Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed in the embodiments of the present application are a communication method and apparatus. The method comprises: acquiring a first rule, wherein the first rule is used for indicating that signaling of a terminal device requesting the acquisition of a service is routed to a central network or a subnet network; on the basis of the first rule, selecting a target serving network from the central network and the subnet network; and sending a first request to an access network device, wherein the first request is used for requesting the acquisition of a service, and the first request comprises first indication information, the first indication information being used for indicating the selected target serving network. By means of using the embodiments of the present application, a target serving network is selected from a central network and a subnet network on the basis of a first rule, such that an access network device can determine a network element, which is discovered by a first network element or a second network element and provides a service for a terminal device, and the routing error of signaling, which is sent by the terminal device for requesting the acquisition of a service, is avoided, thereby improving communication efficiency.

Description

Communication method and apparatus

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411031582.X, filed on July 30, 2024, with the State Intellectual Property Office of China, and the Chinese patent application No. 202411031582.X has the invention name of "A communication method and apparatus", the whole content of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, in particular to a communication method and apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] When a user equipment (UE) needs to request network function (NF) discovery, the NF is discovered through a network repository function (NRF) network element configured in advance. However, in the architecture of a distributed subnetwork, since a radio access network (RAN) device accesses a central network and a subnetwork at the same time, the RAN device is configured not only with the NRF network element of the central network, but also with the NRF network element of the subnetwork. After the UE sends a request to the RAN device, the RAN device cannot determine which NRF network element triggers the NF discovery, or if the RAN device performs discovery according to the default configured NRF network element, the selection of the NRF network element is wrong, which leads to the failure to discover the corresponding NF, and affects the communication efficiency. SUMMARY

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus, which can avoid the routing error of the signaling for requesting to obtain services sent by the UE, and improve the communication efficiency.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, which can be applied to the terminal side, such as a terminal device or a communication module in the terminal device, or a circuit or chip responsible for the communication function in the terminal device (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system on chip (SoC) chip or a system in package (SIP) chip containing a modem core). Taking the case that the method is applied to the terminal device, the method comprises:

[0006] obtain a first rule, the first rule being used to indicate that signaling of a terminal device requesting to obtain a service is routed to a central network or a subnet network; select a target service network from the central network and the subnet network based on the first rule; and send a first request to an access network device, the first request being used to request to obtain a service, the first request including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the selected target service network.

[0007] The terminal device selects a target service network from the central network and the subnet network based on the first rule, and indicates the selected target service network to the access network device, so that the access network device can determine that a certain network element in the central network or the subnet network provides a service to the terminal device, avoid incorrect routing of signaling of the terminal device requesting to obtain a service, and improve communication efficiency.

[0008] In a possible design, based on the first rule, a first network element or a second network element discovers a network element that provides a service to the terminal device, the first network element being a network element that is responsible for central network network function discovery and management of subnet network functions, and the second network element being a network element that is responsible for subnet network function discovery. By the first rule, the first network element or the second network element discovers a network element that provides a service to the terminal device, avoiding incorrect routing of signaling of the terminal device requesting to obtain a service, and improving communication efficiency.

[0009] In a possible design, the first rule includes service description information of a subnet network, an identifier of the subnet network, service description information of a central network, and an identifier of the central network, where one piece of service description information of the subnet network corresponds to at least one identifier of the subnet network, and the service description information of the central network corresponds to the identifier of the central network.

[0010] In a possible design, the service description information includes at least one of the following: a service type, a time delay, a packet loss rate, a bandwidth, a slice, a data network name DNN, a quality of service QoS requirement, a precision, or an accuracy.

[0011] In a possible design, it is determined whether a service requested to be obtained by the terminal device matches service description information of a subnet network in the first rule; and if the service requested to be obtained by the terminal device matches the service description information of the subnet network in the first rule, the subnet network is selected.

[0012] In a possible design, an identifier of a subnet network with a high priority is selected from at least one identifier of the subnet network; and the first indication information is determined according to the identifier of the subnet network with the high priority. By selecting a subnet network with a high priority, the quality of service provided by the subnet network is guaranteed.

[0013] In a possible design, the first rule further includes a preset condition; when the preset condition is met, the sub-network network is selected, where the preset condition includes that the terminal device is located within a service range of the sub-network network and / or within a service time period of the sub-network network. In this way, signaling sent by the terminal device to the sub-network network outside the service range of the sub-network network or outside the service time of the sub-network network is avoided, and signaling sending failure is avoided.

[0014] In a possible design, the first indication information includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the sub-network network, an address of the second network element, or a sub-network message type. For example, through the sub-network message type, the access network device can determine that the first request needs to be sent to the sub-network network, so that the access network device routes the first request to the sub-network network.

[0015] In a possible design, it is determined whether the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the central network in the first rule; if the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the central network in the first rule, the central network is selected.

[0016] In a possible design, the service description information of the central network in the first rule can match all services requested by the terminal device, and the terminal device can preferentially match the service requested by the terminal device with the service description information of the sub-network network, and if the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the sub-network network, the sub-network network is preferentially selected. In this way, services are provided to the terminal device through the sub-network network as much as possible, and communication efficiency is improved.

[0017] In a possible design, the terminal device can select a network element that provides a service to the terminal device through the first network element discovery in a case where the terminal device cannot select a network element that provides a service to the terminal device through the second network element discovery. Since the central network has a complete core network, the terminal device can be ensured to be provided with a full set of services.

[0018] In a possible design, the first rule includes at least one rule in which service description information can match all services requested by the terminal device, and when the service requested by the terminal device cannot be matched with all other service description information, the service description information can be matched, and the central network is selected according to the rule to obtain a service. Since the central network has a complete core network, the terminal device can be ensured to be provided with a full set of services, and it is avoided that a certain service of the terminal device cannot be matched by the first rule.

[0019] In a possible design, the first indication information includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the central network, an address of the first network element, or a central network message type.

[0020] In a possible design, the first rule is received from the central network.

[0021] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a network side, for example, an access network device of the network side or a component (for example, a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) in the access network device. Taking the case where the method is applied to the access network device as an example, the method comprises the following steps of:

[0022] receiving a first request from a terminal device, the first request being used to request to acquire a service, the first request comprising first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a target service network selected from a central network and a subnet network based on a first rule, the first rule being used to indicate that signaling used by the terminal device to request to acquire the service is routed to the central network or the subnet network; and selecting, based on the first indication information, a target network element from a first network element and a second network element, the first network element being a network element responsible for central network network function discovery and management of subnet network functions, and the second network element being a network element responsible for subnet network function discovery.

[0023] The access network device can determine a network element providing a service to the terminal device by the central network or the subnet network based on the first indication information of the terminal device, which indicates the target service network selected from the central network and the subnet network based on the first rule, thereby avoiding incorrect routing of signaling used by the terminal device to request to acquire the service, and improving communication efficiency.

[0024] The network element providing the service; if the first indication information indicates the subnet network, the second network element is selected to discover a network element providing the service to the terminal device. In a possible design, if the first indication information indicates the central network, the first network element is selected to discover a network element providing the service to the terminal device. By indicating the selected target service network, the access network device can determine the network element providing the service to the terminal device discovered by the first network element or the second network element, thereby avoiding incorrect routing of signaling used by the terminal device to request to acquire the service, and improving communication efficiency.

[0025] In a possible design, the first indication information comprises an address of the first network element or an address of the second network element; and the target network element is selected to discover a network element providing the service to the terminal device from the first network element and the second network element according to the address of the first network element or the address of the second network element. By indicating the address of the selected first network element or the address of the second network element, the access network device can determine the network element providing the service to the terminal device discovered by the first network element or the second network element, thereby avoiding incorrect routing of signaling used by the terminal device to request to acquire the service, and improving communication efficiency.

[0026] In a possible design, a second request is sent to the target network element, where the second request is used to request discovery of a network element that provides a service to the terminal device.

[0027] In a possible design, a third request is sent to a third network element, where the third request is used to request the first rule, and the third network element is a network element responsible for a policy control function; the first rule is received from the third network element; and the first rule is sent to the terminal device. By requesting the first rule, the target service network is selected from the central network and the subnet network based on the first rule.

[0028] In a possible design, the first rule includes service description information of a subnet network, an identifier of the subnet network, service description information of a central network, and an identifier of the central network, where one piece of service description information of the subnet network corresponds to at least one identifier of the subnet network, and the service description information of the central network corresponds to the identifier of the central network.

[0029] In a possible design, the service description information includes at least one of the following: a service type, a delay, a packet loss rate, a bandwidth, a slice, a data network name DNN, a quality of service QoS requirement, a precision, or an accuracy.

[0030] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a network side, for example, a PCF network element on the network side or a component (for example, a circuit, a chip, or a chip system) in the PCF network element. Taking the case where the method is applied to the PCF network element as an example, the method includes the following steps.

[0031] A third request is received from an access network device, where the third request is used to request a first rule, and the first rule is used to indicate that signaling for requesting acquisition of a service of a terminal device is routed to a central network or a subnet network; and the first rule is sent to the access network device.

[0032] By sending the first rule to the access network device, the access network device forwards the first rule to the terminal device, so that the terminal device selects a target service network from the central network and the subnet network based on the first rule. The access network device can determine that a certain network element in the central network or the subnet network provides a service to the terminal device, avoids routing errors of signaling for requesting acquisition of a service sent by the terminal device, and improves communication efficiency.

[0033] In a possible design, subscription information of the terminal device is acquired; based on the subscription information, a service of a subnet network allowed to be acquired by the terminal device and a service of a central network allowed to be acquired by the terminal device are determined; and the first rule is generated based on the service of the subnet network allowed to be acquired and the service of the central network allowed to be acquired.

[0034] In a possible design, current location information of the terminal device is acquired; services supported by a sub-network in a current region and services supported by a center network are determined according to the current location information; and the first rule is generated according to the services supported by the sub-network, capability information of the sub-network, the services supported by the center network, and capability information of the center network.

[0035] In a possible design, subscription information and current location information of the terminal device are acquired; services allowed to be acquired by the terminal device in a sub-network and services allowed to be acquired by the terminal device in a center network are determined according to the subscription information; services supported by a sub-network in a current region and services supported by a center network are determined according to the current location information; and the first rule is generated based on the services allowed to be acquired by the terminal device in the sub-network, the services supported by the sub-network, capability information of the sub-network, the services allowed to be acquired by the terminal device in the center network, the services supported by the center network, and capability information of the center network.

[0036] In a possible design, the first rule includes service description information of a sub-network, an identifier of the sub-network, service description information of a center network, and an identifier of the center network, where one piece of the service description information of the sub-network corresponds to at least one identifier of the sub-network, and the service description information of the center network corresponds to the identifier of the center network.

[0037] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a network side, for example, an access network device of the network side or a component (for example, a circuit, a chip, or a chip system) in the access network device. For example, the method is applied to the access network device, and the method includes the following steps.

[0038] receiving a first request sent by a terminal device, where the first request is used to request to acquire a service; and selecting a target service network from a center network and a sub-network based on context information of the terminal device, where the context information is used to indicate that signaling of the terminal device requesting to acquire the service is routed to the center network or the sub-network.

[0039] The access network device selects the target service network from the center network and the sub-network based on the context information, so that the access network device can determine a network element discovered by the first network element or the second network element to provide the service to the terminal device, signaling of the terminal device requesting to acquire the service is prevented from being routed incorrectly, and communication efficiency is improved.

[0040] In a possible design, based on the context information, the first network element or the second network element is selected to discover a network element providing a service to the terminal device, the first network element being a network element responsible for central network network function discovery and management of a subnet network function, and the second network element being a network element responsible for subnet network function discovery. The access network device selects the first network element or the second network element to discover the network element providing the service to the terminal device based on the context information, so that the access network device can determine the network element providing the service to the terminal device by the first network element or the second network element, avoid incorrect routing of signaling for requesting the service sent by the terminal device, and improve communication efficiency.

[0041] In a possible design, the context information includes service description information of a subnet network, an identifier of the subnet network, service description information of a central network, and an identifier of the central network, where one piece of the service description information of the subnet network corresponds to at least one identifier of the subnet network, and the service description information of the central network corresponds to the identifier of the central network.

[0042] In a possible design, the service description information includes at least one of the following: a service type, a delay, a packet loss rate, a bandwidth, a slice, a data network name (DNN), a quality of service (QoS) requirement, precision, or accuracy.

[0043] In a possible design, it is determined whether the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the subnet network in the context information, and if the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the subnet network in the context information, the subnet network is selected. In this process, the terminal device can preferentially match the service requested by the terminal device with the service description information of the subnet network, and if the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the subnet network, the subnet network is preferentially selected. In this way, the service is provided to the terminal device through the subnet network as much as possible, and communication efficiency is improved.

[0044] In a possible design, a second request is sent to the second network element, where the second request is used to request discovery of a network element providing a service to the terminal device, and the second network element is a network element responsible for subnet network function discovery.

[0045] In a possible design, the first request includes a first identifier corresponding to a type of the service requested, and the second request is further used to request discovery of a network element corresponding to the first identifier.

[0046] In a possible design, it is determined whether the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the central network in the context information; and if the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the central network in the first rule, the central network is selected. The service description information of the central network in the context information can match all services requested by the terminal device, and the terminal device can select the first network element to discover a network element providing a service to the terminal device in a case where the terminal device cannot select a second network element to discover a network element providing a service to the terminal device. Since the central network has a complete core network, the terminal device can be provided with a full set of services.

[0047] In a possible design, a third request is sent to the first network element, where the third request is used to request discovery of a network element providing a service to the terminal device, and the first network element is a network element responsible for central network network function discovery and management of a subnet network function.

[0048] In a possible design, the context information of the terminal device is found based on the second identifier.

[0049] In a possible design, first information is received, where the first information includes services of a subnet network authorized for use by the terminal device and / or services of a central network authorized for use by the terminal device; and the context information is saved, where the context information includes the first information. The context information is saved, so that a target service network is selected from the central network and the subnet network based on the context information subsequently.

[0050] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a network side, for example, a first network element of the network side or a component (for example, a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) in the first network element. The method is taken as an example in which the method is applied to the first network element, and the method includes the following steps.

[0051] A first request is received from an access network device, where the first request is used to request discovery of a network element providing a service to a terminal device, the first request includes a service requested by the terminal device, and the first network element is a network element responsible for central network network function discovery and management of a subnet network function; and based on the service requested by the terminal device, it is determined that signaling of the terminal device requesting the service is routed to the subnet network.

[0052] The first network element determines, according to subscription information of the terminal device and the service requested by the terminal device, that the signaling of the terminal device requesting the service is routed to the subnet network, so that the first network element can determine a network element providing a service to the terminal device by the second network element, avoid incorrect routing of the signaling of the terminal device requesting the service, and improve communication efficiency.

[0053] In a possible design, the second network element is selected to discover a network element providing a service to the terminal device based on the service requested to be acquired, where the second network element is a network element responsible for sub-network function discovery. The access network device determines the network element providing the service to the terminal device by selecting the second network element to discover the network element providing the service to the terminal device, thereby avoiding incorrect routing of signaling in which the terminal device requests to acquire the service, and improving communication efficiency.

[0054] In a possible design, subscription information of the terminal device is acquired; and a service of a sub-network network authorized for use by the terminal device is determined according to the subscription information. The signaling in which the terminal device requests to acquire the service is routed to the sub-network network based on the service requested to be acquired and the service of the sub-network network authorized for use by the terminal device.

[0055] In a possible design, if the service requested to be acquired matches the service of the sub-network network authorized for use by the terminal device, the signaling in which the terminal device requests to acquire the service is routed to the sub-network network. In this process, the terminal device can preferentially match the service requested to be acquired by the terminal device with service description information of the sub-network network, and if the service requested to be acquired by the terminal device matches the service description information of the sub-network network, the sub-network network is preferentially selected. As a result, the service is provided to the terminal device through the sub-network network as much as possible, and communication efficiency is improved.

[0056] In a possible design, a third request is sent, where the third request is used to request the subscription information of the terminal device; and the subscription information is received.

[0057] In a possible design, a second request is sent to the second network element, where the second request is used to request a network element providing a service to the terminal device; and a first response is received from the second network element, where the first response includes information of the discovered network element.

[0058] In a possible design, the second request is further used to request a network element corresponding to a type of service requested to be acquired by the terminal device.

[0059] In a possible design, the second request includes an identifier of the terminal device.

[0060] In a possible design, the second request includes single-network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) and / or a data network name (DNN). The second network element selects a target network element to provide a service to the terminal device from network elements of multiple sub-networks according to the S-NSSAI and / or the DNN, so as to ensure that the selected target network element can provide the service to the terminal device.

[0061] In a possible design, the information about the discovered network element is sent to the access network device, so that the access network device can request the discovered network element for service according to the information about the discovered network element.

[0062] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a network side, for example, a second network element on the network side or a component (for example, a circuit, a chip, or a chip system) in the second network element, taking the case that the method is applied to the second network element as an example, the method comprises the following steps of:

[0063] receiving a second request from a first network element, the second request being used for requesting to discover a network element providing service for a terminal device, the first network element being a network element responsible for central network network function discovery and management of a subnet network function, and the second network element being a network element responsible for subnet network function discovery; and sending a first response to the first network element, the first response comprising information about a discovered network element providing service for the terminal device.

[0064] In a possible design, after the first network element determines, according to subscription information of the terminal device and a service requested to be acquired by the terminal device, that signaling of the terminal device requesting to acquire the service is routed to the subnet network, the second network element discovers the network element providing service for the terminal device, and subsequently, the second network element independently processes a service request of the terminal device, without passing through the first network element, thereby avoiding routing error of the signaling of the terminal device requesting to acquire the service and improving communication efficiency.

[0065] In a possible design, after the first network element determines, according to subscription information of the terminal device and a service requested to be acquired by the terminal device, that signaling of the terminal device requesting to acquire the service is forwarded to the subnet network, the second network element discovers the network element providing service for the terminal device, and returns information about the discovered network element to the first network element, so as to provide the information about the discovered network element to an access network device for communication with the discovered network element, thereby avoiding routing error of the signaling of the terminal device requesting to acquire the service and improving communication efficiency.

[0066] In a possible design, the second request is further used for requesting to discover a network element corresponding to a type of the service requested to be acquired by the terminal device.

[0067] In a possible design, the second request comprises an identifier of the terminal device.

[0068] In a possible design, according to the single network slice selection assistance information S-NSSAI and / or the data network name DNN, one target network element is selected from network elements of multiple subnet networks to provide service for the terminal device, so as to guarantee that the selected target network element can provide service for the terminal device.

[0069] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which has the function of the first aspect, for example, the communication apparatus includes a module or unit or means corresponding to the operation of the first aspect, which can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The apparatus includes:

[0070] a receiving module configured to obtain a first rule, the first rule being used to indicate that signaling for requesting a terminal device to obtain a service is routed to a central network or a subnet network;

[0071] a processing module configured to select a target service network from the central network and the subnet network based on the first rule;

[0072] a sending module configured to send a first request to an access network device, the first request being used to request to obtain a service, and the first request including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the selected target service network.

[0073] In a possible design of the present application, the processing module is further configured to select, based on the first rule, a first network element or a second network element to discover a network element providing a service for the terminal device, the first network element being a network element responsible for central network network function discovery and management of subnet network functions, and the second network element being a network element responsible for subnet network function discovery.

[0074] In a possible design of the present application, the first rule includes service description information of a subnet network, an identifier of the subnet network, service description information of a central network, and an identifier of the central network, wherein one piece of service description information of the subnet network corresponds to at least one identifier of the subnet network, and the service description information of the central network corresponds to the identifier of the central network.

[0075] In a possible design of the present application, the service description information includes at least one of the following: a service type, a time delay, a packet loss rate, a bandwidth, a slice, a data network name (DNN), a quality of service (QoS) requirement, a precision, or an accuracy.

[0076] In a possible design of the present application, the processing module is further configured to determine whether a service requested to be obtained by the terminal device matches service description information of a subnet network in the first rule, and select the subnet network if the service requested to be obtained by the terminal device matches the service description information of the subnet network in the first rule.

[0077] In a possible design of the present application, the processing module is further configured to select an identifier of a subnet network with a high priority from at least one identifier of the subnet network, and determine the first indication information according to the identifier of the subnet network with the high priority.

[0078] In a possible design, the processing module is further configured to select the sub-network when the preset condition is met, where the preset condition includes that the terminal device is located within a service range of the sub-network and / or within a service time period of the sub-network.

[0079] In a possible design, the first indication information includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the sub-network, an address of the second network element, or a sub-network message type.

[0080] In a possible design, the processing module is further configured to determine whether the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the central network in the first rule, and select the central network if the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the central network in the first rule.

[0081] In a possible design, the first indication information includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the central network, an address of the first network element, or a central network message type.

[0082] In a possible design, the receiving module is further configured to receive the first rule from the central network.

[0083] The operations and beneficial effects of the communication apparatus can refer to the method and beneficial effects of the first aspect, and details are not repeated.

[0084] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which has the functions of the second aspect, for example, the communication apparatus includes a module or unit or means corresponding to the operations of the second aspect, which can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The apparatus includes:

[0085] The receiving module is configured to receive a first request from a terminal device, where the first request is used to request a service, and the first request includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a target service network selected from a central network and a sub-network based on a first rule, and the first rule is used to indicate that signaling of the terminal device requesting the service is routed to the central network or the sub-network.

[0086] The processing module is configured to select a target network element from a first network element and a second network element based on the first indication information, where the first network element is a network element responsible for central network network function discovery and management of sub-network functions, and the second network element is a network element responsible for sub-network function discovery.

[0087] In a possible design of the processing module, if the first indication information indicates the central network, the processing module is further configured to select the first network element to discover a network element providing service to the terminal device; and if the first indication information indicates the sub-network, the processing module is further configured to select the second network element to discover a network element providing service to the terminal device.

[0088] In a possible design of the first indication information, the first indication information includes an address of the first network element or an address of the second network element.

[0089] The processing module is further configured to select, according to the address of the first network element or the address of the second network element, the target network element to discover a network element providing service to the terminal device from the first network element and the second network element.

[0090] In a possible design of the sending module, the sending module is further configured to send a second request to the target network element, where the second request is used to request discovery of a network element providing service to the terminal device.

[0091] In a possible design of the sending module, the sending module is further configured to send a third request to a third network element, where the third request is used to request the first rule, and the third network element is a network element responsible for a policy control function.

[0092] The receiving module is further configured to receive the first rule from the third network element.

[0093] The sending module is configured to send the first rule to the terminal device.

[0094] In a possible design of the first rule, the first rule includes service description information of a sub-network, an identifier of the sub-network, service description information of a central network, and an identifier of the central network, where one piece of the service description information of the sub-network corresponds to at least one identifier of the sub-network, and the service description information of the central network corresponds to the identifier of the central network.

[0095] In a possible design of the service description information, the service description information includes at least one of the following: a service type, a delay, a packet loss rate, a bandwidth, a slice, a data network name (DNN), a quality of service (QoS) requirement, a precision, or an accuracy.

[0096] The operations and advantages of the communication apparatus can be refer to the operations and advantages of the method in the second aspect, and details are not repeated.

[0097] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which has the function of the third aspect, for example, the communication apparatus includes a module or unit or means corresponding to the operation of the third aspect, which can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The apparatus includes:

[0098] a receiving module, configured to receive a third request from an access network device, the third request being used to request a first rule, the first rule being used to indicate that signaling of a terminal device requesting to acquire a service is routed to a central network or a sub-network;

[0099] a sending module, configured to send the first rule to the access network device.

[0100] In a possible design, the receiving module is further configured to acquire subscription information of the terminal device.

[0101] a processing module, configured to determine, according to the subscription information, service of the sub-network that the terminal device is allowed to acquire and service of the central network that the terminal device is allowed to acquire; and generate the first rule according to the service of the sub-network that the terminal device is allowed to acquire and the service of the central network that the terminal device is allowed to acquire.

[0102] In a possible design, the receiving module is further configured to acquire current location information of the terminal device.

[0103] a processing module, configured to determine, according to the current location information, service of a sub-network supported in a current area and service of a central network supported in the current area; and generate the first rule according to the service of the sub-network, capability information of the sub-network, the service of the central network, and capability information of the central network.

[0104] In a possible design, the receiving module is further configured to acquire subscription information and current location information of the terminal device.

[0105] a processing module, configured to determine, according to the subscription information, service of the sub-network that the terminal device is allowed to acquire and service of the central network that the terminal device is allowed to acquire; determine, according to the current location information, service of a sub-network supported in a current area and service of a central network supported in the current area; and generate the first rule based on the service of the sub-network that the terminal device is allowed to acquire, the service of the sub-network supported in the current area, capability information of the sub-network, the service of the central network that the terminal device is allowed to acquire, the service of the central network supported in the current area, and capability information of the central network.

[0106] In a possible design, the first rule includes service description information of a subnet network, an identifier of the subnet network, service description information of a central network, and an identifier of the central network, where one piece of the service description information of the subnet network corresponds to at least one identifier of the subnet network, and the service description information of the central network corresponds to the identifier of the central network.

[0107] The operations and beneficial effects of the communication apparatus can refer to the method and beneficial effects of the third aspect, and details are not repeated.

[0108] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which has the function of the fourth aspect, for example, the communication apparatus includes a module or unit or means corresponding to the operations of the fourth aspect, which can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The apparatus includes:

[0109] The receiving module is configured to receive a first request sent by a terminal device, where the first request is used to request to acquire a service.

[0110] The processing module is configured to select a target service network from a central network and a subnet network based on context information of the terminal device, where the context information is used to indicate that signaling of the terminal device requesting to acquire the service is routed to the central network or the subnet network.

[0111] In a possible design, the processing module is further configured to select, based on the context information, a first network element or a second network element to discover a network element providing the service to the terminal device, where the first network element is a network element responsible for central network network function discovery and management of subnet network functions, and the second network element is a network element responsible for subnet network function discovery.

[0112] In a possible design, the context information includes service description information of a subnet network, an identifier of the subnet network, service description information of a central network, and an identifier of the central network, where one piece of the service description information of the subnet network corresponds to at least one identifier of the subnet network, and the service description information of the central network corresponds to the identifier of the central network.

[0113] In a possible design, the service description information includes at least one of the following: a service type, a time delay, a packet loss rate, a bandwidth, a slice, a data network name DNN, a quality of service QoS requirement, a precision, or an accuracy.

[0114] In a possible design, the processing module is further configured to determine whether the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the sub-network in the context information; and if the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the sub-network in the context information, the sub-network is selected.

[0115] In a possible design, the sending module is further configured to send a second request to a second network element, where the second request is used to request discovery of a network element that provides a service to the terminal device, and the second network element is a network element responsible for sub-network function discovery.

[0116] In a possible design, the first request comprises a first identifier corresponding to a type of the service requested, and the second request is further used to request discovery of a network element corresponding to the first identifier.

[0117] In a possible design, the processing module is further configured to determine whether the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the center network in the first rule; and if the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the center network in the first rule, the center network is selected.

[0118] In a possible design, the sending module is further configured to send a third request to a first network element, where the third request is used to request discovery of a network element that provides a service to the terminal device, and the first network element is a network element responsible for center network function discovery and management of sub-network functions.

[0119] In a possible design, the processing module is further configured to search for the context information of the terminal device based on the second identifier.

[0120] In a possible design, the receiving module is further configured to receive first information, where the first information comprises service of a sub-network authorized for use by the terminal device and / or service of a center network authorized for use by the terminal device.

[0121] The processing module is further configured to save the context information, where the context information comprises the first information.

[0122] The operations and beneficial effects of the communication apparatus can refer to the operations and beneficial effects of the method in the fourth aspect, and details are not repeated here.

[0123] In a possible design of the eleventh aspect, the communication apparatus has the functions of the fifth aspect, and includes modules or units or means corresponding to the operations of the fifth aspect. The modules or units or means can be implemented in software, or in hardware, or in a combination of software and hardware.

[0124] The receiving module is configured to receive a first request from an access network device, where the first request is used to request discovery of a network element providing a service to a terminal device, and the first request includes the service requested to be acquired by the terminal device, and the first network element is a network element responsible for central network network function discovery and management of a subnet network function;

[0125] The processing module is configured to determine, based on the service requested to be acquired, that signaling of the terminal device requesting to acquire the service is routed to a subnet network.

[0126] In a possible design, the processing module is further configured to select, based on the service requested to be acquired, a second network element to discover a network element providing a service to the terminal device, where the second network element is a network element responsible for discovery of a subnet network function.

[0127] In a possible design, the receiving module is further configured to acquire subscription information of the terminal device.

[0128] The processing module is further configured to determine, based on the subscription information, a service of a subnet network authorized to be used by the terminal device, and determine, based on the service requested to be acquired and the service of the subnet network authorized to be used by the terminal device, that the signaling of the terminal device requesting to acquire the service is routed to the subnet network.

[0129] In a possible design, the processing module is further configured to determine, based on the service requested to be acquired and the service of the subnet network authorized to be used by the terminal device, that the signaling of the terminal device requesting to acquire the service is routed to the subnet network.

[0130] In a possible design, the sending module is configured to send a third request, where the third request is used to request the subscription information of the terminal device.

[0131] The receiving module is further configured to receive the subscription information.

[0132] In a possible design, the sending module is further configured to send a second request to the second network element, where the second request is used to request discovery of a network element providing a service to the terminal device.

[0133] The receiving module is further configured to receive a first response from the second network element, where the first response includes information of the discovered network element.

[0134] In a possible design, the second request comprises an identifier of the terminal device.

[0135] In a possible design, the second request comprises single-network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) and / or a data network name (DNN).

[0136] In a possible design, the sending module is further configured to send, to the access network device, information of the discovered network element.

[0137] The operations and beneficial effects of the communication apparatus can be refer to the method and beneficial effects of the fifth aspect, and the repeated parts will not be described herein.

[0138] In a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which has the functions of the sixth aspect, for example, the communication apparatus comprises a module or unit or means corresponding to the operations of the sixth aspect, which can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The apparatus comprises:

[0139] The receiving module is configured to receive a second request from a first network element, the second request being used to request discovery of a network element providing a service to a terminal device, the first network element being a network element responsible for central network network function discovery and management of a subnet network function, and the second network element being a network element responsible for subnet network function discovery.

[0140] The sending module is configured to send a first response to the first network element, the first response comprising information of a discovered network element providing the service to the terminal device.

[0141] In a possible design, the second request is further used to request discovery of a network element corresponding to a type of service requested by the terminal device.

[0142] In a possible design, the second request comprises an identifier of the terminal device.

[0143] In a possible design, the second request comprises single-network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) and / or a data network name (DNN), and the method further comprises: a processing module configured to select a target network element from a plurality of subnet network elements to provide the service to the terminal device according to the single-network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) and / or the data network name (DNN).

[0144] In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which comprises a memory and one or more processors. The memory is configured to store part or all of the computer programs or instructions necessary for implementing the functions related to the first aspect. The one or more processors are configured to execute the computer programs or instructions, and when the computer programs or instructions are executed, the communication apparatus is caused to implement the method in any possible design or implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0145] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can further comprise interface circuitry, and the processor is configured to communicate with other apparatuses or components through the interface circuitry.

[0146] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can further comprise the memory.

[0147] The communication apparatus can be a terminal device, or a communication module in the terminal device, or a chip responsible for communication functions in the terminal device, such as a modem chip (also referred to as a baseband chip) or an SoC or SIP chip containing a modem module.

[0148] In a fourteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which comprises a memory and one or more processors. The memory is configured to store part or all of the computer programs or instructions necessary for implementing the functions related to the second aspect and the fourth aspect. The one or more processors are configured to execute the computer programs or instructions, and when the computer programs or instructions are executed, the communication apparatus is caused to implement the method in any possible design or implementation manner of the second aspect and the fourth aspect.

[0149] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can further comprise interface circuitry, and the processor is configured to communicate with other apparatuses or components through the interface circuitry.

[0150] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can further comprise the memory.

[0151] The communication apparatus can be an access network device, or a communication module in the access network device, or a chip responsible for communication functions in the access network device, such as a modem chip (also referred to as a baseband chip) or an SoC or SIP chip containing a modem module.

[0152] In a fifteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which comprises a memory and one or more processors. The memory is configured to store part or all of the computer programs or instructions necessary for implementing the functions related to the third aspect above. The one or more processors are configured to execute the computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication apparatus to implement the method in any possible design or implementation manner of the third aspect above.

[0153] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can further comprise interface circuitry, and the processor is configured to communicate with other apparatuses or components through the interface circuitry.

[0154] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can further comprise the memory.

[0155] The communication apparatus above can be a PCF network element, or a communication module in the PCF network element, or a chip responsible for communication functions in the PCF network element, such as a modem chip (also referred to as a baseband chip) or an SoC or SIP chip containing a modem module.

[0156] In a sixteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which comprises a memory and one or more processors. The memory is configured to store part or all of the computer programs or instructions necessary for implementing the functions related to the fifth aspect above. The one or more processors are configured to execute the computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication apparatus to implement the method in any possible design or implementation manner of the fifth aspect above.

[0157] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can further comprise interface circuitry, and the processor is configured to communicate with other apparatuses or components through the interface circuitry.

[0158] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can further comprise the memory.

[0159] The communication apparatus above can be a first network element, or a communication module in the first network element, or a chip responsible for communication functions in the first network element, such as a modem chip (also referred to as a baseband chip) or an SoC or SIP chip containing a modem module.

[0160] In a seventeenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which comprises a memory and one or more processors. The memory is configured to store part or all of the computer programs or instructions necessary for implementing the functions related to the sixth aspect above. The one or more processors are configured to execute the computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication apparatus to implement the method in any possible design or implementation manner of the sixth aspect above.

[0161] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can further include an interface circuit, and the processor can be configured to communicate with other apparatuses or components via the interface circuit.

[0162] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can further include the memory.

[0163] The communication apparatus can be a second network element, a communication module in the second network element, or a chip responsible for a communication function in the second network element, such as a modem chip (also referred to as a baseband chip) or a SoC or SIP chip including a modem module.

[0164] In an eighteenth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which is configured to store a computer program. When the computer program is executed, the method in any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect is implemented.

[0165] In a nineteenth aspect, a computer program product including a computer program is provided. When the computer program is executed, the method in any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect is implemented.

[0166] In a twentieth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes a terminal device, an access network device and a PCF network element. The terminal device is configured to perform the steps in the first aspect. The access network device is configured to perform the steps in the second aspect. The PCF network element is configured to perform the steps in the third aspect. Alternatively, the communication system includes an access network device configured to perform the steps in the fourth aspect. The communication system includes a first network element and a second network element. The first network element is configured to perform the steps in the fifth aspect. The second network element is configured to perform the steps in the sixth aspect.

[0167] In a twenty-first aspect, a chip is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface configured to communicate with an external device or an internal device. The processor is configured to implement the method in any one of the aspects.

[0168] In a possible design, the chip can further include a memory. The memory can store a computer program or instructions. The processor can be configured to execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory, or other programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the processor can be configured to implement the method in any one of the aspects.

[0169] In a possible design, the chip can be integrated in a terminal device, an access network device, a PCF network element, a first network element or a second network element. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0170] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0171] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a procedure of network element discovery;

[0172] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a procedure of network element discovery in a roaming scenario;

[0173] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a procedure of UE registration;

[0174] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a procedure of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0175] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a procedure of UE registration according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0176] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a procedure of session establishment according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0177] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a procedure of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0178] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a procedure of another UE registration according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0179] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a procedure of another session establishment according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0180] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a procedure of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0181] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of another session establishment according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0182] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0183] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a structure of another communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0184] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0185] FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0186] As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication system includes a terminal device (for example, a user equipment (UE)), a radio access network (RAN) device, a central network, and a distributed sub-network. The central network is a core network with full set of network functions deployed by an operator, and the sub-network is a network including network elements required to provide localized services deployed by a third party service provider (if the service is provided by the operator, the operator itself can also be the third party service provider), and the sub-network does not need to include all core network functions and can borrow core network elements of the central network to process part of requests. For example, the sub-network can not deploy a UDM, and a UDM of the central network can provide subscription of a UE.

[0187] The central network can include a first network element, an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, a session management function (SMF) network element, and a unified data management (UDM) network element. The sub-network can include a second network element, an AMF network element, an SMF network element, a UDM network element, and an authentication server function (AUSF) network element / authentication and accounting authorization (AAA) network element. Optionally, the communication system can further include a network exposure function (NEF) network element, a network slice selection function (NSSF) network element, a user plane function (UPF) network element, a policy control function (PCF) network element, an application function (AF) network element, and the like.

[0188] The functions of the main entities or network elements included in the communication system are described below.

[0189] The first network element can be a network repository function (NRF) network element of the central network, also referred to as a large network grid service management network element, and the name is not limited. The first network element is responsible for discovery and management of network elements of the sub-network by the central network. The central network is a core network with full set of network functions deployed by an operator.

[0190] Second network element: can be a NRF network element of a subnet network, also known as a small network mesh service management network element, and the name is not limited. The second network element is responsible for the network element of the subnet network function discovery. The first network element can communicate with the second subnet.

[0191] Terminal device: can be a UE, a handheld terminal, a notebook computer, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a handheld device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a virtual reality (VR) device, a machine type communication terminal, or other devices that can access a network. The terminal device and the access network device communicate with each other using a certain air interface technology (such as new radio (NR) or long term evolution (LTE) technology). Terminal devices can also communicate with each other using a certain air interface technology (such as NR or LTE technology). In vehicle-to-everything communication, a communication terminal loaded on a vehicle is a terminal device, and a road side unit (RSU) can also be a terminal device. A communication terminal loaded on a drone can be considered a terminal device.

[0192] RAN device: mainly responsible for wireless resource management, quality of service management, data compression and encryption and other functions on the air interface side. The access network device can include various forms of base stations, such as macro base stations, micro base stations, relay stations, access points, etc. In systems using different wireless access technologies, the names of devices with base station functions may be different, for example, in a 5G system, it is called gNB.

[0193] AMF network element: belongs to the core network element, mainly responsible for signaling processing, such as access control, mobility management, attachment and detachment, and gateway selection. When the AMF network element provides services for a session in the terminal device, it will provide storage resources for the control plane of the session to store session identifiers, SMF network element identifiers associated with session identifiers, etc.

[0194] SMF network element: responsible for user plane network element selection, user plane network element redirection, internet protocol (IP) address allocation, bearer establishment, modification and release, and quality of service (QoS) control.

[0195] UPF network element: responsible for forwarding and receiving user data in terminal equipment. It can receive user data from the data network and transmit it to the terminal equipment through the access network device; the UPF network element can also receive user data from the terminal equipment through the access network device and forward it to the data network. The transmission resources and scheduling functions provided for the terminal equipment in the UPF network element are managed and controlled by the SMF network element.

[0196] NEF network element: mainly supports the interaction of 3GPP network and third-party application security.

[0197] AF network element: mainly supports interaction with the 3GPP core network to provide services, such as affecting data routing decisions, policy control functions, or providing some services from third parties to the network side.

[0198] PCF network element: responsible for policy control decision, providing policy rules for control plane function, and traffic-based charging control function.

[0199] NSSF network element: mainly responsible for network slice selection, determining the network slice instance that the UE is allowed to access according to the UE's slice selection assistance information, subscription information, etc.

[0200] UDM network element: mainly responsible for managing the subscription data of the UE, including storing and managing the UE identifier, and the access authorization of the UE, etc.

[0201] AUSF network element: supports 3GPP and non-3GPP access authentication.

[0202] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as universal mobile communication system (UMTS), wireless local area network (WLAN), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, 4th generation (4G) mobile communication system, such as long term evolution (LTE) system, 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, such as new radio (NR) system, and future evolution communication system, such as 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system, etc.

[0203] As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a flowchart of network element discovery. It mainly includes the following steps:

[0204] S201, the NF service consumer sends a discovery request message to the NRF network element.

[0205] Wherein, the NRF network element selected by the NF for network element discovery is configured in advance. The NF service consumer provides Expected NF service Name, NF Type of the expected NF instance and NF type of the NF consumer. According to the requested NF service, additional parameters can also be carried, which are used for the NRF network element to discover the corresponding NF.

[0206] S202, the NRF network element authorizes the NF service discovery.

[0207] After the request message of the NRF network element, the NRF network element needs to authorize the discovery request message of the NF service consumer, and determine whether the NF service consumer can obtain the requested NF service according to the information such as NF Type of the expected NF instance and NF type of the NF consumer provided by the NF service consumer. If allowed, the NRF network element authorizes the service request of the NF service consumer and selects the appropriate NF. If not allowed, the NRF network element rejects the service request of the NF service consumer.

[0208] S203, the NRF network element sends a discovery request response to the NF service consumer. The discovery request response can include the discovered NF information.

[0209] As shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is a flowchart of network element discovery in a roaming scenario. It mainly includes the following steps:

[0210] S301, the NF service consumer sends a discovery request message to the NRF network element of the service network.

[0211] In a roaming scenario, there can be a case that a network element needs to retrieve a home public land mobile network (HPLMN) to obtain services, for example, when establishing a Home-routed session, the AMF network element needs to select an SMF network element in the HPLMN, at this time, the discovery request message sent by the NF service consumer also needs to additionally carry a home PLMN ID and a serving PLMN ID, and the NRF network element finds the corresponding NRF network element according to the home PLMN ID and the serving PLMN ID. The NF service consumer provides an expected NF service name, an NF type of the expected NF instance, and an NF type of the NF consumer, and according to different requested NF services, additional parameters can also be carried, which are used by the NRF network element to discover the corresponding NF.

[0212] S302, the NRF network element of a serving network sends a discovery request message to the NRF network element of a home network.

[0213] S303, the NRF network element of the home network sends a discovery request response to the NRF network element of the serving network.

[0214] When the NRF receives the discovery request message, it needs to find the corresponding network according to the home PLMN ID provided by the NF service consumer and select the NRF network element therein, and the NRF network element of the serving network sends a discovery request message to the NRF network element of the home network. The NF Type carried in the discovery request message sent by the NRF network element of the serving network is still the NF Type of the NF service consumer. After receiving the discovery request message, the NRF network element of the home network authenticates according to the discovery request message, and feeds back to the NRF network element of the serving network.

[0215] S304, the NRF network element of the serving network sends a discovery request response to the NF service consumer.

[0216] The discovery request response contains the NF information of the home network.

[0217] As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a flowchart of UE registration. Mainly includes the following steps:

[0218] S401, the UE sends a registration request to the RAN device.

[0219] The registration request message carries a registration type and UE identification information, such as a subscription concealed identifier (SUCI), a 5G globally unique temporary UE Identity (5G-GUTI), or a permanent equipment identifier (PEI). The 5G-GUTI is a temporary identifier allocated by the AMF network element for the UE. If the UE has never been registered in the network before, there is no 5G-GUTI. In this case, the UE carries the SUCI for registration. The SUCI is a user concealed identifier, which is an encrypted user permanent identifier (SUPI). The SUCI is used to minimize the exposure of the UE's own user permanent identifier and avoid security problems. The registration type has the following types:

[0220] (1) Initial registration: the registration process initiated when the UE is in a deregistered state;

[0221] (2) Mobility registration update: the registration process initiated when the UE needs to move;

[0222] (3) Periodic registration update: the registration process initiated when the UE is in a registered state and the periodic registration update timer has expired;

[0223] (4) Emergency registration: the registration process initiated when the UE is in a service-restricted state.

[0224] For the UE identification information, when the UE has a valid 5G-GUTI, the 5G-GUTI is carried in the registration request. If the UE has no valid 5G-GUTI, the SUCI is carried. In emergency registration, if the UE has no valid 5G-GUTI and no SUPI (i.e. no SUCI, SUCI is encrypted SUPI), PEI is carried.

[0225] S402, the RAN device selects a target AMF network element.

[0226] S403, the RAN sends a registration request to the target AMF network element.

[0227] S404, the target AMF network element requests UE context from the original AMF network element.

[0228] S405, the original AMF network element sends UE context to the target AMF network element.

[0229] S404-S405 are optional steps. When the UE initiates registration by changing the AMF network element (for example, after moving out of the service range of the original AMF network element, the UE initiates mobility registration update), the target AMF network element applying for registration can find the original AMF network element according to the 5G-GUTI information provided by the UE, and request UE context from the original AMF network element.

[0230] S406, the target AMF network element selects an AUSF network element.

[0231] Security authentication process is performed through the AUSF network element.

[0232] S407, interaction is performed between the UE, the AMF network element, the AUSF network element, and the UDM network element to complete the security authentication process.

[0233] S408, the target AMF network element interacts with the UDM network element to obtain subscription information and update UE context.

[0234] S409, the UDM network element notifies the original AMF network element to deregister.

[0235] S410, the original AMF network element initiates a deregistration process.

[0236] S411, the target AMF network element sends an N2 message to the RAN device.

[0237] The N2 message includes a NAS message that needs to be forwarded to the UE by the RAN device. The NAS message includes a registration accept message sent by the target AMF network element to the UE.

[0238] S412, the RAN device sends the NAS message to the UE.

[0239] Non-public network (NPN) is defined in existing standards, and a third-party service provider can deploy NPN to provide services for user equipment (UE). For example, NPN can be deployed in an industrial park to provide high-reliability and low-latency communication services for devices in the park. However, the NPN in the prior art has some problems and cannot meet the future network requirements. There are two deployment modes of NPN, standalone non-public network (SNPN) and public network integrated-non-public network (PNI-NPN). SNPN is an independently deployed non-public network, and a separate core network device needs to be deployed, so the operation and maintenance cost requirement is relatively high when deploying SNPN, and small and medium-sized enterprises are difficult to bear the deployment and maintenance cost. PNI-NPN is a public land network integrated non-public network, and the non-public network deployed in this way does not need to deploy an additional core network, but uses the core network of the operator's public network to isolate specific resources through slicing or data network name (DNN) and the like, and is used for PNI-NPN. This deployment mode depends on the core network of the operator, so it is difficult for enterprises to achieve autonomous management of NPN, and they can only rely on the core network of the central network to provide corresponding functions. For the needs of enterprises, PNI-NPN cannot achieve agile deployment. Therefore, in the future network evolution, a distributed sub-network network deployment mode needs to be proposed.

[0240] When deploying a sub-network, only part of the functional network elements are deployed on demand, so it is not necessary to deploy complete core network elements like SNPN, thereby saving the operation and maintenance cost of the core network. Since the sub-network only deploys part of the functional network elements on demand, other network elements that are not deployed still need to be provided by the core network of the central network, thereby providing complete services for the UE. Since the core network of the sub-network is deployed locally, it can be autonomously managed by the enterprise, and agile deployment of sub-network NFs can be achieved.

[0241] In future network architecture evolution, there can be a RAN service architecture, that is, a RAN device directly accesses a service bus of a core network, at this time, after the RAN device receives a service request of a UE, the RAN device can directly call a service interface of a functional network element in the core network to obtain a service provided by the functional network element. The RAN device has the capability of signaling routing and identity management, when the UE registers, the RAN device allocates a temporary identity to the UE, after the UE sends uplink signaling through the RAN device, the RAN device selects a suitable network element for routing, under this architecture, the first network element and the second network element have the capability of network element discovery, and the first network element can only discover network elements in the center network, and the second network element can only discover network elements in the subnet network.

[0242] Under the architecture of the distributed subnet, when the UE needs to request NF discovery, the NF is discovered through the pre-configured NRF network element, since the RAN device accesses the center network and the subnet network at the same time, the RAN device not only configures the NRF network element of the center network, but also configures the NRF network element of the subnet network, after the UE sends a request to the RAN device, the RAN device cannot determine which NRF network element triggers the NF discovery, or when the RAN device discovers according to the default configured NRF network element, if the NRF network element is selected incorrectly, the corresponding NF cannot be discovered, which affects the communication efficiency.

[0243] To solve the above technical problems, the embodiment of the present application provides the following solutions.

[0244] As shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method mainly includes the following steps:

[0245] S501, the RAN device sends a third request to the third network element, and the third request is used to request a first rule.

[0246] S501 is an optional step, the RAN device triggers the third network element to generate the first rule by sending the third request. Or, the third network element triggers to generate the first rule.

[0247] Since the UE initiates a registration process to the RAN device, the RAN device sends a third request to the third network element.

[0248] The third network element is a network element responsible for policy control function, for example, the third network element can be a PCF network element.

[0249] Optionally, the third network element generates the first rule based on the third request. The first rule is used to indicate that the signaling of the UE requesting to obtain the service is routed to the center network or the subnet network. Further, the third network element generating the first rule can include the following several ways:

[0250] In a first implementation, the third network element can obtain subscription information of the UE, for example, can request the UDM network element for the subscription information of the UE. According to the subscription information, the service of the sub-network network allowed to be acquired by the UE and the service of the central network allowed to be acquired are determined; and the first rule is generated according to the service of the sub-network network allowed to be acquired and the service of the central network allowed to be acquired.

[0251] In a second implementation, the third network element can obtain current location information of the UE, for example, can request the RAN device for the current location information of the UE. According to the current location information, the service of the sub-network network supported in the current area and the service of the central network supported are determined; and the first rule is generated according to the service of the sub-network network supported, the capability information of the sub-network network, the service of the central network supported and the capability information of the central network.

[0252] In a third implementation, the third network element can obtain the subscription information and the current location information of the UE; according to the subscription information, the service of the sub-network network allowed to be acquired by the UE and the service of the central network allowed to be acquired are determined; and according to the current location information, the service of the sub-network network supported in the current area and the service of the central network supported are determined. The first rule is generated based on the service of the sub-network network allowed to be acquired, the service of the sub-network network supported, the capability information of the sub-network network, the service of the central network allowed to be acquired, the service of the central network supported and the capability information of the central network.

[0253] The first rule can also be referred to as a control plane routing forwarding rule. The first rule includes service description information of the sub-network network, an identifier of the sub-network network, service description information of the central network and an identifier of the central network, wherein one of the service description information of the sub-network network corresponds to at least one of the identifier of the sub-network network, and the service description information of the central network corresponds to the identifier of the central network. The identifier of the sub-network network can also be replaced by the address of the second network element, and the identifier of the central network can be replaced by the address of the first network element. Optionally, an additional information (for example, type information) can be used to indicate a unique central network. The first network element is a network element responsible for central network network function discovery and management of sub-network network function, and the second network element is a network element responsible for sub-network network function discovery.

[0254] Optionally, the first rule can also include the service description information of the sub-network network and the identifier of the sub-network network, and the first rule can not include the identifier of the central network. When the service requested to be acquired by the UE does not match the service description information of the sub-network network in the first rule, or the service requested to be acquired by the UE matches the service description information of the central network in the first rule, the signaling of the UE requesting to acquire the service is implicitly routed to the central network.

[0255] Optionally, the first rule includes at least one service description information that can match all services requested by the terminal device, when the service requested by the terminal device cannot be matched with all other service description information, the service description information can be matched, and the service is obtained from the central network according to the rule. Since the central network has a complete core network, the full set of services can be provided to the terminal device, and the service of the terminal device that cannot be matched by the first rule is avoided.

[0256] The service description information includes at least one of the following: service type, latency, packet loss rate, bandwidth, slice, data network name (DNN), quality of service (QoS) requirement, precision, or accuracy. The precision can include positioning accuracy, sensing accuracy, artificial intelligence (AI) prediction accuracy, etc.

[0257] As shown in Table 1, Table 1 is a control plane routing forwarding rule table of a subnetwork. The control plane routing forwarding rule table includes two parts of service description information and route selection descriptor. The service description information includes service type and round-trip time (RTT), and the service type includes session management service, sensing service, and AI service, and the RTT is greater than 30 ms. The route selection descriptor includes the identifier of the subnetwork Subnetwork ID1. Table 1 only illustrates part of the information, for example, the service type can also include other types, such as mobility management service, policy management service, etc. Other tables are similar.

[0258] In the case that the service requested by the UE matches the service description information in Table 1, the identifier of the subnetwork in the route selection descriptor in Table 1 can be used. For example, if the service type of the service requested by the UE is session management service, and the round-trip time is greater than 30 ms, the service requested by the UE matches the service description information in Table 1, and the UE can use Subnetwork ID1 in Table 1, indicating that the signaling of the service requested by the UE is routed to the subnetwork corresponding to Subnetwork ID1.

[0259] Table 1

[0260] Optionally, in the case that the service description information corresponds to multiple routing descriptions, the first rule can further include a priority of the subnetwork, that is, when the service description information of the subnetwork corresponds to the identifiers of multiple subnetworks, one of the subnetworks can be selected through the priority of each subnetwork. The first rule can further include a preset condition, and the preset condition includes that the UE is located within a service range of the subnetwork and / or within a service time period of the subnetwork. That is, when the preset condition is met, the subnetwork can be selected, so as to avoid that the UE sends signaling to the subnetwork outside the service range of the subnetwork or not within the service time of the subnetwork, resulting in signaling sending failure.

[0261] As shown in Table 2, Table 2 is another control plane routing forwarding rule table of a subnetwork. The control plane routing forwarding rule table includes two parts of service description information and routing description. The service description information includes a service type and an RTT, and the service type includes a session management service, a perception service and an AI service, and the RTT is less than 30 ms. The routing description includes a priority, identifiers of subnetworks and a preset condition. The identifiers of the subnetworks include Subnetwork ID2, Subnetwork ID3 and Subnetwork ID4. Subnetwork ID2 is a first priority, Subnetwork ID3 is a second priority, and Subnetwork ID4 is a third priority.

[0262] In the case that the service requested by the UE to obtain matches the service description information in Table 2, the identifiers of the subnetworks in the routing description in Table 2 can be used. For example, if the service type of the service requested by the UE to obtain is a session management service, and the round-trip delay is less than 30 ms, the service requested by the UE to obtain matches the service description information in Table 2, and the UE can use Subnetwork ID2, Subnetwork ID3 and Subnetwork ID4 in Table 2. Since Subnetwork ID2 is a first priority, Subnetwork ID2 can be selected, indicating that the signaling of the service requested by the UE to obtain is routed to the subnetwork corresponding to Subnetwork ID2. However, if the UE is not within the service range of the subnetwork corresponding to Subnetwork ID2 or exceeds the service time of the subnetwork corresponding to Subnetwork ID2, the signaling of the service requested by the UE to obtain cannot be routed to the subnetwork corresponding to Subnetwork ID2, and therefore Subnetwork ID3 of a second priority can be selected, indicating that the signaling of the service requested by the UE to obtain is routed to the subnetwork corresponding to Subnetwork ID3.

[0263] Table 2

[0264] As shown in Table 3, Table 3 is a control plane routing forwarding rule table of a central network. The control plane routing forwarding rule table includes two parts of service description information and routing description. The service description information includes a service type and a packet loss rate, and the service type includes a session management service, a sensing service, an AI service, a satellite positioning service, and an authentication service, and the packet loss rate is less than 1%. The routing description includes an identifier of the central network, central network ID.

[0265] In a case where the service requested by the UE to obtain matches the service description information in Table 3, the identifier of the central network in the routing description in Table 3 can be used. For example, if the service type of the service requested by the UE to obtain is a satellite positioning service and the packet loss rate is less than 1%, the service requested by the UE to obtain matches the service description information in Table 3, and the UE can use the central network ID in Table 3 to indicate that the signaling of the service requested by the UE to obtain is routed to the central network corresponding to the central network ID.

[0266] Table 3

[0267] It should be noted that the UE can preferentially match the service requested by the UE to obtain with the service description information of the subnet network, and if the service requested by the UE to obtain matches the service description information of the subnet network, the subnet network is preferentially selected. If the service requested by the UE to obtain cannot match the service description information of the subnet network, the central network is finally selected. The service description information of the central network in the first rule can match all the services requested by the UE to obtain, and the UE can select the first network element to discover the network element providing the service to the UE in a case where the UE cannot select the second network element to discover the network element providing the service to the UE. Since the central network has a complete core network, the complete set of services can be provided to the UE.

[0268] S502, the third network element sends the first rule to the RAN device.

[0269] S503, the RAN device sends the first rule to the UE.

[0270] Optionally, the UE can receive the first rule from the central network.

[0271] S504, the UE selects a target service network from the central network and the subnet network based on the first rule.

[0272] Specifically, the UE can determine whether the service requested by the UE matches the service description information of the subnet network in the first rule, and if the service requested by the UE matches the service description information of the subnet network in the first rule, the subnet network is selected. If the service requested by the UE matches the service description information of the central network in the first rule, the central network is selected. It should be noted that the UE first determines whether the service requested by the UE matches the service description information of the subnet network, and if the service requested by the UE cannot match the service description information of the subnet network, the service description information of the central network is matched, and the central network is selected.

[0273] Optionally, in the case that the service description information of the subnet network in the first rule corresponds to multiple subnet network identifiers, if the service requested by the UE matches the service description information of the subnet network in the first rule, the UE can select an identifier of a subnet network with high priority from the multiple subnet network identifiers; and the subnet network is determined according to the identifier of the subnet network with high priority.

[0274] Optionally, when the preset condition is met, the subnet network is selected, wherein the preset condition includes that the UE is located within a service range of the subnet network and / or within a service time period of the subnet network. Thus, signaling transmission failure caused by the UE sending signaling to the subnet network outside the service range of the subnet network or not within the service time of the subnet network is avoided. For example, if the UE selects an identifier of a subnet network with the first priority from the multiple subnet network identifiers, but the UE is not within the service range of the subnet network corresponding to the identifier of the subnet network with the highest priority, the UE selects an identifier of a subnet network with the second priority, and determines that the UE is within the service range of the subnet network corresponding to the identifier of the subnet network with the second priority, and then selects the subnet network according to the identifier of the subnet network with the second priority.

[0275] The service requested by the UE can also include a service type, a delay, a packet loss rate, a bandwidth, a slice, a data network name (DNN), a quality of service (QoS) requirement, a precision, or an accuracy, and the like.

[0276] Optionally, the UE selects a first network element or a second network element to discover a network element providing a service to the UE based on the first rule. Further, if the UE selects the subnet network, the second network element can be selected to discover the network element providing the service to the UE. If the UE selects the central network, the first network element can be selected to discover the network element providing the service to the UE.

[0277] S505, the UE sends a first request to the RAN device.

[0278] The first request is used to request to obtain a service, and the first request includes first indication information used to indicate the selected target service network.

[0279] In a possible manner, if the UE selects a subnetwork, the first indication information can include an identifier of the subnetwork, which can include a PLMN ID+Subnetwork ID, a subnetwork ID, or a single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) identifier or a DNN identifier, or the first indication information can include an address of a second network element, such as an address of a NRF network element. Alternatively, the first indication information can include a subnetwork message type, by which it can be determined that the UE selects a subnetwork.

[0280] In another possible manner, if the UE selects a central network, the first indication information can include an identifier of the central network, an address of a first network element, or a central network message type.

[0281] S506, the RAN device selects, based on the first indication information, a target network element from the first network element and the second network element to discover a network element providing a service to the UE.

[0282] Specifically, if the first indication information indicates the central network, the first network element is selected to discover a network element providing a service to the UE; and if the first indication information indicates the subnetwork, the second network element is selected to discover a network element providing a service to the UE.

[0283] Optionally, the target network element is selected from the first network element and the second network element according to the address of the first network element or the address of the second network element to discover a network element providing a service to the UE. Specifically, if the first indication information indicates the address of the first network element, the first network element is selected to discover a network element providing a service to the UE; and if the first indication information indicates the address of the second network element, the second network element is selected to discover a network element providing a service to the UE.

[0284] Optionally, the RAN device sends a second request to the target network element, and the second request is used to request to discover a network element providing a service to the UE. Further, if the first network element is selected, the first network element is requested to discover a network element providing a service to the UE; and if the second network element is selected, the second network element is requested to discover a network element providing a service to the UE.

[0285] In the embodiment of the present application, the UE selects a target service network from the central network and the subnet network based on a first rule, and indicates the selected target service network to the RAN device, so that the RAN device can determine the network element discovered by the first network element or the second network element to provide service to the UE, avoid routing errors of the signaling for requesting service sent by the UE, and improve communication efficiency.

[0286] As shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a flowchart of UE registration provided by an embodiment of the present application. The main steps include the following steps:

[0287] S601, the UE sends a registration request to the RAN device.

[0288] The registration request includes a subscription concealed identifier (SUCI). The UE uses SUCI for registration when initially registering.

[0289] S602, the RAN device sends a discovery request to the first network element.

[0290] Specifically, the RAN device sends a discovery request to the first network element according to the registration request. The discovery request is used to request the first network element to discover a suitable AUSF network element.

[0291] S603, the first network element sends information of the AUSF network element to the RAN device, so that the RAN device can invoke the service of the AUSF network element for authentication.

[0292] S604, the RAN device sends an authentication request to the AUSF network element.

[0293] S605, a security authentication process is performed between the UE, the RAN device, the AUSF network element, and the UDM network element.

[0294] S606, the RAN device sends a discovery request to the first network element.

[0295] After completing the authentication, the RAN device obtains an authentication result, and the RAN device sends a discovery request to the first network element. The discovery request is used to request to discover an AMF network element and perform a registration process.

[0296] S607, the first network element sends information of the AMF network element to the RAN device, so that the RAN device can invoke the service of the AMF network element for registration.

[0297] S608, the RAN device sends a registration request and an authentication result to the AMF network element.

[0298] The registration request and the authentication result are used to trigger the AMF network element to perform a registration process.

[0299] S609, the AMF network element requests the subscription information of the UE from the UDM network element.

[0300] S610, the UDM network element returns the subscription information of the UE to the AMF network element.

[0301] S611, the AMF network element sends a registration accept message to the RAN device.

[0302] Specifically, the AMF network element generates the UE mobility restriction list, the registration area, the GUTI and the like according to the subscription information of the UE, and sends the registration accept message to the RAN device. The registration accept message includes the UE mobility restriction list, the registration area, the GUTI and the like.

[0303] S612, the RAN device sends the registration accept message to the UE.

[0304] The registration accept message includes the UE mobility restriction list, the registration area, the GUTI and the like.

[0305] S613, the RAN device sends a discovery request to the first network element.

[0306] When the UE initiates the registration, the RAN device triggers to request the PCF network element to update the policy information of the UE. After the UE completes the registration request, the RAN device sends the discovery request to the first network element, and the discovery request is used to request to discover the PCF network element.

[0307] S614, the first network element sends the information of the PCF network element to the RAN device.

[0308] S615, the RAN device sends a third request to the PCF network element.

[0309] The third request is used to request the first rule.

[0310] S616, the PCF network element sends the first rule to the RAN device.

[0311] S617, the RAN device sends the first rule to the UE.

[0312] The implementation process of S615-S617 is the same as that of S501-S503 in the previous embodiment, and the specific implementation manner of S615-S617 can refer to S501-S503 in the previous embodiment, which will not be described here.

[0313] In the embodiment of the application, the UE completes the registration process through the first network element, and obtains the first rule from the center network after completing the registration, so as to select the center network or the sub-network in the subsequent based on the first rule.

[0314] As shown in FIG. 7, FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a session establishment provided by an embodiment of the present application. The main steps include the following steps.

[0315] S701, the UE selects a target service network from the central network and the subnet network based on the first rule.

[0316] Taking a session establishment request as an example, when the UE needs to establish a session, the service type of the service requested by the UE to obtain is session management, and the matching is performed according to the time delay, the slice, and the DNN. If the service description information of the subnet network in the first rule is matched, the subnet network is selected. If the service description information of the central network in the first rule is matched, the central network is selected.

[0317] If the UE selects the subnet network based on the first rule. The UE indicates the selected subnet network to the RAN device through the first indication information, so that the RAN device requests the second network element to discover the SMF network element. After the second network element discovers the SMF network element, the RAN device directly communicates with the SMF network element. If the UE selects the central network based on the first rule. The UE indicates the selected central network to the RAN device through the first indication information, so that the RAN device requests the first network element to discover the SMF network element. After the first network element discovers the SMF network element, the RAN device directly communicates with the SMF network element. The following will be described in detail by selecting the subnet network.

[0318] S702, the UE sends a first request to the RAN device.

[0319] The first request can be an access network (AN) message, and the first request is used to request to establish a session. The first request can include first indication information. The first indication information can be a subnetwork ID, or the first indication information can be an address of the second network element. The first indication information can indicate a message type, for example, a subnet message type.

[0320] S703, the RAN device selects a target network element to discover a network element providing a service to the UE from the first network element and the second network element based on the first indication information.

[0321] Specifically, the RAN selects the second network element to discover a network element providing a service to the UE based on the subnet network indicated by the first indication information.

[0322] Optionally, the RAN device can determine to discover a corresponding network element according to the type of the service requested to obtain. For example, if the first request is used to request to establish a session, the RAN device can determine to discover the SMF network element.

[0323] The implementation process of S701-S703 is the same as that of S504-S506 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, and the specific implementation of S701-S703 can refer to S504-S506 in the previous embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0324] S704, the RAN device sends a discovery request to the second network element.

[0325] The discovery request is used to request discovery of the SMF network element.

[0326] S705, the second network element sends information of the SMF network element to the RAN device, so that the RAN device can invoke the service of the SMF network element to perform the session establishment process.

[0327] S706, the RAN device sends a session establishment request to the SMF network element.

[0328] In this process, the RAN device creates context information for the UE, saves PDU Session ID, serving SMF and other information, and in the subsequent session-related request message sent by the UE, the RAN device can directly determine the corresponding SMF network element according to the context information, without the need to re-execute network element discovery.

[0329] S707, the SMF network element triggers the UPF network element to establish an N4 session.

[0330] Specifically, the SMF network element selects a suitable UPF network element according to the session establishment request, and triggers the UPF network element to perform N4 session establishment.

[0331] S708, the SMF network element sends an N2 session request to the RAN device.

[0332] The N2 session request includes a session establishment acceptance message.

[0333] S709, the RAN device establishes an AN resource with the UE.

[0334] Optionally, the RAN device can send a session establishment acceptance message to the UE.

[0335] S710, the RAN device sends an N2 session response to the SMF network element.

[0336] After the above steps are completed, the UE can send uplink data.

[0337] S711, the SMF network element triggers the UPF network element to update the N4 session.

[0338] After the N4 session is updated, downlink data can be sent to the UE to complete the session establishment.

[0339] In the embodiments of the present application, the UE selects a subnet network based on a first rule, and indicates the selected subnet network to the RAN device, so that the RAN device can determine the network element discovered by the second network element to provide services to the UE, avoid routing errors of the signaling for requesting services sent by the UE, and improve communication efficiency.

[0340] The above embodiments mainly introduce the selection of a subnet network or a central network performed by the UE. The following embodiments mainly introduce the selection of a subnet network or a central network performed by the RAN device.

[0341] As shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 8 is a flowchart of another communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The method mainly includes the following steps:

[0342] S801, the RAN device receives a first request sent by the UE, where the first request is used to request services.

[0343] The first request includes a first identifier corresponding to the type of the requested services. The RAN device can determine to request discovery of the corresponding network element based on the first identifier. For example, the first request includes a PDU Session ID, and the RAN device can determine to request discovery of an SMF network element according to the PDU Session ID.

[0344] The first request can include a second identifier of the UE. The RAN device finds the context information of the UE based on the second identifier. In one implementation, the second identifier can be a GUTI, which is a temporary identifier received by the UE during registration. The RAN device saves the GUTI in the context information of the UE as an index of the context. The RAN device finds the context information of the UE based on the GUTI carried in the first request. In another implementation, the context information of the UE saved by the RAN includes an RAN UE Application Protocol (NG Application Protocol, NGAP) ID and an AMF UE NGAP ID. The RAN device can match the identifier of the UE carried in the first request with the RAN UE NGAP ID or the AMF UE NGAP ID in the context information to find the context information of the UE.

[0345] The services requested by the first request can include a service type, a delay, a packet loss rate, a bandwidth, a slice, a data network name (DNN), a quality of service (QoS) requirement, a precision, or an accuracy, etc. For example, the first request can carry information such as a slice and a DNN.

[0346] Optionally, before the RAN device receives the first request sent by the UE, the context information of the UE can be saved.

[0347] Specifically, the AMF network element can request the UDM network element to obtain the subscription information of the UE, and the UDM network element returns the subscription information of the UE to the AMF network element, wherein the subscription information includes the service of the subnet network authorized for the UE to use and / or the service of the central network authorized for the UE to use. Then, the RAN device can receive the first information sent by the AMF network element, and the first information includes the service of the subnet network authorized for the UE to use and / or the service of the central network authorized for the UE to use, and save the context information, wherein the context information includes the first information.

[0348] For example, the subscription information includes the service of the subnet network authorized for the UE to use. In an implementation, the UDM network element feeds back to the AMF network element that the S-NSSAI or DNN corresponds to the service authorized for the UE to use in the subnet network. In another implementation, the UDM network element feeds back to the AMF network element that the subnet network can provide the UE with a service of a certain quality, such as a service with a delay of less than 30 ms, a positioning service with an error of less than 1 m, and the like.

[0349] The context information includes service description information of the subnet network, an identifier of the subnet network, service description information of the central network, and an identifier of the central network, wherein one of the service description information of the subnet network corresponds to at least one of the identifiers of the subnet network, and the service description information of the central network corresponds to the identifier of the central network. The identifier of the subnet network can also be replaced by the address of the second network element, and the identifier of the central network can be replaced by the address of the first network element. The first network element is a network element responsible for central network network function discovery and management of subnet network functions, and the second network element is a network element responsible for subnet network function discovery.

[0350] The service description information includes at least one of the following: a service type, a delay, a packet loss rate, a bandwidth, a slice, a data network name (DNN), a quality of service (QoS) requirement, an accuracy, or an accuracy rate. The accuracy can include positioning accuracy, sensing accuracy, artificial intelligence (AI) prediction accuracy, and the like.

[0351] Optionally, the identifier of the central network in the context information can also be replaced by an information type, or have no value. When the service requested by the UE does not match the service description information of the subnet network in the first rule, or the service requested by the UE matches the service description information of the central network in the first rule, the signaling indicating that the UE requests the service is implicitly routed to the central network.

[0352] As shown in Table 4, Table 4 is a context information table. The context information table can include service description information of a subnetwork network and network routing information indicating the subnetwork network. The service description information of the subnetwork network can include service description information 1 of the subnetwork network and service description information 2 of the subnetwork network. The service description information 1 of the subnetwork network includes authorized service 1, S-NSSAI, and DNN, where the authorized service 1 is a PDU Session, the S-NSSAI is S-NSSAI 1, and the DNN is DNN 1, and the corresponding network routing information can be Subnetwork ID (indicating a subnetwork network type) or Subnetwork ID 1. The service description information 2 of the subnetwork network includes authorized service 2 and RTT, where the authorized service 2 is sensing, and the RTT is less than 30 ms, and the corresponding network routing information can be Subnetwork ID (indicating a subnetwork network type) or Subnetwork ID 2. The context information table can further include a UE ID, where the UE ID is a 6G GUTI.

[0353] In a case where the service requested by the UE to be acquired matches the service description information of the subnetwork network in Table 4, the network routing information in Table 4 can be selected. For example, if the service type of the service requested by the UE to be acquired is a PDU Session, and the requested slice is S-NSSAI 1, and the requested DNN is DNN 1, the service requested by the UE to be acquired matches the service description information 1 of the subnetwork network in Table 4, and the UE can use Subnetwork ID or Subnetwork ID 1 in Table 4, indicating that the signaling of the service requested by the UE to be acquired is routed to the subnetwork network corresponding to Subnetwork ID or Subnetwork ID 1. For another example, if the service type of the service requested by the UE to be acquired is a sensing service, and the RTT is required to be less than 30 ms, the service requested by the UE to be acquired matches the service description information 2 of the subnetwork network in Table 4, indicating that the signaling of the service requested by the UE to be acquired is routed to the subnetwork network corresponding to Subnetwork ID or Subnetwork ID 2.

[0354] Table 4

[0355] Optionally, in the case that the service description information corresponds to the identifiers of multiple sub-networks, the context information can further include the priority of the sub-networks, that is, when the service description information of the sub-networks corresponds to the identifiers of multiple sub-networks, one of the sub-networks can be selected through the priority of each sub-network. The context information can further include a preset condition, and the preset condition includes that the UE is located within the service range of the sub-network and / or within the service time period of the sub-network. That is, when the preset condition is met, the sub-network can be selected, so as to avoid that the UE sends signaling to the sub-network outside the service range of the sub-network or not within the service time of the sub-network, resulting in signaling sending failure. The context information in the embodiment of the application is similar to the first rule, and can refer to Table 2 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 for details, which will not be described here.

[0356] As shown in Table 5, Table 5 is another context information table. The context information table includes service description information of a central network and network routing information indicating the central network. The service description information includes a service type and a packet loss rate, and the service type includes a session management service, a perception service, an AI service, a satellite positioning service, and an authentication service, and the packet loss rate is less than 1%. The network routing information can include central network (indicating the type of the central network), central network ID, or Null (no value).

[0357] In the case that the service requested by the UE to obtain matches the service description information in Table 5, the network routing information in Table 5 can be used. For example, if the service type of the service requested by the UE to obtain is a satellite positioning service and the packet loss rate is less than 1%, the service requested by the UE to obtain matches the service description information in Table 5, and the UE can use the network routing information in Table 5, indicating that the signaling of the service requested by the UE to obtain is routed to the central network.

[0358] Table 5

[0359] It should be noted that the RAN device can preferentially match the service requested by the UE to obtain with the service description information of the sub-networks, and if the service requested by the UE to obtain matches the service description information of the sub-networks, the sub-networks are preferentially selected. If the service requested by the UE to obtain cannot match the service description information of the sub-networks, the central network is finally selected. The service description information of the central network in the context information can match all services requested by the UE to obtain, and in the case that the UE cannot select a second network element to discover a network element providing services to the UE, the UE can select a first network element to discover a network element providing services to the UE. Since the central network has a complete core network, it can guarantee to provide a full set of services to the UE.

[0360] S802, the RAN device selects a target service network from the central network and the sub-network network based on context information of the UE, the context information being used to indicate that signaling of the UE requesting to acquire a service is routed to the central network or the sub-network network.

[0361] Specifically, the RAN device can determine whether the service requested by the UE to acquire matches the service description information of the sub-network network in the context information, and if the service requested by the UE to acquire matches the service description information of the sub-network network in the context information, the sub-network network is selected. If the service requested by the UE to acquire matches the service description information of the central network in the context information, the central network is selected. It should be noted that the UE first determines whether the service requested by the UE to acquire matches the service description information of the sub-network network, and if the service requested by the UE to acquire cannot match the service description information of the sub-network network, the service requested by the UE to acquire is matched with the service description information of the central network, and the central network is selected.

[0362] Optionally, in a case where the service description information of the sub-network network corresponds to multiple sub-network network identifiers, if the service requested by the UE to acquire matches the service description information of the sub-network network in the context information, the UE can select an identifier of a sub-network network with high priority from the multiple sub-network network identifiers; and the sub-network network is determined according to the identifier of the sub-network network with high priority.

[0363] Optionally, when the preset condition is met, the sub-network network is selected, wherein the preset condition includes that the UE is located within a service range of the sub-network network and / or within a service time period of the sub-network network. Thus, signaling sent by the UE to the sub-network network is prevented from failing due to the UE being outside the service range of the sub-network network or not being within the service time of the sub-network network. For example, if the UE selects an identifier of a sub-network network with a first priority from multiple sub-network network identifiers, but the UE is not within the service range of the sub-network network corresponding to the identifier of the sub-network network with the highest priority, the UE selects an identifier of a sub-network network with a second priority, and determines that the UE is within the service range of the sub-network network corresponding to the identifier of the sub-network network with the second priority, and then selects the sub-network network according to the identifier of the sub-network network with the second priority.

[0364] The service requested by the UE to acquire can include a service type, a delay, a packet loss rate, a bandwidth, a slice, a data network name (DNN), a quality of service (QoS) requirement, precision, or accuracy, and the like.

[0365] Optionally, the UE selects the first network element or the second network element to discover the network element providing service to the UE based on the context information. Further, if the UE selects the sub-network, the second network element can be selected to discover the network element providing service to the UE. If the UE selects the central network, the first network element can be selected to discover the network element providing service to the UE.

[0366] Optionally, if the RAN device selects the second network element, a second request can be sent to the second network element, the second request being used to request to discover the network element providing service to the UE, the second network element being a network element responsible for sub-network function discovery. The first request includes the first identifier corresponding to the type of service requested. The RAN device can determine to request to discover the corresponding network element based on the first identifier. The second request is also used to request to discover the network element corresponding to the first identifier. For example, if the first request carries a PDU Session ID, the second request is used to request to discover the SMF network element of the sub-network.

[0367] Optionally, if the RAN device selects the first network element, a third request can be sent to the first network element, the third request being used to request to discover the network element providing service to the UE, the first network element being a network element responsible for central network function discovery and sub-network function management. The first request includes the first identifier corresponding to the type of service requested. The RAN device can determine to request to discover the corresponding network element based on the first identifier. The third request is also used to request to discover the network element corresponding to the first identifier. For example, if the first request carries a PDU Session ID, the third request is used to request to discover the SMF network element of the central network.

[0368] In the embodiments of the present application, the RAN device selects the target service network from the central network and the sub-network based on the context information, so that the RAN device can determine the network element providing service to the UE discovered by the first network element or the second network element, avoid the routing error of the request for service signaling sent by the UE, and improve the communication efficiency.

[0369] As shown in FIG. 9, FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of another UE registration provided by the embodiments of the present application. The main steps include the following:

[0370] S901, the UE sends a registration request to the RAN device.

[0371] The registration request includes a subscription concealed identifier (SUCI). The UE uses SUCI for registration when initially registering.

[0372] S902, the RAN device sends a discovery request to the first network element.

[0373] Specifically, the RAN device sends a discovery request to the first network element according to the registration request. The discovery request is used to request the first network element to discover a suitable AUSF network element.

[0374] S903, the first network element sends information of the AUSF network element to the RAN device. So that the RAN device can invoke the service of the AUSF network element for authentication.

[0375] S904, the RAN device sends an authentication request to the AUSF network element.

[0376] S905, a security authentication process is performed between the UE, the RAN device, the AUSF network element and the UDM network element.

[0377] S906, the RAN device sends a discovery request to the first network element.

[0378] After the authentication is completed, the RAN device obtains an authentication result, and the RAN device sends a discovery request to the first network element. The discovery request is used to request to discover an AMF network element, and perform a registration process.

[0379] S907, the first network element sends information of the AMF network element to the RAN device, so that the RAN device can invoke the service of the AMF network element for registration.

[0380] S908, the RAN device sends a registration request and an authentication result to the AMF network element.

[0381] The registration request and the authentication result are used to trigger the AMF network element to perform a registration process.

[0382] S909, the AMF network element requests the subscription information of the UE from the UDM network element.

[0383] S910, the UDM network element returns the subscription information of the UE to the AMF network element.

[0384] The subscription information includes services of a subnet network authorized for the UE to use and / or services of a central network authorized for the UE to use. For example, the UDM network element feeds back to the AMF network element services corresponding to S-NSSAI or DNN that authorize the UE to use in the subnet network. Or, the UDM network element feeds back to the AMF network element what quality of service the subnet network can provide to the UE, such as providing a service with a delay of less than 30 ms, or a positioning service with an error of less than 1 m, etc.

[0385] S911, the AMF network element sends a registration accept message to the RAN device.

[0386] The registration accept message can include services of a subnet network authorized for the UE to use and / or services of a central network authorized for the UE to use.

[0387] Specifically, the AMF network element generates UE mobility restriction list, registration area, GUTI and other information according to the subscription information of the UE, and sends a registration accept message to the RAN device. The registration accept message can also include UE mobility restriction list, registration area, GUTI and other information.

[0388] S912, the RAN device saves the context information of the UE.

[0389] The context information is used to indicate that the signaling of the UE requesting to obtain services is routed to the central network or the subnetwork. The context information can include services of the subnetwork authorized for use by the UE and / or services of the central network authorized for use by the UE.

[0390] The context information in the embodiment of the application is the same as the context information in the previous embodiment. The context information herein can refer to the context information in the previous embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0391] S913, the RAN device sends a registration accept message to the UE.

[0392] The registration accept message includes UE mobility restriction list, registration area, GUTI and other information.

[0393] In the embodiment of the application, the UE completes the registration process through the first network element, and the RAN device saves the context information of the UE after completing the registration, so as to select the central network or the subnetwork based on the context information subsequently.

[0394] As shown in FIG. 10, FIG. 10 is a flowchart of another session establishment provided by the embodiment of the application. It mainly includes the following steps:

[0395] S1001, the UE sends a first request to the RAN device.

[0396] S1002, the RAN device selects a target service network from the central network and the subnetwork based on the context information of the UE, which is used to indicate that the signaling of the UE requesting to obtain services is routed to the central network or the subnetwork.

[0397] The implementation process of S1001-S1002 is the same as that of S801-S802 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8. The specific implementation of S1001-S1002 can refer to S801-S802 in the previous embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0398] Embodiments of the present application take the first request as an example of a session establishment request, and the first request carries PDU Session ID, slice, and DNN information. The service type of the service requested by the UE is session management, and the service is matched according to the slice and the DNN. If the service matches the service description information of the sub-network in the context information, the sub-network is selected. If the service matches the service description information of the center network in the context information, the center network is selected.

[0399] If the RAN device selects the sub-network based on the context information, the RAN device requests the second network element to discover the SMF network element. After the second network element discovers the SMF network element, the RAN device directly communicates with the SMF network element. If the RAN device selects the center network based on the context information, the RAN device requests the first network element to discover the SMF network element. After the first network element discovers the SMF network element, the RAN device directly communicates with the SMF network element. The selection of the sub-network is described in detail below.

[0400] S1003, the RAN device sends a discovery request to the second network element.

[0401] The discovery request is used to request discovery of the SMF network element.

[0402] S1004, the second network element sends information of the SMF network element to the RAN device, so that the RAN device can invoke the service of the SMF network element to perform a session establishment process.

[0403] S1005, the RAN device sends a session establishment request to the SMF network element.

[0404] In this process, the RAN device creates context information for the UE, and saves PDU Session ID, serving SMF, and other information. Subsequently, when the UE sends a request message related to the session, the RAN device can directly determine the corresponding SMF network element according to the context information, without the need to re-perform network element discovery.

[0405] S1006, the SMF network element triggers the UPF network element to establish an N4 session.

[0406] Specifically, the SMF network element selects a suitable UPF network element according to the session establishment request, and triggers the UPF network element to perform N4 session establishment.

[0407] S1007, the SMF network element sends an N2 session request to the RAN device.

[0408] The N2 session request includes a session establishment acceptance message.

[0409] S1008, the RAN device establishes an AN resource with the UE.

[0410] Optionally, the RAN device can send a session establishment accept message to the UE.

[0411] S1009, the RAN device sends an N2 session response to the SMF network element.

[0412] After the above steps are completed, the UE can send uplink data.

[0413] S1010, the SMF network element triggers the UPF network element to update the N4 session.

[0414] After the N4 session update is completed, downlink data can be sent to the UE, and the session establishment is completed.

[0415] S1011, the UE sends a session modification request to the RAN device.

[0416] The session modification request includes a UE ID and a PDU Session ID.

[0417] S1012, the RAN device determines the SMF network element according to the context information.

[0418] Specifically, the RAN device saves the context information of the UE when establishing a session for the UE, as shown in Table 6, which includes a UE ID, an AMF network element (AMF 1) that provides services to the UE, a PCF network element (PCF 1) that provides services to the UE, a PDU Session ID, and an SMF network element (SMF 1) that provides services to the UE. The UE ID is the same as described above, and is not limited to a specific ID, but is used to uniquely identify the UE. The RAN device finds the corresponding serving SMF in Table 6 according to the PDU Session ID carried by the session modification request, determines whether it is a central network or a subnetwork through the SMF ID, and determines which specific SMF network element it is, so it is not necessary to find the NRF network element again to discover, but directly call the service of the SMF network element, thereby avoiding triggering the SMF discovery process again.

[0419] Table 6

[0420] S1013, the RAN device sends a session modification request to the SMF network element.

[0421] S1014, the SMF network element triggers the UPF network element to update the N4 session.

[0422] S1015, the SMF network element feeds back to the RAN device that the session modification is completed.

[0423] S1016, the RAN device sends a session modification completion to the UE.

[0424] In the embodiments of the present application, the RAN selects the subnet network based on the context information, so that the RAN device can determine the network element discovered by the second network element to provide services to the UE, avoid incorrect routing of the signaling for requesting services sent by the UE, and improve communication efficiency.

[0425] The above embodiments perform selection of the subnet network or the central network by the UE or the RAN device, and the embodiments of the present application perform selection of the subnet network or the central network by the first network element.

[0426] As shown in FIG. 11, FIG. 11 is a flowchart of another communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The method mainly includes the following steps:

[0427] S1101, the first network element receives a first request from the RAN device, the first request is used to request to discover a network element providing services to the UE, and the first request includes services requested by the UE.

[0428] The first request includes an identifier corresponding to the type of the requested service. The first network element can determine to request to discover the corresponding network element based on the identifier corresponding to the type of the requested service. For example, the first request includes a PDU Session ID, and the first network element can determine to request to discover an SMF network element according to the PDU Session ID.

[0429] The first request can include an identifier of the UE. The identifier of the UE can be represented by a GUTI, or can be represented by other identifiers such as a UE RAN NGAP ID, which is not limited here. The UE ID is used to uniquely identify the UE.

[0430] The services requested by the first request can include service types, time delays, packet loss rates, bandwidths, slices, data network names (DNNs), quality of service (QoS) requirements, precisions, or accuracy rates, etc. For example, the first request can carry information such as slices and DNNs.

[0431] The first network element is a network element responsible for central network function discovery and management of subnet network functions. The second network element is a network element responsible for subnet network function discovery.

[0432] S1102, the first network element determines, based on the requested services, that the signaling for requesting services by the UE is routed to the subnet network.

[0433] Specifically, the first network element can obtain the UE's subscription information; based on the subscription information, determine the services of the subnet network authorized for the UE to use; and based on the requested service and the services of the subnet network authorized for the UE to use, determine the signaling route for the UE's requested service to be routed to the subnet network. Further, if the requested service matches the services of the subnet network authorized for the UE to use, the first network element determines the signaling route for the UE's requested service to be routed to the subnet network.

[0434] Optionally, the first network element can select a second network element to discover network elements that provide services to the UE based on the requested service. Further, if it is determined that the signaling route for the UE's requested service is to the subnet network, then the second network element can be selected to discover network elements that provide services to the UE.

[0435] For example, if the UE is authorized to use the session of slice 1 and DNN1 in the subnet network, and the service requested by the UE is session establishment, and the session establishment uses slice 1 and DNN1, then the requested service matches the service of the subnet network used by the authorized UE, and the first network element can determine that the UE establishes a session in the subnet network to obtain the service.

[0436] Optionally, the first network element obtains the UE's subscription information; based on the subscription information, it determines the services of the central network authorized for the UE to use; and based on the requested service and the services of the central network authorized for the UE to use, it determines the signaling route for the UE's requested service to be routed to the central network. Further, if the requested service matches the services of the central network authorized for the UE to use, the first network element determines that the signaling route for the UE's requested service is routed to the central network. If the first network element determines that the signaling route for the UE's requested service is routed to the central network, it can directly discover the network element providing the service to the UE.

[0437] It should be noted that the first network element can prioritize matching the services requested by the UE with the services of the subnet network authorized for the UE. If the services requested by the UE match the services of the subnet network authorized for the UE, the subnet network is selected first. If the services requested by the UE cannot match the services of the subnet network authorized for the UE, the central network is selected last. The services of the central network authorized for the UE can match all services requested by the UE. If the UE cannot select a second network element to discover network elements providing services, it can select the first network element to discover network elements providing services. Because the central network has a complete core network, it can guarantee the provision of a full set of services to the UE.

[0438] Optionally, the first network element may send a third request to the UDM network element, the third request being used to request the UE's subscription information; the first network element receives the subscription information sent by the UDM network element. The subscription information may include services of the subnet network authorized for use by the UE and / or services of the central network authorized for use by the UE. The third request includes the UE's identifier. The first network element may request the UE's subscription information from the UDM network element based on the UE's identifier, or the RAN device may convert the UE's identifier into a SUPI and send the SUPI to the first network element, the first network element may request the UE's subscription information from the UDM network element based on the SUPI.

[0439] S1103, the first network element sends a second request to the second network element, the second request being used to request the discovery of network elements that provide services to the UE.

[0440] The second request includes the UE's identifier.

[0441] The second request includes S-NSSAI and / or DNN. After receiving the second request, the second network element can select a target network element from multiple subnet network elements to provide services to the UE based on S-NSSAI and / or DNN. For example, if the subnet network contains multiple SMF network elements supporting different slices, the second network element can match the slice requested by the UE with the multiple slices supported by the subnet network and select one SMF network element from the multiple SMF network elements.

[0442] Optionally, the first network element can determine the corresponding network element based on the identifier corresponding to the type of service requested by the UE, and send a second request to the second network element. The second request is also used to request the discovery of the network element corresponding to the type of service requested by the UE. For example, if the first network element determines the network element to be discovered for SMF based on the PDU Session ID, the first network element can request the discovery of the SMF network element from the second network element.

[0443] S1104, the second network element sends a first response to the first network element, the first response including information about the network element that was discovered to provide services to the UE.

[0444] The first response includes information about the network elements that are found to be providing services to the UE.

[0445] Optionally, after receiving the first response, the first network element can send information about the network elements that provide services to the UE to the RAN device. This allows the RAN device to request services from the corresponding network element based on the information about the network elements that provide services to the UE.

[0446] In this embodiment, the first network element determines the signaling route of the UE's request for service to the subnet network based on the UE's subscription information and the service requested by the UE. The first network element can determine the network element that provides services to the UE by the second network element, thereby avoiding incorrect signaling routing of the UE's request for service and improving communication efficiency.

[0447] As shown in Figure 12, Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of another session establishment process provided by an embodiment of this application. It mainly includes the following steps:

[0448] S1201, the UE completes registration on the first network element.

[0449] The specific process of S1201 is similar to the UE registration process shown in Figure 6 or Figure 9. The specific implementation of S1201 can be referred to the UE registration process shown in Figure 6 or Figure 9, and will not be repeated here.

[0450] S1202, the UE sends a session establishment request to the RAN device.

[0451] The session establishment request includes an identifier corresponding to the type of service requested. The RAN device can determine the network element corresponding to the service discovery request based on the identifier. For example, the first request includes a PDU Session ID, and the RAN device can determine the SMF network element for the service discovery request based on the PDU Session ID.

[0452] The session establishment request may include the UE's identifier, which can be represented by GUTI or other identifiers, such as the UE RAN NGAP ID. There is no restriction here. The purpose of this UE ID is to uniquely identify the UE.

[0453] The session establishment request includes service type, latency, packet loss rate, bandwidth, slice, data network name (DNN), quality of service (QoS) requirements, precision, or accuracy, etc. For example, the first request may carry information such as slice and DNN.

[0454] S1203, the RAN device sends a first request to the first network element. The first request is used to request the discovery of network elements that provide services to the UE. The first request includes the services that the UE requests to obtain.

[0455] S1204, the first network element sends a third request to the UDM network element.

[0456] The third request is used to request the UE's subscription information. The third request includes the UE's identifier.

[0457] S1205, the UDM network element sends the UE's subscription information to the first network element.

[0458] S1206, the first network element determines the signaling route of the UE's requested service to the subnet network based on the service requested by the UE.

[0459] S1207, the first network element sends a second request to the second network element, the second request being used to request the discovery of network elements that provide services to the UE.

[0460] S1208, the second network element sends the first response to the first network element.

[0461] The first response includes information about the network elements that are found to be providing services to the UE.

[0462] S1209, the first network element sends the information of the discovered network element to the RAN device.

[0463] Optionally, after the first network element sends the second request to the second network element, the second network element discovers the network element that provides services to the UE and directly sends the information of the discovered network element to the RAN device without going through the first network element, and the first network element is not required to participate in the subsequent process.

[0464] The implementation process of S1203-S1209 is the same as the implementation process of S1101-S1104 in the embodiment shown in Figure 11. The specific implementation of S1203-S1209 can be referred to S1101-S1104 in the embodiment shown in Figure 11, and will not be repeated here.

[0465] S1210, the RAN device sends a session establishment request to the SMF network element.

[0466] S1211, the SMF network element triggers the UPF network element to establish an N4 session.

[0467] Specifically, the SMF network element selects the appropriate UPF network element based on the session establishment request and triggers the UPF network element to perform N4 session establishment.

[0468] S1212, the SMF network element sends an N2 session request to the RAN device.

[0469] The N2 session request includes a session establishment acceptance message.

[0470] S1213, RAN equipment establishes AN resources with UE.

[0471] Optionally, the RAN device can send a session establishment accept message to the UE.

[0472] S1214, the RAN device sends an N2 session response to the SMF network element.

[0473] After completing the above steps, the UE can send uplink data.

[0474] S1215, SMF network element triggers UPF network element to modify N4 session.

[0475] After completing the N4 session update, downlink data can be sent to the UE to complete the session establishment.

[0476] In this embodiment, when the RAN device sends a request for a service from the subnet network to the first network element, the first network element determines whether the UE needs to obtain the service from the subnet network based on the UE's subscription information and the service requested by the UE. If the UE needs to obtain the service from the subnet network, the first network element requests the second network element to discover the corresponding network element and feeds back the information of the discovered network element to the RAN device. This allows the RAN device to route the signaling for the UE's request to obtain the service to the subnet network, avoiding incorrect routing of the signaling for the UE's request to obtain the service and improving communication efficiency.

[0477] It is understood that, in the above-described method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by the terminal device can also be implemented by components (such as chips or circuits) that can be used in the terminal device, and the methods and operations implemented by the network device can also be implemented by components (such as chips or circuits) that can be used in the network device. The network device can be an access network device, a PCF network element, a first network element, or a second network element.

[0478] This application embodiment can divide terminal devices or network devices into functional modules according to the above method examples. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated modules can be implemented in hardware or software functional modules. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. The following description uses the division of functional modules according to each function as an example.

[0479] The methods provided by the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to Figures 5-12. The communication apparatus provided by the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 13 and 14. It should be understood that the descriptions of the apparatus embodiments correspond to the descriptions of the method embodiments; therefore, any content not described in detail can be referred to the method embodiments above, and for the sake of brevity, will not be repeated here.

[0480] Please refer to Figure 13, which is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. This communication device can implement the steps or processes executed by the terminal device corresponding to the method embodiments described above. In one possible design, the communication device may include a receiving module 1301, a processing module 1302, and a sending module 1303. Optionally, the communication device may further include a storage module for storing device program code and / or data.

[0481] The receiving module 1301 is used to obtain a first rule, which is used to instruct the terminal device to route the signaling request for obtaining services to the central network or the subnet network.

[0482] Processing module 1302 is used to select a target service network from the central network and the subnet network based on the first rule;

[0483] The sending module 1303 is used to send a first request to the access network device. The first request is used to request to obtain a service. The first request includes first indication information, which is used to indicate the selected target service network.

[0484] Optionally, the processing module 1302 is further configured to select a first network element or a second network element to discover network elements that provide services to the terminal device based on the first rule, wherein the first network element is a network element responsible for discovering network functions of the central network and managing subnet network functions, and the second network element is a network element responsible for discovering subnet network functions.

[0485] Optionally, the first rule includes service description information of the subnet network, the identifier of the subnet network, service description information of the central network, and the identifier of the central network, wherein the service description information of one subnet network corresponds to the identifier of at least one subnet network, and the service description information of the central network corresponds to the identifier of the central network.

[0486] Optionally, the service description information includes at least one of the following: service type, latency, packet loss rate, bandwidth, slice, data network name (DNN), quality of service (QoS) requirements, precision, or accuracy.

[0487] Optionally, the processing module 1302 is further configured to determine whether the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the subnet network in the first rule; if the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the subnet network in the first rule, then the subnet network is selected.

[0488] Optionally, the processing module 1302 is further configured to select an identifier of a higher priority subnet network from the identifiers of at least one of the subnet networks; and determine the first indication information based on the identifier of the higher priority subnet network.

[0489] Optionally, the processing module 1302 is further configured to select the subnet network when the preset conditions are met, wherein the preset conditions include the terminal device being located within the service range of the subnet network and / or within the service time period of the subnet network.

[0490] Optionally, the first indication information includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the subnet network, the address of the second network element, or the subnet message type.

[0491] Optionally, the processing module 1302 is further configured to determine whether the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the central network in the first rule; if the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the central network in the first rule, then the central network is selected.

[0492] Optionally, the first indication information includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the central network, the address of the first network element, or the central network message type.

[0493] Optionally, the receiving module 1301 is also configured to receive the first rule from the central network.

[0494] In one possible design, when the communication device is a terminal device or a communication module within a terminal device, the functionality of the processing module 1302 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or a SIP chip containing a modem core. The functions of the receiving module 1301 and the transmitting module 1303 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry.

[0495] In one possible design, when the communication device is a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in a terminal device, such as a modem chip or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing module 1302 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processor cores. The functions of the receiving module 1301 and the transmitting module 1303 can be implemented by interface circuits or data transceiver circuits on the aforementioned chip.

[0496] It should be noted that the implementation of each module can also refer to the corresponding descriptions of the method embodiments shown in Figures 5-12, and execute the methods and functions performed by the terminal device in the above embodiments.

[0497] Please refer to Figure 14, which is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. This communication device can implement the steps or processes executed by the network device (e.g., access network device, PCF network element, first network element, or second network element) corresponding to the method embodiments described above. In one possible design, the communication device may include a receiving module 1401, a processing module 1402, and a transmitting module 1403. Optionally, the communication device may further include a storage module for storing device program code and / or data.

[0498] The communication device can be a network-side device as described in the above embodiments, such as a network device or a communication module in a network device, or a circuit or chip in the network responsible for communication functions.

[0499] In one embodiment:

[0500] The receiving module 1401 is configured to receive a first request from a terminal device. The first request is for requesting to obtain a service. The first request includes first indication information. The first indication information is for indicating a target service network selected from a central network and a subnet network based on a first rule. The first rule is for indicating that the signaling of the terminal device requesting to obtain a service is routed to the central network or the subnet network.

[0501] The processing module 1402 is used to select a target network element from the first network element and the second network element based on the first indication information to discover the network element that provides services to the terminal device. The first network element is the network element responsible for discovering network functions of the central network and managing subnet network functions, and the second network element is the network element responsible for discovering subnet network functions.

[0502] Optionally, the processing module 1402 is further configured to, if the first indication information indicates the central network, select the first network element to discover the network element that provides services to the terminal device; and if the first indication information indicates the subnet network, select the second network element to discover the network element that provides services to the terminal device.

[0503] Optionally, the first indication information includes the address of the first network element or the address of the second network element;

[0504] The processing module 1402 is further configured to select the target network element from the first network element and the second network element according to the address of the first network element or the address of the second network element to discover the network element that provides services to the terminal device.

[0505] Optionally, the sending module 1403 is further configured to send a second request to the target network element, the second request being used to request the discovery of a network element that provides services to the terminal device.

[0506] Optionally, the sending module 1403 is further configured to send a third request to a third network element, the third request being used to request the first rule, the third network element being a network element responsible for policy control functions;

[0507] The receiving module 1401 is also configured to receive the first rule from the third network element;

[0508] The sending module 1403 is used to send the first rule to the terminal device.

[0509] Optionally, the first rule includes service description information of the subnet network, the identifier of the subnet network, service description information of the central network, and the identifier of the central network, wherein the service description information of one subnet network corresponds to the identifier of at least one subnet network, and the service description information of the central network corresponds to the identifier of the central network.

[0510] Optionally, the service description information includes at least one of the following: service type, latency, packet loss rate, bandwidth, slice, data network name (DNN), quality of service (QoS) requirements, precision, or accuracy.

[0511] In one possible design, when the communication device is an access network device or a communication module within an access network device, the functionality of the processing module 1402 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or a SIP chip containing a modem core. The functions of the receiving module 1401 and the transmitting module 1403 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry.

[0512] In one possible design, when the communication device is a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in an access network device, such as a modem chip or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing module 1402 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processor cores. The functions of the receiving module 1401 and the transmitting module 1403 can be implemented by interface circuits or data transceiver circuits on the aforementioned chip.

[0513] It should be noted that the implementation of each module can also refer to the corresponding descriptions of the method embodiments shown in Figures 5-12, and execute the methods and functions performed by the access network device in the above embodiments.

[0514] In another embodiment:

[0515] The receiving module 1401 is configured to receive a third request from an access network device, wherein the third request is used to request a first rule, and the first rule is used to instruct the terminal device to route the signaling for requesting to obtain services to the central network or the subnet network.

[0516] The sending module 1403 is used to send the first rule to the access network device.

[0517] Optionally, the receiving module 1401 is further configured to obtain the subscription information of the terminal device;

[0518] The processing module 1402 is configured to determine, based on the subscription information, the services of the subnet network that the terminal device is allowed to access and the services of the central network that it is allowed to access; and to generate the first rule based on the services of the subnet network that it is allowed to access and the services of the central network that it is allowed to access.

[0519] Optionally, the receiving module 1401 is further configured to obtain the current location information of the terminal device;

[0520] The processing module 1402 is used to determine the services supported by the subnet network and the services supported by the central network in the current area based on the current location information; and to generate the first rule based on the services supported by the subnet network, the capability information of the subnet network, the services supported by the central network, and the capability information of the central network.

[0521] Optionally, the receiving module 1401 is further configured to obtain the subscription information and current location information of the terminal device;

[0522] The processing module 1402 is configured to determine, based on the subscription information, the services of the subnet network and the services of the central network that the terminal device is allowed to access; determine, based on the current location information, the services supported by the subnet network and the services supported by the central network in the current area; and generate the first rule based on the services of the subnet network, the services supported by the subnet network, the capability information of the subnet network, the services of the central network, the services supported by the central network, and the capability information of the central network.

[0523] Optionally, the first rule includes service description information of the subnet network, the identifier of the subnet network, service description information of the central network, and the identifier of the central network, wherein the service description information of one subnet network corresponds to the identifier of at least one subnet network, and the service description information of the central network corresponds to the identifier of the central network.

[0524] In one possible design, when the communication device is a PCF network element or a communication module within a PCF network element, the functionality of the processing module 1402 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or a SIP chip containing a modem core. The functions of the receiving module 1401 and the transmitting module 1403 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry.

[0525] In one possible design, when the communication device is a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions within a PCF network element, such as a modem chip or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing module 1402 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processor cores. The functions of the receiving module 1401 and the transmitting module 1403 can be implemented by interface circuits or data transceiver circuits on the aforementioned chip.

[0526] It should be noted that the implementation of each module can also refer to the corresponding descriptions of the method embodiments shown in Figures 5-12, and execute the methods and functions performed by the PCF network element in the above embodiments.

[0527] In another embodiment:

[0528] The receiving module 1401 is used to receive a first request sent by the terminal device, wherein the first request is used to request to obtain services;

[0529] The processing module 1402 is used to select a target service network from the central network and the subnet network based on the context information of the terminal device, wherein the context information is used to instruct the signaling route of the terminal device requesting to obtain services to the central network or the subnet network.

[0530] Optionally, the processing module 1402 is further configured to select a first network element or a second network element to discover a network element that provides services to the terminal device based on the context information, wherein the first network element is a network element responsible for discovering network functions of the central network and managing subnet network functions, and the second network element is a network element responsible for discovering subnet network functions.

[0531] Optionally, the context information includes service description information of the subnet network, identifier of the subnet network, service description information of the central network, and identifier of the central network, wherein one type of service description information of the subnet network corresponds to at least one identifier of the subnet network, and the service description information of the central network corresponds to the identifier of the central network.

[0532] Optionally, the service description information includes at least one of the following: service type, latency, packet loss rate, bandwidth, slice, data network name (DNN), quality of service (QoS) requirements, precision, or accuracy.

[0533] Optionally, the processing module 1402 is further configured to determine whether the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the subnet network in the context information; if the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the subnet network in the context information, then the subnet network is selected.

[0534] Optionally, the sending module 1403 is further configured to send a second request to a second network element, the second request being used to request the discovery of a network element that provides services to the terminal device, the second network element being a network element responsible for discovering subnet network functions.

[0535] Optionally, the first request includes a first identifier corresponding to the type of service requested, and the second request is further used to request the discovery of the network element corresponding to the first identifier.

[0536] Optionally, the processing module 1402 is further configured to determine whether the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the central network in the context information; if the service requested by the terminal device matches the service description information of the central network in the first rule, then the central network is selected.

[0537] Optionally, the sending module 1403 is further configured to send a third request to the first network element, the third request being used to request the discovery of a network element that provides services to the terminal device, wherein the first network element is a network element responsible for the discovery of network functions of the central network and the management of subnet network functions.

[0538] Optionally, the processing module 1402 is further configured to locate the context information of the terminal device based on the second identifier.

[0539] Optionally, the receiving module 1401 is further configured to receive first information, the first information including services of the subnet network authorized for use by the terminal device and / or services of the central network authorized for use by the terminal device;

[0540] The processing module 1402 is also used to save the context information, which includes the first information.

[0541] In one possible design, when the communication device is an access network device or a communication module within an access network device, the functionality of the processing module 1402 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or a SIP chip containing a modem core. The functions of the receiving module 1401 and the transmitting module 1403 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry.

[0542] In one possible design, when the communication device is a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in an access network device, such as a modem chip or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing module 1402 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processor cores. The functions of the receiving module 1401 and the transmitting module 1403 can be implemented by interface circuits or data transceiver circuits on the aforementioned chip.

[0543] It should be noted that the implementation of each module can also refer to the corresponding descriptions of the method embodiments shown in Figures 5-12, and execute the methods and functions performed by the PCF network element in the above embodiments.

[0544] In another embodiment:

[0545] The receiving module 1401 is used to receive a first request from the access network device. The first request is used to request the discovery of a network element that provides services to the terminal device. The first request includes the services requested by the terminal device. The first network element is a network element responsible for the discovery of network functions of the central network and the management of subnet network functions.

[0546] The processing module 1402 is used to determine the signaling route of the terminal device requesting to obtain the service to the subnet network based on the requested service.

[0547] Optionally, the processing module 1402 is further configured to select a second network element to discover a network element that provides services to the terminal device based on the service obtained from the request, wherein the second network element is a network element responsible for discovering subnet network functions.

[0548] Optionally, the receiving module 1401 is further configured to obtain the subscription information of the terminal device;

[0549] Processing module 1402 is further configured to determine, based on the subscription information, the services of the subnet network authorized for use by the terminal device; and, based on the requested services and the services of the subnet network authorized for use by the terminal device, determine the signaling route of the terminal device requesting to obtain services to the subnet network.

[0550] Optionally, the processing module 1402 is further configured to determine that the signaling route for the terminal device to request the service is to the subnet network if the requested service matches the service of the subnet network authorized for use by the terminal device.

[0551] Optionally, the sending module 1403 is used to send a third request, the third request being used to request the subscription information of the terminal device;

[0552] The receiving module 1401 is also used to receive the contract information.

[0553] Optionally, the sending module 1403 is further configured to send a second request to the second network element, the second request being used to request the discovery of a network element that provides services to the terminal device;

[0554] The receiving module 1401 is further configured to receive a first response from the second network element, the first response including information about the discovered network element.

[0555] Optionally, the second request may include the identifier of the terminal device.

[0556] Optionally, the second request includes single network slice selection auxiliary information S-NSSAI and / or data network name DNN.

[0557] Optionally, the sending module 1403 is also used to send the information of the discovered network element to the access network device.

[0558] In one possible design, when the communication device is a first network element or a communication module within a first network element, the functionality of the processing module 1402 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or a SIP chip containing a modem core. The functions of the receiving module 1401 and the transmitting module 1403 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry.

[0559] In one possible design, when the communication device is a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in the first network element, such as a modem chip or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing module 1402 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processor cores. The functions of the receiving module 1401 and the transmitting module 1403 can be implemented by the interface circuits or data transceiver circuits on the aforementioned chip.

[0560] It should be noted that the implementation of each module can also refer to the corresponding descriptions of the method embodiments shown in Figures 5-12, and execute the methods and functions performed by the first network element in the above embodiments.

[0561] In another embodiment:

[0562] The receiving module 1401 is used to receive a second request from a first network element. The second request is used to request the discovery of a network element that provides services to the terminal device. The first network element is the network element responsible for the discovery of network functions of the central network and the management of subnet network functions. The second network element is the network element responsible for the discovery of subnet network functions.

[0563] The sending module 1403 is used to send a first response to the first network element, the first response including information about the network element that is found to provide services to the terminal device.

[0564] Optionally, the second request is further configured to request the discovery of the network element corresponding to the type of service requested by the terminal device.

[0565] Optionally, the second request may include the identifier of the terminal device.

[0566] Optionally, the second request includes Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI) and / or Data Network Name (DNN); the method further includes: a processing module 1402, configured to select a target network element from network elements of multiple subnet networks to provide services to the terminal device based on the Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI) and / or the Data Network Name (DNN).

[0567] In one possible design, when the communication device is a second network element or a communication module within a second network element, the functionality of the processing module 1402 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or a SIP chip containing a modem core. The functions of the receiving module 1401 and the transmitting module 1403 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry.

[0568] In one possible design, when the communication device is a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in a second network element, such as a modem chip or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing module 1402 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processor cores. The functions of the receiving module 1401 and the transmitting module 1403 can be implemented by the interface circuits or data transceiver circuits on the aforementioned chip.

[0569] It should be noted that the implementation of each module can also refer to the corresponding descriptions of the method embodiments shown in Figures 5-12, and execute the methods and functions performed by the second network element in the above embodiments.

[0570] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application. This terminal device can be applied to the system shown in Figure 1 to perform the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments, or to implement the steps or processes executed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0571] As shown in Figure 15, the terminal device includes a processor 1501 and a transceiver 1502. The transceiver 1502 includes a transmitter 1521, a receiver 1522, and an antenna 1523. The receiver 1522 can be used to receive transmission control information through the antenna 1523, and the transmitter 1521 can be used to send transmission feedback information to the network device through the antenna 1523. Optionally, the terminal device also includes a memory 1503. The processor 1501, transceiver 1502, and memory 1503 can communicate with each other through internal connection paths to transmit control and / or data signals. The memory 1503 stores computer programs, and the processor 1501 calls and runs the computer programs from the memory 1503 to control the transceiver 1502 to transmit and receive signals. Optionally, the terminal device may also include an antenna for transmitting uplink data or uplink control signaling output by the transceiver 1502 via wireless signals.

[0572] The processor 1501 and the memory 1503 can be integrated into a single processing device. The processor 1501 executes the program code stored in the memory 1503 to achieve the aforementioned functions. In specific implementations, the memory 1503 can be integrated into the processor 1501 or be independent of the processor 1501. The processor 1501 can correspond to the processing module in Figure 13.

[0573] The transceiver 1502 described above can correspond to the receiving module and transmitting module in Figure 13, and can also be referred to as a transceiver unit or transceiver module. The transceiver 1502 may include a receiver (or receiver circuit) and a transmitter (or transmitter circuit). The receiver is used to receive signals, and the transmitter is used to transmit signals.

[0574] It should be understood that the terminal device shown in Figure 15 can implement the various processes involving the terminal device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 5-12. The operation and / or function of each module in the terminal device are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are appropriately omitted here.

[0575] The processor 1501 described above can be used to execute the actions implemented internally by the terminal device as described in the preceding method embodiments, while the transceiver 1502 can be used to execute the actions described in the preceding method embodiments of sending data to or receiving data from the network device by the terminal device. Please refer to the descriptions in the preceding method embodiments for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0576] The processor 1501 can be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor 1501 can also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, etc. The terminal device may also include a communication bus, which can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. The communication bus is used to realize the connection and communication between these components. In this embodiment, the transceiver 1502 is used for signaling or data communication with other node devices. The memory 1503 may include volatile memory, such as nonvolatile random access memory (NVRAM), phase change RAM (PRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), etc., and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory devices, such as NOR flash memory or NAND flash memory, semiconductor devices, such as solid-state disks (SSDs), etc. Optionally, the memory 1503 may also be at least one storage device located remotely from the aforementioned processor 1501. Optionally, the memory 1503 may also store a set of computer program code or configuration information. Optionally, the processor 1501 may also execute the program stored in the memory 1503. The processor can cooperate with the memory and transceiver to execute any of the methods and functions of the terminal device in the above-described embodiments.

[0577] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of this application. This network device can be applied to the system shown in Figure 1 to perform the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments, or to implement the steps or processes performed by the network device (e.g., access network device, PCF network element, first network element, or second network element) in the above method embodiments.

[0578] As shown in Figure 16, the network device includes a processor 1601 and a transceiver 1602. The transceiver 1602 includes a transmitter 1621, a receiver 1622, and an antenna 1623. The transmitter 1621 can be used to send transmission control information to the terminal device through the antenna 1623, and the receiver 1622 can be used to receive transmission feedback information sent by the terminal device through the antenna 1623. Optionally, the network device also includes a memory 1603. The processor 1601, transceiver 1602, and memory 1603 can communicate with each other through internal connection paths to transmit control and / or data signals. The memory 1603 is used to store computer programs, and the processor 1601 is used to call and run the computer programs from the memory 1603 to control the transceiver 1602 to transmit and receive signals. Optionally, the network device may also include an antenna for transmitting uplink data or uplink control signaling output by the transceiver 1602 via wireless signals.

[0579] The processor 1601 described above can correspond to the processing module in Figure 14. The processor 1601 and the memory 1603 can be integrated into a single processing device. The processor 1601 is used to execute the program code stored in the memory 1603 to achieve the above functions. In specific implementations, the memory 1603 can be integrated into the processor 1601 or independent of the processor 1601.

[0580] The transceiver 1602 described above can correspond to the receiving module and transmitting module in Figure 14, and can also be referred to as a transceiver unit or transceiver module. The transceiver 1602 may include a receiver (or receiver circuit) and a transmitter (or transmitter circuit). The receiver is used to receive signals, and the transmitter is used to transmit signals.

[0581] It should be understood that the network device shown in Figure 16 can implement the various processes involved in the network device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 5-12. The operation and / or function of each module in the network device are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are appropriately omitted here.

[0582] The processor 1601 described above can be used to perform the actions implemented internally by the network device as described in the preceding method embodiments, while the transceiver 1602 can be used to perform the actions described in the preceding method embodiments of sending data from the network device to the terminal device or receiving data from the terminal device. For details, please refer to the descriptions in the preceding method embodiments; they will not be repeated here.

[0583] The processor 1601 can be any of the processors mentioned above. The network device may also include a communication bus, which can be a PCI bus (Peripheral Component Interconnect Standard) or an EISA bus (Extended Industry Standard Architecture). The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, and a control bus. The communication bus is used to enable communication between these components. In this embodiment, the transceiver 1602 is used for signaling or data communication with other devices. The memory 1603 can be any of the memory types mentioned above. Optionally, the memory 1603 can also be at least one storage device located remotely from the processor 1601. The memory 1603 stores a set of computer program code or configuration information, and the processor 1601 executes the program in the memory 1603. The processor can cooperate with the memory and the transceiver to execute any of the methods and functions of the network device in the above embodiments.

[0584] This application also provides a chip system including a processor for supporting terminal devices or network devices to implement the functions involved in any of the above embodiments, such as generating or processing measurement results involved in the above methods.

[0585] In one possible design, the chip system may further include a memory for storing necessary computer programs and data for the terminal device or network device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components. The inputs and outputs of the chip system correspond to the receiving and transmitting operations of the terminal device or network device in the method embodiment, respectively.

[0586] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a computer program product, which includes: a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the method of any one of the embodiments shown in FIG5-FIG12.

[0587] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a computer-readable medium storing a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of the embodiments shown in FIG5-FIG12.

[0588] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a communication system, which includes one or more terminal devices as described above and one or more network devices (e.g., access network devices, PCF network elements, first network elements or second network elements).

[0589] In the above-described device embodiments, the network devices and terminal devices in the method embodiments correspond to each other, and the corresponding modules or units execute the corresponding steps. For example, the communication unit (transceiver) executes the receiving or sending steps in the method embodiments, while other steps besides sending and receiving can be executed by the processing unit (processor). The functions of specific units can be found in the corresponding method embodiments. There can be one or more processors.

[0590] The terms “component,” “module,” “system,” etc., used in this specification are used to refer to computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, combinations of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable file, an execution thread, a program, and / or a computer. As illustrated, applications running on computing devices and computing devices can both be components. One or more components may reside in a process and / or an execution thread, and components may be located on a single computer and / or distributed among two or more computers. Furthermore, these components can be executed from various computer-readable media on which various data structures are stored. Components can communicate, for example, via local and / or remote processes based on signals having one or more data packets (e.g., data from two components interacting with another component between a local system, a distributed system, and / or a network, such as the Internet interacting with other systems via signals).

[0591] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0592] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0593] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0594] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0595] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0596] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0597] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: obtaining a first rule, the first rule being used to indicate that signaling of a terminal device requesting to acquire a service is routed to a central network or a subnet network; based on the first rule, selecting a target service network from the central network and the subnet network; sending a first request to an access network device, the first request being used to request to acquire a service, and the first request comprising first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the selected target service network. The method of claim 1, wherein The method comprises: based on the first rule, selecting a first network element or a second network element to discover a network element providing a service to the terminal device, the first network element being a network element responsible for central network network function discovery and management of subnet network functions, and the second network element being a network element responsible for subnet network function discovery. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein The first rule comprises service description information of a subnet network, an identifier of the subnet network, service description information of a central network, and an identifier of the central network, wherein one piece of service description information of the subnet network corresponds to at least one identifier of the subnet network, and the service description information of the central network corresponds to the identifier of the central network. The method of claim 3, wherein The service description information comprises at least one of the following: a service type, a time delay, a packet loss rate, a bandwidth, a slice, a data network name (DNN), a quality of service (QoS) requirement, a precision, or an accuracy. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The selecting, based on the first rule, of a target service network from the central network and the subnet network comprises: determining whether the service requested to be acquired by the terminal device matches the service description information of the subnet network in the first rule; if the service requested to be acquired by the terminal device matches the service description information of the subnet network in the first rule, selecting the subnet network. The method of claim 5, wherein The method further comprises: selecting, from the at least one identifier of the subnet network, an identifier of a subnet network with a high priority; determining the first indication information according to the identifier of the subnet network with the high priority. The method of claim 5 or 6, wherein The first rule further comprises a preset condition; and the method further comprises: when the preset condition is met, selecting the subnet network, wherein the preset condition comprises that the terminal device is located within a service range of the subnet network and / or within a service time period of the subnet network. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that The first indication information comprises at least one of the following: the identifier of the subnet network, an address of the second network element, or a subnet message type. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The selecting, based on the first rule, of a target service network from the central network and the subnet network comprises: determining whether the service requested to be acquired by the terminal device matches the service description information of the central network in the first rule; if the service requested to be acquired by the terminal device matches the service description information of the central network in the first rule, selecting the central network. The method of claim 9, wherein The first indication information comprises at least one of the following: an identifier of the central network, an address of the first network element, or a central network message type. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving the first rule from the central network. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: receiving a first request from a terminal device, the first request being used to request to obtain a service, the first request comprising first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a target service network selected from a central network and a subnet network based on a first rule, the first rule being used to indicate that signaling of the terminal device requesting to obtain the service is routed to the central network or the subnet network; selecting, based on the first indication information, a target network element discovery network element providing the service to the terminal device from a first network element and a second network element, the first network element being a network element responsible for central network network function discovery and management of subnet network functions, and the second network element being a network element responsible for subnet network function discovery. The method of claim 12, wherein The selecting, based on the first indication information, a target network element discovery network element providing the service to the terminal device from a first network element and a second network element comprises: if the first indication information indicates the central network, selecting the first network element to discover the network element providing the service to the terminal device; if the first indication information indicates the subnet network, selecting the second network element to discover the network element providing the service to the terminal device. The method as claimed in claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The first indication information comprises an address of the first network element or an address of the second network element. The selecting, based on the first indication information, a target network element discovery network element providing the service to the terminal device from a first network element and a second network element comprises: selecting, according to the address of the first network element or the address of the second network element, the target network element discovery network element providing the service to the terminal device from the first network element and the second network element. The method of claim 13 or 14, wherein The method further comprises: sending a second request to the target network element, the second request being used to request to discover the network element providing the service to the terminal device. The method according to any one of claims 13-15, characterized in that The method further comprises: sending a third request to a third network element, the third request being used to request the first rule, the third network element being a network element responsible for a policy control function; receiving the first rule from the third network element; sending the first rule to the terminal device. The method according to any one of claims 13-16, characterized in that The first rule comprises service description information of a subnet network, an identifier of the subnet network, service description information of a central network, and an identifier of the central network, wherein one piece of the service description information of the subnet network corresponds to at least one identifier of the subnet network, and the service description information of the central network corresponds to the identifier of the central network. The method of claim 17, wherein The service description information comprises at least one of the following: a service type, a time delay, a packet loss rate, a bandwidth, a slice, a data network name (DNN), a quality of service (QoS) requirement, a precision, or an accuracy. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: receiving a third request from an access network device, the third request being used to request a first rule, the first rule being used to indicate that signaling of a terminal device requesting to obtain a service is routed to a central network or a subnet network; sending the first rule to the access network device. The method of claim 19, wherein The method further comprises: obtaining subscription information of the terminal device; determining, according to the subscription information, services of the subnet network allowed to be obtained by the terminal device and services of the central network allowed to be obtained by the terminal device. The first rule is generated according to the allowed service of the sub-network and the allowed service of the central network. The method of claim 19, wherein The method further comprises: obtaining current location information of the terminal device; determining the service supported by the sub-network and the service supported by the central network in the current area according to the current location information; generating the first rule according to the service supported by the sub-network, the capability information of the sub-network, the service supported by the central network and the capability information of the central network. The method of claim 19, wherein The method further comprises: obtaining subscription information and current location information of the terminal device; determining the allowed service of the sub-network and the allowed service of the central network according to the subscription information; determining the service supported by the sub-network and the service supported by the central network in the current area according to the current location information; generating the first rule based on the allowed service of the sub-network, the service supported by the sub-network, the capability information of the sub-network, the allowed service of the central network, the service supported by the central network and the capability information of the central network. The method according to any one of claims 19-22, characterized in that The first rule comprises service description information of the sub-network, an identifier of the sub-network, service description information of the central network and an identifier of the central network, wherein one piece of the service description information of the sub-network corresponds to at least one identifier of the sub-network, and the service description information of the central network corresponds to the identifier of the central network. The method of claim 23, wherein The service description information comprises at least one of the following: a service type, a delay, a packet loss rate, a bandwidth, a slice, a data network name (DNN), a quality of service (QoS) requirement, a precision or an accuracy. A communication device, characterized by The communication device comprises a memory and a processor, the memory is configured to store a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to enable the communication device to perform the method in any one of claims 1-11. A communication device, characterized by The communication device comprises a memory and a processor, the memory is configured to store a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to enable the communication device to perform the method in any one of claims 12-18. A communication device, characterized by The communication device comprises a memory and a processor, the memory is configured to store a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to enable the communication device to perform the method in any one of claims 19-24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized by The computer readable storage medium comprises a computer program, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method in any one of claims 1-11, or any one of claims 12-18, or any one of claims 19-24 is realized. A chip characterized by The chip comprises a processor and a communication interface, the communication interface is configured to communicate with an external device or an internal device, and the processor is configured to implement the method in any one of claims 1-11, or any one of claims 12-18, or any one of claims 19-24. A communication system characterized by The communication system comprises terminal devices for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, access network devices for performing the method according to any one of claims 12 to 18, and a third network element for performing the method according to any one of claims 19 to 24.

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