Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus. The method can be applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication. The method comprising: a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) allocated by a network to a terminal may comprise two parts: one part is used for identifying a user group, and the other part is used for identifying a terminal in the user group. At least one terminal belonging to a same user group is located in the same geographic area. After acquiring the RNTI allocated by the network to the terminal, the terminal may, based on an identifier of the user group, acquire public information associated with the user group, and / or, based on the RNTI or a second identifier, acquire dedicated information of the terminal.

Description

Communication methods and devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411554198.8, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on October 31, 2024, entitled "Communication Method and Apparatus", and to Chinese Patent Application No. 202511553258.9, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on October 28, 2025, entitled "Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to communication methods and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) possess significant advantages such as global coverage, long-distance transmission, flexible networking, convenient deployment, and no geographical limitations. They have been widely applied in various fields including maritime communication, positioning and navigation, disaster relief, scientific experiments, video broadcasting, and Earth observation. NTN networks can be integrated with terrestrial networks, leveraging their respective strengths to form a seamless global communication network encompassing sea, land, air, space, and ground, meeting users' ubiquitous and diverse service needs.

[0004] A radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) is a type of identifier. Currently, in terrestrial networks, RNTIs are mainly used by base stations / core networks to identify terminals, and also for using cyclic redundancy codes (CRC) to scramble downlink control information (DCI).

[0005] However, due to the differences between terrestrial networks and NTN networks, the RNTI design method for terrestrial networks is not applicable to NTN networks. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that can reduce signaling overhead.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a first terminal, or by a component of the first terminal, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the first terminal, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first terminal. The method includes: receiving a first Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) of the first terminal, the first RNTI including a first identifier and a second identifier. The first identifier is used to identify a first user group, and the second identifier is used to identify a first terminal within the first user group, wherein at least one terminal belonging to the first user group is located in the same geographical area; obtaining public information associated with the first user group based on the first identifier, and / or obtaining private information of the first terminal based on the first RNTI or the second identifier.

[0008] For example, the first RNTI can be understood as an enhanced RNTI, which includes the identifier of the user group and the identifier of the terminal within the user group. The first RNTI may be an enhanced RNTI assigned by the network to the first terminal during the initial access phase.

[0009] Based on this scheme, since the RNTI allocated by the network includes the user group identifier, signaling overhead can be reduced compared to allocating a group identifier separately from the RNTI. Furthermore, because the RNTI includes the user group identifier, common signaling configuration based on user groups can be enabled. For example, the network configures common mobility configuration information for user groups, and terminals within the user group can use a first identifier to obtain this common mobility configuration information, further reducing signaling overhead compared to terminal-level configuration. Moreover, in NTN scenarios, due to satellite movement, terminals in the same geographical area will undergo "deterministic" group handover or group reselection. Therefore, the handover / reselection configurations of terminals in this geographical area are the same or similar. Thus, terminals located in the same geographical area can be grouped into the same user group, and the network can perform common configuration for terminals in the same geographical area. This saves overhead and avoids unreasonable configurations for some terminals, thus not affecting the efficiency of terminal handover or reselection.

[0010] In one possible design, the first identifier is the identifier for the geographical area.

[0011] In one possible design, the method further includes: receiving first information indicating the length of a first identifier and / or a second identifier; and determining the first identifier and the second identifier from a first RNTI based on the first information.

[0012] Based on this possible design, the network can indicate the length of the user group identifier and the identifiers of the terminals within the user group, thereby flexibly adapting to different geographical area division methods or network deployment scenarios. Furthermore, it enables terminals to correctly obtain the user group identifier and the identifiers of the terminals within the user group based on the network's instructions, ensuring consistent understanding of these two identifiers between the network and the terminal. This avoids communication failures caused by inconsistencies in the network and terminal's understanding of the identifiers, thus improving communication performance.

[0013] In one possible design, the first RNTI is carried in a random access response message, a contention resolution message, or a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0014] Based on this possible design, enhanced RNTI can be carried in multiple messages, enabling the sending of enhanced RNTI to the terminal using scenario-appropriate messages in different scenarios. This allows for adaptation to the needs of different scenarios and expands the scope of application of enhanced RNTI.

[0015] In one possible design, the length of the first RNTI is any of the following: 16 bits, 24 bits, 29 bits, 32 bits, 40 bits, 48 ​​bits, 56 bits, or 64 bits.

[0016] In one possible design, the method further includes receiving second information. This second information indicates that the first RNTI is an enhanced RNTI, or indicates that the first RNTI is a non-terrestrial network (NTN) RNTI. The enhanced RNTI or NTN RNTI includes an identifier for the user group and identifiers for terminals within the user group.

[0017] Based on this possible design, the type of RNTI can be explicitly indicated through signaling, enabling the terminal to correctly understand the RNTI configured in the network and thus correctly use the RNTI for communication, ensuring communication performance. Furthermore, it is compatible with existing terrestrial networks and RNTIs within those networks, making the enhanced RNTI suitable for scenarios where terrestrial and NTN networks converge.

[0018] In one possible design, the method further includes: receiving a system message, wherein the system message includes information related to the NTN, and determining that the first RNTI is an enhanced RNTI or an NTN RNTI.

[0019] Based on this possible design, the type of RNTI can be implicitly indicated by whether NTN-related information is carried in the system message. This allows the terminal to correctly understand the RNTI configured in the network and thus correctly use the RNTI for communication, ensuring communication performance. Simultaneously, there is no need to send additional information to indicate the RNTI type, saving signaling overhead. Furthermore, it is compatible with existing terrestrial networks and RNTIs within terrestrial networks, making the enhanced RNTI suitable for scenarios where terrestrial and NTN networks converge.

[0020] In one possible design, the traditional RNTI has a higher priority than the enhanced RNTI; or, the terrestrial network RNTI has a higher priority than the NTN RNTI.

[0021] Based on this possible design, by defining the priorities of traditional RNTI and enhanced RNTI, terminals can correctly understand the RNTI configured in the network, thereby correctly using RNTI for communication and ensuring communication performance. Simultaneously, there is no need to send additional information to indicate the RNTI type, saving signaling overhead. Furthermore, it is compatible with existing terrestrial networks and RNTIs within terrestrial networks, making enhanced RNTI suitable for scenarios where terrestrial networks and NTN networks converge.

[0022] In one possible design, the method further includes: when the update triggering condition is met, sending a request message, the request message being used to request an update of the RNTI, the update triggering condition being related to the location of the first terminal and / or a preset duration; and receiving the updated RNTI from the first terminal.

[0023] In one possible design, the identifier update triggering condition includes at least one of the following: the distance between the location of the first terminal and the reference location of the source region is greater than a first threshold, and the distance between the location of the first terminal and the reference location of the target region is greater than a second threshold; the distance between the location of the first terminal and the reference location of the source region is greater than a third threshold; the distance between the location of the first terminal and the reference location of the target region is less than a fourth threshold; or, the usage duration of the first RNTI is greater than or equal to a preset duration; or the timer associated with the first RNTI expires.

[0024] Based on this possible design, in the location-based identifier update triggering condition, if the distance between the first terminal's location and the reference location in the source region is greater than a threshold, and the distance between the second terminal's location and the reference location in the target region is less than a threshold, it indicates that the first terminal may be moving away from the source region and closer to the target region, or that the terminal has moved from the source region to the target region. In this case, since the terminal's location has changed, and user groups are related to geographical regions (i.e., terminals belonging to the same user group are located in the same geographical region), the user group to which the terminal belongs may change. In this scenario, if the enhanced RNTI is not updated in a timely manner, the terminal may be unable to resolve the user group configuration sent by the network for terminals in the target region, leading to communication failure. Therefore, timely updating the terminal's enhanced RNTI in this scenario can ensure the effectiveness of the enhanced RNTI, enabling the terminal to receive and correctly resolve the network configuration in a timely manner, thus improving the reliability and success rate of communication.

[0025] Alternatively, the aforementioned identifier update triggering conditions based on preset duration or timers can enable the terminal to promptly request RNTI updates after the preset duration or timer expires, thereby adapting to frequent handovers or reselections and ensuring that the terminal's RNTI can be updated in a timely manner. This ensures that the terminal can parse the information of the serving cell after the handover or reselection, improving the reliability and success rate of communication.

[0026] In one possible design, the source area or target area is the cell coverage area, beam coverage area, or geographic area; the reference location is the cell center point, beam center point, or geographic area center point.

[0027] In one possible design, obtaining public information associated with a first user group based on a first identifier, and / or obtaining dedicated information of a first terminal based on a second identifier, includes: receiving first mobility management assistance information based on the first identifier, wherein the first mobility management assistance information is shared by at least one terminal in the first user group; or receiving second mobility management assistance information based on the second identifier, wherein the second mobility management assistance information is dedicated to the first terminal.

[0028] Based on this possible design, the network configures common mobility management assistance information for user groups. Terminals within the user group can use the first identifier to obtain this common mobility management assistance information. Compared with configuration at the terminal level, this can further reduce signaling overhead.

[0029] In one possible design, obtaining public information associated with the first user group based on the first identifier includes: receiving first cell reselection configuration information based on the first identifier, wherein the first cell reselection configuration information is reselection configuration information shared by at least one terminal in the first user group.

[0030] Based on this possible design, user group-based cell handover signaling transmission can be enabled, which can further reduce signaling overhead compared to terminal-level handover signaling interaction.

[0031] Secondly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a first network device, or by a component of the first network device, such as its processor, chip, or chip system, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first network device. The method includes: assigning a first wireless network temporary identifier (RNTI) to a first terminal and sending the first RNTI to the first terminal. The first RNTI includes a first identifier and a second identifier. The first identifier identifies a first user group, and the second identifier identifies a first terminal within the first user group. At least one terminal belonging to the first user group is located in the same geographical area. The technical effects of this second aspect are analogous to those of the first aspect described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0032] In one possible design, the first identifier is the identifier of the geographical region.

[0033] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending first information indicating the length of a first identifier and / or a second identifier.

[0034] In one possible design, the first RNTI is carried in a random access response message, a contention resolution message, or a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0035] In one possible design, the length of the first RNTI is any of the following: 16 bits, 24 bits, 29 bits, 32 bits, 40 bits, 48 ​​bits, 56 bits, or 64 bits.

[0036] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending second information indicating that the first RNTI is an enhanced RNTI, or indicating that the first RNTI is a non-terrestrial network (NTN) RNTI; the enhanced RNTI or NTN RNTI includes an identifier of a user group and identifiers of terminals within the user group.

[0037] In one possible design, the method further includes sending a system message containing information related to the NTN, the information related to the NTN indicating that the first RNTI is an enhanced RNTI, or indicating that the first RNTI is an NTN RNTI.

[0038] In one possible design, the traditional RNTI has a higher priority than the enhanced RNTI; or, the terrestrial network RNTI has a higher priority than the NTN RNTI.

[0039] In one possible design, the method further includes: receiving request information from a first terminal, the request information being used to request an update of the RNTI; and reallocating the RNTI to the first terminal based on the request information.

[0040] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending first mobility management assistance information and second mobility management assistance information, wherein the first mobility management assistance information is associated with a first identifier and the second mobility management assistance information is associated with a second identifier.

[0041] In one possible design, mobility management auxiliary information includes at least one of the following: reference location, distance threshold, measurement configuration, synchronization or access information after handover, beam switching associated transmission configuration indication (TCI) status information, channel status information (CSI) resource set information, or layer 1 / layer 2 mobility LTM configuration information.

[0042] In one possible design, the first mobility management assistance information is carried in the Media Access Control Element (MAC CE) and / or the Media Access Control Service Data Unit (MAC SDU); and / or, the second mobility management assistance information is carried in the MAC CE and / or the MAC SDU.

[0043] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending third information to a second network device, the third information including a third identifier, the third information being used to request a handover configuration for at least one terminal associated with the third identifier, the third identifier being a first identifier or a first RNTI; and receiving response information from the second network device, the response information including group handover configuration information for a first user group associated with the first identifier, or including handover configuration information for a first terminal associated with the first RNTI.

[0044] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending first cell reselection configuration information; wherein, the first identifier is associated with the first cell reselection configuration information.

[0045] The technical effects of any possible design in the second aspect can be referred to the technical effects of the corresponding design in the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here.

[0046] Thirdly, a communication device is provided for implementing various methods. This communication device can be a first terminal as described in the first aspect, or a device included in the first terminal, such as a chip or chip system; or, the communication device can be a first network device as described in the second aspect, or a device included in the first network device, such as a chip or chip system. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the implementation of the methods, which can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0047] In some possible designs, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module can be used to implement the processing functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The transceiver module may include a receiving module and a transmitting module, respectively used to implement the receiving function and the transmitting function in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof.

[0048] In some possible designs, the transceiver module can consist of transceiver circuits, transceivers, transceivers, or communication interfaces.

[0049] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store computer instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the communication device to perform the method described in any of the aspects. The communication device may be a first terminal as described in the first aspect, or a device included in the first terminal, such as a chip or a chip system; or, the communication device may be a first network device as described in the second aspect, or a device included in the first network device, such as a chip or a chip system.

[0050] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface being used to communicate with a module outside the communication device; the processor being used to execute computer programs or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the aspects. The communication device may be a first terminal as described in the first aspect, or a device included in the first terminal, such as a chip or chip system; or, the communication device may be a first network device as described in the second aspect, or a device included in the first network device, such as a chip or chip system.

[0051] A sixth aspect provides a communication device, comprising: at least one processor; the processor being configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in a memory to cause the communication device to perform the methods described in any aspect. The memory may be coupled to the processor, or may be independent of the processor. The communication device may be a first terminal as described in the first aspect, or a device included in the first terminal, such as a chip or chip system; or, the communication device may be a first network device as described in the second aspect, or a device included in the first network device, such as a chip or chip system.

[0052] In a seventh aspect, a communication device (e.g., a chip or a chip system) is provided, the communication device including at least one processor for implementing the functions involved in any aspect and any possible design thereof. The communication device may be a first terminal in the first aspect, or a device included in the first terminal, such as a chip or a chip system; or, the communication device may be a first network device in the second aspect, or a device included in the first network device, such as a chip or a chip system.

[0053] In some possible designs, the communication device includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.

[0054] In some possible designs, when the device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or contain chips and other discrete components.

[0055] Eighthly, a communication device is provided. This communication device may be a first terminal, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, chip system, or circuit) within the first terminal that performs the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect, or a module or unit that can be used in conjunction with the first terminal; or, the communication device may be a first network device, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, chip system, or circuit) within the first network device that performs the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect, or a module or unit that can be used in conjunction with the first network device.

[0056] It is understandable that when the communication device provided by any of the third to eighth aspects is a chip, the sending action / function of the communication device can be understood as outputting information, and the receiving action / function of the communication device can be understood as inputting information.

[0057] A ninth aspect provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a communication device, enable the communication device to perform the method described in the first aspect and any possible design thereof.

[0058] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a communication device, enables the communication device to perform the method described in any aspect and any possible design thereof.

[0059] Eleventhly, a communication system is provided, comprising a first terminal and a first network device. The first terminal is used to implement the method described in the first aspect and any possible design thereof, and the first network device is used to implement the method described in the second aspect and any possible design thereof.

[0060] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects three through eleven can be found in the technical effects of different design methods in aspects one or two, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0061] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the beam coverage range in non-staring mode and staring mode of an NTN provided in this application;

[0062] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a group handover scenario provided in this application;

[0063] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a cell handover process provided in this application;

[0064] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of an O-RAN system provided in this application;

[0065] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a mobile satellite communication system provided in this application;

[0066] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an enhanced RNTI provided in this application;

[0067] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in this application;

[0068] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of an enhanced RNTI for a terminal in different geographical regions provided in this application;

[0069] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a scenario where NTN network and terrestrial network are integrated according to this application;

[0070] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a type indication information and RNTI structure provided in this application;

[0071] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the group attributes of a satellite network provided in this application;

[0072] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a MAC PDU provided in this application;

[0073] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a handover signaling interaction provided in this application;

[0074] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of another cell handover process provided in this application;

[0075] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in this application;

[0076] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in this application;

[0077] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0078] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this application is merely a description of the relationship between the related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural.

[0079] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of a single item or a plurality of items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0080] Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with substantially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the terms "first" and "second" are not necessarily different.

[0081] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner to facilitate understanding.

[0082] It is understood that the term "embodiment" used throughout the specification means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic related to an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, these specific features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. It is understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the sequence number of each process does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0083] It is understood that in this application, "...when" and "if" both refer to the corresponding processing that will be carried out under certain objective circumstances, and are not limited to a specific time, nor do they require a judgment action to be performed during implementation, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0084] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application can be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the current solution on which they are based, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, they can be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Correspondingly, the apparatus given in the embodiments of this application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0085] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, and in the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments and between the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment are consistent and can be mutually referenced. The technical features in different embodiments and the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment can be combined according to their inherent logical relationships to form new embodiments, implementation methods, methods, or implementation approaches. The embodiments described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0086] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, a brief introduction to the relevant technologies of this application is given below.

[0087] 1. Non-terrestrial networks (NTN):

[0088] Currently, the 5th generation (5G) new radio (NR) has moved from the standardization stage to the commercial deployment stage. The NR standard is mainly designed and researched for the characteristics of terrestrial communication, which can provide user terminals with high-speed, high-reliability, and low-latency communication.

[0089] Compared to terrestrial communications, NTN communications offer significant advantages such as global coverage, long-distance transmission, flexible networking, convenient deployment, and freedom from geographical limitations. It has been widely applied in various fields including maritime communications, positioning and navigation, disaster relief, scientific experiments, video broadcasting, and Earth observation. NTN networks can be integrated with terrestrial networks, leveraging their respective strengths to create a seamless, globally integrated sea, land, air, space, and ground communications network, meeting the diverse and ubiquitous service needs of users.

[0090] Depending on the altitude of the flight platform above the ground, the NTN can include a low altitude platform (LAP) subnetwork, a high altitude platform (HAP) subnetwork, and a satellite communication subnetwork.

[0091] For example, in the LAP subnetwork, base stations or base station functions are deployed on low-altitude flight platforms (e.g., drones) at an altitude of 0.1km to 1km above the ground to provide coverage for terminals; in the HAP subnetwork, base stations or base station functions are deployed on high-altitude flight platforms (e.g., airplanes) at an altitude of 8km to 50km above the ground to provide coverage for terminals; and in the SATCOM subnetwork, base stations or base station functions are deployed on satellites at an altitude of more than 50km above the ground to provide coverage for terminals.

[0092] Furthermore, based on the satellite's orbital altitude, satellite communication systems can be divided into geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite communication systems, medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite communication systems, and low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication systems.

[0093] The GEO satellite communication system, also known as the geostationary orbit satellite system, operates at an altitude of 35,786 km. Its orbital speed is the same as the Earth's rotation speed, meaning GEO satellites can remain stationary relative to the ground. The GEO satellite communication system can provide large cell coverage, typically with a cell diameter of 500 km. However, GEO satellite communication also has significant drawbacks: 1) The high distance between GEO satellites and Earth's orbits results in significant free-space propagation loss, leading to tight communication link budgets and requiring larger antennas to increase transmit / receive gain; 2) Large communication transmission delays, such as a round-trip delay of approximately 500 milliseconds, cannot meet the demands of real-time services; 3) GEO orbital resources are relatively scarce, launch costs are high, and coverage of the polar regions is not available.

[0094] MEO satellites orbit at altitudes between 2000 and 35786 km, enabling global coverage with a relatively small number of satellites. However, MEO satellites orbit at higher altitudes than LEO satellites, resulting in longer transmission delays. Therefore, considering both the advantages and disadvantages of MEO satellite communication, it is primarily used for positioning and navigation.

[0095] LEO satellites orbit at altitudes between 300 and 2000 km, lower than MEO satellites. They offer advantages such as lower transmission delay, less transmission loss, and relatively lower launch costs.

[0096] The next generation of satellite communication systems generally exhibits a trend towards ultra-dense and heterogeneous architectures. First, the number of satellites has grown from 66 in the Iridium constellation to 720 in a single-network constellation, and eventually extended to the Starlink ultra-dense LEO satellite constellation with over 12,000 satellites. Second, satellite networks are exhibiting heterogeneous characteristics, evolving from traditional single-layer communication networks to multi-layer communication networks. The functions of communication satellite networks are also becoming more complex and diversified, gradually becoming compatible with and supporting functions such as navigation enhancement, Earth observation, and on-orbit processing of multi-dimensional information.

[0097] 2. Non-gazing mode (earth-moving) and gazing mode (earth-fixed or quasi-earth fixed):

[0098] In satellite communication systems, beam operation modes are typically categorized into non-staring mode and staring mode. As shown in Figure 1(a), in non-staring mode, the coverage area of ​​the satellite beam moves along with the satellite over a period of time (e.g., between time t0 and time t2). As shown in Figure 1(b), in staring mode, the satellite dynamically adjusts the beam pointing to approximately cover the same area of ​​the ground over a period of time (e.g., between time t0 and time t2). However, in practical applications, due to beam pointing accuracy issues and distortion caused by beam projection onto the ground at different incident angles, the coverage area of ​​the beam still exhibits some degree of jitter over time in staring mode.

[0099] For example, the beam in the protocol can be represented as a spatial domain filter, or a spatial filter, or a spatial domain parameter, spatial parameter, spatial domain setting, spatial setting, or quasi-colocation (QCL) information, QCL assumption, QCL indication, etc. The beam can be indicated by a transmission configuration indication (TCI) state parameter or a spatial relation parameter. Therefore, in this application, the beam can be replaced by spatial domain filter, spatial filter, spatial parameter, spatial parameter, spatial setting, spatial setting, QCL information, QCL assumption, QCL indication, TCI-state, spatial relation, etc. These terms are also equivalent to each other. The beam in this application can also be replaced by other beam-related terms, and this application does not limit this.

[0100] 3. Group switching and group reselection:

[0101] The movement of satellites can cause a group handover of connected terminals in a certain area, or cause a group reselection of idle terminals in that area.

[0102] Taking group handover as an example, as shown in Figure 2, assume that a user equipment (UE) cluster (denoted as UE-G1, which includes multiple UEs) exists within sub-region 1 of region 2. At time T1, sub-region 1 is served by one or more beams of satellite 2. At time T2, the movement of satellite 2 causes it to be unable to continue serving sub-region 1, and one or more beams of satellite 1 take over the service of sub-region 1. During this process, because the satellites covering sub-region 1 change, multiple UEs in UE-G1 undergo group handover, switching from satellite 2 to satellite 1.

[0103] Because satellites move at relatively high speeds, for example, LEO satellites move at approximately 7.5 km / s, group handovers occur frequently, approximately once every few seconds to tens of seconds. In other words, in NTN, group handovers primarily triggered by network mobility are considered the norm.

[0104] 4. Mobility Management:

[0105] Mobility management mainly includes cell handover, cell reselection, registration update, and tracking area update. Taking cell handover as an example, as shown in Figure 3, the cell handover process in the NR system mainly includes the following steps:

[0106] 1) Cell handover measurement: The source base station (such as a next-generation node B (gNodeB or gNB)) can send measurement configurations for multiple cells (including the serving cell and neighboring cells) to the terminal. The terminal measures the cell signal quality according to the measurement configuration.

[0107] For example, cell signal quality can be represented by reference signal receiving power (RSRP) and / or reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ). The measured signal is typically a synchronization signal block (SSB), with typical periods of 5ms, 10ms, 20ms, 40ms, 80ms, or 160ms.

[0108] 2) Measurement Result Reporting: The terminal reports the measurement results to the source base station. For example, the terminal can report periodically or based on event triggers. For example, the reporting trigger event could be the serving cell's signal quality being less than threshold 1, and / or the neighboring cell's signal quality being greater than threshold 2.

[0109] 3) Handover decision: The source base station selects a suitable neighboring cell as the target cell based on the measurement results and sends a handover request to the target base station, which carries the user handover-related context information.

[0110] 4) Admission Control: After receiving the handover request, the target base station performs admission control. If the terminal is allowed to access, it sends a handover request confirmation message to the source base station, which carries relevant information for the terminal to access the target cell. After receiving the handover request confirmation message, the source base station sends a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message to the terminal, which carries relevant information for accessing the target cell.

[0111] 5) Handover Execution: After receiving the handover-related information, the terminal completes the access process in the target cell.

[0112] For example, the terminal sends a random access preamble to the target cell to initiate random access in the target cell. The random access preamble used by the terminal during handover is a dedicated preamble, which is different from the contention-based random access preamble used during initial access. Furthermore, the period of the random access channel (RACH) during cell handover can be 10 / 20 / 40 / 80 / 160ms.

[0113] During the cell reselection process, the base station broadcasts parameters such as measurement configuration related to neighboring cells. The terminal compares the signal quality measurement value with the parameters (such as reselection threshold) sent by the network. If the reselection conditions are met, the terminal will automatically reselect to the target neighboring cell.

[0114] In other words, in NR systems, terminals perform cell handover or cell reselection based on signal quality. However, in NTN, the near-far effect is not significant, and cell handover or cell reselection based solely on signal quality is inefficient. Therefore, NTN proposes to implement mobility management based on information such as time and location (e.g., the distance between the terminal and the reference point of the source cell and the reference point of the target cell).

[0115] 5. Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI):

[0116] An RNTI can be understood as an identifier. Identifiers are typically used to distinguish one thing from another in an environment, such as a student's student ID number at school.

[0117] In wireless networks, RNTI can be understood as a terminal identifier (or UE ID) used in communication between a terminal and the base station to distinguish one terminal from others. In this context, RNTI can also be used to scramble the cyclic redundancy code (CRC) of downlink control information (DCI). In other words, RNTI has two main uses:

[0118] Used to identify the terminal or for base station to identify the terminal: The RRC message sent by the terminal will carry the terminal's unique RNTI;

[0119] CRC used for scrambling DCI: Each DCI (more precisely, the CRC of each DCI) is scrambled by a specific RNTI. The terminal can only decode the information sent to it by the base station using its own RNTI.

[0120] For example, RNTIs in current terrestrial networks include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following RNTIs:

[0121] System Information RNTI (SI-RNTI): An RNTI used for scrambling system information. SI-RNTI is a common RNTI; system information is information that all terminals within the cell need to detect, therefore SI-RNTI is applicable to all terminals within the cell. After DCI is scrambled using SI-RNTI, it indicates that the DCI is scheduling information for system information. When the terminal successfully decodes the DCI, it can detect the system information from the corresponding physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0122] Paging RNTI (P-RNTI): An RNTI used for scrambling paging messages, used by the terminal to receive paging messages. P-RNTI is a public RNTI, meaning it is not explicitly assigned to any terminal. After the DCI is scrambled with the P-RNTI, it represents the scheduling information for the paging message. Once the terminal successfully decodes the DCI, it can receive the paging message from the corresponding PDSCH.

[0123] Random access RNTI (RA-RNTI): The RNTI used for scrambling Msg2 (i.e., random access response (RAR)) during random access (RA) process. It can be calculated based on the resource location of the physical random access channel (PRACH). After RA-RNTI scrambles the DCI, it indicates that the PDSCH scheduled by that DCI is used for the random access response.

[0124] Temporary cell RNTI (TC-RNTI): Used for scrambling Msg3 (contention resolution message) and Msg4 (contention resolution message). It is allocated by the base station and sent to the terminal via Msg2 for contention-based access. In contention-based random access, the terminal detects the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) scrambled using TC-RNTI.

[0125] Cell RNTI (C-RNTI): Obtained from the TC-RNTI during access contention, and sent to the terminal in handover signaling during handover scenarios. It is used by the base station to distinguish connected terminals; it can also be understood as a temporary identifier for a connected terminal within the cell. Within the same cell, different terminals will have different C-RNTIs. The base station uses different C-RNTIs to perform uplink and downlink scheduling for different terminals.

[0126] Transmission power control RNTI (TPC RNTI): Used for uplink power control. Typically, TPC RNTIs are assigned to a group of terminals and include the following three types: TPC-Physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)-RNTI, TPC-Physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)-RNTI, and TPC-Sounding reference signal (SRS)-RNTI. They are carried to the terminals through the higher-layer signaling PhysicalCellGroupConfig.

[0127] Modulation and coding scheme C-RNTI (MSC-C-RNTI): This indicates the MCS table used by PUSCH / PDSCH and is carried to the terminal via higher-layer signaling PhysicalCellGroupConfig. MCS-C-RNTI is used to descramble PDCCH, and the MCS table to be used is determined based on the CRC check result.

[0128] Configured scheduling RNTI (CS-RNTI): Used for semi-persistent scheduling (SPS), it is carried to the terminal via higher-level signaling PhysicalCellGroupConfig. The start and release of SPS are determined by the result of descrambling DCI.

[0129] Interruption RNTI (INT-RNTI): RNTI used for scrambling DCI Format 2_1. Configured to the terminal via the higher-level signaling DownlinkPreemption.

[0130] Slot format indication RNTI (SFI-RNTI): An RNTI used for scrambling DCI Format 2_0 (carrying frame structure information). It is carried to the terminal via the higher-layer signaling slotFormatCombToAddModList.

[0131] Semi-persistent channel state information (RNTI, SP-CSI-RNTI): This indicates the reporting of semi-persistent CSI at the PUSCH and is transmitted to the terminal via higher-layer signaling PhysicalCellGroupConfig. The result of descrambling DCI determines whether CSI should be reported.

[0132] Inactive RNTI (I-RNTI): Carried in the UE-Identity information cell in the RAN-Paging message, used to wake up the UE in the INACTIVE state.

[0133] Currently, mobility management signaling is typically transmitted at the UE-specific level. To distinguish mobility management signaling associated with different UEs, the signaling may carry the UE's C-RNTI. For example, in cell handover, the terminal and source base station, the source base station and target base station, and the target base station and core network need to exchange UE-specific C-RNTIs and handover signaling, resulting in extremely high signaling overhead (e.g., tens of thousands of messages per second). Furthermore, due to the movement of satellites in the NTN, mobility scenarios such as cell handover occur more frequently. If the existing RNTI design and mobility management methods of terrestrial networks are used, it may lead to even greater signaling overhead.

[0134] Based on this, this application provides a communication method in which the RNTI assigned by the network to a terminal may include two parts: one part is used to identify a user group, and the other part is used to identify terminals within that user group. At least one terminal belonging to the same user group is located in the same geographical area. After obtaining the RNTI assigned to it by the network, the terminal can obtain public information associated with the user group based on the user group's identifier, and / or obtain the terminal's private information based on the RNTI or a second identifier. The specific implementation of this scheme will be described in detail in subsequent embodiments and will not be elaborated here.

[0135] Based on this scheme, since the RNTI allocated by the network includes the user group identifier, signaling overhead can be reduced compared to additionally allocating group identifiers outside the RNTI. Furthermore, because the RNTI includes the user group identifier, user group-based signaling configuration can be enabled. For example, the network configures common mobility configuration information for user groups, and terminals within the user group can use the first identifier to obtain this common mobility configuration information, further reducing signaling overhead compared to terminal-level configuration. Moreover, in NTN scenarios, due to satellite movement, terminals in the same geographical area may undergo group handover or group reselection. Therefore, the handover / reselection configurations of terminals in this geographical area are the same or similar. Therefore, dividing terminals located in the same geographical area into the same user group and providing common configurations for terminals in the same geographical area saves overhead and avoids unreasonable configurations for some terminals, thus not affecting the efficiency of terminal handover or reselection.

[0136] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be used in NTN systems such as satellite communication systems, high altitude platform station (HAPS) communication, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Examples include integrated communication and navigation (ICAN) systems, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), and ultra-dense low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication systems. NTN systems can be integrated with traditional mobile communication systems. For example, the mobile communication system can be a 4th generation (4G) communication system (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) system), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a 5G communication system (e.g., NR system), a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication system, an Internet of Things (IoT) communication system, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication system, and future mobile communication systems.

[0137] The communication systems described above are merely illustrative examples, and the communication systems and scenarios applicable to this application are not limited thereto. The communication systems and scenarios provided in this application do not impose any limitations on the solutions of this application. This is hereby stated uniformly and will not be repeated below.

[0138] As one possible implementation, the communication system applicable to the present application may include at least one terminal and at least one network device. For example, terminals may communicate with each other via wired or wireless means, as may a terminal communicate with a network device, and as may a network device communicate with each other.

[0139] Optionally, the terminal can be a user-side device with wireless transceiver capabilities, or a chip or chip system embedded in that device. The terminal can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), terminal, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile terminal (MT), user terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device, etc. For example, the terminal can be a terminal in IoT, V2X, D2D, M2M, 5G networks, or future evolved public land mobile networks (PLMNs). The terminal can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on water (such as on ships); and it can also be deployed in the air (such as on airplanes, balloons, and satellites).

[0140] For example, a terminal can be a drone, an IoT device (e.g., a sensor, an electricity meter, a water meter, etc.), a V2X device, a station (ST) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), a satellite phone, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a smartphone, a wireless data card, a wireless modem, a machine-type communication device, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device (also known as a wearable smart device), a tablet or a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical care, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, or a wireless terminal in a smart home. Wireless terminals (such as those in the home), vehicle-mounted terminals, vehicles with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication capabilities, intelligent connected vehicles, and drones with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to UAV (U2U) communication capabilities, etc. Terminals can be mobile or fixed; this application does not specifically limit their location.

[0141] Optionally, the network device can be a network-side device with wireless transceiver capabilities, or it can be a chip, chip system, or module installed in the device. The network device is located in the radio access network (RAN) of the mobile communication system and is used to provide access services to terminals.

[0142] As one possible implementation, the network device can be a wireless relay node or a wireless backhaul node. For example, the network device can act as a Layer 1 relay device to regenerate physical layer signals (i.e., wireless frequency filtering, frequency conversion, and amplification processing) without having other higher protocol layers.

[0143] As another possible implementation, network equipment can perform some or all of the functions of a base station. For example, network equipment can be an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE or evolved LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, such as traditional macro base stations (eNBs) and micro base stations (eNBs) in heterogeneous network scenarios; or it can be a next-generation node B (gNodeB or gNB) in a 5G system; or it can be a transmission point (TP) or transmission reception point (TRP); or it can be a base station in a future evolved PLMN; or it can be one or a group of antenna panels of a base station; or it can be an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system; or it can be a device that performs network-side functions in IoT communication systems, V2X communication systems, D2D communication systems, M2M communication systems, or other communication systems; or it can be a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. Optionally, network equipment can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment, etc.

[0144] For example, the base station in the embodiments of this application may include various forms of base stations, such as macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small stations), relay stations, access points, etc., and the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit them.

[0145] As another possible implementation, the network device may include at least one of the following: a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), a radio unit (RU), etc.

[0146] For example, the CU and DU can be configured separately or included in the same network element, such as in the baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0147] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called an O-RAN central unit (O-CU), DU can also be called an O-RAN distributed unit (O-DU), CU-CP can also be called an O-RAN central unit control plane (O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called an O-RAN central unit user plane (O-CU-UP), and RU can also be called an O-RAN radio unit (O-RU). Any of the units CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0148] In one possible design, devices such as CU, DU, and RU can communicate with each other through open interfaces. For example, as shown in Figure 4, CU-CP and DU communicate via the F1-C interface, CU-UP and DU communicate via the F1-U interface, DU and RU communicate via the fronthaul interface, DU and terminals communicate via the air interface, and CU and core network devices communicate via the NG interface. Furthermore, core network devices and network devices can connect to the Operation Administration and Maintenance (OAM) system.

[0149] Furthermore, O-RAN utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) technology to integrate the RAN intelligent controller into the RAN, enabling real-time monitoring, optimization, and management of the RAN. As shown in Figure 4, the RIC can be further divided into non-real-time RIC (Non-RT RIC or NRT RIC) and near-real-time RIC (Near-RT RIC or nRT RIC).

[0150] Non-real-time RICs are used to implement non-real-time intelligent management of the RAN, processing non-real-time information, such as latency-insensitive data with latency in the order of seconds. They can also implement AI / machine learning (ML) including model training and updates, and guide applications / functions in near-real-time RICs based on policies. Near-real-time RICs are used to implement near-real-time intelligent management of the RAN, processing near-real-time information, such as latency-sensitive data with latency in the order of tens of milliseconds. They can also achieve near-real-time control and optimization of O-RAN modules and resources through data collection and related operations on the E2 interface.

[0151] In this embodiment, the apparatus for implementing the functions of a network device can be a network device itself; it can also be an apparatus capable of supporting the network device in implementing those functions, such as a chip system, hardware circuit, software module, or a hardware circuit plus a software module. This apparatus can be installed in the network device or used in conjunction with the network device. In this embodiment, the example of a network device being used to implement the functions of a network device is provided only and does not constitute a limitation on the solutions described in this embodiment.

[0152] Optionally, the network devices in this application embodiment can be deployed on non-terrestrial platforms, such as low-altitude platforms (e.g., drones), high-altitude platforms (e.g., aircraft), or satellites. Therefore, the network devices in this application embodiment can also be referred to as non-terrestrial network devices.

[0153] For example, the satellite can be a LEO satellite, MEO satellite, GEO satellite, or non-geostationary earth orbit (NGEO) satellite, etc., without limitation. The satellite can provide communication services, navigation services, positioning services, etc., to the terminal through multiple beams. The satellite can use multiple beams to cover the service area, and different beams can communicate through one or more of the following methods: time division, frequency division, and space division.

[0154] Optionally, the satellite can operate in transparent or regenerative mode. Transparent mode, also known as bend-tube relay transmission, means that the signal only undergoes frequency conversion and amplification on the satellite; the satellite is transparent to the signal, as if it doesn't exist. Regenerative mode, also known as non-transparent (on-board access / processing) transmission, means that the satellite has some or all of the base station functions. A particular satellite may support only transparent mode, only regenerative mode, or both, and can switch between the two modes. Furthermore, the satellite can operate in staring mode or non-staring mode.

[0155] Optionally, the satellite can wirelessly communicate with ground equipment. For example, the ground equipment can be devices within the core network (CN) of an existing or future mobile communication architecture (such as the 3GPP access architecture). The core network, as the bearer network, provides the interface to the data network, offering terminals communication connectivity, authentication, management, policy control, and the ability to bear data services. The CN can further include: access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, session management function (SMF) network elements, authentication server function (AUSF) network elements, policy control function (PCF) network elements, user plane function (UPF) network elements, and so on.

[0156] For example, a satellite can wirelessly communicate with ground equipment via an NTN gateway (or gateway station). The link between the satellite and the NTN gateway can be called a feeder link.

[0157] As a possible example, Figure 5 illustrates the architecture of a possible mobile satellite communication system to which this application applies. The system includes at least one satellite, with satellites 101, 102, and 103 used as examples in Figure 5. The satellites can provide communication and other services to terminals via multiple beams. The ellipses identifying the beams in Figure 5 can be understood as representing the coverage area of ​​the beams.

[0158] For example, satellites 101 and 102 can operate in regeneration mode, and satellite 103 can operate in transparent transmission mode. There is an inter-satellite link 01 between satellites 101 and 102, and an inter-satellite link 02 between satellites 102 and 103. Satellite 103 is connected to the ground core network equipment.

[0159] It should be noted that the satellite mentioned in the embodiments of this application may be a satellite base station, or may include an orbital receiver or repeater for relaying information, or a network-side device mounted on a satellite.

[0160] It is understood that the satellites in the embodiments of this application can be replaced with network-side equipment mounted on other flight platforms such as drones and airplanes.

[0161] It should be noted that the communication system described in the embodiments of this application is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0162] The following description, using the communication system described above as an example, illustrates the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application through the interaction between network devices and terminals.

[0163] It should be noted that in the following embodiments of this application, the message names between various devices, the names of various parameters, or the names of various information are just examples. Other names may also be used in other embodiments, and the method provided in this application does not specifically limit them.

[0164] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, the network device or terminal may execute some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also perform other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the various steps may be executed in different orders as presented in the embodiments of this application, and it is not necessarily necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application.

[0165] As an example, the following embodiments use the aforementioned flight platform as a satellite, specifically satellite communication in NTN, for illustration. Of course, this method can also be applied to other scenarios in NTN, such as LAP subnetworks or HAP subnetworks, and is not specifically limited thereto.

[0166] First, this application provides a new RNTI. For ease of description, the new RNTI will be referred to as an enhanced RNTI or NTN RNTI in the following embodiments. Of course, the newly proposed RNTI may have other names, and this application does not specifically limit it. The enhanced RNTI will be used as an example for the following description.

[0167] The enhanced RNTI comprises two parts: a user group identifier and an identifier for each terminal within the user group. At least one terminal belonging to the same user group is located in the same geographical area. For example, the user group identifier can be understood as a shared identifier among terminals within the user group. The terminal identifier within the user group can be understood as a terminal-specific identifier.

[0168] Optionally, in addition to the user group identifier and the identifiers of the terminals within the user group, the enhanced RNTI may also include other bits, such as reserved bits, which can be used for future expansion. In the following embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified, the enhanced RNTI is described as including only the user group identifier and the identifiers of the terminals within the user group.

[0169] In one possible implementation, as shown in Figure 6, the length of the enhanced RNTI is X+Y bits, the length of the user group identifier is X bits, and the length of the identifier of the terminal within the user group is Y bits, where X and Y are positive integers. The length of RNTI / user group identifier / identifier of the terminal within the user group can be understood as: the number of bits occupied by RNTI / user group identifier / identifier of the terminal within the user group.

[0170] As one possible implementation, the length of the enhanced RNTI, or X+Y, can be any of the following: 16 bits, 24 bits, 29 bits, 32 bits, 40 bits, 48 ​​bits, 56 bits, or 64 bits. Of course, the length of the enhanced RNTI can also be other values, and this application does not specifically limit this.

[0171] As one possible implementation, the values ​​of X and Y can be predefined by the protocol; alternatively, the values ​​of X and Y can be dynamically indicated by the network, for example, the network can indicate the values ​​of X and / or Y. If the network indicates the value of X but not the value of Y, or if the network indicates the value of Y but not the value of X, the length of the enhanced RNTI can be assumed to be known (e.g., predefined by the protocol). Therefore, the value of Y can be determined based on the length of the enhanced RNTI and the value of X, or vice versa.

[0172] It should be noted that this application does not limit the order or position of the user group identifier and the identifiers of the terminals within the user group in the enhanced RNTI. For example, the user group identifier may precede the identifiers of the terminals within the user group, or vice versa; there is no restriction.

[0173] In one possible implementation, if at least one terminal belonging to the same user group is located in the same geographical area, the identifier of the user group in the enhanced RNTI can be the identifier of the geographical area, or the identifier of the user group can also be understood as the area identifier.

[0174] As one possible implementation, a geographic region is fixed relative to the Earth, or can be understood as a geographic region that is fixed relative to the Earth. For example, a geographic region may have at least one of the following attributes: shape, outline, size, radius, area, geographic location, etc.

[0175] For example, a "geographic region" can also have an altitude attribute, meaning a geographic region can be understood as a geographic area at a given altitude or altitude range. By default, a geographic region can refer to a geographic area with an elevation of 0 kilometers (km) or an elevation around 0 km (e.g., within the range of [-2, 2] km), or a geographic area with a certain average elevation. Alternatively, it can refer to a geographic area at other specific altitudes or altitude ranges, such as a geographic area with an elevation of 10 km, or a geographic area with an elevation around 10 km (e.g., within the range of [7, 13] km).

[0176] As one possible implementation, the geographic region can also be called a "wave position," "broadcast wave position," "geographic grid," etc. Of course, other names are also possible, and this application does not specifically limit the name of the geographic region.

[0177] For example, different geographical regions may have the same or different shapes, outlines, sizes, radii, and areas. Different geographical regions may have different geographical locations. Different geographical regions may or may not overlap.

[0178] As one possible implementation, a geographic region being fixed relative to the Earth can be understood as follows: the outline, size, or geographical location of the geographic region remains unchanged; for example, the outline, size, or geographical location of the geographic region does not change over time. Alternatively, it can be understood as follows: the outline of the geographic region and the points within it can be described using three-dimensional coordinate systems such as earth-centered earth-fixed (ECEF), geodetic coordinate system, and earth-centered inertial (ECI) coordinate system; or the coordinates of each point on the outline of the geographic region in three-dimensional coordinate systems such as ECEF, geodetic coordinate system, and ECI coordinate system remain fixed.

[0179] As one possible implementation, the geographical region can be a regular hexagon, or other shapes such as a regular pentagon, polygon, circle, ellipse, etc. Alternatively, the geographical region can also be an irregular shape, without restriction.

[0180] One possible implementation is to divide the Earth into multiple geographical regions and index (e.g., number) these regions. Each geographical region can then correspond to a unique identifier. For example, the identifier of a geographical region, or the method of dividing geographical regions, can be determined based on predefined rules or methods, such as the Fibonacci criterion, without limitation.

[0181] In one possible implementation, the network can flexibly set the values ​​of X and / or Y to adapt to the needs of different geographical radii or different network deployments.

[0182] As a first possible example, the length of the enhanced RNTI / X + Y can be 16 bits. In this case, the geographic area radius or network deployment could be: cell diameter 1000km, geographic area diameter 50km, and the number of geographic areas in a cell is 400, then X = 9; the supported terminal density is 0.06 / km. 2 If there are 128 terminals in a geographical area, then Y can be 7.

[0183] As a second possible example, the length of the enhanced RNTI ( / X+Y) can be 29 bits. In this case, the geographic area radius or network deployment could be: cell diameter 1000km, geographic area diameter 50km, and 400 geographic areas per cell, then X = 9; the supported terminal density is 500 / km. 2 If there are approximately 1 million terminals in a geographical area, then Y can be 20.

[0184] As a third possible example, the length / X+Y of the enhanced RNTI can be 40 bits. In this case, the geographic area radius or network deployment could be: cell diameter 1000km, geographic area diameter 10km, and the number of geographic areas in a cell 10000, then X = 14; the supported terminal density is 5000 / km. 2 If there are approximately 390,000 terminals in a geographical area, then Y can be 19, with 1 bit reserved for future expansion.

[0185] As a fourth possible example, the length of the enhanced RNTI ( / X+Y) can be 48 bits. In this case, the geographic area radius or network deployment could be: cell diameter 1000+ km, geographic area diameter 10 km, and the number of geographic areas in a cell 10000+, then X = 16; the supported terminal density is 5000 / km. 2 If there are approximately 390,000 terminals in a geographical region, then Y can be 32.

[0186] Similarly, when the length of the enhanced RNTI is other, such as 24 / 32 / 56 / 64 bits, a design similar to the four examples mentioned above can be carried out, which will not be elaborated further.

[0187] In one possible implementation, the enhanced RNTI in the embodiments of this application can be a C-RNTI, TC-RNTI, CS-RNTI, or RA-RNTI. Of course, the enhanced RNTI can also be other RNTIs, such as TPC-RNTI, etc., and is not limited to the above-mentioned types of RNTIs. This application does not make specific limitations in this regard.

[0188] Below, based on the above description of the enhanced RNTI, the communication method provided by the embodiments of this application will be introduced. Referring to Figure 7, a flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of this application is shown. This communication method may include the following steps.

[0189] S701, the first network device assigns the first RNTI to the first terminal.

[0190] The first RNTI includes a first identifier and a second identifier. The first identifier identifies a first user group, and the second identifier identifies a first terminal within the first user group. That is, the first identifier is the identifier of the first user group, and the second identifier is the identifier of the first terminal within the first user group. At least one terminal belonging to the first user group is located in the same geographical area.

[0191] The first RNTI is either an enhanced RNTI or an NTN RNTI. The above description of the enhanced RNTI applies to the first RNTI. Please refer to the relevant description of the enhanced RNTI above. It will not be repeated here.

[0192] As one possible implementation, the first network device can assign enhanced RNTIs to multiple terminals within its coverage area. Specifically, different terminals located in the same geographical area share the same user group identifier; at least one terminal in the same geographical area has different identifiers within its user group; different terminals located in different geographical areas have different identifiers within their user groups; and the identifiers of different terminals in different geographical areas within their user groups can be the same or different. Therefore, different terminals have different enhanced RNTIs, and thus, a terminal's RNTI can also be understood as a terminal's unique identifier within the network.

[0193] For example, as shown in Figure 8, if UE1 and UE2 are located in geographical region SC#i, then UE1 and UE2 have the same user group identifier (i.e., the same X bit value), but different identifiers within the user group (i.e., different Y bit values). For instance, the X bit value of UE1 and UE2 is X = 00 00001 00, the Y bit value of UE1 is Y = 00 00001, and the Y bit value of UE2 is Y = 00 00011.

[0194] Furthermore, since UE3 is located in geographical region SC#j, the user group identifier of UE3 is different from that of UE1 / UE2 (i.e., the value of the X bit is different). The identifier of UE3 within the user group may be the same as or different from that of UE1 / UE2 within the user group. For example, the value of the X bit of UE3 is X = 10 00100 11, and the value of the Y bit of UE3 is Y = 01 01000.

[0195] It is worth noting that although the enhanced RNTI can include the identifier of the user group and the identifier of the terminal within the user group, the complete RNTI value is still the identifier corresponding to the value of the X+Y bits.

[0196] As one possible implementation, the first network device can assign a first RNTI to the first terminal during the initial access phase. That is, the network device can assign an enhanced RNTI to the terminal during the initial access phase.

[0197] S702, the first network device sends a first RNTI to the first terminal. Correspondingly, the first terminal receives the first RNTI from the first network device.

[0198] As one possible implementation, the first RNTI can be carried in a random access response message (such as Msg2 in the random access procedure), a contention resolution message (such as Msg4 in the random access procedure), or an RRC message (such as RRC Reconfiguration).

[0199] For example, when the first RNTI is used for different types or purposes, it can be carried in different messages. For instance, if the first RNTI is a TC-RNTI or a C-RNTI, it can be carried in a random access response message or a contention resolution message; if the first RNTI is a CS-RNTI, it can be carried in an RRC message, without limitation.

[0200] Based on this possible implementation, the network can send enhanced RNTI to the terminal using scenario-appropriate messages in different scenarios, thereby adapting to the needs of different scenarios and expanding the scope of use of enhanced RNTI.

[0201] S703. The first terminal obtains public information associated with the first user group based on the first identifier, and / or obtains private information of the first terminal based on the first RNTI or the second identifier.

[0202] For example, the public information associated with the first user group can be information shared by at least one terminal within the first user group, while the private information of different terminals within the first user group may differ. This shared or private information can be any type of information sent over the network, such as configuration information or scheduling information, without limitation.

[0203] As one possible implementation, the network can scramble public information associated with the first user group or the scheduling information of that public information using a first identifier, and the first terminal can descramble the public information or its scheduling information using the first identifier to obtain the public information. Alternatively, the network can scramble dedicated information of the first terminal or the scheduling information of that dedicated information using a second identifier / first RNTI, and the first terminal can descramble the dedicated information or its scheduling information using the second identifier / first RNTI to obtain the dedicated information.

[0204] As another possible implementation, the network can send public information associated with a first user group corresponding to the first identifier, and / or private information of the first terminal corresponding to the second identifier / first RNTI. Accordingly, the first terminal interprets the information corresponding to the first identifier as public information associated with the first user group, and the information corresponding to the second identifier / first RNTI as private information of the first terminal.

[0205] Based on this scheme, since the RNTI allocated by the network (such as the RNTI allocated during the initial access phase) includes the user group identifier, signaling overhead can be reduced compared to additionally allocating a group identifier outside the RNTI. Furthermore, because the RNTI includes the user group identifier, common signaling configuration based on user groups can be enabled. For example, the network configures common mobility configuration information for user groups, and terminals within the user group can use a first identifier to obtain this common mobility configuration information, further reducing signaling overhead compared to terminal-level configuration. Moreover, in NTN scenarios, due to satellite movement, terminals in the same geographical area will undergo "deterministic" group handover or group reselection. Therefore, the handover / reselection configurations of terminals in this geographical area are the same or similar. Thus, terminals located in the same geographical area can be grouped into the same user group, and the network can perform common configuration for terminals in the same geographical area. This saves overhead and avoids unreasonable configurations for some terminals, thus not affecting the handover or reselection efficiency of the terminals.

[0206] In one possible implementation, before step S703, the first terminal needs to determine the first identifier and the second identifier from the first RNTI. If the lengths of the user group identifier and the identifiers of terminals within the user group are predefined by the protocol, the first terminal can determine the first identifier and the second identifier based on the predefined lengths. For example, the first X bits of the first RNTI can be determined as the first identifier, and the last Y bits of the first RNTI can be determined as the second identifier.

[0207] Alternatively, if the length of the user group identifier and the length of the identifiers of terminals within the user group are indicated by the network, the first network device may send first information to the first terminal, which may indicate the length of the first identifier and / or the second identifier. Accordingly, the first terminal receives the first information and determines the first and second identifiers from the first RNTI based on the first information. For example, the first information may be carried in a short NTN-RNTI cell.

[0208] For example, if the first information indicates that the length of the first identifier is X bits, then the first terminal will determine the first X bits in the first RNTI as the first identifier and the remaining bits in the first RNTI as the second identifier; or, if the first information indicates that the length of the first identifier is X bits and indicates that the length of the second identifier is Y bits, then the first terminal will determine the first X bits in the first RNTI as the first identifier and the following Y bits as the second identifier, etc., without limitation.

[0209] Based on this implementation, the network can indicate the length of the user group identifier and the identifiers of the terminals within the user group, thereby flexibly adapting to different geographical area division methods or network deployment situations. Furthermore, it enables terminals to correctly obtain the user group identifier and the identifiers of the terminals within the user group based on the network's instructions, ensuring consistency in the understanding of these two identifiers between the network and the terminal. This avoids communication failures caused by inconsistencies in the network and terminal's understanding of the identifiers, thereby improving communication performance.

[0210] In one possible implementation, enhanced RNTI can be applied to an NTN network. In practical applications, there may be scenarios where NTN networks are integrated with traditional terrestrial networks. For example, as shown in Figure 9, there is a schematic diagram of an NTN network and terrestrial network integration scenario, where UE1 is located in the terrestrial network, and UE2 and UE3 are located in the NTN network.

[0211] In terrestrial networks, the terminal's RNTI remains the existing traditional RNTI, also known as the terrestrial network (TN) RNTI, such as the RNTI in NR. The traditional RNTI / TN RNTI is used only to identify the terminal and does not carry any other additional information. In contrast, the enhanced RNTI / NTN RNTI carries the identifier of the user group and the identifiers of the terminals within that user group, thus identifying not only the terminal but also the user group.

[0212] In other words, in scenarios where NTN networks and terrestrial networks converge, there are two types of RNTIs: enhanced RNTI / NTN RNTI and traditional RNTI. In this scenario, the terminal needs to identify whether a network-assigned RNTI is an enhanced RNTI or a traditional RNTI. If the terminal identifies an RNTI as an enhanced RNTI, it obtains public information associated with the user group based on the user group identifier in that RNTI, and / or obtains the terminal's private information based on the identifier of the terminal within that RNTI / user group.

[0213] For example, a terminal can identify whether an RNTI is a traditional RNTI or an enhanced RNTI in the following three ways:

[0214] As a first possible implementation, when the network sends the RNTI to the terminal, it can simultaneously indicate the type of the RNTI. For example, in step S702 above, the first network device can also send second information to the first terminal, which can indicate the type of the first RNTI, that is, indicate that the first RNTI is an enhanced RNTI or an NTN RNTI. Accordingly, the terminal receives the second information, determines that the first RNTI is an enhanced RNTI according to the indication of the second information, and thus executes step S703 above. Here, the second information can also be understood as type indication information, which is used to indicate the type of RNTI.

[0215] For example, type indication information can be carried in the same cell as the RNTI. For instance, as shown in Figure 10, type indication information can be carried in the first field, and the RNTI can be carried in the second field. The first field can be 1 bit. When the value of this 1 bit is a first value, it indicates that the RNTI carried in the second field is a traditional RNTI or a TN RNTI; when the value of this 1 bit is a second value, it indicates that the RNTI carried in the second field is an enhanced RNTI or an NTN RNTI. The first value can be "0", and the corresponding second value can be "1"; or the first value can be "1", and the corresponding second value can be "0", without restriction.

[0216] Based on this possible implementation, the type of RNTI can be explicitly indicated through signaling, enabling the terminal to correctly understand the RNTI configured in the network and thus correctly use the RNTI for communication, ensuring communication performance. Furthermore, it is compatible with existing terrestrial networks and RNTIs within those networks, making the enhanced RNTI suitable for scenarios where terrestrial and NTN networks converge.

[0217] As a second possible implementation, the type of RNTI is implicitly indicated by information carried in the system message. For example, in an NTN network, the system message of a cell typically carries NTN-related information. Therefore, the type of RNTI can be indicated or determined by whether or not the system message carries NTN-related information. For instance, if the system message includes NTN-related information, it indicates that the system message is for an NTN cell, and the RNTI configured by the network for the terminals within that cell is either an enhanced RNTI or an NTN RNTI. If the system message does not include NTN-related information, it indicates that the system message is for a TN cell, and the RNTI configured by the network for the terminals within that cell is either a traditional RNTI or a TN RNTI.

[0218] For a terminal, it can receive system messages from the cell. If the system message carries information related to the NTN (Network Node), it determines that the RNTI (Registered Receiver TI) assigned to it by the network in that cell is either an enhanced RNTI or an NTN RNTI. For example, a first network device can send a system message carrying information related to the NTN, indicating that the first RNTI is either an enhanced RNTI or an NTN RNTI. Accordingly, the first terminal receives the system message and, if the system message carries information related to the NTN, determines that the first RNTI is either an enhanced RNTI or an NTN RNTI.

[0219] For example, based on the example shown in Figure 9, if the system message of the cell where UE1 is located does not carry NTN-related information, then UE1 can determine that the RNTI configured for it by the network in that cell is the traditional RNTI; if the system message of the cell where UE2 and UE3 are located carries NTN-related information, then UE2 and UE3 can determine that the RNTI configured for them by the network in that cell is the enhanced RNTI.

[0220] For example, the relevant information of NTN may include, but is not limited to: ephemeris information, NTN-specific frequency points or polarization information (such as NTN-specific frequency bands), NTN-related timing information, NTN-related scheduling offset information, NTN-related uplink synchronization information, etc., without limitation.

[0221] Based on this possible implementation, the type of RNTI can be implicitly indicated by whether NTN-related information is carried in the system message. This allows the terminal to correctly understand the RNTI configured in the network and thus correctly use the RNTI for communication, ensuring communication performance. Simultaneously, there is no need to send additional information to indicate the RNTI type, saving signaling overhead. Furthermore, it is compatible with existing terrestrial networks and RNTIs within terrestrial networks, making the enhanced RNTI suitable for scenarios where terrestrial and NTN networks converge.

[0222] As a third possible implementation, the priority of traditional RNTI / TN RNTI can be defined as higher than that of enhanced RNTI / NTN RNTI, or traditional RNTI / TN RNTI can be defaulted to high priority. On the terminal side, the terminal first interprets the RNTI configured for it by the network according to the high-priority RNTI, that is, it initially considers the network-configured RNTI as the traditional RNTI and parses the information sent by the network in the traditional way. When the information sent by the network cannot be parsed using the traditional method, the interpretation method of the low-priority RNTI (such as enhanced RNTI) is used to parse the information sent by the network.

[0223] For example, the priorities of traditional RNTI and enhanced RNTI can be predefined by the protocol or configured by the network, and this application does not specifically limit them.

[0224] Based on this possible implementation, by defining the priorities of traditional RNTI and enhanced RNTI, terminals can correctly understand the RNTI configured in the network, thereby correctly using RNTI for communication and ensuring communication performance. Simultaneously, no additional information needs to be sent to indicate the RNTI type, saving signaling overhead. Furthermore, it is compatible with existing terrestrial networks and RNTIs within terrestrial networks, making enhanced RNTI suitable for scenarios where terrestrial networks and NTN networks converge.

[0225] In one possible implementation, the network can update the terminal's enhanced RNTI. The enhanced RNTI update can be triggered by a request from the terminal or initiated proactively by the network; there is no limitation on this.

[0226] As one possible implementation, the first terminal can send a request message to the network to request an update of the RNTI when the identifier update triggering condition is met. Correspondingly, upon receiving the request message, the network reallocates an RNTI for the first terminal based on the request message and sends the updated RNTI to the first terminal. The first terminal receives the updated RNTI and communicates based on it.

[0227] As one possible implementation, the identifier update trigger condition is related to the location of the first terminal and / or a preset duration. For example, the identifier update trigger condition includes at least one of the following:

[0228] a) The distance between the location of the first terminal and the reference location of the source region is greater than a first threshold, and the distance between the terminal and the reference location of the target region is greater than a second threshold;

[0229] b) The distance between the location of the first terminal and the reference location of the source region is greater than the third threshold;

[0230] c) The distance between the location of the first terminal and the reference location of the target area is less than the fourth threshold;

[0231] d) The usage duration or effective duration of the first RNTI is greater than or equal to the preset duration;

[0232] e) The timer associated with the first RNTI expires. For example, timer expiration can also be understood as timer timeout.

[0233] As one possible implementation, the region can be a cell coverage area, a beam coverage area, or a geographical area (such as a beam position). The source region can be understood as the area where the first terminal is located before moving or handover; for example, the source region can be the coverage area of ​​the source cell, the coverage area of ​​the source beam, or the source geographical area. The target region can be understood as the area where the first terminal is located after moving or handover; for example, the target region can be the coverage area of ​​the target cell, the coverage area of ​​the target beam, or the target geographical area.

[0234] As one possible implementation, the reference location of the area can be any preset geographical location within the network coverage area. For example, the reference location can be the center point of a cell, the center point of a beam, or the center point of a geographical region.

[0235] In the location-based identifier update triggering conditions described above, if the distance between the first terminal's location and the reference location in the source region is greater than a threshold, and the distance between the first terminal's location and the reference location in the target region is less than a threshold, it indicates that the first terminal may be moving away from the source region and closer to the target region, or it indicates that the terminal has moved from the source region to the target region. In this case, since the region where the terminal is located has changed, and user groups are related to geographical regions (i.e., terminals belonging to the same user group are located in the same geographical region), the user group to which the terminal belongs may change.

[0236] For example, as shown in Figure 11, taking the first terminal as UE1, the source area as wave position 1, and the target area as wave position 2 as an example, when UE1 moves from wave position 1 to wave position 2, the distance between the position of UE1 and the reference position of wave position 1 increases, and the distance between the position of UE1 and the reference position of wave position 2 decreases. The area where UE1 is located changes, and the satellite providing services to UE1 may also change. Therefore, the user group to which UE1 belongs also changes.

[0237] In this scenario, failure to update the enhanced RNTI in a timely manner may prevent the terminal from resolving the user group configuration sent by the network for terminals in the target area, leading to communication failure. For example, based on the example shown in Figure 11, UE1 cannot resolve the public information associated with the user group sent by the network for terminals in waveform 2. Therefore, timely updating the terminal's enhanced RNTI in this scenario ensures the effectiveness of the enhanced RNTI, enabling the terminal to receive and correctly resolve the network configuration in a timely manner, thereby improving the reliability and success rate of communication.

[0238] As one possible implementation, the start time of the usage duration or effective duration of the first RNTI can be the moment when the first terminal receives the first RNTI, or it can be the duration of the first terminal's first use of the first RNTI, without limitation.

[0239] For example, the start time can be Coordinated Universal Time (CUT) or a relative time, such as represented by frames, subframes, time slots, or orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, without limitation. The preset duration can be predefined by the protocol or preconfigured by the network, without limitation.

[0240] As one possible implementation, the duration of the timer associated with the first RNTI can be configured by the network, determined by the first terminal itself, or predefined by the protocol, without limitation. Furthermore, the start time of the timer associated with the first RNTI can be the moment the first terminal receives the first RNTI, the moment the first terminal first uses the first RNTI, or other times; this application does not specifically limit this.

[0241] In NTN networks, especially satellite communication networks, satellites serving a specific geographical area often change frequently due to their high-speed movement. This means that terminals within that area may frequently undergo handovers or reselections, resulting in different RNTIs for each terminal in different cells. The aforementioned identifier update triggering condition based on a preset duration or timer allows terminals to request RNTI updates after the preset duration or when the relevant timer expires. This adapts to frequent handovers or reselections, ensuring timely RNTI updates and guaranteeing the terminal's ability to resolve information about the serving cell after the handover or reselection, thus improving communication reliability and success rate.

[0242] As one possible implementation, the identifier update triggering condition can be predefined by the protocol, or it can be configured by the network device for the terminal. For example, the network device sends configuration information to the terminal to configure the identifier update triggering condition, such as configuring at least one of the first threshold, second threshold, third threshold, fourth threshold, preset duration, or reference position mentioned above.

[0243] As one possible implementation, the request information from the first terminal for requesting an RNTI update can be sent to the source network device serving the source area (such as the first network device mentioned above), or it can be sent to the target network device serving the target area (such as the second network device), without restriction.

[0244] As one possible implementation, after receiving the request information from the first terminal, the network device can reassign an RNTI for the first terminal. For example, it can update the first identifier and / or the second identifier of the first RNTI to obtain an updated RNTI. After the network device sends the updated RNTI to the first terminal, the first terminal can communicate based on the updated RNTI. Refer to the relevant description in step S703 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0245] In one possible implementation, the first network device may send first mobility management assistance information associated with a first identifier and second mobility management assistance information associated with a second identifier.

[0246] As one possible implementation, the first mobility management assistance information associated with the first identifier can be understood as public mobility management assistance information associated with the first user group, or as mobility management assistance information shared by at least one terminal within the first user group, or as user group-level mobility management assistance information. The second mobility management assistance information associated with the second identifier can be understood as mobility management assistance information specific to the first terminal.

[0247] As one possible implementation, mobility management assistance information is used to assist in the implementation of terminal mobility management. For example, mobility management assistance information (such as first mobility management assistance information and / or second mobility management assistance information) may include at least one of the following: reference location, distance threshold, measurement configuration (such as SSB measurement timing configuration (SMTC) and offset, etc.), synchronization or access information after handover, transmission configuration indication (TCI) status information associated with beam switching, channel state information (CSI) resource set information, or layer 1 / L2 triggered mobility (LTM) configuration information.

[0248] In addition, the second mobility management auxiliary information associated with the second identifier may also include the security information and capability information of the first terminal, etc., and this application does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0249] As one possible implementation, the first mobility management assistance information can be carried in the media access control (MAC) control element (CE) and / or the MAC service data unit (SDU). Similarly, the second mobility management assistance information can also be carried in the MAC CE and / or the MAC SDU.

[0250] For example, a MAC protocol data unit (PDU) consists of one or more MAC subPDUs. For instance, a MAC subPDU might consist of a MAC subheader and a MAC SDU, or it might consist of a MAC subheader and a MAC CE. The size of the MAC SDU is variable. Some MAC CEs have a fixed size, while others have a variable size.

[0251] For example, Figure 12(a) shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a downlink (DL) MAC PDU. The MAC subPDU containing the MAC CE is placed before the MAC subPDU containing the MAC SDU and the MAC subPDU containing padding. Each MAC subPDU contains a MAC subheader and either a MAC CE or a MAC SDU or padding. For example, the MAC subheader consists of the header field R / F / LCID / (eLCID) / L, or the header field R / LCID / (eLCID).

[0252] LCID: Logical Channel Identification (LCID) field, used to indicate the logical channel of the MAC SDU corresponding to the MAC subheader, or to indicate the type of the MAC CE corresponding to the MAC subheader, or to indicate the padding corresponding to the MAC subheader.

[0253] eLCID: Extended Logical Channel Identifier field, used to indicate the logical channel of the MAC SDU corresponding to the MAC subheader, or to indicate the type of the MAC CE corresponding to the MAC subheader, with a size of 8 bits or 16 bits. The eLCID field is optional.

[0254] L: Length field, used to indicate the number of bytes in the MAC SDU corresponding to the MAC subheader, or the number of bytes in the variable-size MAC CE corresponding to the MAC subheader. The size of the L field is indicated by the F field.

[0255] F: Format field, used to indicate the size of the length field L. The size of the F field is 1 bit, a value of 0 indicates that the size of the L field is 8 bits, and a value of 1 indicates that the size of the L field is 16 bits.

[0256] R: Reserved bit, set to 0.

[0257] As one possible implementation, when mobility management assistance information is carried in a MAC CE and / or MAC SDU, the association between the first identifier and the first mobility management assistance information, as well as the relationship between the second identifier and the second mobility management assistance information, can be realized through the LCID in the subheader corresponding to the MAC CE or MAC SDU.

[0258] For example, the network may pre-configure an LCID corresponding to a first identifier (hereinafter referred to as the first LCID) and an LCID corresponding to a second identifier (hereinafter referred to as the second LCID). When sending mobility management assistance information, the first mobility management assistance information may be carried in the MAC CE or MAC SDU of the MAC subPDU where the first LCID is located, and the second mobility management assistance information may be carried in the MAC CE or MAC SDU of the MAC subPDU where the second LCID is located.

[0259] Optionally, the network may pre-configure an LCID corresponding to a second identifier for each terminal in the first user group, and carry in a MAC PDU a first mobility management assistance information associated with the first identifier, as well as a second mobility management assistance information corresponding to each terminal in the first user group.

[0260] For example, as shown in Figure 12(b), taking the example where all mobility management assistance information is carried in the MAC SDU and the first user group includes K UEs, LCID 0 is associated with the first identifier, so MAC SDU 0 carries the public mobility management assistance information associated with the first user group. LCID 1 is associated with the second identifier of UE 1, so MAC SDU 1 carries the dedicated mobility management assistance information of UE 1. Similarly, LCID K is associated with the second identifier of UE K, so MAC SDU K carries the dedicated mobility management assistance information of UE K. MAC SDU 1 to MAC SDU K can be MAC SDUs within the same MAC PDU.

[0261] As another possible implementation, a first identifier can be used to scramble the first mobility management auxiliary information to achieve the association between the first identifier and the first mobility management auxiliary information; a second identifier can be used to scramble the second mobility management auxiliary information to achieve the association between the second identifier and the second mobility management auxiliary information.

[0262] In this possible implementation, step S703 can be understood as: the first terminal receives first mobility management assistance information based on the first identifier, and / or receives second mobility management assistance information based on the second identifier. For example, the mobility management assistance information carried in the MAC CE or MAC SDU associated with the LCID corresponding to the first identifier is determined as the first mobility management assistance information, and the mobility management assistance information carried in the MAC CE or MAC SDU associated with the LCID corresponding to the second identifier is determined as the second mobility management assistance information; or, the mobility management assistance information successfully descrambled using the first identifier is determined as the first mobility management assistance information, and the mobility management assistance information successfully descrambled using the second identifier is determined as the second mobility management assistance information.

[0263] As one possible implementation, the aforementioned first and second mobility management assistance information can be pre-configured mobility management assistance information. For example, the mobility management assistance information can be carried in the conditional handover configuration sent by the source network device in a conditional handover (CHO) scenario. Of course, the aforementioned mobility management assistance information can also be pre-configured in other ways, and this application does not specifically limit this.

[0264] As one possible implementation, the configuration information associated with the first identifier and the second identifier (such as mobility management auxiliary information) can be configured with different periods (such as the first identifier and the second identifier being associated with different search spaces, i.e., PDCCH search space). For example, the configuration information associated with the first identifier and the configuration information associated with the second identifier can be configured at different times, or the configuration information associated with the second identifier and the second identifier can be not carried in the same message, thereby adapting to the different period requirements of public configuration information and terminal-specific configuration information, and reducing unnecessary detection overhead and energy consumption of the terminal.

[0265] Based on the above possible implementation methods, the network configures common mobility management assistance information for user groups. Terminals within the user group can use the first identifier to obtain this common mobility management assistance information. Compared with configuration at the terminal level, this can further reduce signaling overhead.

[0266] In one possible implementation, network devices can exchange handover signaling based on enhanced RNTI. This handover signaling is not limited to handover signaling in the following scenarios: CHO, dual active protocol stack (DAPS) handover, traditional handover (HO), and LTM low-layer handover; nor is it limited to service link handover, feeder link handover, Xn interface handover, F1 interface handover, and NG interface handover in satellite communication scenarios. Here, the Xn interface can be understood as the interface between network devices, the F1 interface as the interface between the CU and DU, and the NG interface as the interface between the network device and the core network.

[0267] For example, taking the source network device as the first network device and the target network device as the second network device as an example, as shown in Figure 13, the handover signaling interaction process between network devices may include the following steps:

[0268] S1301, the first network device sends third information to the second network device. Correspondingly, the second network device receives the third information from the first network device.

[0269] The third information is used to request handover configuration for at least one terminal associated with the third identifier. For example, the third information includes a third identifier, which can be a first identifier or a first RNTI. If the third identifier is the first identifier, the third information can be considered as requesting group handover configuration for a first user group associated with the first identifier; if the third identifier is the first RNTI, the third information can be considered as requesting handover configuration for a first terminal associated with the first RNTI.

[0270] As one possible implementation, this third piece of information could be a switching request.

[0271] S1302, the second network device sends a response message to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device receives the response message from the second network device.

[0272] As one possible implementation, the response information is a response to third-party information. For example, if the third-party information is a switching request, the response information can be a switching response.

[0273] As one possible implementation, if the third identifier is the first identifier, the response information includes the group handover configuration information of the first user group associated with the first identifier; if the third identifier is the first RNTI, the response information includes the handover configuration information of the first terminal associated with the first RNTI (which can be understood as the dedicated handover configuration information of the first terminal).

[0274] Optionally, after receiving the group handover configuration information for the first user group, the first network device can send the group handover configuration information for the first user group and simultaneously enable the association of the first identifier with the group handover configuration information, so that all terminals within the first user group can obtain the group handover configuration information based on the first identifier. Alternatively, after receiving the dedicated handover configuration information for the first terminal, the first network device can send the dedicated handover configuration information to the first terminal and simultaneously enable the association of the second identifier or the first RNTI with the dedicated handover configuration information, so that the first terminal can obtain the dedicated handover configuration information based on the second identifier or the first RNTI.

[0275] As is understandable, the process shown in Figure 13 above is illustrated using the handover signaling interaction between network devices based on Enhanced RNTI as an example. Furthermore, during the handover process, handover signaling interactions between network devices and the core network, such as path handover requests and sequence number (SN) state transitions, can also be based on Enhanced RNTI.

[0276] For example, the following describes in detail the handover signaling interaction based on enhanced RNTI in the traditional handover process. As shown in Figure 14, the handover process includes the following steps:

[0277] S1401, The first network device sends measurement configuration information to at least one terminal.

[0278] In this context, the first network device can be understood as the source network device. At least one terminal can be at least one terminal within the first user group. At least one terminal is represented as UE(s) in Figure 14.

[0279] For example, measurement configuration information may include the measurement object (such as the frequency of the measurement, same-frequency measurement or different-frequency measurement), measurement report configuration, interval (GAP) configuration, etc. Measurement configuration information can be carried in the RRC reconfiguration message.

[0280] As one possible implementation, the measurement configuration information may include public measurement configuration information of a first user group associated with a first identifier, and / or private measurement configuration information of at least one terminal within the first user group.

[0281] S1402, at least one terminal sends an RRC Reconfiguration Complete message to the first network device. For example, this RRC Reconfiguration Complete message can be understood as a response message to an RRC reconfiguration message carrying measurement configuration information.

[0282] S1403. At least one terminal sends a measurement report to the first network device.

[0283] For example, the terminal can perform measurements based on the measurement configuration information received in step S1401, and send a measurement report to the first network device if the reporting conditions are met.

[0284] S1404, The first network device makes a handover decision.

[0285] As one possible implementation, after receiving the measurement report, the first network device can determine the handover strategy and target cell based on the measurement report. For example, the first network device can determine to hand over terminals of the first user group associated with the first identifier to the same target cell, that is, at least one terminal in the first user group corresponds to the same target cell.

[0286] S1405, The first network device sends a handover request to the second network device.

[0287] The second network device is the network device described in the target cell. The handover request may carry a first identifier, indicating that the first network device requests to hand over all terminals in the first user group associated with the first identifier to the target cell. Refer to the relevant description in step S1301 above; it will not be repeated here.

[0288] S1406, The second network device performs access control.

[0289] For example, after receiving a handover request, the second network device performs admission control and, after admission, allocates a UE instance and transmission resources. In this step S1406, a first identifier can be used to identify the first user group.

[0290] S1407. The second network device sends a handover request acknowledgement to the first network device.

[0291] The handover request confirmation is used to indicate permission for handover access. For example, the handover request confirmation message may carry a first identifier, indicating permission for terminals within a first user group associated with the first identifier to handover to the target cell.

[0292] Optionally, the switching request confirmation message may also carry switching configuration information, which can be referred to in the relevant description in step S1302 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0293] S1408. The first network device sends a handover command to at least one terminal, requesting the terminal to perform a handover to the target cell. For example, this handover command may be carried in an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0294] S1409, The first network device sends an SN state transition message to the second network device. This SN state transition message may carry the terminal's Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) SN.

[0295] S1410, At least one terminal initiates a non-contention-based random access message 1 (Msg1) in the target cell, which may carry a special preamble.

[0296] S1411, The second network device sends message 2 (Msg2) to at least one terminal. Msg2 is also called a random access response (RAR) message.

[0297] S1412. At least one terminal sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the second network device. At this point, the terminal completes the handover to the target cell over the air interface.

[0298] S1413. The second network device sends a path switch request message to the access and mobility management network element (such as the AMF network element).

[0299] For example, the path handover request message may include a first identifier for requesting a handover of at least one terminal within a first user group associated with the first identifier to the target cell. Furthermore, the path handover request message may also include a PDU session list indicating the PDU sessions that at least one terminal within the first user group associated with the first identifier needs to hand over.

[0300] Optionally, after receiving the path switching request message, the access and mobility management network element can update the downlink general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol user plane (GTPU) of at least one terminal, modifying the GTPU address on the RAN side to that of the second network device.

[0301] S1414. The access and mobility management network element sends a path switch request acknowledge message to the second network device.

[0302] The path switching request confirmation message may include a first identifier and a list of PDU sessions, used to respond to at least one terminal associated with the first identifier whose PDU session has been switched.

[0303] Optionally, there may be situations where some PDU sessions on the terminal cannot be switched (e.g., they failed to be established). In this case, the PDU session identifier will not be included in the PDU session list in the path switching request confirmation message. Subsequently, the RAN side can delete the PDU sessions that failed to switch successfully.

[0304] S1415, The second network device sends a UE context release message to the first network device.

[0305] The UE context release message may include a first identifier, used to instruct the first network device to release the context of at least one terminal within a first user group associated with the first identifier. Upon receiving the UE context release message, the first network device releases the context information of the at least one terminal.

[0306] S1416. After switching to the target cell, the second network device sends the measurement configuration information of the new cell to at least one terminal via RRC reconfiguration message.

[0307] S1417. After receiving the measurement configuration information, at least one terminal replies with an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the second network device.

[0308] Optionally, after step S1417, the terminal can perform measurements based on the measurement configuration information sent by the second network device.

[0309] The above explanation only illustrates the handover signaling interaction based on the enhanced RNTI in a traditional handover process. In other types of handover, similar handover signaling interactions can be performed based on the enhanced RNTI, for example, handover requests and responses can be based on the user group identifier in the enhanced RNTI, which will not be elaborated further.

[0310] Based on the above possible implementation methods, cell handover signaling transmission based on user groups can be enabled, which can further reduce signaling overhead compared to handover signaling interaction at the terminal level.

[0311] In one possible implementation, the network device can send cell reselection configuration based on the enhanced RNTI. For example, the first network device can send first cell reselection configuration information, which can be associated with a first identifier, indicating that the first cell reselection configuration information is the public cell reselection configuration information for a first user group associated with the first identifier. Accordingly, in this implementation, step S703 can be understood as: the first terminal receiving the first cell reselection configuration information based on the first identifier.

[0312] For example, the first cell reselection configuration information includes, but is not limited to, the cell reselection configuration carried in system information blocks (SIBs) 2, 3, 4, 19, and 31. The cell reselection configuration may include, for example, a reference location and a validity period (t_service_time), and is not limited thereto.

[0313] As one possible implementation, since at least one terminal in the first user group belongs to the same geographical area, the first identifier can be the identifier of that geographical area. Therefore, the first cell reselection configuration information can also be considered as the cell reselection configuration at the geographical area level.

[0314] As one possible implementation, associating the first cell reselection configuration information with the first identifier can include: scrambling the first cell reselection configuration information using the first identifier. Correspondingly, the first terminal receiving the first cell reselection configuration information based on the first identifier can include: the first terminal descrambling the first cell reselection configuration information using the first identifier.

[0315] Based on this possible implementation, geographic region-level cell reselection configuration can be achieved by scrambling the identifier of the cell reselection configuration information. For example, cell reselection configurations sent to different geographic regions can be scrambled using the identifier of the user group within the corresponding geographic region. However, currently, NR implements region-level system information configuration through the broadcast area (AreaScope) or system information area identifier (systemInformationAreaID) of the system message. The broadcast area indicates that a SIB is area-specific; if this field is not carried, it indicates that the SIB is cell-specific. The system information area identifier indicates the system information area that the cell belongs to. In the possible implementation described in this application, compared to the current NR scheme that distinguishes cell reselection configurations for different geographic regions by carrying the broadcast area or system information area identifier, no additional area information is required, thus saving signaling overhead.

[0316] As another possible implementation, associating the first cell reselection configuration information with the first identifier can include replacing the broadcast area (AreaScope) or system information area identifier (systemInformationAreaID) corresponding to the first cell reselection configuration information with the first identifier. For example, the identifier of the user group corresponding to the cell reselection configuration information can be carried in the scheduling information of the cell reselection configuration information. Accordingly, the first terminal receiving the first cell reselection configuration information based on the first identifier can include: if the user group identifier corresponding to a certain cell reselection configuration information is the first identifier, then the first terminal receives the cell reselection configuration information, and in this case, the cell reselection configuration information is the first cell reselection configuration information.

[0317] Based on this possible implementation, since the length of the broadcast area or system information area identifier is typically large, for example, 64 bits, while the length of the user group identifier (i.e., X) in the enhanced RNTI is typically small, for example, less than 64 bits, carrying the user group identifier in the enhanced RNTI can save signaling overhead compared to a scheme that uses the broadcast area or system information area identifier to distinguish cell reselection configurations in different geographical areas.

[0318] As another possible implementation, associating the first cell reselection configuration information with the first identifier can include: associating the first identifier with the broadcast area corresponding to the first cell reselection configuration information. For example, the geographical area number of the first terminal determined by the first identifier can be used as the identifier of the broadcast area of ​​the system message (such as the first cell reselection configuration information).

[0319] For example, the first terminal calculates the shape of the geographical region and the number of the geographical region where the first terminal is located based on the first identifier and preset rules (i.e., rules for dividing geographical regions, such as the Fibonacci criterion). The number of the geographical region is used as the broadcast area information of the system message (such as as the identifier of the broadcast area). When the first terminal is located in the broadcast area associated with the first identifier, the system message does not need to be updated. When the first terminal receives broadcast area information that is different from the first identifier, it indicates that the first terminal has moved out of the previous geographical region / broadcast area and the system message needs to be updated.

[0320] It is understood that, in the above embodiments, the methods and / or steps implemented by the terminal can also be implemented by components (e.g., processors, chips, chip systems, circuits, logic modules, or software) that can be used in the terminal; similarly, the methods and / or steps implemented by the network device can also be implemented by components (e.g., processors, chips, chip systems, circuits, logic modules, or software) that can be used in the network device. The chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0321] It is understood that, in order to achieve the aforementioned functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0322] This application embodiment can divide the communication device into functional modules according to the above method embodiment. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0323] Figure 15 shows a schematic diagram of a communication device 150. The communication device 150 includes a processing module 1501 and a transceiver module 1502. This communication device 150 can be used to implement the functions of the aforementioned terminal or network equipment.

[0324] In some embodiments, the communication device 150 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG15) for storing program instructions and data.

[0325] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1502, also referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement sending and / or receiving functions. The transceiver module 1502 may consist of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver unit, or a communication interface.

[0326] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1502 may include a receiving module and a sending module, respectively configured to perform the receiving and sending steps performed by the network device in the above method embodiments, and / or other processes to support the technology described herein; the processing module 1501 may be configured to perform the processing steps (e.g., determining) performed by the network device in the above method embodiments, and / or other processes to support the technology described herein.

[0327] For example, when the communication device 150 is used to implement the functions of the terminal described above:

[0328] The transceiver module 1502 is used to receive the first wireless network temporary identifier (RNTI) of the first terminal. The first RNTI includes a first identifier and a second identifier. The first identifier is used to identify a first user group, and the second identifier is used to identify a first terminal within the first user group. At least one terminal belonging to the first user group is located in the same geographical area. The transceiver module 1502 is also used to obtain public information associated with the first user group based on the first identifier, and / or obtain private information of the first terminal based on the first RNTI or the second identifier.

[0329] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to receive first information, the first information indicating the length of the first identifier and / or the second identifier; and the processing module 1501 is configured to determine the first identifier and the second identifier from the first RNTI based on the first information.

[0330] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 is also used to receive second information, which indicates that the first RNTI is an enhanced RNTI or indicates that the first RNTI is a non-terrestrial network NTN RNTI; the enhanced RNTI or NTN RNTI includes the identifier of the user group and the identifier of the terminal within the user group.

[0331] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 is also configured to receive system messages. The processing module 1501 is also configured to determine whether the first RNTI is an enhanced RNTI or an NTN RNTI if the system message includes information related to NTN.

[0332] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to send a request message when the identifier update trigger condition is met. The request message is used to request an update of the RNTI. The identifier update trigger condition is related to the location of the first terminal and / or a preset duration. The transceiver module 1502 is also configured to receive the updated RNTI from the first terminal.

[0333] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to obtain public information associated with the first user group based on the first identifier, and / or obtain dedicated information of the first terminal based on the second identifier, including: the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to receive first mobility management assistance information based on the first identifier, wherein the first mobility management assistance information is mobility management assistance information shared by at least one terminal in the first user group; or, the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to receive second mobility management assistance information based on the second identifier, wherein the second mobility management assistance information is mobility management assistance information dedicated to the first terminal.

[0334] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to obtain public information associated with the first user group based on the first identifier, including: receiving first cell reselection configuration information based on the first identifier, wherein the first cell reselection configuration information is reselection configuration information shared by at least one terminal in the first user group.

[0335] When the communication device 150 is used to implement the functions of the first network device described above:

[0336] Processing module 1501 is used to assign a first wireless network temporary identifier (RNTI) to a first terminal. The first RNTI includes a first identifier and a second identifier. The first identifier is used to identify a first user group, and the second identifier is used to identify a first terminal within the first user group. At least one terminal belonging to the first user group is located in the same geographical area. Transceiver module 1502 is used to send the first RNTI to the first terminal.

[0337] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 is also used to send first information, the first information indicating the length of the first identifier and / or the second identifier.

[0338] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 is also used to send second information, which indicates that the first RNTI is an enhanced RNTI or indicates that the first RNTI is a non-terrestrial network NTN RNTI; the enhanced RNTI or NTN RNTI includes the identifier of the user group and the identifier of the terminal within the user group.

[0339] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 is also used to send system messages, which include information related to the NTN, indicating that the first RNTI is an enhanced RNTI or indicating that the first RNTI is an NTN RNTI.

[0340] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to receive request information from the first terminal, the request information being used to request an update of the RNTI; the processing module 1501 is further configured to reallocate the RNTI to the first terminal according to the request information.

[0341] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 is also used to send first mobility management assistance information and second mobility management assistance information, wherein the first mobility management assistance information is associated with a first identifier and the second mobility management assistance information is associated with a second identifier.

[0342] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to send third information to the second network device, the third information including a third identifier, the third information being used to request a handover configuration for at least one terminal associated with the third identifier, the third identifier being a first identifier or a first RNTI; the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to receive response information from the second network device, the response information including group handover configuration information for a first user group associated with the first identifier, or including handover configuration information for a first terminal associated with the first RNTI.

[0343] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 is also used to send the first cell reselection configuration information; the first identifier is associated with the first cell reselection configuration information.

[0344] All relevant content of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be referenced from the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0345] In this application, the communication device 150 can be presented in an integrated manner by dividing it into various functional modules. Here, "module" can refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuits, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0346] Alternatively, the modules in communication device 150 can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both. When any of the above modules are implemented in software, the software exists as computer program instructions and is stored in memory. The processor can be used to execute the program instructions and implement the above method flow. The processor can be built into a system-on-chip (SoC) or ASIC, or it can be a separate semiconductor chip. In addition to the core that executes the software instructions for computation or processing, the processor may further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or logic circuits that implement dedicated logic operations.

[0347] When the above modules or units are implemented in hardware, the hardware can be any one or any combination of a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), microprocessor, digital signal processing (DSP) chip, microcontroller unit (MCU), artificial intelligence processor, ASIC, SoC, FPGA, PLD, application-specific digital circuit, hardware accelerator, or non-integrated discrete device, which can run the necessary software or perform the above method flow independently of software.

[0348] In some embodiments, when the communication device 150 in FIG15 is a chip or chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1502 can be implemented through the input / output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 1501 can be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or chip system.

[0349] Since the communication device 150 provided in this embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects it can achieve can be referred to the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0350] As a possible product form, the terminal or network device described in the embodiments of this application can also be implemented using one or more FPGAs, PLDs, controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuits, or any combination of circuits capable of performing the various functions described throughout this application.

[0351] As another possible product form, the terminal or network device described in this application embodiment can be implemented using a general bus architecture. For ease of explanation, refer to FIG16, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1600 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1600 includes a processor 1601 and a transceiver 1602. The communication device 1600 can be a terminal, or a chip or chip system therein; or, the communication device 1600 can be a network device, or a chip or chip system therein. FIG16 only shows the main components of the communication device 1600. In addition to the processor 1601 and transceiver 1602, the communication device may further include a memory 1603 and input / output devices (not shown in the figure).

[0352] Optionally, the processor 1601 is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process the data of the software programs. The memory 1603 is mainly used to store software programs and data. The transceiver 1602 may include radio frequency (RF) circuitry and an antenna. The RF circuitry is mainly used for converting baseband signals to RF signals and processing RF signals. The antenna is mainly used for transmitting and receiving RF signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as touchscreens, displays, and keyboards, are mainly used to receive user input data and output data to the user.

[0353] Optionally, the processor 1601, transceiver 1602, and memory 1603 can be connected via a communication bus.

[0354] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 1601 can read the software program in the memory 1603, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 1601 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit processes the baseband signal and transmits the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1601. The processor 1601 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0355] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be set up independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be arranged remotely, independent of the communication device.

[0356] In some embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the above-described communication device 150 can take the form of the communication device 1600 shown in FIG16 in terms of hardware implementation.

[0357] As an example, the functions / implementation of the processing module 1501 and transceiver module 1502 in Figure 15 can be implemented by the processor 1601 in the communication device 1600 shown in Figure 16 calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1603. Alternatively, the functions / implementation of the processing module 1501 in Figure 15 can be implemented by the processor 1601 in the communication device 1600 shown in Figure 16 calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1603, and the functions / implementation of the transceiver module 1502 in Figure 15 can be implemented by the transceiver 1602 in the communication device 1600 shown in Figure 16.

[0358] As another possible product form, the terminal or network device in this application may adopt the composition structure shown in FIG17, or include the components shown in FIG17. FIG17 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device 1700 provided in this application. The communication device 1700 may be a network device or a module, chip or system-on-a-chip in a network device; or the communication device 1700 may be a terminal or a module, chip or system-on-a-chip in a terminal.

[0359] As shown in Figure 17, the communication device 1700 includes at least one processor 1701 and at least one communication interface (Figure 17 is merely an example illustrating the inclusion of a communication interface 1704 and a processor 1701). Optionally, the communication device 1700 may also include a communication bus 1702 and a memory 1703.

[0360] Processor 1701 may be a CPU, a general-purpose processor, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a PLD, or any combination thereof. Processor 1701 may also be other devices with processing functions, such as circuits, devices, one or more integrated circuits or software modules for controlling the execution of the program of this application, without limitation.

[0361] Communication bus 1702 is used to connect different components in communication device 1700, enabling communication between them. Communication bus 1702 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. This bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 17, but this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0362] Communication interface 1704 is used for communicating with other devices or communication networks. For example, communication interface 1704 can be a module, circuit, transceiver, or any device capable of communication, such as an Ethernet interface, RAN interface, WLAN interface, transceiver, pin, bus, interface circuit, or transceiver circuit. Optionally, communication interface 1704 can also be an input / output interface located within processor 1701, used to implement signal input and signal output for the processor.

[0363] The memory 1703 may be a device with storage function, used to store instructions and / or data. The instructions may be computer programs.

[0364] For example, memory 1703 may be read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices capable of storing static information and / or instructions; it may also be random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices capable of storing information and / or instructions; it may also be electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices; or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but is not limited thereto.

[0365] It should be noted that the memory 1703 can exist independently of the processor 1701, or it can be integrated with the processor 1701. The memory 1703 can be located inside or outside the communication device 1700, without limitation.

[0366] The memory stores the computer execution instructions involved in the implementation of the solution provided in this solution, and the processor controls the execution of these instructions. The processor executes the computer execution instructions stored in the memory to implement the method provided in this solution. Alternatively, in this solution, the processor may execute the processing-related functions of the method provided below, and the communication interface is responsible for communicating with other devices or communication networks; this solution does not specifically limit this aspect.

[0367] Optionally, the computer execution instructions in this solution can also be referred to as application code, and this solution does not specifically limit this.

[0368] As an optional implementation, the communication device 1700 may also include an output device 1705 and an input device 1706. The output device 1705 communicates with the processor 1701 and can display information in various ways. For example, the output device 1705 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector, etc. The input device 1706 communicates with the processor 1701 and can receive user input in various ways. For example, the input device 1706 may be a mouse, keyboard, touchscreen device, or sensing device, etc.

[0369] In some embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the communication device 150 shown in FIG15 can take the form of the communication device 1700 shown in FIG17 in terms of hardware implementation.

[0370] As an example, the functions / implementation of the processing module 1501 and transceiver module 1502 in Figure 15 can be implemented by the processor 1701 in the communication device 1700 shown in Figure 17 calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1703. Alternatively, the functions / implementation of the processing module 1501 in Figure 15 can be implemented by the processor 1701 in the communication device 1700 shown in Figure 17 calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1703, and the functions / implementation of the transceiver module 1502 in Figure 15 can be implemented by the communication interface 1704 in the communication device 1700 shown in Figure 17.

[0371] It should be noted that the structure shown in Figure 17 does not constitute a specific limitation on the network device. For example, in other embodiments of this application, the network device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0372] In some embodiments, this application also provides a communication device, which includes a processor for implementing the methods in any of the above method embodiments.

[0373] As one possible implementation, the communication device also includes a memory. This memory stores necessary computer programs and data. The computer program may include instructions, which a processor can invoke to instruct the communication device to execute the methods described in any of the above method embodiments. Alternatively, the memory may not be present in the communication device.

[0374] As one possible implementation, the communication device also includes an interface circuit, which is a code / data read / write interface circuit, used to receive computer execution instructions (which are stored in memory and may be read directly from memory or may be transmitted through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0375] As one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface for communicating with modules outside the communication device. For example, the processor can be coupled to memory via the communication interface, causing the methods in any of the above method embodiments to be executed when the processor executes a computer program or instructions in the memory.

[0376] It is understood that the communication device can be a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0377] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a computer, implements the functions of any of the above-described method embodiments.

[0378] This application also provides a computer program product that, when executed by a computer, implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0379] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0380] It is understood that the systems, apparatuses, and methods described in this application can also be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the couplings or direct couplings or communication connections shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0381] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0382] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0383] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software programs, implementation can be, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. This computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device containing one or more servers, data centers, etc., that can be integrated with the medium. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state drive (SSD)). In this embodiment, the computer may include the aforementioned apparatus.

[0384] Although this application has been described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, those skilled in the art, by reviewing the accompanying drawings, disclosure, and appended claims, will understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments in carrying out the claimed application. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. While different dependent claims may recite certain measures, this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0385] Although this application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Accordingly, this specification and drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of this application as defined by the appended claims, and are considered to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of this application. Clearly, those skilled in the art can make various alterations and modifications to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Thus, if such modifications and modifications of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application is also intended to include such modifications and modifications.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a first terminal, and the method includes: The first terminal receives a first wireless network temporary identifier (RNTI). The first RNTI includes a first identifier and a second identifier. The first identifier is used to identify a first user group, and the second identifier is used to identify the first terminal within the first user group. At least one terminal belonging to the first user group is located in the same geographical area. Obtain public information associated with the first user group based on the first identifier, and / or obtain private information of the first terminal based on the first RNTI or the second identifier.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first identifier is the identifier of the geographical region.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive first information, the first information indicating the length of the first identifier and / or the second identifier; The first identifier and the second identifier are determined from the first RNTI based on the first information.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The first RNTI is carried in a random access response message, a contention resolution message, or a radio resource control (RRC) message.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The length of the first RNTI is any of the following: 16 bits, 24 bits, 29 bits, 32 bits, 40 bits, 48 ​​bits, 56 bits, or 64 bits.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive second information, the second information indicating that the first RNTI is an enhanced RNTI, or indicating that the first RNTI is a non-terrestrial network NTN RNTI; the enhanced RNTI or NTN RNTI includes the identifier of the user group and the identifier of the terminal within the user group.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The method further includes: receiving a system message, wherein if the system message includes information related to NTN, determining that the first RNTI is an enhanced RNTI or an NTN RNTI.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, Traditional RNTI has a higher priority than enhanced RNTI; or, terrestrial network RNTI has a higher priority than NTN RNTI.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the identifier update triggering condition is met, a request message is sent. The request message is used to request an update of the RNTI. The identifier update triggering condition is related to the location of the first terminal and / or a preset duration. Receive the updated RNTI from the first terminal.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The identifier update triggering condition includes at least one of the following: The distance between the position of the first terminal and the reference position of the source region is greater than a first threshold, and the distance between the first terminal and the reference position of the target region is greater than a second threshold; The distance between the position of the first terminal and the reference position of the source region is greater than the third threshold; The distance between the first terminal location and the reference location of the target area is less than the fourth threshold; or, The duration of use of the first RNTI is greater than or equal to the preset duration.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The source area or the target area is a cell coverage area, a beam coverage area, or a geographical area; The reference location is the location of the cell center point, the location of the beam center point, or the location of the geographic region center point.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, Obtain public information associated with the first user group based on the first identifier, and / or obtain private information of the first terminal based on the second identifier, including: First mobility management assistance information is received according to the first identifier, wherein the first mobility management assistance information is mobility management assistance information shared by at least one terminal in the first user group; The second mobility management assistance information is received according to the second identifier, and the second mobility management assistance information is mobility management assistance information specific to the first terminal.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1-12, characterized in that, Based on the first identifier, obtain the public information associated with the first user group, including: The first cell reselection configuration information is received according to the first identifier. The first cell reselection configuration information is reselection configuration information shared by at least one terminal in the first user group.

14. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a first network device, and the method includes: A first wireless network temporary identifier (RNTI) is assigned to a first terminal. The first RNTI includes a first identifier and a second identifier. The first identifier is used to identify a first user group, and the second identifier is used to identify the first terminal within the first user group. At least one terminal belonging to the first user group is located in the same geographical area. Send the first RNTI to the first terminal.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The first identifier is the identifier of the geographical region.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The method further includes: sending first information, the first information indicating the length of the first identifier and / or the second identifier.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14-16, characterized in that, The first RNTI is carried in a random access response message, a contention resolution message, or a radio resource control (RRC) message.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14-17, characterized in that, The length of the first RNTI is any of the following: 16 bits, 24 bits, 29 bits, 32 bits, 40 bits, 48 ​​bits, 56 bits, or 64 bits.

19. The method according to any one of claims 14-18, characterized in that, The method further includes: sending second information, the second information indicating that the first RNTI is an enhanced RNTI, or indicating that the first RNTI is a non-terrestrial network NTN RNTI; the enhanced RNTI or NTN RNTI includes the identifier of the user group and the identifier of the terminal within the user group.

20. The method according to any one of claims 14-19, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a system message, the system message including information related to NTN, the information related to NTN indicating that the first RNTI is an enhanced RNTI, or indicating that the first RNTI is an NTN RNTI.

21. The method according to any one of claims 14-20, characterized in that, Traditional RNTI has a higher priority than enhanced RNTI; or, terrestrial network RNTI has a higher priority than NTN RNTI.

22. The method according to any one of claims 14-21, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive request information from the first terminal, the request information being used to request an update to the RNTI; The RNTI is reassigned to the first terminal based on the request information.

23. The method according to any one of claims 14-22, characterized in that, The method further includes: sending first mobility management assistance information and second mobility management assistance information, wherein the first mobility management assistance information is associated with the first identifier and the second mobility management assistance information is associated with the second identifier.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, Mobility management auxiliary information includes at least one of the following: reference location, distance threshold, measurement configuration, synchronization or access information after handover, transmission configuration indication (TCI) status information associated with beam switching, channel status information (CSI) resource set information, or layer 1 / layer 2 mobility LTM configuration information.

25. The method according to claim 23 or 24, characterized in that, The first mobility management assistance information is carried in the Media Access Control Element (MAC CE) and / or the Media Access Control Service Data Unit (MAC SDU); and / or, the second mobility management assistance information is carried in the MAC CE and / or the MAC SDU.

26. The method according to any one of claims 14-25, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send third information to a second network device, the third information including a third identifier, the third information being used to request handover configuration of at least one terminal associated with the third identifier, the third identifier being the first identifier or the first RNTI; The system receives response information from the second network device, the response information including group handover configuration information of the first user group associated with the first identifier, or handover configuration information of the first terminal associated with the first RNTI.

27. The method according to any one of claims 14-26, characterized in that, The method further includes: sending first cell reselection configuration information; the first identifier is associated with the first cell reselection configuration information.

28. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes at least one processor; the at least one processor is configured to run a computer program or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1-13, or to cause the communication device to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 14-27.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs that, when executed on a computer, cause the method described in any one of claims 1-13 to be performed, or cause the method described in any one of claims 14-27 to be performed.

30. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes computer instructions; when some or all of the computer instructions are run on a computer, they cause the method of any one of claims 1-13 to be performed, or cause the method of any one of claims 14-27 to be performed.

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