UE instance is activated, the VUEF communicates with the second network element on behalf of the terminal device.

[0164] In some implementations, the information of the second network element can be obtained in step S630 by obtaining the AMF information serving the UE.

[0165] In some other implementations, if the second network element is other than the AMF (e.g. session management network element information, positioning management network element information, policy control network element information, etc.), the first request further carries information of the second network element so as to allow the VUEF to determine the second network element.

[0166] In some other implementations, the VUEF can further query the second network element information from a third network element (e.g. AMF, UDM), wherein the second network element comprises session management network element information, positioning management network element information, policy control network element information, etc.

[0167] In step S655, the VUEF receives the IP data from the terminal device.

[0168] In some implementations, the NAS message is carried in the IP packet payload. The data packets exchanged between the terminal device and the VUEF are transmitted in the user plane (may be referred to as "user plane data"). Accordingly, the data packets are transmitted through the DRB in the air interface, and thus the AS layer signaling overhead can be reduced.

[0169] In step S660, the VUEF sends the NAS message to the second network element on behalf of the terminal device through the service-based interface.

[0170] In some implementations, taking the AMF as an example of the second network element, the VUEF obtains the NAS message from the IP packet and sends the NAS message to the AMF.

[0171] In the embodiments of the present application, the corresponding virtual UE instance is established for the terminal device in the network when the terminal device is initially registered, and the virtual UE instance represents the actual terminal device and interacts with the second network element (for example, a mobility management network element, a session management network element, or a positioning management network element) through the service-based interface. Since the data packets exchanged between the terminal device and the VUEF are transmitted in the user plane and are transmitted through the DRB in the air interface, the AS layer (access layer) signaling interaction can be reduced, and the signaling overhead can be reduced.

[0172] In addition, the VUEF can also shield the network element information deployed in the network for the ordinary terminal device, that is, the network topology structure information can be shielded for the terminal device, which is beneficial to the security of the operator network.

[0173] The schemes shown in FIGS. 7-9 are introduced by taking the terminal device requesting the VUEF to communicate with the second network element on behalf of the terminal device as an example. The schemes shown in FIGS. 7-9 differ in the way the VUEF is configured for the terminal device. The scheme shown in FIG. 7 is introduced by taking the PCF as an example of the VUEF configured for the terminal device. The method shown in FIG. 7 includes steps S710-S750.

[0174] In step S710, when the terminal device is registered to the network, the terminal device sends a registration request message to the AMF through the access network element.

[0175] In some implementations, the registration of the terminal device to the network can include the initial registration of the terminal device to the network.

[0176] In some implementations, the registration request message is a NAS message, and accordingly, the terminal device sends an AS layer message (for example, an RRC message) to the access network element, wherein the AS message includes the NAS message. Accordingly, the access network element sends the NAS message to the AMF.

[0177] In some implementations, the service access identifier is included in the registration request message, and the service access identifier is used to indicate that the terminal device has a service access capability, or the service access identifier is used to indicate that the terminal device requests service access.

[0178] In step S715, the AMF sends a registration acceptance message to the terminal device.

[0179] In step S720, the AMF sends a UE policy control request to the PCF, and the UE policy control request carries the service access identifier.

[0180] In step S725, the PCF sends a UE policy to the terminal device, and the UE policy carries information of the VUEF.

[0181] In some implementations, the information of the VUEF can refer to the FQDN of the VUEF and / or the IP address of the VUEF.

[0182] In step S730, the terminal device sends a first request to the VUEF.

[0183] In some implementations, the first request is used to request the first network element to communicate with the second network element on behalf of the terminal device through the service interface, or in other words, the first request is used to request the VUEF to activate a virtual UE instance for the terminal device.

[0184] In some implementations, the first request includes information of the terminal device, such as identification information of the terminal device.

[0185] In step S735, the VUEF activates a virtual UE instance for the terminal device, and obtains network element information (i.e., the second network element) serving the terminal device.

[0186] In some implementations, the VUEF can query the UDM based on the information of the terminal device (e.g., the identification of the terminal device) to obtain information of the NF serving the terminal device. The second network element can be session management network element information, positioning management network element information, policy control network element information, etc.

[0187] In step S740, the VUEF sends a first response message to the terminal device in response to the first request.

[0188] In some implementations, the first response message is used to indicate that the first network element allows the terminal device to communicate with the second network element through the service interface on behalf of the terminal device.

[0189] In step S745, the VUEF receives IP data from the terminal device.

[0190] In some implementations, the NAS message is carried in the IP packet payload. The data packets exchanged between the terminal device and the VUEF are transmitted in the user plane (may be referred to as “user plane data”). Accordingly, the data packets are transmitted over the air interface through a DRB, and therefore the signaling overhead of the AS layer can be reduced.

[0191] In step S750, the VUEF sends the NAS message to the second network element on behalf of the terminal device through the service-based interface.

[0192] In some implementations, taking the second network element as an example of an AMF, the VUEF obtains the NAS message from the IP packet and sends the NAS message to the AMF.

[0193] In the embodiments of the present application, a corresponding virtual UE instance is established for the terminal device in the network at the time of initial registration of the terminal device, and the virtual UE instance represents the actual terminal device and interacts with the second network element (for example, a mobility management network element, a session management network element, or a positioning management network element) through a service-based interface. Since the data packets exchanged between the terminal device and the VUEF are transmitted in the user plane and are transmitted over the air interface through a DRB, the signaling interaction of the AS layer (access layer) can be reduced, and the signaling overhead can be reduced.

[0194] In addition, the VUEF can also shield the network element information deployed in the network from the ordinary terminal device, that is, the network topology information can be shielded from the terminal device, which is beneficial to the security of the operator network.

[0195] In another aspect, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device actively sends a first request to request the first network element to communicate with the second network element on behalf of the terminal device through a service-based interface, which helps to reduce the modification of other network elements.

[0196] The scheme shown in FIG. 8 takes the AMF as an example to introduce the configuration of the VUEF for the terminal device. The method shown in FIG. 8 includes steps S810 to S840.

[0197] In step S810, when the terminal device registers to the network, the terminal device sends a registration request message to the AMF through an access network element.

[0198] In some implementations, the registration of the terminal device to the network can include initial registration of the terminal device to the network.

[0199] In some implementations, the registration request message is a NAS message, and accordingly, the terminal device sends an AS layer message (for example, an RRC message) to the access network element, wherein the AS message includes the NAS message. Accordingly, the access network element sends the NAS message to the AMF.

[0200] In some implementations, the registration request message includes a service access identifier indicating that the terminal device has a service access capability, or the service access identifier indicating that the terminal device requests service access.

[0201] In step S815, the AMF sends a registration accept message to the terminal device.

[0202] In some implementations, the registration accept message is a NAS message sent to the terminal device by the access network element.

[0203] In some implementations, the registration accept message includes information of the VUEF, such as the FQDN of the VUEF and / or the IP address of the VUEF.

[0204] In step S820, the terminal device sends a first request to the VUEF based on the information of the VUEF.

[0205] In some implementations, the first request is used to request the first network element to communicate with the second network element on behalf of the terminal device through the service interface, or in other words, the first request is used to request the VUEF to activate a virtual UE instance for the terminal device.

[0206] In some implementations, the first request can include terminal device information (such as SUPI) and AMF information (such as AMF identifier and / or AMF name).

[0207] In step S825, the VUEF activates a virtual UE instance for the terminal device and obtains network element information (i.e., the second network element) serving the terminal device.

[0208] In some implementations, the VUEF can query the UDM based on the information of the terminal device (such as the identifier of the terminal device) to obtain information of NFs serving the terminal device. The second network element can be session management network element information, positioning management network element information, policy control network element information, etc.

[0209] In step S830, the VUEF sends a first response message to the terminal device in response to the first request.

[0210] In some implementations, the first response message is used to indicate that the first network element allows the terminal device to communicate with the second network element through the service interface on behalf of the terminal device.

[0211] In step S835, the VUEF receives IP data from the terminal device.

[0212] In some implementations, the NAS message is carried in the IP packet payload. The data packets exchanged between the terminal device and the VUEF are transmitted in the user plane (may be referred to as "user plane data"). Accordingly, the data packets are transmitted over the air interface through a DRB, and thus the signaling overhead of the AS layer can be reduced.

[0213] In step S840, the VUEF sends the NAS message to the second network element on behalf of the terminal device through the service-based interface.

[0214] In some implementations, taking the second network element as an example of an AMF, the VUEF obtains the NAS message from the IP packet and sends the NAS message to the AMF.

[0215] In the embodiments of the present application, a corresponding virtual UE instance is established in the network for the terminal device at the time of initial registration of the terminal device. The virtual UE instance represents the actual terminal device and interacts with the second network element (for example, a mobility management network element, a session management network element, or a positioning management network element) through a service-based interface. Since the data packets exchanged between the terminal device and the VUEF are transmitted in the user plane and are transmitted over the air interface through a DRB, the signaling interaction of the AS layer (access layer) can be reduced, and the signaling overhead can be reduced.

[0216] In addition, the VUEF can also shield the network element information deployed in the network from the ordinary terminal device, that is, the network topology information can be shielded from the terminal device, which is beneficial to the security of the operator network.

[0217] In another aspect, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device actively sends a first request to request the first network element to communicate with the second network element on behalf of the terminal device through a service-based interface, which helps to reduce the modification of other network elements.

[0218] The scheme shown in FIG. 9 is introduced by taking the terminal device self-determining the VUEF as an example. The method shown in FIG. 9 includes steps S910 to S945.

[0219] In step S910, when the terminal device registers to the network, the terminal device sends a registration request message to the AMF through the access network element.

[0220] In some implementations, the registration of the terminal device to the network can include the initial registration of the terminal device to the network.

[0221] In some implementations, the registration request message is a NAS message, and accordingly, the terminal device sends an AS layer message (for example, an RRC message) to the access network element, wherein the AS message includes the NAS message. Accordingly, the access network element sends the NAS message to the AMF.

[0222] In some implementations, the service access identifier is included in the registration request message, and the service access identifier is used to indicate that the terminal device has a service access capability, or the service access identifier is used to indicate that the terminal device requests service access.

[0223] In step S915, the AMF sends a registration accept message to the terminal device.

[0224] In some implementations, the registration accept message is a NAS message, and is sent to the terminal device by the access network element.

[0225] In step S920, the terminal device determines the VUEF based on the preconfigured VUEF information. The preconfigured VUEF information can be referred to the description above.

[0226] In step S925, the terminal device sends a first request to the VUEF.

[0227] In some implementations, the first request is used to request the first network element to communicate with the second network element on behalf of the terminal device through the service interface, or in other words, the first request is used to request the VUEF to activate a virtual UE instance for the terminal device.

[0228] In some implementations, the first request can include terminal device information (such as SUPI), AMF information (such as AMF identifier and / or AMF name).

[0229] In step S930, the VUEF activates a virtual UE instance for the terminal device, and obtains the network element information (i.e. the second network element) serving the terminal device.

[0230] In some implementations, the VUEF can query the UDM based on the terminal device information (such as the terminal device identifier) to obtain the information of the NF serving the terminal device. The second network element can be a session management network element, a positioning management network element, a policy control network element, etc.

[0231] In step S935, the VUEF sends a first response message to the terminal device in response to the first request.

[0232] In some implementations, the first response message is used to indicate that the first network element allows the terminal device to communicate with the second network element through the service interface on behalf of the terminal device.

[0233] In step S940, the VUEF receives IP data from the terminal device.

[0234] In some implementations, the NAS message is carried in the IP packet payload. The data packets that the terminal device interacts with the VUEF are transmitted in the user plane (may be referred to as "user plane data"). Accordingly, the data packets are transmitted through the DRB in the air interface, and therefore the AS layer signaling overhead can be reduced.

[0235] In step S945, the VUEF sends the NAS message to the second network element on behalf of the terminal device through the service-based interface.

[0236] In some implementations, taking the second network element as an example of an AMF, the VUEF obtains the NAS message from the IP packet and sends the NAS message to the AMF.

[0237] In the embodiments of the present application, a corresponding virtual UE instance is established in the network for the terminal device at the same time when the terminal device is initially registered. The virtual UE instance represents the actual terminal device and interacts with the second network element (for example, a mobility management network element, a session management network element, or a positioning management network element) through a service-based interface. Since the data packets that the terminal device interacts with the VUEF are transmitted in the user plane and are transmitted through the DRB in the air interface, the AS layer (access layer) signaling interaction can be reduced, and the signaling overhead can be reduced.

[0238] In addition, the VUEF can also shield the network element information deployed in the network from the ordinary terminal device, that is, the network topology structure information can be shielded from the terminal device, which is beneficial to the security of the operator network.

[0239] In another aspect, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device actively sends the first request to request the first network element to communicate with the second network element on behalf of the terminal device through the service-based interface, which helps to reduce the modification of other network elements.

[0240] It should be noted that the network elements involved in the embodiments of the present application can be various network elements in the 5G system architecture (for example, the network elements in the communication system shown in FIG. 1). Of course, the network elements involved in the embodiments of the present application can be various network elements with similar or identical functions in future system architectures (for example, 6G). In the embodiments of the present application, the names of the various network elements are not limited.

[0241] The method embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in combination with FIGS. 1 to 9, and the device embodiments of the present application are described in detail below in combination with FIGS. 10 to 13. It should be understood that the description of the method embodiments corresponds to the description of the device embodiments, and therefore the parts not described in detail can be referred to the foregoing method embodiments.

[0242] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application. The terminal device 1000 shown in FIG. 10 includes a sending unit 1010 and / or a receiving unit 1020.

[0243] The sending unit 1010 is configured to send first user plane data carrying a first NAS message to a first network element, so that the first network element sends the first NAS message to a second network element through a service interface on behalf of the terminal device.

[0244] The receiving unit 1020 is configured to receive second user plane data carrying a second NAS message sent by the first network element, so that the first network element obtains the second NAS message from the second network element through a service interface on behalf of the terminal device.

[0245] In some implementations, the first network element is determined based on one or more of the following information: preconfigured information of the terminal device; configuration information sent by a mobility management network element; configuration information sent by a policy control network element.

[0246] In some implementations, the first network element is determined based on the configuration information sent by the mobility management network element, and the configuration information is carried in a registration response message.

[0247] In some implementations, the first network element is determined based on the configuration information sent by the policy control network element, and the configuration information is carried in a UE policy.

[0248] In some implementations, the sending unit is further configured to send a first request to the first network element, so that the first network element communicates with the second network element through a service interface on behalf of the terminal device.

[0249] In some implementations, the first request includes information of the terminal device.

[0250] In some implementations, the sending unit is further configured to send a first response message to the terminal device in response to the first request, so that the first response message indicates that the first network element allows to communicate with the second network element through a service interface on behalf of the terminal device.

[0251] In some implementations, the sending unit is further configured to send first indication information to a mobility management network element, so that the first indication information indicates that the terminal device supports service access through the first network element, and / or the first indication information indicates that the terminal device requests service access through the first network element.

[0252] In some implementations, the first indication information is carried in a registration request.

[0253] In some implementations, the second network element includes one or more of the following: a session management network element, a positioning management network element, and a policy control network element.

[0254] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application. The network device 1100 shown in FIG. 11 is a first network element, and the network device 1100 includes a receiving unit 1110 and / or a sending unit 1120.

[0255] The receiving unit 1110 is configured to receive, from a terminal device, first user plane data carrying a first non-access stratum (NAS) message, and the first network element is configured to send, on behalf of the terminal device, the first NAS message to a second network element via a service-based interface.

[0256] The sending unit 1120 is configured to send, to the terminal device, second user plane data carrying a second NAS message, and the first network element is configured to obtain, on behalf of the terminal device, the second NAS message from the second network element via the service-based interface.

[0257] In some embodiments, the first network element is determined based on one or more of the following: preconfigured information of the terminal device; configuration information sent by a mobility management network element; configuration information sent by a policy control network element.

[0258] In some embodiments, the first network element is determined based on the configuration information sent by the mobility management network element, and the configuration information is carried in a registration response message.

[0259] In some embodiments, the first network element is determined based on the configuration information sent by the policy control network element, and the configuration information is carried in a UE policy.

[0260] In some embodiments, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a first request sent by a mobility management network element, and the first request is used to request the first network element to communicate with the second network element on behalf of the terminal device via the service-based interface.

[0261] In some embodiments, the first request includes one or more of the following: information of the terminal device; information of the mobility management network element; information of the second network element.

[0262] In some embodiments, the sending unit is further configured to send, to the mobility management network element, a first response message for the first request, and the first response message is used to indicate that the first network element allows to communicate with the second network element on behalf of the terminal device via the service-based interface.

[0263] In some embodiments, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a first request sent by the terminal device, and the first request is used to request the first network element to communicate with the second network element on behalf of the terminal device via the service-based interface.

[0264] In some embodiments, the first request includes information of the terminal device.

[0265] In some embodiments, the sending unit is further configured to send, to the terminal device, a first response message for the first request, the first response message being used to indicate that the first network element allows the terminal device to communicate with the second network element through the service-oriented interface.

[0266] In some embodiments, the sending unit is further configured to send, to a third network element, a second request for the second network element that provides services for the terminal device; and the receiving unit is further configured to receive a second response message for the second request sent by the third network element, the second response message being used to indicate the second network element.

[0267] In some embodiments, the third network element comprises a unified data management function.

[0268] In some embodiments, the second network element comprises one or more of a session management network element, a positioning management network element, and a policy control network element.

[0269] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application. The network device 1200 shown in FIG. 12 is a target network element, and the network device 1200 comprises a processing unit 1210.

[0270] The processing unit 1210 is configured to determine a first network element that provides services for a terminal device, the first network element being used to communicate with a second network element through a service-oriented interface on behalf of the terminal device, and the first network element being based on a user plane to send or receive NAS messages with the terminal device.

[0271] In some embodiments, the network device further comprises a first sending unit configured to send, to a fourth network element, a third request for the first network element that provides services for the terminal device; and a first receiving unit configured to receive a third response message for the third request sent by the fourth network element, the third response message being used to indicate the first network element that provides services for the terminal device.

[0272] In some embodiments, the fourth network element is a data storage network element.

[0273] In some embodiments, the network device further comprises a second sending unit configured to send, to the first network element, a first request for the first network element to communicate with the second network element through the service-oriented interface on behalf of the terminal device.

[0274] In some embodiments, the first request comprises one or more of the following information: information of the terminal device; information of the target network element; and information of the second network element.

[0275] In some embodiments, the network device further includes a second receiving unit, configured to receive a first response message sent by the first network element for the first request, the first response message being used to indicate that the first network element allows the terminal device to communicate with a second network element through a service interface.

[0276] In some embodiments, the network device further includes a third receiving unit, configured to receive first indication information sent by the terminal device, the first indication information being used to indicate that the terminal device supports service access through the first network element, and / or the first indication information being used to indicate that the terminal device requests service access through the first network element.

[0277] In some embodiments, the first indication information is carried in a registration request.

[0278] In some embodiments, the target network element is a mobility management network element.

[0279] In some embodiments, the network device further includes a fourth receiving unit, configured to receive second indication information sent by a mobility management network element, the second indication information being used to indicate that the terminal device supports service access through the first network element, and / or the second indication information being used to indicate that the terminal device requests service access through the first network element.

[0280] In some embodiments, the second indication information is carried in a UE policy control request.

[0281] In some embodiments, the target network element is a policy control network element.

[0282] In some embodiments, the network device further includes a fourth sending unit, configured to send configuration information to the terminal device, the configuration information being used to configure the terminal device with the first network element.

[0283] In some embodiments, if the target network element is a mobility management network element, the configuration information is carried in the registration response; if the target network element is a policy control network element, the configuration information is carried in a UE policy.

[0284] In some embodiments, the second network element includes one or more of a session management network element, a positioning management network element, and a policy control network element.

[0285] FIG. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. The dashed line in FIG. 13 indicates that the unit or module is optional. The apparatus 1300 can be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiments. The apparatus 1300 can be a chip, a terminal device, or a network device.

[0286] The apparatus 1300 can include one or more processors 1310. The processor 1310 can support the apparatus 1300 to implement the methods described in the foregoing method embodiments. The processor 1310 can be a general processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, the processor can be a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the processor can also be other general processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, etc. The general processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor.

[0287] The apparatus 1300 can also include one or more memories 1320. The memory 1320 stores programs, which can be executed by the processor 1310, so that the processor 1310 performs the methods described in the foregoing method embodiments. The memory 1320 can be independent of the processor 1310 or integrated in the processor 1310.

[0288] The apparatus 1300 can also include a transceiver 1330. The processor 1310 can communicate with other devices or chips through the transceiver 1330. For example, the processor 1310 can perform data transceiving with other devices or chips through the transceiver 1330.

[0289] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer readable storage medium for storing programs. The computer readable storage medium can be applied to the terminal or network device provided by the embodiments of the present application, and the programs make the computer execute the methods performed by the terminal or network device in the embodiments of the present application.

[0290] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product. The computer program product includes programs. The computer program product can be applied to the terminal or network device provided by the embodiments of the present application, and the programs make the computer execute the methods performed by the terminal or network device in the embodiments of the present application.

[0291] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program. The computer program can be applied to the terminal or network device provided by the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program makes the computer execute the methods performed by the terminal or network device in the embodiments of the present application.

[0292] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" can be used interchangeably in this application. In addition, the terms used in this application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of the application, and are not intended to limit the application. The terms "first", "second", "third", and "fourth" and the like in the specification and claims of the application and the drawings are used to distinguish different objects, and are not used to describe a particular order. In addition, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0293] In embodiments of the present application, the term "indicate" can be direct indication or indirect indication, or can represent an associated relationship. For example, A indicates B, which can mean that B can be obtained directly through A; or A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C; or A and B have an associated relationship.

[0294] In embodiments of the present application, "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A, and B can be determined according to A. However, it should also be understood that determining B according to A does not mean that B is determined only according to A, but B can also be determined according to A and / or other information.

[0295] In embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" can represent a direct or indirect corresponding relationship between the two, or can represent an associated relationship between the two, or can represent an indication and being indicated, configuration and being configured, and the like.

[0296] In embodiments of the present application, "predefined" or "preconfigured" can be achieved by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other information that can be used to indicate related information in devices (such as terminal devices and network devices), and the specific implementation of the present application is not limited. For example, predefinition can refer to definition in a protocol.

[0297] In embodiments of the present application, the "protocol" can refer to a standard protocol in the communication field, which can include LTE protocol, NR protocol and related protocols applied to future communication systems, and the present application is not limited thereto.

[0298] In embodiments of the present application, the term "and / or" is only used to describe the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can mean that A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this paper generally represents an "or" relationship between the front and rear associated objects.

[0299] In various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial number of the above processes does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of the processes should be determined by its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0300] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other manners. For example, the division of the above-described device embodiments is only a logical function division, and there can be another division manner for actual implementation, for example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections between different units, or between the different components, can be indirect couplings or communication connections through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0301] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, i.e., can be located in one place, or can be distributed on multiple network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiments.

[0302] In addition, each functional unit in the various embodiments of the present application can be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0303] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented 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 the present application are generated. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be read by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center and the like integrated with one or more available media sets. The available media can be magnetic media (for example, floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), optical media (for example, digital video disc (DVD)) or semiconductor media (for example, solid state disk (SSD)) and the like.

[0304] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical range disclosed in the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication, comprising: The method comprises: The terminal device sends first user plane data carrying a first NAS message to a first network element, and the first network element sends the first NAS message to a second network element on behalf of the terminal device through a service interface, and / or The terminal device receives second user plane data carrying a second NAS message sent by the first network element, and the first network element obtains the second NAS message from the second network element on behalf of the terminal device through a service interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first network element is determined based on one or more of the following information: Preconfigured information of the terminal device; Configuration information sent by a mobility management network element; Configuration information sent by a policy control network element.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first network element is determined based on the configuration information sent by the mobility management network element, and the configuration information is carried in a registration response message.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first network element is determined based on the configuration information sent by the policy control network element, and the configuration information is carried in a UE policy.

5. The method of any one of claims 1-4, wherein, The method further comprises: The terminal device sends a first request to the first network element, and the first request is used to request the first network element to communicate with the second network element on behalf of the terminal device through a service interface.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The first request comprises information of the terminal device.

7. The method of claim 5 or 6, wherein, The method further comprises: The first network element sends a first response message to the terminal device in response to the first request, and the first response message is used to indicate that the first network element allows to communicate with the second network element on behalf of the terminal device through a service interface.

8. The method of any one of claims 1-7, wherein, The method further comprises: The terminal device sends first indication information to a mobility management network element, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports service access through the first network element, and / or The first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device requests service access through the first network element.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The first indication information is carried in a registration request.

10. The method of any one of claims 1-9, wherein, The second network element comprises one or more of the following: a session management network element, a positioning management network element, and a policy control network element.

11. A method of wireless communication, comprising: The method comprises: A first network element receives first user plane data carrying a first non-access stratum (NAS) message from a terminal device, and the first network element sends the first NAS message to a second network element on behalf of the terminal device through a service interface, and / or The first network element sends second user plane data carrying a second NAS message to the terminal device, and the first network element obtains the second NAS message from the second network element on behalf of the terminal device through a service interface.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The first network element is determined based on one or more of the following information: Preconfigured information of the terminal device; Configuration information sent by a mobility management network element; Configuration information sent by a policy control network element.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The first network element is determined based on the configuration information sent by the mobility management network element, and the configuration information is carried in a registration response message.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein, The first network element is determined based on the configuration information sent by the policy control network element, and the configuration information is carried in a UE policy.

15. The method of any one of claims 11-14, wherein, The method further comprises: The first network element receives a first request sent by a mobility management network element, and the first request is used to request the first network element to communicate with the second network element through a service interface on behalf of the terminal device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The first request comprises one or more of the following information: Information of the terminal device; Information of the mobility management network element; Information of the second network element.

17. The method of claim 15 or 16, wherein, The method further comprises: The first network element sends a first response message to the mobility management network element for the first request, and the first response message is used to indicate that the first network element allows to communicate with the second network element through a service interface on behalf of the terminal device.

18. The method of any one of claims 11-14, wherein, The method further comprises: The first network element receives a first request sent by the terminal device, and the first request is used to request the first network element to communicate with the second network element through a service interface on behalf of the terminal device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, The first request comprises information of the terminal device.

20. The method of claim 18 or 19, wherein, The method further comprises: The first network element sends a first response message to the terminal device for the first request, and the first response message is used to indicate that the first network element allows to communicate with the second network element through a service interface on behalf of the terminal device.

21. The method of any one of claims 11-20, wherein, The method further comprises: The first network element sends a second request to a third network element, and the second request is used to request the second network element to provide services for the terminal device; The first network element receives a second response message sent by the third network element for the second request, and the second response message is used to indicate the second network element.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein, The third network element comprises a unified data management function.

23. The method of any one of claims 11-22, wherein, The second network element comprises one or more of the following: a session management network element, a positioning management network element, and a policy control network element.

24. A method of wireless communication, comprising: Comprise: A target network element determines a first network element to provide services for a terminal device, the first network element is used to communicate with a second network element through a service interface on behalf of the terminal device, and the first network element is based on a user plane to send or receive NAS messages with the terminal device.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein, The method further comprises: The target network element sends a third request to a fourth network element, and the third request is used to request the first network element to provide services for the terminal device; The target network element receives a third response message sent by the fourth network element for the third request, and the third response message is used to indicate the first network element to provide services for the terminal device.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein, The fourth network element is a data storage network element.

27. The method of any one of claims 24-26, wherein, The method further comprises: The target network element sends a first request to the first network element, and the first request is used to request the first network element to communicate with the second network element through a service interface on behalf of the terminal device.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein, The first request comprises one or more of the following information: Information of the terminal device; Information of the target network element; Information of the second network element.

29. The method of claim 27 or 28, wherein, The method further comprises: The target network element receives a first response message sent by the first network element for the first request, and the first response message is used to indicate that the first network element allows to communicate with the second network element through a service interface on behalf of the terminal device.

30. The method of any one of claims 24-29, wherein, The method further comprises: The target network element receives first indication information sent by the terminal device, the first indication information being used to indicate that the terminal device supports service-based access through the first network element, and / or The first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device requests service-based access through the first network element.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein, The first indication information is carried in a registration request.

32. The method of any one of claims 24-31, wherein, The target network element is a mobility management network element.

33. The method of claim 24, wherein, The method further comprises: The target network element receives second indication information sent by a mobility management network element, the second indication information being used to indicate that the terminal device supports service-based access through the first network element, and / or The second indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device requests service-based access through the first network element.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein, The second indication information is carried in a UE policy control request.

35. The method of claim 33 or 34, wherein, The target network element is a policy control network element.

36. The method of any one of claims 24-35, wherein, The method further comprises: The target network element sends configuration information to the terminal device, the configuration information being used to configure the terminal device with the first network element.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein, If the target network element is a mobility management network element, the configuration information is carried in the registration response. If the target network element is a policy control network element, the configuration information is carried in a UE policy.

38. The method of any one of claims 24-37, wherein, The second network element comprises one or more of the following: a session management network element, a positioning management network element, and a policy control network element.

39. A terminal device, comprising: Comprise: A sending unit configured to send first user plane data carrying a first NAS message to a first network element, the first network element being configured to send the first NAS message to a second network element through a service-based interface on behalf of the terminal device, and / or A receiving unit configured to receive second user plane data carrying a second NAS message sent by the first network element, the first network element being configured to obtain the second NAS message from the second network element through a service-based interface on behalf of the terminal device.

40. The terminal device of claim 39, wherein, The first network element is determined based on one or more of the following information: Preconfigured information of the terminal device; Configuration information sent by a mobility management network element; Configuration information sent by a policy control network element.

41. The terminal device of claim 40, wherein, The first network element is determined based on configuration information sent by the mobility management network element, the configuration information being carried in a registration response message.

42. The terminal device of claim 40, wherein, The first network element is determined based on configuration information sent by the policy control network element, the configuration information being carried in a UE policy.

43. The terminal device of any one of claims 39-42, wherein, The sending unit is further configured to: Send a first request to the first network element, the first request being used to request the first network element to communicate with the second network element through a service-based interface on behalf of the terminal device.

44. The terminal device of claim 43, wherein, The first request comprises information of the terminal device.

45. The terminal device according to claim 43 or 44, characterized by The sending unit is further configured to: Send a first response message to the terminal device in response to the first request, the first response message being used to indicate that the first network element is allowed to communicate with the second network element through a service-based interface on behalf of the terminal device.

46. The terminal device of any one of claims 39-45, wherein, The sending unit is further configured to: Send first indication information to a mobility management network element, the first indication information being used to indicate that the terminal device supports service-based access through the first network element, and / or The first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device requests service-based access through the first network element.

47. The terminal device according to claim 46, characterized by The first indication information is carried in a registration request.

48. The terminal device of any one of claims 39-47, wherein, The second network element comprises one or more of the following: a session management network element, a positioning management network element, and a policy control network element.

49. A network device, comprising: The network device is a first network element, comprising: a receiving unit, configured to receive, from a terminal device, first user plane data carrying a first non-access stratum (NAS) message, and send, by the first network element on behalf of the terminal device, the first NAS message to a second network element through a service-based interface, and / or a sending unit, configured to send, to the terminal device, second user plane data carrying a second NAS message, and obtain, by the first network element on behalf of the terminal device, the second NAS message from the second network element through the service-based interface.

50. The network device of claim 49, wherein, The first network element is determined based on one or more of the following information: preconfigured information of the terminal device; configuration information sent by a mobility management network element; configuration information sent by a policy control network element.

51. The network device of claim 50, wherein, The first network element is determined based on the configuration information sent by the mobility management network element, and the configuration information is carried in a registration response message.

52. The network device of claim 50, wherein, The first network element is determined based on the configuration information sent by the policy control network element, and the configuration information is carried in a UE policy.

53. The network device of any of claims 49-52, wherein, The receiving unit is further configured to: receive a first request sent by a mobility management network element, the first request being used to request the first network element to communicate with the second network element through the service-based interface on behalf of the terminal device.

54. The network device of claim 53, wherein, The first request comprises one or more of the following information: information of the terminal device; information of the mobility management network element; information of the second network element.

55. The network device of claim 53 or 54, wherein, The sending unit is further configured to: send, to the mobility management network element, a first response message for the first request, the first response message being used to indicate that the first network element allows to communicate with the second network element through the service-based interface on behalf of the terminal device. The receiving unit is further configured to:

56. The network device of any of claims 49-52, wherein, receive a first request sent by the terminal device, the first request being used to request the first network element to communicate with the second network element through the service-based interface on behalf of the terminal device. The first request comprises information of the terminal device.

57. The network device of claim 56, wherein, The sending unit is further configured to:

58. The network device of claim 56 or 57, wherein, send, to the terminal device, a first response message for the first request, the first response message being used to indicate that the first network element allows to communicate with the second network element through the service-based interface on behalf of the terminal device. The sending unit is further configured to send, to a third network element, a second request used to request the second network element providing a service for the terminal device.

59. The network device of any of claims 49-58, wherein, The receiving unit is further configured to receive a second response message sent by the third network element for the second request, the second response message being used to indicate the second network element. The third network element comprises a unified data management function.

60. The network device of claim 59, wherein, The second network element comprises one or more of the following: a session management network element, a positioning management network element, and a policy control network element.

61. The network device of any of claims 49-60, wherein, The network device is a target network element, comprising:

62. A network device, comprising: ​ The processing unit is configured to determine a first network element for providing a service for a terminal device, the first network element is configured to communicate with a second network element on behalf of the terminal device through a service interface, and the first network element is configured to transmit or receive a NAS message based on a user plane with the terminal device.

63. The network device of claim 62, wherein, The network device further includes: The first sending unit is configured to send a third request to a fourth network element, the third request is used to request the first network element for providing the service for the terminal device; The first receiving unit is configured to receive a third response message sent by the fourth network element for the third request, the third response message is used to indicate the first network element for providing the service for the terminal device.

64. The network device of claim 63, wherein, The fourth network element is a data storage network element.

65. The network device of any of claims 62-64, wherein, The network device further includes: The second sending unit is configured to send a first request to the first network element, the first request is used to request the first network element to communicate with a second network element on behalf of the terminal device through a service interface.

66. The network device of claim 65, wherein, The first request includes one or more of the following information: Information of the terminal device; Information of the target network element; Information of the second network element.

67. The network device of claim 65 or 66, wherein, The network device further includes: The second receiving unit is configured to receive a first response message sent by the first network element for the first request, the first response message is used to indicate that the first network element allows to communicate with a second network element on behalf of the terminal device through a service interface.

68. The network device of any of claims 62-67, wherein, The network device further includes: The third receiving unit is configured to receive first indication information sent by the terminal device, the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports service access through the first network element, and / or The first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device requests service access through the first network element.

69. The network device of claim 68, wherein, The first indication information is carried in a registration request.

70. The network device of any of claims 62-69, wherein, The target network element is a mobility management network element.

71. The network device of claim 62, wherein, The network device further includes: The fourth receiving unit is configured to receive second indication information sent by a mobility management network element, the second indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports service access through the first network element, and / or The second indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device requests service access through the first network element.

72. The network device of claim 71, wherein, The second indication information is carried in a UE policy control request.

73. The network device of claim 71 or 72, wherein, The target network element is a policy control network element.

74. The network device of any of claims 62-73, wherein, The network device further includes: The fourth sending unit is configured to send configuration information to the terminal device, the configuration information is used to configure the first network element for the terminal device.

75. The network device of claim 74, wherein, If the target network element is a mobility management network element, the configuration information is carried in the registration response; If the target network element is a policy control network element, the configuration information is carried in a UE policy.

76. The network device of any of claims 62-75, wherein, The second network element includes one or more of the following: a session management network element, a positioning management network element, and a policy control network element.

77. A terminal device, comprising: The terminal device includes a transceiver, a memory, and a processor, the memory is used to store a program, the processor is used to invoke the program in the memory and control the transceiver to receive or send a signal, so that the terminal device executes the method in any one of claims 1-10.

78. A network device, comprising: A network device comprising a transceiver, a memory for storing a program, and a processor for invoking the program in the memory and controlling the transceiver to receive or send a signal, so as to enable the network device to perform the method of any one of claims 11-23, or the method of any one of claims 24-38.

79. An apparatus comprising: A device comprising a processor for invoking a program from a memory, so as to enable the device to perform one of the method of any one of claims 1-10, the method of any one of claims 11-23, or the method of any one of claims 24-38.

80. A chip, comprising: A chip comprising a processor for invoking a program from a memory, so that the device installed with the chip performs one of the method of any one of claims 1-10, the method of any one of claims 11-23, or the method of any one of claims 24-38.

81. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising, A computer program stored thereon, which causes the computer to perform one of the method of any one of claims 1-10, the method of any one of claims 11-23, or the method of any one of claims 24-38.

82. A computer program product, characterised in that, A computer program product comprising a program, which causes a computer to perform one of the method of any one of claims 1-10, the method of any one of claims 11-23, or the method of any one of claims 24-38.

83. A computer program characterised in that, The computer program causes a computer to perform one of the method of any one of claims 1-10, the method of any one of claims 11-23, or the method of any one of claims 24-38.

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