Wireless communication method and communication device

Abstract

Provided are a wireless communication method and a communication device. The method comprises: a first network element receives a non access stratum (NAS) message sent by a terminal device, the NAS message being transmitted by means of a user plane. In the embodiments of the present application, an NAS message can be transmitted by means of a user plane. Compared with transmission of an NAS message by means of an SRB, the present application facilitates mitigating SRB overload caused by transmission of an NAS message.

Description

Method and communication device for wireless communication TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0002] In some scenarios, the interaction between some network elements supports service-oriented interface, but the N1 interface between the terminal device and the mobility management network element and the N2 interface between the access network element and the mobility management network element still uses the traditional reference point for interaction. Due to the incomplete evolution of the service-oriented architecture, the terminal device still accesses the network from the mobility management network element through the N1 interface, which leads to the complexity of the dedicated interface design of the terminal device and the mobility management network element. In this scenario, any interaction between the terminal device and the core network needs to be carried out through non-access stratum (NAS) messages, and the NAS messages are carried on the signaling radio bearer (SRB). However, with the development of technology, the size of the NAS message is getting larger and larger, which may cause SRB congestion.

[0003] SUMMARY

[0004] The present application provides a method and a communication device for wireless communication. The various aspects of the present application are described below.

[0005] In a first aspect, a method for wireless communication is provided, comprising: receiving, by a first network element, a non-access stratum (NAS) message sent by a terminal device, wherein the NAS message is transmitted through a user plane.

[0006] In a second aspect, a method for wireless communication is provided, comprising: sending, by a terminal device, a NAS message to a first network element, wherein the NAS message is transmitted through a user plane.

[0007] In a third aspect, a method for wireless communication is provided, comprising: receiving, by a third network element, fifth information sent by a first network element, wherein the fifth information carries a NAS message of a terminal device.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method for wireless communication is provided, comprising: receiving, by an access network device, fourth information sent by a first network element, wherein the fourth information includes a NAS message of a terminal device, and wherein the fourth information is transmitted through a direct interface between the first network element and the access network device, or the fourth information is transmitted by the first network element to the access network device through a UPF.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, which is a first network element, comprising: a receiving unit configured to receive a non-access stratum (NAS) message sent by a terminal device, wherein the NAS message is transmitted through a user plane.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a terminal device is provided, comprising: a sending unit configured to send a NAS message to a first network element, wherein the NAS message is transmitted through a user plane.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, which is a third network element, comprising: a receiving unit configured to receive fifth information sent by a first network element, wherein the fifth information carries a NAS message of a terminal device.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, which is an access network device, comprising: a receiving unit configured to receive fourth information sent by a first network element, wherein the fourth information comprises a NAS message of a terminal device, and wherein the fourth information is transmitted through a direct interface between the first network element and the access network device, or the fourth information is transmitted by the first network element to the access network device through a UPF.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a terminal device is provided, comprising a processor, a memory and a communication interface, wherein the memory is configured to store one or more computer programs, and the processor is configured to invoke the computer programs in the memory, so that the terminal device performs part or all of the steps in the above method.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor, a memory and a transceiver, wherein the memory is configured to store one or more computer programs, and the processor is configured to invoke the computer programs in the memory, so that the network device performs part or all of the steps in the above method.

[0015] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which comprises the terminal device and / or the network device described above. In another possible design, the system can further comprise other devices interacting with the terminal device or the communication device in the solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0016] In a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, and the computer program causes a communication device to perform part or all of the steps in the methods of the above aspects.

[0017] In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program operable to cause a communication device (for example, a terminal device or a network device) to execute some or all of the steps in the methods of any of the aspects described above. In some implementations, the computer program product can be a software installation package.

[0018] In a fourteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip. The chip includes a memory and a processor. The processor can invoke and run a computer program from the memory to implement some or all of the steps described in the methods of any of the aspects described above.

[0019] In the embodiments of the present application, the NAS message can be transmitted through the user plane, which can help to alleviate the SRB congestion caused by the transmission of the NAS message, compared with transmitting the NAS message through the SRB. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture to which embodiments of the present application are applicable.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the format of a data packet according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0023] FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are schematic flowcharts of methods of transmitting wireless capability information through a protocol data unit (PDU) session according to embodiments of the present application.

[0024] FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are schematic flowcharts of methods of sending fourth information by a first network element to an access network device according to embodiments of the present application.

[0025] FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are schematic flowcharts of methods of requesting a NAS message by a third network element according to embodiments of the present application.

[0026] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0027] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0028] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0030] FIG. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0032] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture to which embodiments of the present application are applicable. The network architecture can include terminal devices, access network (AN) network elements, and core network network elements.

[0033] It should be understood that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as a 5th generation (5G) system or new radio (NR), a long term evolution (LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD), and the like. The technical solutions provided in the present application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as a 6th generation mobile communication system, a satellite communication system, and the like.

[0034] The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can also be referred to as a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station (MS), an MT, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless core network network element, a user agent or a user apparatus. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity for a user, and can be used to connect people, things and machines, such as handheld devices with wireless connection functions, vehicle-mounted devices, etc. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer (Pad), a notebook computer, a palm computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, etc. Optionally, the terminal device can be used to act as a base station. For example, the terminal device can act as a scheduling entity, which provides sidelink signals between terminal devices in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) or device to device (D2D), etc. For example, a cellular phone and a car communicate with each other using sidelink signals. The cellular phone and the smart home device communicate with each other without relaying the communication signals through the base station.

[0035] The access network element can be an access network device. The access network element can be an access device through which a terminal accesses the network architecture by wireless means, and is mainly responsible for wireless resource management, quality of service (QoS) management, data compression and encryption, etc. on the air interface side. The access network element can also be referred to as a radio access network (RAN) device, for example, the access network element can be a base station. The base station can broadly cover various names in the following or replace the following names, such as: NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next generation NodeB (gNB), relay station, access point, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), master eNB (MeNB), secondary eNB (SeNB), multi-standard radio (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. The base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, a donor node, or the like, or a combination thereof. The base station can also refer to a communication module, modem, or chip used in the aforementioned device or apparatus. The base station can also be a mobile switching center and a device that performs the function of a base station in D2D, V2X, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, a network side device in a 6G network, a device that performs the function of a base station in a future communication system, etc. The base station can support networks of the same or different access technologies. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the access network element.

[0036] The base station can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or a drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move according to the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or a drone can be configured to act as a device that communicates with another base station.

[0037] In some deployments, the access network element in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a CU or a DU, or the access network element includes a CU and a DU. The gNB can also include an AAU.

[0038] The type of the network element in the core network (also referred to as a "network function (NF, or "core network element") can include a UPF network element, an AMF network element, an SMF network element, a PCF network element, an application function (AF), a data network (DN), a network slice selection function (NSSF), an AUSF, a unified data management function (UDM), a network exposure function (NEF), a network repository function (NRF), and a network slice-specific authentication and authorization function (NSSAAF). Among them, the UPF network element is mainly responsible for the transmission of user data, and other network elements can be referred to as control plane function network elements, which are mainly responsible for authentication, authorization, registration management, session management, mobility management, and policy control, etc. to ensure reliable and stable transmission of user data.

[0039] The UPF network element can be used to forward and receive data of the terminal. For example, the UPF network element can receive service data from a data network through an N6 interface and transmit the data to the terminal through the access network element; the UPF network element can also receive user data from the terminal through an N3 interface from the access network element and forward the data to the data network. Among them, the transmission resources allocated and scheduled by the UPF network element for the terminal are managed and controlled by the SMF network element. The bearer between the terminal and the UPF network element can include a user plane connection between the UPF network element and the access network element, and a channel established between the access network element and the terminal. Among them, the user plane connection is a QoS flow that can be established between the UPF network element and the access network element to transmit data.

[0040] The AMF network element can be used to manage the access of the terminal to the core network, such as location updating of the terminal, registration network, access control, mobility management of the terminal, attachment and detachment of the terminal, etc. The AMF network element can also provide storage resources for the control plane of the session for the terminal in the case of providing services for the session, to store the session identifier, the SMF network element identifier associated with the session identifier, etc.

[0041] The SMF network element can be used to select a user plane network element for a terminal, redirect a user plane network element for a terminal, allocate an internet protocol (IP) address for a terminal, establish a bearer (also referred to as a session (for example, a PDU session)) between the terminal and a UPF network element, modification and release of the session, and QoS control.

[0042] The PCF network element is used to provide policy to the AMF network element and the SMF network element, such as QoS policy, slice selection policy, and the like.

[0043] The AF network element is used to interact with the 3GPP core network element to support application influence data routing, access network exposure function, and interact with the PCF network element for policy control, and the like.

[0044] The DN can provide data services for users, such as IP multi-media service (IMS) networks, the Internet, and the like. There can be various application servers (ASs) in the DN, providing different application services, such as operator services, Internet access, or third-party services, and the like. The AS can implement the function of the AF.

[0045] The NSSF is used for network slice selection, and the supported functions include: selecting a set of network slice implementations to serve a terminal device; determining allowed network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI), and determining the mapping to single-network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) of a subscription when needed; determining a configured NSSAI, and determining the mapping to S-NSSAI of a subscription when needed; determining a set of AMFs that can be queried for a terminal device, or determining a list of candidate AMFs based on configuration.

[0046] The AUSF is used to receive a request of the AMF for authentication of a terminal, request a key from the UDM, and then forward the issued key to the AMF for authentication processing.

[0047] The UDM includes functions such as generation and storage of user subscription data, management of authentication data, and the like, and supports interaction with external third-party servers.

[0048] The NEF is used for capability exposure, that is, based on the NEF, the capability of the network can be output to an external network. An external untrusted application can access internal data of the core network through the NEF to ensure the security of the network. The NEF can provide functions such as external application QoS capability exposure, event subscription, AF request distribution, and the like.

[0049] The NRF is used for core network element registration, management, and state detection, thereby realizing automatic management of the core network element. When the core network element is started, it must be registered with the NRF to provide services. The registration information can include, for example, the type, address, and service list of the core network element.

[0050] In addition, some networks (for example, a 5G network) also add a network data analysis function (network data analytics function, NWDAF) in the core network. Based on the NWDAF, data can be collected from various network elements, network management systems, and the like of the core network, and big data statistics, analysis, or intelligent data analysis can be performed, thereby obtaining analysis or prediction data on the network side, and further assisting various network elements in more effectively controlling terminal device access according to the data analysis result.

[0051] In some communication systems (for example, a 5G system), the core network element can also be referred to as a network function (network function, NF).

[0052] The network elements in FIG. 1 can be network elements in a hardware device, software functions running on a dedicated hardware, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform). It should be noted that in the network architecture shown in the above figure, only the network elements included in the entire network architecture are exemplarily illustrated. In the embodiments of the present application, the network elements included in the entire network architecture are not limited.

[0053] Those skilled in the art can understand that the network architecture shown in FIG. 1 does not constitute a limitation on the network architecture, and in actual implementation, the network architecture can include more or fewer network elements than those shown, or some network elements can be combined, and the like. It should be understood that in FIG. 1, the AN or RAN is represented in the form of (R)AN.

[0054] In some scenarios, the network device and the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface; and can also be deployed on airplanes, balloons, and satellites in the air. The scenarios in which the network device and the terminal device are located are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0055] By way of example and not limitation, in embodiments of the present application, a network device can have a mobile characteristic, for example, the network device can be a mobile device. In some embodiments of the present application, the network device can be a satellite, a balloon station. For example, the satellite can be a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a High Elliptical Orbit (HEO) satellite, etc. In some embodiments of the present application, the network device can also be a base station arranged at a location on land, water, etc.

[0056] In embodiments of the present application, a network device can serve a cell, and a terminal device communicates with the network device through a transmission resource (for example, a frequency domain resource, or a spectrum resource) used by the cell. The cell can be a cell corresponding to the network device (for example, a base station), and the cell can belong to a macro base station or a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cell can include a metro cell, a micro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, etc., and these small cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmit power, and are suitable for providing high-rate data transmission services.

[0057] It should be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be direct indication, or indirect indication, or can be an indication of an associated relationship. For example, A indicates B, which can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can be obtained through A; or A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C; or A and B have an associated relationship.

[0058] In the description of embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" can mean a direct or indirect corresponding relationship between the two, or an associated relationship between the two, or an indication and being indicated, configuration and being configured, etc.

[0059] The "configuration" in the embodiments of the present application can include configuration through at least one of a system message, radio resource control (RRC) signaling, and media access control control element (MAC CE).

[0060] In some embodiments of the present application, "predefined" or "preset" can be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables or other means for indicating relevant information in devices (e.g., including terminal devices and network devices), and the present application does not limit the specific implementation manner thereof. For example, predefined can refer to defined in a protocol.

[0061] In some embodiments of the present application, the "protocol" can refer to a standard protocol in the communication field, which can include, for example, the LTE protocol, the NR protocol and relevant protocols applied in future communication systems, and the present application does not limit the same.

[0062] Wireless capability information storage in AMF

[0063] The wireless capability information of the terminal device (also referred to as UE wireless capability information) contains information about the radio access technology (RAT) supported by the terminal device (e.g., power class, frequency band, etc.). Therefore, the wireless capability information can be quite large, and it is not appropriate to report the wireless capability information every time the terminal device is transferred from the CM-IDLE state to the CM-CONNECTED state. To reduce such transmission overhead, the AMF can store the wireless capability information of the terminal device when the terminal device is in the CM-IDLE state and the RM-REGISTERED state. If the wireless capability information is available, the AMF can send the latest wireless capability information stored by it to the RAN through the N2 request message (e.g., INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST or UE RADIO CAPABILITY CHECK REQUEST).

[0064] In some scenarios, when the registration management state of the terminal device in the AMF is changed to RM-DEREGISTERED, the AMF deletes the wireless capability information of the terminal device. In other scenarios, when the AMF receives a registration request with the registration type set to initial registration, or receives the first registration request with the registration type set to mobility registration update after the E-UTRA / EPC attachment procedure, the AMF deletes the wireless capability information of the terminal device.

[0065] In some implementations, the wireless capability information of the terminal device is maintained in the core network, even during AMF reselection. However, during cross-system mobility, the AMF does not send the wireless capability information of the terminal device to the EPC.

[0066] In some implementations, if the terminal device is in CM-IDLE state, NG-RAN or E-UTRAN radio capability information changes, the terminal device shall perform a registration procedure with registration type set to mobility registration update and containing "terminal device radio capability update". When the AMF receives a mobility registration update request from the terminal device containing "terminal device radio capability update", the AMF deletes any radio capability information stored for the terminal device.

[0067] In some implementations, if the terminal device is in CM-IDLE state and in suspended state, NG-RAN radio capability information changes, the NAS shall trigger the access stratum (AS) to establish a new RRC connection instead of resuming an existing connection in order to perform a registration procedure with registration type set to mobility registration update containing "terminal device radio capability update". Therefore, the access stratum in the terminal device will discard AS information and establish a new RRC connection.

[0068] In some implementations, if the trigger to change the terminal device's NG-RAN or E-UTRAN radio capability information occurs while the terminal device is in CM-CONNECTED state, the terminal device shall first enter CM-IDLE state and then perform a registration procedure with registration type set to mobility registration update and containing "terminal device radio capability update".

[0069] In some implementations, the RAN stores the radio capability information received through N2 messages or obtained from the terminal device for a time period equal to the time the terminal device remains in radio resource control connected state (RRC_CONNECTED) or radio resource control inactive state (RRC_INACTIVE) state. Prior to any 5G single radio voice call continuity (SRVCC) handover attempt from NG-RAN to UTRAN, the RAN retrieves the UTRA radio capability information from the terminal device.

[0070] In some implementations, if the AMF sends a N2 request message (e.g., INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST or UE RADIO CAPABILITY CHECK REQUEST) to the NG-RAN, but the request message does not contain wireless capability information, and there is no available wireless capability information in the RAN, this will trigger the RAN to request wireless capability from the terminal device, and upload it to the AMF through the N2 UE wireless capability information indication (UE RADIO CAPABILITY INFO INDICATION) message.

[0071] In some implementations, if the terminal device supports both narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) and other RATs, the terminal device processes the wireless capability information in the manner described below.

[0072] In some implementations, when the terminal device camps on NB-IoT, the terminal device only provides NB-IoT wireless capability information to the network.

[0073] In some implementations, when the terminal device does not camp on NB-IoT, the terminal device provides wireless capability information of the current RAT to the network, but does not provide NB-IoT wireless capability information.

[0074] In some implementations, in order to handle different wireless capability information, when the terminal device camps on NB-IoT and provides wireless capability information, the AMF stores a separate NB-IoT-specific wireless capability information.

[0075] In some implementations, when the terminal device camps on NB-IoT, the AMF sends NB-IoT RAT-specific wireless capability information to the E-UTRAN if the wireless capability information is available.

[0076] In some implementations, when the terminal device does not camp on NB-IoT, the AMF sends the current RAT wireless capability information if the wireless capability information is available, but does not send the NB-IoT wireless capability information.

[0077] Radio access capability service (RACS)

[0078] As E-UTRA and NR add additional frequency bands and their combinations, the size of the wireless capability information increases. Therefore, in order to reduce the overhead of transmitting wireless capability information, RACS is introduced to define the method of transmitting wireless capability information through the wireless interface and other network interfaces.

[0079] In some implementations, RACS represents a set of radio capability information by assigning an identifier, which is referred to as a radio capability ID or UE radio capability ID. The radio capability ID can be assigned by the manufacturer of the terminal device or by the PLMN. The radio capability ID is an alternative to the transmission of radio capability information over the radio interface within NG-RAN, from NG-RAN to E-UTRAN, from AMF to NG-RAN, and between core network nodes that support RACS.

[0080] The radio capability ID assigned by the PLMN can be assigned to the terminal device by using the terminal device configuration update command or the registration accept message. The UCMF (Radio Capability Management Function) shall be configured with the version ID for the radio capability ID assigned by the PLMN.

[0081] The UCMF stores the mapping of all radio capability IDs in the PLMN and is responsible for assigning each radio capability ID assigned by the PLMN in that PLMN. The UCMF stores the radio capability IDs together with the radio capability information they are mapped to and the paging radio capabilities. Each radio capability ID stored in the UCMF can be associated with one or both of the radio capability formats specified in TS 36.331 and TS 38.331. The AMF and UCMF shall be able to identify both radio capability formats and the AMF shall only store the TS 38.331 format.

[0082] When the NG-RAN performs the radio capability enquiry procedure to retrieve the radio capabilities from the terminal device, if the NG-RAN supports RACS, it can be configured to one of the following two operating modes when providing the radio capabilities to the AMF.

[0083] Operating mode A: The NG-RAN provides both formats (i.e. TS 38.331 format and TS 36.331 format) to the AMF. The NG-RAN derives one of the radio capability formats by locally transcoding the other format received from the terminal device and extracts the E-UTRAN radio capabilities for paging and NR radio capabilities for paging from the radio capabilities.

[0084] Operating mode B: The NG-RAN provides only the TS 38.331 format to the AMF.

[0085] When the NG-RAN updates the new radio capability information to the AMF, even if the AMF has already stored the radio capability ID for this terminal device, the AMF provides the information obtained from the NG-RAN to the UCMF. Then, the UCMF returns a value of the radio capability ID. If the value is different from the value stored in the AMF, the AMF updates its stored radio capability ID and provides this new value (if applicable) to the NG-RAN and the terminal device.

[0086] In order to be able to understand the radio capability ID, a network function or node can store a local copy of the mapping between the radio capability ID and its corresponding radio capability information, i.e. a dictionary entry. When there is no mapping between the radio capability ID and its corresponding radio capability information in a network function or node, the network function or node shall be able to retrieve this mapping and store it.

[0087] In addition to the radio capability ID assigned by the PLMN, if the terminal device also stores a radio capability ID assigned by the terminal device manufacturer and the current PLMN also supports the use of the manufacturer assigned radio capability ID for the terminal device, the PLMN can decide to switch or request the specific type of terminal device to use the manufacturer assigned radio capability ID for the terminal device.

[0088] The AMF stores the terminal device radio capability ID related to the selected PLMN in the terminal device context and provides this radio capability ID as part of the terminal device context information to the Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) through N2 signaling. During inter-PLMN mobility, the new AMF shall delete the radio capability ID received from the old AMF, unless operator policy indicates that all radio capability IDs used in the old PLMN are also valid in the new PLMN.

[0089] The terminal device shall be able to change the set of radio capabilities and, if available, the related radio capability ID in time, e.g. when its usage settings change. For each radio capability ID stored by the terminal device, the terminal device stores the mapping between the ID and the corresponding radio capability information.

[0090] If the radio capability information of the terminal device changes and regardless of whether the terminal device has associated a radio capability ID to the updated radio capability information, the terminal device shall perform a registration procedure by sending a registration request message to the AMF with the registration type set to mobility registration update, the message including "terminal device radio capability update", and following the rules below:

[0091] If the terminal device has associated a terminal device radio capability ID with the updated radio capability information, the terminal device shall include the radio capability ID in the registration request message so that the AMF, upon receiving the message, uses this terminal device radio capability ID to update the terminal device's context.

[0092] If the terminal device has not associated a terminal device radio capability ID with the updated radio capability information, the terminal device shall not include any radio capability ID in the registration request message so that the AMF, upon receiving the registration request without any radio capability ID, retrieves the radio capability information from the terminal device.

[0093] In some scenarios, the interaction between some network elements supports service-based interface, but the N1 interface between the terminal device and the mobility management network element and the N2 interface between the access network element and the mobility management network element still use traditional reference points for interaction. Due to the incomplete evolution of such service-based architecture, the terminal device still accesses the network through the N1 interface from the mobility management network element, resulting in the complexity of the dedicated interface design of the terminal device and the mobility management network element. In such scenarios, any interaction between the terminal device and the core network needs to be carried out through non-access (none access stratum, NAS) messages, and the NAS message is carried on the signaling radio bearer (signaling radio bearer, SRB). However, with the development of technology, the size of the NAS message may become larger and larger, which may cause SRB congestion.

[0094] For example, the NAS message includes radio capability information, and accordingly, the terminal device needs to send the radio capability information to the access network device and the AMF. With the increase of additional frequency bands and their combinations due to E-UTRA and NR, the radio capability information increases, and at the same time, the probability of SRB congestion also increases.

[0095] For another example, the NAS message includes radio capability information. In some scenarios, the terminal device needs to update its radio capability and needs to report the radio capability information to the access network device and the AMF again. In other scenarios, when the AMF cannot obtain the radio capability of the terminal device from the RAN, the terminal device also needs to be triggered to report its radio capability again. As introduced before, the reporting of the radio capability occupies a large amount of radio resources, and frequent radio capability reporting increases the probability of SRB resource congestion.

[0096] For another example, the NAS message includes wireless capability information. If the terminal device needs to update its wireless capability, the terminal device needs to enter the IDLE state first and then perform periodic registration, even when the terminal device is in the connected state. Obviously, this will break the continuity of services. In addition, with the advent of new generation communication technologies, the use of new frequency spectrums will further increase the occupation of air interface signaling resources (i.e., SRB resources) when reporting wireless capability.

[0097] For another example, the NAS message includes wireless capability information. Accordingly, the mapping relationship between the wireless capability information and the wireless capability ID is not static but dynamic and changes with different version IDs. This means that a large amount of signaling interaction is needed between network entities supporting RACS to update the mapping relationship between the wireless capability information and the wireless capability ID, for example, the terminal device and the access network device need to update the above mapping relationship through SRB transmission, which may cause SRB congestion.

[0098] For another example, the NAS message includes wireless capability information. When the terminal device needs to update the wireless capability information but does not obtain the associated wireless capability ID, it still needs to upload the complete wireless capability information through the SRB. At this time, even if RACS is introduced, it cannot completely avoid the occupation of SRB resources.

[0099] Therefore, to solve the above problems, the embodiments of the present application provide a wireless communication method. In the method, the NAS message can be transmitted through the user plane, which helps to alleviate the SRB congestion caused by transmitting the NAS message compared with transmitting the NAS message through the SRB. The wireless communication method of the embodiments of the present application will be introduced below in combination with FIG. 2. The method shown in FIG. 2 includes step S210.

[0100] In step S210, the terminal device sends a NAS message to a first network element, and the NAS message is transmitted through the user plane.

[0101] In some implementations, the NAS message can be a message with a large amount of information, for example, the NAS message can be the wireless capability information (also known as UE Radio Capability) introduced above. Of course, in the embodiments of the present application, the NAS message can also be other information.

[0102] In some implementations, the first network element can be a new network element introduced into the communication system. For example, the first network element can be a new network element introduced into the core network. Taking NAS messages as radio capability information as an example, the first network element can be a newly introduced network element used to manage radio capability information, as described below with reference to Figure 4. In other implementations, the first network element can be a virtual data network or a dedicated data network. A dedicated data network can be understood as a data network dedicated to transmitting and / or storing NAS messages.

[0103] In some implementations, virtual data networks or dedicated data networks can be deployed on the user plane function. This allows terminal devices to establish user plane connections with the user plane function to transmit NAS messages without introducing new network elements, helping to reduce the impact on traditional network element deployment methods. The following section will describe this in conjunction with Figure 5.

[0104] In some implementations, NAS message transmission over the user plane can include NAS message transmission over a user plane connection. Taking a PDU session as an example, NAS messages can be transmitted through a PDU session.

[0105] In this application embodiment, the PDU session is not limited. In some implementations, the PDU session can be a PDU session between the terminal device and the first network element. In other implementations, the PDU session can be a PDU session between the terminal device and the first data network, wherein the first data network is reachable from the first network element, that is, the first data network can send the NAS messages transmitted in the PDU session to the first network element.

[0106] In some implementations, the NAS message is carried in first information, which also includes second information, including one or more of the following: the address of the terminal device; the identifier of the terminal device; the address of the first network element; and first indication information.

[0107] Taking the second piece of information, which includes the address of the terminal device, as an example, the address of the terminal device may include the IP address and / or the MAC address of the terminal device.

[0108] Taking the identification of the terminal device as an example, the identification of the terminal device may include a generic public subscription identifier (GPSI) and / or a subscription concealed identifier (SUCI).

[0109] In some scenarios, the identifier of the terminal device is used to indicate which terminal device the NAS message is from. Taking the NAS message as an example, the identifier of the terminal device is used to indicate which terminal device the radio capability information is from, or in other words, the identifier of the terminal device is used to indicate which terminal device the radio capability information describes.

[0110] Taking the second information including the address of the first network element as an example, the address of the first network element can include one or more of the following: an IP address of the first network element, a MAC address of the first network element, and an address of an N6 interface of the first network element.

[0111] Taking the second information including the first indication information as an example, in some implementations, the first indication information is used to indicate that the first information carries the NAS message. Of course, in the embodiments of the present application, the first indication information can be used to indicate the type of the NAS message carried by the first information, where the type of the NAS message is used to indicate the function of the NAS message or the category of the NAS message.

[0112] For example, the NAS message includes radio capability information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the radio capability information is carried in the first information. Accordingly, the first indication information is also referred to as UE radio capability indication.

[0113] In some implementations, the first information is carried in a data packet, and the second information is carried in a packet header of the data packet. Accordingly, the NAS message is carried in a payload of the data packet.

[0114] In the embodiments of the present application, carrying the second information in the packet header helps the first network element to determine the relevant situation of the data packet as soon as possible based on the information in the packet header. For example, if the first indication information in the second information is carried in the packet header of the data packet, it helps the first network element to determine that the data packet is a data packet for carrying the NAS message. For another example, if the identifier of the terminal device in the second information is carried in the packet header of the data packet, it helps the first network element to determine which terminal device the NAS message in the first information is from.

[0115] For ease of understanding, the format of the data packet in the embodiments of the present application is introduced below in conjunction with FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 3, the packet header of the data packet includes the following information: the source address of the data packet is the address of the terminal device; the destination address of the data packet is the address of the first network element; the identifier of the terminal device and the UE radio capability indication. The payload of the data packet carries the radio capability information of the terminal device.

[0116] In some scenarios, the second information can not carry the identifier of the terminal device, in which case the first network element can request the identifier of the terminal device from the second network element, that is, the above method further includes: the first network element sends a first request carrying the address of the terminal device to the second network element, the first request being used to request the identifier of the terminal device; and the first network element receives a first response message of the first request sent by the second network element, the first response message carrying the identifier of the terminal device.

[0117] In some implementations, the first request can carry the address of the terminal device (for example, the IP address or MAC address of the terminal device) so that the second network element can determine the identifier of the terminal device based on the address of the terminal device.

[0118] In some implementations, the second network element is a session binding function (BSF). For example, the BSF can obtain the identifier of the terminal device corresponding to the address of the terminal device from locally stored session binding information. Of course, in the embodiments of the present application, the second network element can also be other network elements with similar functions introduced in future communication networks.

[0119] In some scenarios, the terminal device can request to establish a PDU session for transmitting NAS messages. That is, the above method further includes: the terminal device sends a second request, the second request being used to request to establish a PDU session. As described above, the PDU session includes two types of PDU sessions: Type 1, the PDU session is a PDU session between the terminal device and the first network element. Type 2, the PDU session is a PDU session between the terminal device and the first data network. For these two types of PDU sessions, the information carried in the request (i.e., the "second request") sent by the terminal device to request to establish a PDU session can be slightly different. For example, the second request can be a PDU session establishment request and / or a PDU session modification request.

[0120] For Type 1 PDU session, the second request carries one or more of the following: the identifier of the terminal device; the identifier of the first network element; the address of the first network element; the type of the first network element; the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the first network element; the slice information of the first network element; the data network name (DNN) of the first network element; the identifier of the PDU session; the identifier of the first quality of service (QoS) flow; and the second indication information. The identifier of the first network element, the address of the first network element, the type of the first network element, the FQDN of the first network element, the slice information of the first network element, and the DNN of the first network element can be understood as related information of the target network element (i.e., the first network element) that the terminal device needs to communicate.

[0121] For example, the identity of the terminal device included in the second request can include a GPSI and / or a SUCI.

[0122] For example, the identity of the first network element included in the second request can be used to identify the first network element. In the embodiments of the present application, the identity of the first network element can be a network temporarily allocated identity or a standardized identity.

[0123] For example, the address of the first network element included in the second request can include one or more of the following: an IP address of the first network element, a MAC address of the first network element, and an address of an N6 interface of the first network element.

[0124] For example, the type of the first network element included in the second request can be used to indicate the function of the first network element.

[0125] For example, the FQDN of the first network element included in the second request can be used to query the address of the first network element. For example, the address of the first network element can be queried by sending the FQDN of the first network element to a domain name system (DNS) server.

[0126] For example, the slice information of the first network element included in the second request can include, for example, an S-NSSAI, which is used to indicate a network slice available to the PDU session.

[0127] For example, the DNN of the first network element included in the second request is used to indicate a network or operator associated with the PDU session.

[0128] For example, the second indication information included in the second request is used to indicate that the PDU session carries a NAS message, or in other words, is used to indicate that the PDU session is used to transmit a NAS message. Of course, in the embodiments of the present application, the second indication information can be used to indicate the type of the NAS message carried by the PDU session, wherein the type of the NAS message is used to indicate the function of the NAS message or the category of the NAS message. For example, the NAS message includes wireless capability information, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the type of the NAS message carried in the PDU session is wireless capability information.

[0129] In some scenarios, the second indication information is also referred to as a request type. It should be noted that the PDU session can use one or more of the DNN of the virtual DN (the first network element is the virtual DN), the PDU session identifier, and the new requested session type to indicate the type of the PDU session requested for carrying the NAS message. Of course, in the embodiments of the present application, a separate indication information can also be used to indicate the type of the PDU session for carrying the NAS message.

[0130] Taking the second request including the identifier of the PDU session as an example, the identifier of the PDU session (also referred to as the PDU session identifier (PDU Session ID)) is used to identify the PDU session for transmitting the NAS message. Generally, the value range of the (PDU Session ID) identifier of the PDU session is 1-255.

[0131] In some implementations, the identifier of the PDU session can be allocated by the network.

[0132] Taking the second request including the identifier of the first quality of service (QoS) flow as an example, the identifier of the first QoS flow (also referred to as the QoS flow identifier (QoS flow identifier)) is used to identify the first QoS flow, and accordingly, the first QoS flow is the QoS flow in the PDU session for transmitting the NAS message.

[0133] In the embodiments of the present application, the identifier of the first QoS flow is not limited. For example, the identifier can be a network temporary identifier. For another example, the identifier can be a standardized identifier, for example, the standardized identifier is a 5G QoS identifier (5G QoS identifier, 5QI).

[0134] For the type 2 PDU session, the information carried by the second request is similar to the above description, except that the above-mentioned information related to the first network element becomes the information related to the first data network, for example, the identifier of the first network element is the identifier of the first data network, the address of the first network element is the address of the first data network, the type of the first network element is the type of the first data network, the FQDN of the first network element is the FQDN of the first data network, the slice information of the first network element is the slice information of the first data network, and the DNN of the first network element is the DNN of the first data network. In this case, the information related to the first network element also needs to be obtained in order to determine the destination network element of the NAS message transmitted through the PDU session.

[0135] In the embodiments of the present application, the manner in which the terminal device obtains the related information of the first network element is not limited. For example, the SMF can carry the address of the first network element and / or the FQDN of the first network element in a PDU session establishment accept message, so as to be obtained by the terminal device. For another example, the SMF can carry the address of the first network element and / or the FQDN of the first network element in protocol configuration options (PCO).

[0136] The implementation manner of the information carried in the second request in the embodiments of the present application is introduced above, and the information carried in the second request can be arranged and combined in any manner, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, the second request can carry the identifier of the terminal device; the identifier of the first network element; the address of the first network element; the slice information of the first network element; the identifier of the PDU session; and the second indication information, which is helpful for the network side network element (for example, the AMF, the SMF, etc.) to establish the PDU session based on the second request.

[0137] In some scenarios, when the terminal device needs to establish a PDU session, it needs to obtain some information required for establishing the PDU session, for example, the information carried in the second request above. Therefore, in the embodiments of the present application, the first network element can inform the information for establishing the PDU session by sending third information to the terminal device. That is to say, the above method further includes: the first network element sends third information to the terminal device, and the third information includes the information for establishing the PDU session. Of course, in the embodiments of the present application, if the terminal device has obtained the above information in advance through other manners, the first network element can no longer send the third information to the terminal device.

[0138] In some implementation manners, the third information includes one or more of the following: the identifier of the first network element; the address of the first network element; the slice information of the first network element; the DNN of the first network element; the address of the mobility management network element serving the terminal device; the identifier of the PDU session; the DNN corresponding to the PDU session; the slice information corresponding to the PDU session; and the identifier of the first QoS flow. The identifier of the first network element, the address of the first network element, the slice information of the first network element, the DNN of the first network element, and the identifier of the PDU session can be referred to the introduction of the related information carried in the second request above.

[0139] Taking the address of the mobility management network element serving the terminal device as an example of the third information, so as to determine the address of the mobility management network element serving the terminal device.

[0140] Taking the third information including the DNN corresponding to the PDU session as an example, in some scenarios, if the PDU session is a PDU session between the terminal device and the first data network, at this time, the third information can carry the DNN corresponding to the PDU session to indicate the DNN associated with the PDU session.

[0141] Taking the third information including the slice information corresponding to the PDU session as an example, in some scenarios, if the PDU session is a PDU session between the terminal device and the first data network, at this time, the third information can carry the slice information corresponding to the PDU session to indicate the network slice available to the PDU session. The slice information may, for example, include S-NSSAI.

[0142] The above describes the implementation of the information carried in the third information of the embodiments of the present application. The information carried in the third information described above can be arranged and combined in any manner, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, the third information can carry the identifier of the terminal device, the identifier of the first network element, the address of the first network element, the slice information of the first network element, the identifier of the PDU session, and the second indication information, that is, the third information can only carry the information required by the terminal device to send the second request, which helps the terminal device to obtain the information required to establish the PDU session based on the third information. On the other hand, the third information can only carry the information required by the terminal device to send the second request, which helps to reduce the transmission resources required to transmit the third information.

[0143] In the embodiments of the present application, the transmission manner of the third information is not limited. In some implementation manners, as described above, the third information can be sent by the first network element to the terminal device. In other implementation manners, the third information described above can be sent by the UDM to the terminal device. In other implementation manners, the third information described above can be sent by other core network elements (for example, AMF or SMF) to the terminal device. For example, the other core network elements can obtain the third information from the UDM or the first network element, and send the third information to the terminal device.

[0144] In the embodiments of the present application, the transmission occasion of the third information is not limited. In some implementations, the third information can be transmitted in the registration procedure of the terminal device, which helps the terminal device to obtain the third information as soon as possible. For example, in the registration procedure of the terminal device, the UDM sends the third information to the terminal device. For another example, the UDM can send the third information to the terminal device through a registration accept message. For another example, in the registration procedure of the terminal device, the other core network element (for example, AMF or SMF) sends the third information to the terminal device, wherein the other core network element can obtain the third information from the UDM or the first network element. For another example, the other core network element (for example, AMF or SMF) can send the third information to the terminal device through a registration accept message, wherein the other core network element can obtain the third information from the UDM or the first network element.

[0145] In some implementations, the third information can be transmitted after the registration procedure of the terminal device. For example, after the registration procedure of the terminal device, the UDM or the first network element sends the third information to the terminal device. For another example, after the registration procedure of the terminal device, the UDM or the first network element sends the third information to the terminal device through a UE configuration update procedure. For another example, after the registration procedure of the terminal device, the PCF can send the third information to the terminal device through a UE policy.

[0146] In some implementations, the SMF can configure a corresponding N4 session context for the PDU session in the PDU session establishment process. For example, a packet detection rule (PDR) and / or a forwarding action rule (FAR) associated with the PDR, etc.

[0147] In some implementations, the packet detection rule corresponding to the PDU session is used to configure one or more of the following: the destination address in the packet filter is the address of the first network element and / or the address of the mobility management network element serving the terminal device; the QoS flow identifier is the identifier of the first QoS flow corresponding to the PDU session, and the first QoS flow is used to transmit the NAS message; the operation in the forwarding action rule is forwarding; the target interface in the forwarding action rule is the mobility management network element or the network side; and the address of the mobility management network element is added as the target address in the header of the data packet forwarded to the mobility management network element. In the following, Tables 1 and 2 are taken as examples to introduce the PDR and the FAR associated with the PDR in the embodiments of the present application.

[0148] In some implementations, the destination address in the packet filter is the address of the first network element and / or the address of a mobility management network element serving the terminal device. For example, the address of the first network element is the address of the virtual DN.

[0149] In some implementations, the N4 session context can be configured by the SMF for the UPF through the configuration information 1.

[0150] Referring to Table 1, the attributes in the PDR include one or more of the following: N4 Session ID, indicating the N4 session associated with the PDR; Rule ID, identifying the unique identifier of the rule; Precedence, determining the order of application of packet detection information of all rules. The packet detection information includes one or more of the following: Source Interface, taking values including "access side", "core side", "SMF", "N6-LAN", "5G VN internal"; UE IP Address, an IPv4 address and / or an IPv6 prefix with a prefix length; Network Interface, identifying a network instance associated with an incoming data packet; CN tunnel info, CN tunnel information of N3 and N9 interfaces, for example, F-TEID; Packet Filter Set, the destination address in the packet filter set is the address of the first network element and / or the address of the AMF; Application identifier, used to identify an application; QoS Flow ID, containing the value of 5QI or non-standardized QFI; Forwarding Action Rule ID, identifying the forwarding action that must be applied. It should be understood that only possible attributes in the PDR are exemplarily listed in Table 1, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited in this regard.

[0151] Table 1

[0152] Referring to Table 2, the attributes in the FAR include one or more of the following: N4 Session ID, used to indicate the N4 session associated with the PDR; Rule ID, identifying a unique identifier of this information; Action, identifying an action applied to the data packet (e.g., an action to be forwarded); Network Instance, identifying a network instance associated with the outgoing data packet; Destination interface, taking values of "core side" and / or "AMF"; Outer header creation, indicating that the UP function adds an outer packet header (e.g., an AMF IP address). It should be understood that only exemplary attributes in the FAR are listed in Table 2, and embodiments of the present application are not limited in this regard.

[0153] Table 2

[0154] For ease of understanding, the following takes the NAS message as an example of the wireless capability information, and introduces the method for transmitting the wireless capability information through the PDU session in embodiments of the present application in combination with FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.

[0155] Referring to FIG. 4, it is assumed that the first network element is a newly introduced network element, and the NAS message includes the wireless capability information. The method shown in FIG. 4 includes steps S410 to S450.

[0156] In step S410, the terminal device performs an initial registration process and obtains third information, wherein the third information includes information for establishing a PDU session.

[0157] In some implementations, the third information includes one or more of the following: an identifier of the first network element; an address of the first network element; slice information of the first network element; a DNN of the first network element; an address of a mobility management network element serving the terminal device; an identifier of a PDU session; a DNN corresponding to the PDU session; slice information corresponding to the PDU session; an identifier of a first QoS flow. Wherein, the introduction of the related information can be referred to the above.

[0158] In embodiments of the present application, the transmission manner of the third information is not limited. In some implementations, the third information can be sent by the first network element to the terminal device. In other implementations, the above-mentioned third information can be sent by the UDM to the terminal device (see S410a). In other implementations, the above-mentioned third information can be sent by other core network elements (e.g., AMF or SMF) to the terminal device. For example, the other core network elements can obtain the third information from the UDM or the first network element, and send the third information to the terminal device.

[0159] In some implementations, the third information can be transmitted in a registration procedure of the terminal device, which helps the terminal device to obtain the third information as soon as possible. For example, in the registration procedure of the terminal device, the UDM sends the third information to the terminal device. For another example, the UDM can send the third information to the terminal device through a registration accept message. For another example, in the registration procedure of the terminal device, the other core network element (e.g., AMF or SMF) sends the third information to the terminal device, wherein the other core network element can obtain the third information from the UDM or the first network element. For another example, the other core network element (e.g., AMF or SMF) can send the third information to the terminal device through a registration accept message, wherein the other core network element can obtain the third information from the UDM or the first network element.

[0160] In step S420, the PDU session establishment procedure.

[0161] In some implementations, the PDU session includes two types of PDU sessions: Type 1, the PDU session is between the terminal device and the first network element. Type 2, the PDU session is between the terminal device and the first data network.

[0162] For the establishment procedure of the PDU session of Type 1, the terminal device can send a second request to request the establishment of the PDU session. Generally, the network elements participating in the PDU session establishment include one or more of the following: terminal device, AMF, SMF, PCF, UDM, etc.

[0163] In some implementations, the second request carries one or more of the following: an identifier of the terminal device; an identifier of the first network element; an address of the first network element; a type of the first network element; an FQDN of the first network element; slice information (e.g., S-NSSAI) of the first network element; a data network name DNN of the first network element; an identifier of the PDU session; an identifier of the first quality of service QoS flow; and second indication information (also referred to as "request type"). The above information can be referred to the description above.

[0164] For the establishment procedure of the PDU session of Type 2, the information carried by the second request is similar to the description above, except that the above-mentioned information related to the first network element becomes the information related to the first data network, for example, the identifier of the first network element becomes the identifier of the first data network, the address of the first network element becomes the address of the first data network, the type of the first network element becomes the type of the first data network, the FQDN of the first network element becomes the FQDN of the first data network, the slice information of the first network element becomes the slice information of the first data network, and the DNN of the first network element becomes the DNN of the first data network. In this case, the information related to the first network element also needs to be obtained in order to determine the destination network element of the NAS message transmitted through the PDU session.

[0165] In the embodiments of the present application, the manner in which the terminal device obtains the related information of the first network element is not limited. For example, the SMF can carry the address of the first network element and / or the FQDN of the first network element in the PDU session establishment acceptance message for the terminal device to obtain. For another example, the SMF can carry the address of the first network element and / or the FQDN of the first network element in the PCO.

[0166] In step S430, the terminal device sends first information to the first network element through the PDU session.

[0167] In some implementations, the first information includes wireless capability information and second information, and the second information includes one or more of the following: an address of the terminal device; an identifier of the terminal device; an address of the first network element; and first indication information.

[0168] In some implementations, the first information is carried in a data packet, and the second information is carried in a packet header of the data packet. Correspondingly, the NAS message is carried in a payload of the data packet. The structure of the data packet can be referred to FIG. 3.

[0169] It should be noted that for the establishment process of the type 2 PDU session, if the terminal device obtains the FQDN of the first network element, the terminal device needs to obtain the address of the first network element from a server (for example, a DNS server) based on the FQDN of the first network element, so as to serve as a destination address for transmitting the above-mentioned data packet.

[0170] In step S440, the first network element sends fifth information to the AMF.

[0171] In some implementations, the fifth information carries wireless capability information and an identifier of the terminal device corresponding to the wireless capability information. Details can be referred to the following description.

[0172] In some implementations, the first network element can obtain the address of the terminal device and / or the identifier of the terminal device from the packet header, so that the first network element sends the fifth information carrying the identifier of the terminal device and the wireless capability information to the AMF.

[0173] In some implementations, if the first network element does not obtain the identifier of the terminal device, the first network element can interact with the BSF to obtain the identifier of the terminal device corresponding to the address of the terminal device from the session binding information stored in the BSF.

[0174] In some implementations, if the first network element does not know the information of the AMF serving the terminal device, the first network element can interact with the UDM to obtain the identifier of the AMF serving the terminal device.

[0175] In step S450, the AMF sends the fifth information to the access network device.

[0176] Referring to FIG. 5, it is assumed that the NAS message includes the radio capability information. The first network element is a virtual DN or a network element for managing the radio capability, and the first network element is integrated in the UPF. The method shown in FIG. 5 includes steps S510 to S560.

[0177] In step S510, the terminal device performs an initial registration procedure and obtains third information, wherein the third information includes information for establishing a PDU session.

[0178] In some implementations, the third information includes one or more of the following: an identifier of the first network element; an address of the first network element; slice information of the first network element; a DNN of the first network element; an address of a mobility management network element serving the terminal device; an identifier of the PDU session; a DNN corresponding to the PDU session; slice information corresponding to the PDU session; an identifier of the first QoS flow. For related information, please refer to the above.

[0179] In the embodiments of the present application, the transmission mode of the third information is not limited. In some implementations, the third information can be sent by the first network element to the terminal device. In other implementations, the above-mentioned third information can be sent by the UDM to the terminal device (see S510a). In other implementations, the above-mentioned third information can be sent by other core network elements (for example, AMF or SMF) to the terminal device. For example, the other core network elements can obtain the third information from the UDM or the first network element, and send the third information to the terminal device.

[0180] In some implementations, the third information can be transmitted in the registration procedure of the terminal device, which helps the terminal device to obtain the third information as soon as possible. For example, in the registration procedure of the terminal device, the UDM sends the third information to the terminal device. For another example, the UDM can send the third information to the terminal device through a registration accept message. For another example, in the registration procedure of the terminal device, the other core network elements (for example, AMF or SMF) send the third information to the terminal device, wherein the other core network elements can obtain the third information from the UDM or the first network element. For another example, the other core network elements (for example, AMF or SMF) can send the third information to the terminal device through a registration accept message, wherein the other core network elements can obtain the third information from the UDM or the first network element.

[0181] In step S520, a PDU session establishment procedure.

[0182] In some implementations, the PDU session includes two types of PDU sessions: Type 1, the PDU session is between the terminal device and the first network element; Type 2, the PDU session is between the terminal device and the first data network.

[0183] For the establishment process of the PDU session of Type 1, the terminal device can request to establish the PDU session by sending a second request to the first network element.

[0184] In some implementations, the second request carries one or more of the following: an identifier of the terminal device; an identifier of the first network element; an address of the first network element; a type of the first network element; an FQDN of the first network element; slice information of the first network element; a DNN (e.g., a DNN of a virtual DN) of the first network element; an identifier of the PDU session; an identifier of a first quality of service (QoS) flow; and second indication information (also referred to as “request type”). The above information can be referred to the description above.

[0185] For the establishment process of the PDU session of Type 2, the second request carries information similar to the description above, except that the above-mentioned information related to the first network element becomes information related to the first data network, for example, the identifier of the first network element becomes the identifier of the first data network, the address of the first network element becomes the address of the first data network, the type of the first network element becomes the type of the first data network, the FQDN of the first network element becomes the FQDN of the first data network, the slice information of the first network element becomes the slice information of the first data network, and the DNN of the first network element becomes the DNN of the first data network. In this case, the information related to the first network element also needs to be obtained in order to determine the destination network element of the NAS message transmitted through the PDU session.

[0186] It should be noted that the PDU session can use one or more of the DNN of the virtual DN, the PDU session identifier, and the type of the new request to indicate that the requested PDU session is used for wireless capability reporting. Of course, in the embodiments of the present application, a separate indication information can also be used to indicate that the PDU session is used for wireless capability reporting.

[0187] In step S530, the SMF sends configuration information 1 to the UPF, which is used to configure the corresponding N4 session context for the PDU session.

[0188] In some implementations, the N4 session context can include PDR and / or FAR, etc., which can be referred to the description above in connection with Table 1 and Table 2.

[0189] In step S540, the terminal device sends wireless capability information to the UPF through the PDU session.

[0190] In some implementations, the terminal device encapsulates the wireless capability information in a PDU packet and transmits the wireless capability information through the PDU session.

[0191] In step S550, the UPF sends the packet carrying the wireless capability information to the AMF.

[0192] In some implementations, the UPF can identify the packet that needs to be sent to the AMF based on the packet filter set and / or the QoS flow ID field in the packet detection rule, and send the packet to the AMF based on the corresponding forwarding operation rule.

[0193] In step S560, the AMF sends the wireless capability information to the access network device.

[0194] It should be noted that the UPF can also send the wireless capability information directly to the RAN.

[0195] In the embodiments of the present application, a new network element is not introduced, but the first network element is integrated on the UPF. Thus, the terminal device can directly establish a PDU session with the UPF, and identify the wireless capability information that needs to be forwarded to the AMF based on the configured new packet detection rule and forwarding operation rule, and forward the wireless capability information to the AMF, which helps to reduce the impact on the traditional network deployment, reduces the deployment cost, and optimizes the wireless capability reporting method.

[0196] The above introduces a scheme for transmitting a NAS message to a first network element in the embodiments of the present application. In other implementations, the first network element can send the received NAS message to the access network device.

[0197] In some implementations, the above method further includes: the first network element sending fourth information to the access network device, the fourth information including one or more of the following: an identifier of the terminal device; an address of the terminal device; a type of the NAS message; and the NAS message. The identifier of the terminal device and / or the NAS message can be referred to the above introduction.

[0198] Taking the fourth information including the type of the NAS message as an example, the type of the NAS message can be used to indicate the category of the NAS message and / or the purpose of the NAS message. For example, the NAS message is wireless capability information, and accordingly, the type of the NAS message is used to indicate that the NAS message is used to indicate the wireless capability of the terminal device. The related introduction of the wireless capability information can be referred to the above.

[0199] In the embodiments of the present application, the transmission manner of the fourth information is not limited. In some implementation manners, the fourth information can be transmitted through a direct connection interface between the first network element and the access network device, which will be introduced below in combination with FIG. 6. In other implementation manners, the fourth information can be transmitted by the first network element to the access network device through a UPF, which will be introduced below in combination with FIG. 7. For example, the fourth information can be sent by the first network element to the UPF through an N6 interface, and then sent by the UPF to the access network device through an N3 interface.

[0200] In some implementation manners, the direct connection interface includes an SBI in the first network element for communication with the access network device; or a special interface for communication between the first network element and the access network device. For example, the first network element can send to the access network device through the SBI interface based on a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), a quick UDP internet connections (QUIC) connection, etc.

[0201] In some scenarios, the first network element can not be able to obtain the information of the access network device serving the terminal device, at this time, the first network element can send a request to the AMF serving the terminal device to query the information of the access network device.

[0202] In other scenarios, the first network element can not be able to obtain the information of the AMF serving the terminal device, at this time, the first network element can send a request to the UDM to query the information of the AMF serving the terminal device.

[0203] For ease of understanding, the following describes the scheme in which the first network element sends the fourth information to the access network device in the embodiments of the present application in combination with FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. FIG. 6 takes the transmission of the fourth information between the first network element and the terminal device through a direct connection interface as an example for description, and FIG. 7 takes the transmission of the fourth information by the first network element to the access network device through a UPF as an example for description.

[0204] Referring to FIG. 6, assuming that the NAS message is wireless capability information, the method shown in FIG. 6 includes steps S610 to S660.

[0205] In step S610, the terminal device sends wireless capability information to the first network element.

[0206] In some implementation manners, the terminal device sends the wireless capability information to the first network element through a user plane. For example, the terminal device sends the wireless capability information to the first network element through a PDU session, which will be described in detail in combination with FIG. 2.

[0207] In some implementations, the step S610 can be the first time that the terminal device reports its wireless capability information after initial registration. In other implementations, the step S610 can be triggered by the need to update the wireless capability information due to user settings change or the like.

[0208] In some implementations, the first network element stores the wireless capability information in a local or repository such as a UDR. It should be noted that if the first network element stores the wireless capability information in the UDR, the first network element can send the wireless capability information to the UDR.

[0209] In step S620, the first network element sends a request 1 to the UDM to request to query the AMF serving the terminal device.

[0210] In some implementations, the first network element requests the UDM to provide the context of the terminal device through the request 1, and the request 1 includes the identifier of the terminal device.

[0211] In step S630, the UDM sends a response message 1 to the first network element in response to the request 1, and the response message 1 carries the identifier of the AMF serving the terminal device.

[0212] In step S640, the first network element sends a request 2 to the AMF to request to query the access network device serving the terminal device, and the request 2 includes the identifier of the terminal device.

[0213] In step S650, the AMF sends a response message 2 to the first network element in response to the request 2, and the response message 2 carries the identifier of the access network device serving the terminal device.

[0214] In step S660, the first network element sends fourth information to the access network device through a direct interface.

[0215] In some implementations, the fourth information includes one or more of the following: the identifier of the terminal device; the type of the NAS message used to indicate that the NAS message carried in the fourth information is the wireless capability information; and the wireless capability information. For more information about the related information, please refer to the foregoing description.

[0216] In some implementations, the direct interface can be an SBI interface, and accordingly, the fourth information can be sent to the access network device through the SBI interface based on HTTP, QUIC or the like. In other implementations, the direct interface can be a dedicated interface between the first network element and the access network device, and accordingly, the fourth information can be sent to the access network device through the dedicated interface.

[0217] In the embodiments of the present application, a new network element (i.e., the first network element) is introduced for forwarding the wireless capability information, which can release the AMF and UCMF related network elements from the wireless capability management, that is, the first network element can directly bypass the AMF to provide the wireless capability to the access network device, which helps to reduce the signaling load on the AMF.

[0218] Referring to FIG. 7, assuming that the NAS message is the wireless capability information, the method shown in FIG. 7 includes steps S710 to S730.

[0219] In step S710, the terminal device sends the wireless capability information to the first network element.

[0220] In some implementations, the terminal device sends the wireless capability information to the first network element through the user plane. For example, the terminal device sends the wireless capability information to the first network element through a PDU session. For details, please refer to the description above in combination with FIG. 2.

[0221] In some implementations, the above step S710 can be the first time that the terminal device reports its wireless capability information after initial registration. In other implementations, the above step S710 can be triggered by the reporting of the wireless capability information due to user settings change or the like.

[0222] In some implementations, the first network element stores the wireless capability information in a local or UDR repository or the like. It should be noted that if the first network element stores the wireless capability information in the UDR, the first network element can send the wireless capability information to the UDR.

[0223] In step S720, the first network element sends fourth information to the UPF through the N6 interface.

[0224] In some implementations, the fourth information includes one or more of the following: an identifier of the terminal device; an address of the terminal device; a type of the NAS message for indicating that the NAS message carried in the fourth information is the wireless capability information; and the wireless capability information. For details of the related information, please refer to the above.

[0225] In step S730, the UPF sends the fourth information to the access network device through the N3 interface.

[0226] In some implementations, the UPF can find the corresponding PDU session based on the address of the terminal device, and obtain the address of the access network device based on the AN tunnel info of the GTP-U corresponding to the PDU session, and finally send the fourth information to the access network device through the N3 interface.

[0227] In the embodiments of the present application, a new network element (i.e., the first network element) is introduced for forwarding the wireless capability information, which can release the AMF and UCMF related network elements from the wireless capability management, that is, the first network element can directly bypass the AMF to provide the wireless capability to the access network device, which helps to reduce the signaling load on the AMF. On the other hand, the first network element can send the wireless capability information to the access network device through the UPF, which helps to avoid introducing a new network element to reduce the impact on the traditional communication network architecture.

[0228] In some scenarios, after obtaining the NAS message, the first network element can forward the NAS message to a third network element (e.g., a mobility management network element and / or an access network device) serving the terminal device. In this scenario, the first network element needs to obtain the related information of the third network element (e.g., the address of the third network element, the identifier of the third network element, etc.), however, the process of the first network element obtaining the related information of the third network element is relatively complex. Therefore, to solve the above problem, the embodiments of the present application propose a scheme that the third network element actively requests the NAS message from the first network element, which helps to simplify the complexity of the first network element obtaining the related information of the third network element.

[0229] In some implementations, the above method further includes: the third network element sending a third request to the first network element, the third request being used for requesting the NAS message; and / or the first network element sending fifth information to the third network element, the fifth information carrying the NAS message, wherein the introduction of the NAS message can be referred to the above.

[0230] In some implementations, the fifth information carries the identifier of the terminal device, which is used for indicating the terminal device corresponding to the NAS message, or in other words, is used for indicating the terminal device sending the NAS message. The introduction of the identifier of the terminal device can be referred to the above.

[0231] In some implementations, the third request carries the identifier of the terminal device, which will be introduced below in combination with FIG. 8. The introduction of the identifier of the terminal device can be referred to the above.

[0232] In the embodiments of the present application, the number of the identifiers of the terminal device carried in the third request is not limited. In some implementations, the third request can carry an identifier of a terminal device to indicate the NAS message of the terminal device. In other implementations, the third request can carry identifiers of multiple terminal devices to indicate the NAS messages of the multiple terminal devices, at this time, it can be understood that the third network element can request to obtain the NAS messages of the multiple terminal devices at the same time.

[0233] In another scenario, the third request can be understood as a request for subscribing to an update of the NAS message, which will be described below in combination with FIG. 9. It should be noted that the update can be understood as that the NAS message stored in the first network element is updated, or the update can also be understood as that the case that the first network element originally does not store the NAS message of the terminal device is updated to that the first network element stores the NAS message of the terminal device, that is, the first storage of the NAS message of the terminal device in the first network element can also be understood as an update.

[0234] In some implementations, the third request carries one or more of the following: an identifier of the terminal device; third indication information; fourth indication information.

[0235] For example, the third request includes the identifier of the terminal device, and the identifier of the terminal device is used to indicate the terminal device that the third network element requests to subscribe to. The description of the identifier of the terminal device can be referred to the above.

[0236] In the embodiments of the present application, the number of identifiers of the terminal device carried in the third request is not limited. In some implementations, the third request can carry an identifier of a terminal device to indicate that the NAS message of the terminal device is requested to be subscribed to. In another implementation, the third request can carry identifiers of multiple terminal devices to indicate that the NAS messages of multiple terminal devices are requested to be subscribed to. At this time, it can be understood that the third network element can request to subscribe to the NAS messages of multiple terminal devices at the same time.

[0237] For example, the third request includes the third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the event requested to be subscribed to by the third request is the update of the NAS message. In some scenarios, the third indication information can be understood as indicating that the triggering event of the notification is the NAS message.

[0238] For example, the third request includes the fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the subscriber of the event is the third network element, or in other words, the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the target of the notification is the third network element.

[0239] In the embodiments of the present application, the triggering manner of the third request is not limited. In some implementations, the terminal device can instruct the third network element to send the third request. Of course, in the embodiments of the present application, the third network element can also autonomously determine the timing of sending the third request, for example, the third request can be sent periodically. The scheme in which the terminal device instructs the third network element to send the third request will be described below.

[0240] In some implementations, the above method further includes: the terminal device sends fifth indication information to the third network element, and the fifth indication information is used to instruct the third network element to obtain the NAS message from the first network element, or in other words, the fifth indication information is used to instruct the third network element to send the third request.

[0241] In some implementations, the fifth indication information comprises one or more of the following: an identifier of the terminal device; an identifier of the first network element; slice information of the first network element; an address of the first network element; a FQDN of the first network element; and sixth indication information. For related descriptions of the identifier of the terminal device, the identifier of the first network element, the slice information of the first network element, the address of the first network element, and the FQDN of the first network element, please refer to the foregoing descriptions.

[0242] Taking an example in which the fifth indication information comprises the sixth indication information, the sixth indication information is used to indicate NAS message update. Taking an example in which the NAS message is wireless capability information, the sixth indication information can indicate wireless capability update, and therefore, the sixth indication information is also referred to as wireless capability update indication.

[0243] In some implementations, the fifth indication information can be carried in one or more of the following: a registration update request message; an uplink NAS transport message (UL NAS transport); a UE capability update message; and a UE capability report message.

[0244] For ease of understanding, the scheme in which the third network element requests the NAS message is described below in combination with FIG. 8 and FIG. 9. It is assumed that in the scheme shown in FIG. 8, the third network element is an AMF, and the NAS message comprises wireless capability information. The method shown in FIG. 8 comprises steps S810 to S850.

[0245] In step S810, the terminal device sends the wireless capability information to the first network element.

[0246] In some implementations, the terminal device sends the wireless capability information to the first network element through a user plane. For example, the terminal device sends the wireless capability information to the first network element through a PDU session. For details, please refer to the foregoing description in combination with FIG. 2.

[0247] In some implementations, the above step S810 can be the first time that the terminal device reports its wireless capability information after initial registration. In other implementations, the above step S810 can be triggered by the need to update the wireless capability information due to user settings change or the like.

[0248] In some implementations, the first network element stores the wireless capability information in a local storage or a UDR or the like. It should be noted that if the first network element stores the wireless capability information in the UDR, the first network element can send the wireless capability information to the UDR.

[0249] In step S820, the terminal device sends the fifth indication information to the AMF.

[0250] In some embodiments, the fifth indication information comprises one or more of the following: an identifier of the terminal device; an identifier of the first network element; slice information of the first network element; an address of the first network element; a FQDN of the first network element; and the sixth indication information. Details of the related information can be found in the foregoing description.

[0251] In some embodiments, the fifth indication information can be carried in one or more of the following: a registration update request message; an uplink NAS transport message (UL NAS transport); a UE capability update message; and a UE capability report message.

[0252] In step S830, the AMF sends a third request to the first network element, where the third request is used to request the radio capability information of the terminal device.

[0253] In some embodiments, the third request carries an identifier of the terminal device. Details of the identifier of the terminal device can be found in the foregoing description.

[0254] In the embodiments of the present application, the number of identifiers of the terminal device carried in the third request is not limited. In some embodiments, the third request can carry an identifier of one terminal device to indicate a NAS message of the terminal device. In other embodiments, the third request can carry identifiers of multiple terminal devices to indicate NAS messages of the multiple terminal devices. In this case, it can be understood that the third network element can request to obtain the NAS messages of the multiple terminal devices simultaneously.

[0255] In step S840, the first network element sends the fifth information to the AMF.

[0256] In some embodiments, the fifth information carries the radio capability information and an identifier of the terminal device corresponding to the radio capability information.

[0257] In step S850, the AMF sends the fifth information to the access network device.

[0258] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, the scheme in which the first network element sends the fifth information to the access network device can also use the method described above in combination with FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 for transmitting the fourth information. In this case, the fourth information can be analogous to the fifth information.

[0259] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can send the fifth indication information to indicate the AMF to obtain the radio capability information from the first network element, which helps to avoid the first network element interacting with other network elements (e.g., BSF, UDM) to obtain the identifier of the terminal device and / or the AMF-related information, thereby reducing the information interaction between the first network element and other network elements for obtaining the identifier of the terminal device and / or the AMF-related information, and reducing the transmission overhead.

[0260] It is assumed that in the scheme shown in FIG. 9, the third network element is an AMF, and the NAS message includes wireless capability information. The method shown in FIG. 9 includes steps S910 to S940.

[0261] In step S910, the AMF sends a third request to the first network element to request subscription to update of the wireless capability information of the terminal device 1.

[0262] In some implementations, the third request carries one or more of the following: an identifier of the terminal device 1; third indication information indicating that the event for which the third request requests subscription is update of the wireless capability information of the terminal device 1; and fourth indication information indicating that the subscriber of the event is the access network device. For related information, please refer to the foregoing description.

[0263] In the embodiments of the present application, the number of identifiers of terminal devices carried in the third request is not limited. In some implementations, the third request can carry an identifier of a terminal device to indicate that it requests subscription to the NAS message of the terminal device. In other implementations, the third request can carry identifiers of multiple terminal devices to indicate that it requests subscription to the NAS messages of the multiple terminal devices. At this time, it can be understood that the third network element can request subscription to the NAS messages of multiple terminal devices at the same time.

[0264] In step S920, the terminal device 1 sends the updated wireless capability information to the first network element.

[0265] In some implementations, the terminal device 1 sends the updated wireless capability information to the first network element through a user plane. For example, the terminal device 1 sends the updated wireless capability information to the first network element through a PDU session. For details, please refer to the foregoing description in combination with FIG. 2.

[0266] In step S930, if the first network element detects that the wireless capability information of the terminal device 1 is updated, the first network element sends fifth information to the AMF.

[0267] In some implementations, the fifth information carries the updated wireless capability information of the terminal device 1 and the identifier of the terminal device corresponding to the wireless capability information, i.e., the identifier of the terminal device 1.

[0268] In step S940, the AMF sends the updated wireless capability information of the terminal device 1 to the access network device.

[0269] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, the scheme in which the first network element sends the fifth information to the access network device can also use the method for transmitting the fourth information described above in combination with FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. At this time, the fourth information can be analogous to the fifth information.

[0270] In the embodiment of the present application, the wireless capability update event notification is subscribed to the first network element by the AMF, and the updated wireless capability information is obtained, which helps to avoid the interaction between the first network element and other network elements (for example, the BSF and the UDM) to obtain the identifier of the terminal device and / or the AMF related information, reduces the information interaction between the first network element and other network elements for obtaining the identifier of the terminal device and / or the AMF related information, and reduces the transmission overhead.

[0271] The method embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in combination with FIGS. 1 to 9, and the device embodiments of the present application are described in detail below in combination with FIGS. 10 to 14. It should be understood that the description of the method embodiments corresponds to the description of the device embodiments, and therefore, the parts not described in detail can be referred to the foregoing method embodiments.

[0272] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1000 shown in FIG. 10 is a first network element, and the communication device 1000 includes a receiving unit 1010.

[0273] The receiving unit 1010 is configured to receive a non-access stratum (NAS) message sent by a terminal device, wherein the NAS message is transmitted through a user plane.

[0274] In some implementations, the NAS message is carried in first information, and the first information further includes second information, and the second information includes one or more of the following: an address of the terminal device; an identifier of the terminal device; an address of the first network element; and first indication information indicating that the first information carries the NAS message.

[0275] In some implementations, the first information is carried in a data packet, and the second information is carried in a packet header of the data packet.

[0276] In some implementations, if the second information does not carry the identifier of the terminal device, the communication device further includes: the first network element sends a first request carrying the address of the terminal device to a second network element, and the first request is used to request the identifier of the terminal device; and the first network element receives a first response message of the first request sent by the second network element, and the first response message carries the identifier of the terminal device.

[0277] In some implementations, the second network element is a session binding function.

[0278] In some implementations, the NAS message is transmitted through a protocol data unit (PDU) session, and the PDU session is a PDU session between the terminal device and the first network element, or the PDU session is a PDU session between the terminal device and the first data network.

[0279] In some embodiments, the PDU session is requested to be established based on a second request, the second request carrying one or more of: an identifier of the terminal device; an identifier of the first network element; an address of the first network element; a type of the first network element; a FQDN of the first network element; slice information of the first network element; a data network name (DNN) of the first network element; an identifier of the PDU session; an identifier of a first quality of service (QoS) flow, the first QoS flow being a QoS flow in the PDU session for transmitting the NAS message; and second indication information indicating that the PDU session is used for transmitting the NAS message.

[0280] In some embodiments, the communication device further includes a first sending unit configured to send third information to the terminal device, the third information including information for establishing the PDU session.

[0281] In some embodiments, the third information includes one or more of: an identifier of the first network element; an address of the first network element; slice information of the first network element; a DNN of the first network element; an address of a mobility management network element serving the terminal device; an identifier of the PDU session; a DNN corresponding to the PDU session; slice information corresponding to the PDU session; and an identifier of a first QoS flow, the first QoS flow being a QoS flow in the PDU session for transmitting the NAS message.

[0282] In some embodiments, the packet detection rule corresponding to the PDU session is configured to configure one or more of: a destination address in a packet filter as the address of the first network element and / or an address of a mobility management network element serving the terminal device; a QoS flow identifier as an identifier of a first QoS flow corresponding to the PDU session, the first QoS flow being used for transmitting the NAS message; an operation in a forwarding operation rule as forwarding; a target interface in the forwarding operation rule as a mobility management network element or a network side; and adding an address of a mobility management network element as a target address in a packet header of a data packet forwarded to the mobility management network element.

[0283] In some embodiments, the communication device further includes a second sending unit configured to send fourth information to an access network device, the fourth information including one or more of: an identifier of the terminal device; a type of the NAS message; and the NAS message.

[0284] In some embodiments, the fourth information is transmitted through a direct interface between the first network element and the access network device; or the fourth information is transmitted by the first network element to the access network device through a UPF.

[0285] In some embodiments, the direct interface comprises a service-based interface (SBI) in the first network element for communicating with the access network device; or a dedicated interface between the first network element and the access network device.

[0286] In some embodiments, the receiving unit is configured to receive a third request sent by a third network element, the third request being used to request the NAS message; and / or the third sending unit is configured to send fifth information to the third network element, the fifth information carrying the NAS message.

[0287] In some embodiments, the fifth information carries an identifier of the terminal device.

[0288] In some embodiments, the third request carries an identifier of the terminal device.

[0289] In some embodiments, the third request is used to request subscription to update of the NAS message.

[0290] In some embodiments, the third request carries one or more of the following: an identifier of the terminal device; third indication information used to indicate that an event requested to be subscribed to by the third request is update of the NAS message; fourth indication information used to indicate that a subscriber of the event is the third network element.

[0291] In some embodiments, the third network element is an access network device or a mobility management network element.

[0292] In some embodiments, the first network element is a virtual data network or a private data network.

[0293] In some embodiments, the NAS message comprises wireless capability information of the terminal device.

[0294] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application. The terminal device 1100 shown in FIG. 11 comprises a sending unit 1110.

[0295] The sending unit 1110 is configured to send a NAS message to a first network element, the NAS message being transmitted through a user plane.

[0296] In some embodiments, the NAS message is carried in first information, the first information further comprising second information, the second information comprising one or more of the following: an address of the terminal device; an identifier of the terminal device; an address of the first network element; first indication information used to indicate that the first information carries the NAS message.

[0297] In some embodiments, the first information is carried in a data packet, and the second information is carried in a packet header of the data packet.

[0298] In some embodiments, the NAS message is transmitted through a PDU session, wherein the PDU session is a PDU session between the terminal device and the first network element, or the PDU session is a PDU session between the terminal device and the first data network DN.

[0299] In some embodiments, the sending unit is configured to send a second request, wherein the second request is used to request establishment of the PDU session.

[0300] In some embodiments, the second request carries one or more of the following: an identifier of the terminal device; an identifier of the first network element; an address of the first network element; a type of the first network element; an FQDN of the first network element; slice information of the first network element; a data network name DNN of the first network element; an identifier of the PDU session; an identifier of a first QoS flow, wherein the first QoS flow is a QoS flow in the PDU session used for transmitting the NAS message; and second indication information used to indicate that the PDU session is used for transmitting the NAS message.

[0301] In some embodiments, the terminal device further includes a first receiving unit configured to receive third information sent by the first network element, wherein the third information includes information used to establish the PDU session.

[0302] In some embodiments, the third information includes one or more of the following: an identifier of the first network element; an address of the first network element; slice information of the first network element; a data network name DNN of the first network element; an address of a mobility management network element serving the terminal device; an identifier of the PDU session; a DNN corresponding to the PDU session; slice information corresponding to the PDU session; and an identifier of a first QoS flow, wherein the first QoS flow is a QoS flow in the PDU session used for transmitting the NAS message.

[0303] In some embodiments, the packet detection rule corresponding to the PDU session is used to configure one or more of the following: a destination address in a packet filter is an address of the first network element and / or an address of a mobility management network element serving the terminal device; a QoS flow identifier is an identifier of a first QoS flow corresponding to the PDU session, wherein the first QoS flow is a QoS flow in the PDU session used for transmitting the NAS message; an operation in a forwarding operation rule is forwarding; a target interface in the forwarding operation rule is a mobility management network element or a network edge; and an address of a mobility management network element is added as a target address in a packet header of a data packet forwarded to the mobility management network element.

[0304] In some embodiments, the sending unit is configured to send fifth indication information to the third network element, where the fifth indication information is used to instruct the third network element to obtain the NAS message from the first network element.

[0305] In some embodiments, the fifth indication information comprises one or more of the following: an identifier of the terminal device; an identifier of the first network element; slice information of the first network element; an address of the first network element; an FQDN of the first network element; and sixth indication information used to indicate that the NAS message is updated.

[0306] In some embodiments, the fifth indication information is carried in one or more of the following: a registration update request message; an uplink NAS transmission message; a UE capability update message; and a UE capability report message.

[0307] In some embodiments, the first network element is a virtual DN or a dedicated DN.

[0308] In some embodiments, the NAS message comprises wireless capability information of the terminal device.

[0309] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1200 shown in FIG. 12 is a third network element, and the communication device 1200 comprises a receiving unit 1210.

[0310] The receiving unit 1210 is configured to receive fifth information sent by a first network element, where the fifth information carries a NAS message of a terminal device.

[0311] In some embodiments, the fifth information carries an identifier of the terminal device.

[0312] In some embodiments, the communication device further comprises a sending unit configured to send a third request to the first network element, where the third request is used to request the fifth information.

[0313] In some embodiments, the third request carries an identifier of the terminal device.

[0314] In some embodiments, the third request is used to request subscription to update of the NAS message.

[0315] In some embodiments, the third request carries one or more of the following: an identifier of the terminal device; third indication information used to indicate that an event requested to be subscribed by the third request is update of the NAS message; and fourth indication information used to indicate that a subscriber of the event is the third network element.

[0316] In some embodiments, the receiving unit is configured to receive fifth indication information sent by the terminal device, where the fifth indication information is used to instruct the third network element to obtain the NAS message from the first network element.

[0317] In some embodiments, the fifth indication information comprises one or more of the following: an identifier of the terminal device; an identifier of the first network element; slice information of the first network element; an address of the first network element; an FQDN of the first network element; and sixth indication information used to instruct the NAS message update.

[0318] In some embodiments, the fifth indication information is carried in one or more of the following: a registration update request message; an uplink NAS transmission message; a UE capability update message; and a UE capability report message.

[0319] In some embodiments, the third network element is an access network device or a mobility management network element or an access network device.

[0320] In some embodiments, the NAS message is transmitted to the first network element via a user plane.

[0321] In some embodiments, the first network element is a virtual DN or a dedicated DN.

[0322] In some embodiments, the NAS message comprises wireless capability information of the terminal device.

[0323] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1300 shown in FIG. 13 is an access network device, and the communication device 1300 comprises a receiving unit 1310.

[0324] The receiving unit 1310 is configured to receive fourth information sent by a first network element, where the fourth information comprises a NAS message of a terminal device, and the fourth information is transmitted via a direct interface between the first network element and the access network device or is transmitted by the first network element to the access network device via a UPF.

[0325] In some embodiments, the fourth information further comprises an identifier of the terminal device and / or a type of the NAS message.

[0326] In some embodiments, the direct interface comprises a service-based interface (SBI) in the first network element used for communication with the access network device, or a dedicated interface used for communication between the first network element and the access network device.

[0327] In some embodiments, the NAS message is transmitted to the first network element via a user plane.

[0328] In some embodiments, the first network element is a virtual DN or a dedicated DN.

[0329] In some embodiments, the NAS message comprises wireless capability information of the terminal device.

[0330] FIG. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. The dashed line in FIG. 14 indicates that the unit or module is optional. The apparatus 1400 can be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiments. The apparatus 1400 can be a chip, a terminal device or a network device.

[0331] The apparatus 1400 can include one or more processors 1410. The processor 1410 can support the apparatus 1400 to implement the method described in the above method embodiments. The processor 1410 can be a general purpose processor or a dedicated processor. For example, the processor can be a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the processor can also be other general purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, etc. The general purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor.

[0332] The apparatus 1400 can further include one or more memories 1420. The memory 1420 stores a program, which can be executed by the processor 1410, so that the processor 1410 performs the method described in the above method embodiments. The memory 1420 can be independent of the processor 1410 or integrated in the processor 1410.

[0333] The apparatus 1400 can further include a transceiver 1430. The processor 1410 can communicate with other devices or chips through the transceiver 1430. For example, the processor 1410 can perform data transceiving with other devices or chips through the transceiver 1430.

[0334] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer readable storage medium for storing a program. The computer readable storage medium can be applied to the terminal or network device provided by the embodiments of the present application, and the program causes the computer to execute the method performed by the terminal or network device in the various embodiments of the present application.

[0335] The embodiment of the application further provides a computer program product. The computer program product comprises a program. The computer program product can be applied to the terminal or the network device provided by the embodiment of the application, and the program causes the computer to execute the method performed by the terminal or the network device in the various embodiments of the application.

[0336] The embodiment of the application further provides a computer program. The computer program can be applied to the terminal or the network device provided by the embodiment of the application, and the computer program causes the computer to execute the method performed by the terminal or the network device in the various embodiments of the application.

[0337] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" can be used interchangeably in the present application. In addition, the terms used in the present application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the present application. The terms "first", "second", "third", and "fourth" and the like in the specification and claims of the present application and the drawings are used to distinguish different objects, and are not used to describe a particular order. In addition, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0338] It should be noted that the network element involved in the embodiments of the present application can be the network element introduced in the foregoing, or a new functionally similar or identical network element introduced in the future communication system. For example, the AMF can be replaced by a mobility management network element in a 6G communication system. For another example, the SMF can be replaced by a session management network element in a 6G communication system.

[0339] In the embodiments of the present application, "indication" can be direct indication, indirect indication, or can represent an associated relationship. For example, A indicates B, which can mean that B can be obtained by A directly indicating B; or A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained by C; or A and B have an associated relationship.

[0340] In the embodiments of the present application, "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A, and B can be determined according to A. However, it should also be understood that determining B according to A does not mean that B is determined only according to A, but B can also be determined according to A and / or other information.

[0341] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" can represent a direct or indirect corresponding relationship between the two, can represent an associated relationship between the two, or can represent an indication and being indicated, configuration and being configured, and the like.

[0342] In the embodiments of the present application, the "predefined" or "preconfigured" can be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables or other manners that can be used to indicate relevant information in devices (for example, including terminal devices and network devices), and the specific implementation manners are not limited in the present application. For example, the predefinition can refer to the definition in a protocol.

[0343] In the embodiments of the present application, the "protocol" can refer to a standard protocol in the communication field, for example, can include the LTE protocol, the NR protocol and the related protocol applied to the future communication system, and the present application is not limited to this.

[0344] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "and / or" is only used to describe the association relationship of the associated objects, that is, there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this paper generally represents an "or" relationship between the front and rear associated objects.

[0345] In various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial number of the above processes does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of the processes should be determined according to its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0346] In several embodiments provided by the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented by other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic, and for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and there can be another division way in actual implementation, for example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections between different parts can be indirect couplings or communication connections through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0347] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components displayed as units can or can not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or can be distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiments of the present application.

[0348] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0349] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be read by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center and the like integrated with one or more available media sets. The available media can be magnetic media (for example, floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), optical media (for example, digital video disc (DVD)) or semiconductor media (for example, solid state disk (SSD)) and the like.

[0350] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical range disclosed in the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication, comprising: Comprise: The first network element receives a non-access stratum (NAS) message sent by a terminal device, and the NAS message is transmitted through a user plane.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The NAS message is carried in first information, and the first information further includes second information, and the second information includes one or more of the following: An address of the terminal device; An identifier of the terminal device; An address of the first network element; First indication information for indicating that the first information carries the NAS message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first information is carried in a data packet, and the second information is carried in a packet header of the data packet.

4. The method of claim 2 or 3, wherein, If the second information does not carry the identifier of the terminal device, the method further comprises: The first network element sends a first request carrying the address of the terminal device to a second network element, and the first request is used to request the identifier of the terminal device; The first network element receives a first response message of the first request sent by the second network element, and the first response message carries the identifier of the terminal device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The second network element is a session binding function.

6. The method of any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The NAS message is transmitted through a protocol data unit (PDU) session, wherein the PDU session is a PDU session between the terminal device and the first network element, or The PDU session is a PDU session between the terminal device and the first data network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The PDU session is requested to be established based on a second request, and the second request carries one or more of the following: An identifier of the terminal device; An identifier of the first network element; An address of the first network element; A type of the first network element; An FQDN of the first network element; Slice information of the first network element; A data network name (DNN) of the first network element; An identifier of the PDU session; An identifier of a first quality of service (QoS) flow, wherein the first QoS flow is a QoS flow used for transmitting the NAS message in the PDU session; Second indication information for indicating that the PDU session is used for transmitting the NAS message.

8. The method of any one of claims 6-7, wherein, The method further comprises: The first network element sends third information to the terminal device, and the third information includes information used for establishing the PDU session.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The third information includes one or more of the following: An identifier of the first network element; An address of the first network element; Slice information of the first network element; A DNN of the first network element; An address of a mobility management network element serving the terminal device; An identifier of the PDU session; A DNN corresponding to the PDU session; Slice information corresponding to the PDU session; An identifier of a first QoS flow, wherein the first QoS flow is a QoS flow used for transmitting the NAS message in the PDU session.

10. The method of any one of claims 6-9, wherein, The packet detection rule corresponding to the PDU session is used to configure one or more of the following: A destination address in a packet filter is an address of the first network element and / or an address of a mobility management network element serving the terminal device; A QoS flow identifier is an identifier of a first QoS flow corresponding to the PDU session, and the first QoS flow is used for transmitting the NAS message; An operation in a forwarding operation rule is forwarding; A target interface in the forwarding operation rule is a mobility management network element or a network side; An address of the mobility management network element is added as a target address in a packet header of the data packet forwarded to the mobility management network element.

11. The method of any one of claims 1-10, wherein, The method further includes: The first network element sends fourth information to an access network device, the fourth information including one or more of: an identifier of the terminal device; a type of the NAS message; the NAS message.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The fourth information is transmitted through a direct connection interface between the first network element and the access network device; or The fourth information is transmitted by the first network element to the access network device through a UPF.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The direct connection interface includes a service-based interface (SBI) in the first network element for communication with the access network device; or a dedicated interface for communication between the first network element and the access network device.

14. The method of any one of claims 1-13, wherein, The method further includes: The first network element receives a third request sent by a third network element, the third request being used to request the NAS message; and / or The first network element sends fifth information to the third network element, the fifth information carrying the NAS message.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The fifth information carries an identifier of the terminal device.

16. The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein, The third request carries the identifier of the terminal device.

17. The method of any one of claims 14-16, wherein, The third request is used to request subscription to update of the NAS message.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, The third request carries one or more of: an identifier of the terminal device; third indication information indicating that an event requested to be subscribed to by the third request is update of the NAS message; fourth indication information indicating that a subscriber of the event is the third network element.

19. The method of any one of claims 14-18, wherein, The third network element is an access network device or a mobility management network element.

20. The method of any one of claims 1-19, wherein, The first network element is a virtual data network or a dedicated data network.

21. The method of any one of claims 1-20, wherein, The NAS message includes wireless capability information of the terminal device.

22. A method of wireless communication, comprising: The method includes: A terminal device sends a NAS message to a first network element, the NAS message being transmitted through a user plane.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein, The NAS message is carried in first information, the first information further including second information, the second information including one or more of: an address of the terminal device; an identifier of the terminal device; an address of the first network element; first indication information indicating that the first information carries the NAS message.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein, The first information is carried in a data packet, and the second information is carried in a packet header of the data packet.

25. The method of any one of claims 22-24, wherein, The NAS message is transmitted through a PDU session, wherein the PDU session is a PDU session between the terminal device and the first network element, or The PDU session is a PDU session between the terminal device and a first data network (DN).

26. The method of claim 25, wherein, The method further includes: The terminal device sends a second request, the second request being used to request establishment of the PDU session.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein, The second request carries one or more of: an identifier of the terminal device; an identifier of the first network element; an address of the first network element; a type of the first network element; an FQDN of the first network element; slice information of the first network element; a data network name (DNN) of the first network element; an identifier of the PDU session; an identifier of a first QoS flow, the first QoS flow being a QoS flow in the PDU session used to transmit the NAS message; The second indication information is used for indicating that the PDU session is used for transmitting the NAS message.

28. The method of any one of claims 25-27, wherein, The method further includes: The terminal device receives third information sent by the first network element, and the third information includes information used for establishing the PDU session.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein, The third information includes one or more of the following: An identifier of the first network element; An address of the first network element; Slice information of the first network element; A data network name (DNN) of the first network element; An address of a mobility management network element serving the terminal device; An identifier of the PDU session; A DNN corresponding to the PDU session; Slice information corresponding to the PDU session; An identifier of a first QoS flow, the first QoS flow being a QoS flow used for transmitting the NAS message in the PDU session.

30. The method of any one of claims 25-29, wherein, The packet detection rule corresponding to the PDU session is used for configuring one or more of the following: A destination address in a packet filter is an address of the first network element and / or an address of a mobility management network element serving the terminal device; A QoS flow identifier is an identifier of a first QoS flow corresponding to the PDU session, the first QoS flow being a QoS flow used for transmitting the NAS message in the PDU session; An operation in a forwarding operation rule is forwarding; A target interface in the forwarding operation rule is a mobility management network element or a network edge; An address of a mobility management network element is added as a target address in a packet header of a data packet forwarded to the mobility management network element.

31. The method of any one of claims 22-30, wherein, The method further includes: The terminal device sends fifth indication information to a third network element, and the fifth indication information is used for instructing the third network element to obtain the NAS message from the first network element.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein, The fifth indication information includes one or more of the following: An identifier of the terminal device; An identifier of the first network element; Slice information of the first network element; An address of the first network element; An FQDN of the first network element; Sixth indication information is used for indicating that the NAS message is updated.

33. The method of claim 31 or 32, wherein, The fifth indication information is carried in one or more of the following: a registration update request message; an uplink NAS transmission message; a UE capability update message; and a UE capability report message.

34. The method of any one of claims 22-33, wherein, The first network element is a virtual DN or a dedicated DN.

35. The method of any one of claims 22-34, wherein, The NAS message includes wireless capability information of the terminal device.

36. A method of wireless communication, the method comprising: The method further includes: A third network element receives fifth information sent by a first network element, and the fifth information carries a NAS message of a terminal device.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein, The fifth information carries an identifier of the terminal device.

38. The method of claim 36 or 37, wherein, The method further includes: The third network element sends a third request to the first network element, and the third request is used for requesting the fifth information.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein, The third request carries an identifier of the terminal device.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein, The third request is used for requesting to subscribe to update of the NAS message.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein, The third request carries one or more of the following: The identifier of the terminal device; Third indication information is used for indicating that an event for which the third request requests to subscribe is update of the NAS message; Fourth indication information is used for indicating that a subscriber of the event is the third network element.

42. The method of any one of claims 36-41, wherein, The method further includes: The third network element receives fifth indication information sent by the terminal device, and the fifth indication information is used for instructing the third network element to obtain the NAS message from the first network element. The first network element acquires the NAS message.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein, The fifth indication information includes one or more of the following: An identifier of the terminal device; An identifier of the first network element; Slice information of the first network element; An address of the first network element; An FQDN of the first network element; Sixth indication information for indicating that the NAS message is updated.

44. The method of claim 42 or 43, wherein, The fifth indication information is carried in one or more of the following: a registration update request message; an uplink NAS transmission message; a UE capability update message; and a UE capability report message.

45. The method of any one of claims 36-44, wherein, The third network element is an access network device or a mobility management network element or an access network device.

46. The method of any one of claims 36-43, wherein, The NAS message is transmitted to the first network element through a user plane.

47. The method of any one of claims 36-46, wherein, The first network element is a virtual DN or a dedicated DN.

48. The method of any one of claims 36-47, wherein, The NAS message includes wireless capability information of the terminal device.

49. A method of wireless communication, the method comprising: Comprise: An access network device receives fourth information sent by a first network element, the fourth information including a NAS message of a terminal device, Wherein, the fourth information is transmitted through a direct interface between the first network element and the access network device; or The fourth information is transmitted by the first network element to the access network device through a UPF.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein, The fourth information further includes an identifier of the terminal device and / or a type of the NAS message.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein, The direct interface includes a service-based interface SBI in the first network element for communication with the access network device; or a special interface between the first network element and the access network device.

52. The method of any one of claims 49-51, wherein, The NAS message is transmitted to the first network element through a user plane.

53. The method of any one of claims 49-52, wherein, The first network element is a virtual DN or a dedicated DN.

54. The method of any one of claims 49-53, wherein, The NAS message includes wireless capability information of the terminal device.

55. A communications device, characterized by The communication device is a first network element, comprising: A receiving unit configured to receive a non-access stratum NAS message sent by a terminal device, the NAS message being transmitted through a user plane.

56. The communications device of claim 55, wherein, The NAS message is carried in first information, and the first information further includes second information, the second information including one or more of the following: An address of the terminal device; An identifier of the terminal device; An address of the first network element; First indication information for indicating that the first information carries the NAS message.

57. The communications device of claim 56 wherein, The first information is carried in a data packet, and the second information is carried in a packet header of the data packet.

58. The communication device of claim 56 or 57, wherein, If the second information does not carry the identifier of the terminal device, the communication device further comprises: The first network element sends a first request carrying the address of the terminal device to a second network element, the first request being used to request the identifier of the terminal device; The first network element receives a first response message of the first request sent by the second network element, the first response message carrying the identifier of the terminal device.

59. The communications device of claim 58 wherein, The second network element is a session binding function.

60. The communication device of any of claims 55-59, wherein, The NAS message is transmitted through a protocol data unit PDU session, wherein the PDU session is a PDU session between the terminal device and the first network element, or The PDU session is a PDU session between the terminal device and the first data network.

61. The communications device of claim 60, wherein, The PDU session is requested to be established based on a second request, and the second request carries one or more of the following: An identifier of the terminal device; an identifier of the first network element; an address of the first network element; a type of the first network element; an FQDN of the first network element; slice information of the first network element; a data network name (DNN) of the first network element; an identifier of the PDU session; an identifier of a first quality of service (QoS) flow, the first QoS flow being a QoS flow in the PDU session for transmitting the NAS message. second indication information, used for indicating that the PDU session is used for transmitting the NAS message.

62. The communication device of any of claims 59-61, wherein, The communication device further includes: a first sending unit, configured to send third information to the terminal device, the third information including information used for establishing the PDU session.

63. The communications device of claim 62, wherein, The third information includes one or more of the following: an identifier of the first network element; an address of the first network element; slice information of the first network element; a DNN of the first network element; an address of a mobility management network element serving the terminal device; an identifier of the PDU session; a DNN corresponding to the PDU session; slice information corresponding to the PDU session; an identifier of a first QoS flow, the first QoS flow being a QoS flow in the PDU session for transmitting the NAS message.

64. The communication device of any of claims 59-63, wherein, The packet detection rule corresponding to the PDU session is used to configure one or more of the following: a destination address in a packet filter is an address of the first network element and / or an address of a mobility management network element serving the terminal device; a QoS flow identifier is an identifier of a first QoS flow corresponding to the PDU session, the first QoS flow being used for transmitting the NAS message; an operation in a forwarding operation rule is forwarding; a target interface in the forwarding operation rule is a mobility management network element or a network side; an address of a mobility management network element is added as a target address in a packet header of a data packet forwarded to the mobility management network element.

65. The communication device of any of claims 55-63, wherein, The communication device further includes: a second sending unit, configured to send fourth information to an access network device, the fourth information including one or more of the following: an identifier of the terminal device; a type of the NAS message; the NAS message.

66. The communications device of claim 65, wherein, The fourth information is transmitted through a direct connection interface between the first network element and the access network device; or The fourth information is transmitted by the first network element to the access network device through a UPF.

67. The communications device of claim 66 wherein, The direct connection interface includes a service-based interface (SBI) in the first network element used for communication with the access network device; or a dedicated interface used for communication between the first network element and the access network device.

68. The communication device of any of claims 55-67, wherein, The receiving unit is configured to receive a third request sent by a third network element, the third request being used for requesting the NAS message; and / or a third sending unit, configured to send fifth information to the third network element, the fifth information carrying the NAS message. The fifth information carries an identifier of the terminal device.

69. The communications device of claim 68 wherein, The third request carries an identifier of the terminal device.

70. The communication device of claim 68 or 69, wherein, The third request is used for requesting subscription to an update of the NAS message.

71. The communication device of any of claims 68-70, wherein, The third request carries one or more of the following:

72. The communications device of claim 71, wherein, an identifier of the terminal device; third indication information, used for indicating that an event for which subscription is requested by the third request is an update of the NAS message; ​ A fourth indication information is used to indicate that a subscriber of the event is the third network element.

73. The communication device of any of claims 68-72, wherein, The third network element is an access network device or a mobility management network element.

74. The communication device of any of claims 55-73, wherein, The first network element is a virtual data network or a private data network.

75. The communication device of any of claims 55-74, wherein, The NAS message includes wireless capability information of the terminal device.

76. A terminal device, comprising: Comprise: A sending unit is used to send a NAS message to a first network element, and the NAS message is transmitted through a user plane.

77. The terminal device of claim 76, wherein, The NAS message is carried in first information, and the first information further includes second information, and the second information includes one or more of the following: An address of the terminal device; An identifier of the terminal device; An address of the first network element; First indication information is used to indicate that the first information carries the NAS message.

78. The terminal device of claim 77, wherein, The first information is carried in a data packet, and the second information is carried in a packet header of the data packet.

79. The terminal device of any one of claims 76-78, wherein, The NAS message is transmitted through a PDU session, wherein the PDU session is a PDU session between the terminal device and the first network element, or The PDU session is a PDU session between the terminal device and the first data network DN.

80. The terminal device of claim 79, wherein, The sending unit is used to send a second request, and the second request is used to request to establish the PDU session.

81. The terminal device of claim 80, wherein, The second request carries one or more of the following: An identifier of the terminal device; An identifier of the first network element; An address of the first network element; A type of the first network element; An FQDN of the first network element; Slice information of the first network element; A data network name DNN of the first network element; An identifier of the PDU session; An identifier of a first QoS flow, wherein the first QoS flow is a QoS flow in the PDU session for transmitting the NAS message; Second indication information is used to indicate that the PDU session is used to transmit the NAS message.

82. The terminal device of any one of claims 79-81, wherein, The terminal device further comprises: A first receiving unit is used to receive third information sent by the first network element, and the third information includes information used to establish the PDU session.

83. The terminal device of claim 82, wherein, The third information includes one or more of the following: An identifier of the first network element; An address of the first network element; Slice information of the first network element; A data network name DNN of the first network element; An address of a mobility management network element that provides services for the terminal device; An identifier of the PDU session; A DNN corresponding to the PDU session; Slice information corresponding to the PDU session; An identifier of a first QoS flow, wherein the first QoS flow is a QoS flow in the PDU session for transmitting the NAS message.

84. The terminal device of any one of claims 79-83, wherein, The packet detection rule corresponding to the PDU session is used to configure one or more of the following: A destination address in a packet filter is an address of the first network element and / or an address of a mobility management network element that provides services for the terminal device; A QoS flow identifier is an identifier of a first QoS flow corresponding to the PDU session, wherein the first QoS flow is a QoS flow in the PDU session for transmitting the NAS message; An operation in a forwarding operation rule is forwarding; A target interface in the forwarding operation rule is a mobility management network element or a network edge; Add an address of the mobility management network element as a target address in a packet header of the packet forwarded to the mobility management network element.

85. The terminal device of any one of claims 76-84, wherein, The sending unit is configured to send fifth indication information to the third network element, where the fifth indication information is used to instruct the third network element to acquire the NAS message from the first network element.

86. The terminal device of claim 85, wherein, The fifth indication information includes one or more of the following: an identifier of the terminal device; an identifier of the first network element; slice information of the first network element; an address of the first network element; an FQDN of the first network element; sixth indication information used to instruct the NAS message update.

87. The terminal device according to claim 85 or 86, characterized by The fifth indication information is carried in one or more of the following: a registration update request message, an uplink NAS transmission message, a UE capability update message, and a UE capability report message.

88. The terminal device of any one of claims 76-87, wherein, The first network element is a virtual DN or a dedicated DN.

89. The terminal device of any one of claims 76-88, wherein, The NAS message includes wireless capability information of the terminal device.

90. A communications device, comprising: The communication device is a third network element, including: a receiving unit configured to receive fifth information sent by a first network element, where the fifth information carries a NAS message of a terminal device.

91. The communications device of claim 90, wherein, The fifth information carries an identifier of the terminal device.

92. The communication device of claim 90 or 91, wherein, The communication device further includes: a sending unit configured to send a third request to the first network element, where the third request is used to request the fifth information.

93. The communications device of claim 91, wherein, The third request carries an identifier of the terminal device.

94. The communications device of claim 91, wherein, The third request is used to request subscription to update of the NAS message.

95. The communication device of claim 94, wherein, The third request carries one or more of the following: an identifier of the terminal device; third indication information used to instruct that an event requested to be subscribed by the third request is update of the NAS message; fourth indication information used to instruct that a subscription party of the event is the third network element.

96. The communication device of any of claims 90-95, wherein, The receiving unit is configured to receive fifth indication information sent by the terminal device, where the fifth indication information is used to instruct the third network element to acquire the NAS message from the first network element.

97. The communications device of claim 96 wherein, The fifth indication information includes one or more of the following: an identifier of the terminal device; an identifier of the first network element; slice information of the first network element; an address of the first network element; an FQDN of the first network element; sixth indication information used to instruct the NAS message update.

98. The communication device of claim 96 or 97, wherein, The fifth indication information is carried in one or more of the following: a registration update request message, an uplink NAS transmission message, a UE capability update message, and a UE capability report message.

99. The communication device of any of claims 90-98, wherein, The third network element is an access network device or a mobility management network element or an access network device.

100. The communication device of any of claims 90-99, wherein, The NAS message is transmitted to the first network element through a user plane.

101. The communication device of any of claims 90-100, wherein, The first network element is a virtual DN or a dedicated DN.

102. The communication device of any of claims 90-101, wherein, The NAS message includes wireless capability information of the terminal device.

103. A communications device, characterized by The communication device is an access network device, including: a receiving unit configured to receive fourth information sent by a first network element, where the fourth information includes a NAS message of a terminal device, wherein the fourth information is transmitted through a direct interface between the first network element and the access network device; or the fourth information is transmitted by the first network element to the access network device through a UPF.

104. The communications device of claim 103 wherein, The fourth information further includes an identifier of the terminal device and / or a type of the NAS message.

105. The communications device of claim 104, wherein, The direct interface comprises a service-based interface (SBI) in the first network element for communicating with the access network device; or a dedicated interface between the first network element and the access network device.

106. The communication device of any of claims 103-105, wherein, The NAS message is transmitted to the first network element through a user plane.

107. The communication device of any of claims 103-106, wherein, The first network element is a virtual DN or a dedicated DN.

108. The communication device of any of claims 103-107, wherein, The NAS message comprises wireless capability information of the terminal device.

109. A terminal device, comprising: A terminal device comprising a transceiver, a memory and a processor, the memory being configured to store a program, the processor being configured to invoke the program in the memory and control the transceiver to receive or send a signal, so that the terminal device performs the method of any one of claims 1-21.

110. A communications device, comprising: A communication device comprising a transceiver, a memory and a processor, the memory being configured to store a program, the processor being configured to invoke the program in the memory and control the transceiver to receive or send a signal, so that the communication device performs one of: the method of any one of claims 22-35; the method of any one of claims 36-48; the method of any one of claims 49-54.

111. An apparatus, comprising: A device comprising a processor configured to invoke a program from a memory, so that the device performs the method of any one of claims 1-54.

112. A chip, comprising: A device comprising a processor configured to invoke a program from a memory, so that the device performs the method of any one of claims 1-54.

113. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer program product having stored thereon a program, the program causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-54.

114. A computer program product, characterized in that, A computer program product having stored thereon a program, the program causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-54.

115. A computer program characterised in that, A computer program product having stored thereon a program, the program causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-54.

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