Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus. The method can be applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication, and can be used for selecting an appropriate edge application server (EAS) and branching point for a terminal in a scenario where EASs / user plane functions (UPFs) are deployed on satellites, thereby ensuring the transmission of service data and improving user experience. The method comprises: a control plane network element (such as a session management network element) acquiring information of a first UPF on the basis of information of a first service and service deployment information, and then sending the information of the first UPF to determine an EAS, or configuring the first UPF on the basis of the information of the first UPF, wherein the EAS or the first UPF is used by a terminal to access the first service. The service deployment information comprises at least one of the following: time information corresponding to service information, an NTN device identifier corresponding to the service information, or a data network access identifier corresponding to a service, wherein the data network access identifier corresponds to an NTN device.

Description

Communication methods and devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411724457.7, filed on November 27, 2024, 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] In edge computing (EC) deployment scenarios, certain services may be provided by multiple edge application servers (EAS) deployed at the network edge. These EAS provide the same services and content but have different Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

[0004] In EC (Electronic Access Center) scenarios, when a terminal needs to access services, it is required to connect to the nearest available EAS (Entity Server). Therefore, the terminal needs to obtain the appropriate EAS IP address. Currently, suitable EAS and offloading points are discovered with the assistance of the EAS discovery function (EASDF) network element.

[0005] However, with the development of communication technology, in future satellite networks, EAS and user plane network elements may be deployed on low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites. In this scenario, the current EAS discovery process may no longer be applicable. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that can select a suitable edge application server or distribution point for the terminal to ensure the normal transmission of services.

[0007] Firstly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a first control plane network element, or by a component of the first control plane network element, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the first control plane network element, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first control plane network element. The method includes: obtaining information of a first user plane network element based on information of a first service and service deployment information; sending the information of the first user plane network element, which is used to determine an edge application server, and the edge application server is used by the terminal to access the first service; or configuring the first user plane network element based on the information of the first user plane network element, which is used by the terminal to access the first service. The service deployment information includes at least one of the following: time information corresponding to the service information, a non-terrestrial network device identifier corresponding to the service information, or a data network access identifier corresponding to the service, wherein the data network access identifier corresponds to a non-terrestrial network device.

[0008] Based on this scheme, service deployment information includes the time information corresponding to the service information. Therefore, it can indicate the services provided in different geographical areas at different times, reflecting the geographical area of ​​network services in real time. This allows the network to select an edge application server / distribution point that can currently serve the terminal's location based on the terminal's location and service deployment information, thus choosing a suitable edge application server / distribution point for the terminal. Alternatively, service deployment information includes the services provided by non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the service information. This indicates the services provided by different non-terrestrial network devices. Therefore, based on the ephemeris information of the non-terrestrial network devices, it is possible to know the services provided by the non-terrestrial network devices to the corresponding geographical area at different times. This allows the network to select an edge application server / distribution point that can currently serve the terminal's location based on the terminal's location, service deployment information, and the ephemeris information of the non-terrestrial network devices, thus choosing a suitable edge application server / distribution point for the terminal. Alternatively, the data network access identifier in the service deployment information corresponds to a non-terrestrial network device. Therefore, based on the ephemeris information of the non-terrestrial network device corresponding to the data network access identifier, it can be determined that the non-terrestrial network device provides the service corresponding to the data network access identifier to the corresponding geographical area at different times. This allows the network to select an edge application server / distribution point that can currently serve the terminal's location based on the terminal's location, service deployment information, and the ephemeris information of the non-terrestrial network device, thereby selecting a suitable edge application server / distribution point for the terminal. In other words, based on the service deployment information provided in this application, a suitable edge application server / distribution point can be selected for the terminal, thereby ensuring normal service transmission and improving user experience.

[0009] For example, service deployment information may have other names, the key being that it includes information about one or more services, and that the service deployment information can be used to determine the information of user plane network elements. For example, it can directly determine the information of user plane network elements based on the service deployment information, or it can determine intermediate information based on the service deployment information, which can be used to determine the information of user plane network elements. This application does not specifically limit the name of the service deployment information.

[0010] For example, the information of the first service mentioned above is also a kind of "service information," which can also be described as first service information. Service deployment information includes the information of this first service.

[0011] For example, a data network access identifier is essentially an identifier representing an entry point to a data network. It can point to a data network providing a specific service or indicate the location of the service deployment. In this embodiment, the data network access identifier may also have other names, as long as they represent the above-mentioned essence. This application does not specifically limit its name.

[0012] In one possible design, the time information corresponding to the business information is used to indicate the availability time of the business information. The business information includes one or more of the following: the domain name information of the business, the address information of the business, or the data network access identifier corresponding to the business. For example, different data network access identifiers exist when the business information corresponds to different time periods.

[0013] Based on this possible design, service deployment information can indicate the services provided in different geographical areas at different times, thereby reflecting the geographical area of ​​network services in real time. This enables the network to select appropriate edge application servers / distribution points for terminals, thus ensuring the normal transmission of services.

[0014] In one possible design, the non-terrestrial network device identifier corresponds to the non-terrestrial network device and provides the service corresponding to the service information; the service information includes the domain name information and / or the address information of the service.

[0015] Based on this possible design, service deployment information can indicate the services provided by different non-terrestrial network devices. Therefore, based on the ephemeris information of non-terrestrial network devices, it is possible to know the services provided by non-terrestrial network devices to the corresponding geographical areas at different times. This enables the network to select appropriate edge application servers / distribution points for terminals, thereby ensuring the normal transmission of services.

[0016] In one possible design, obtaining information about a first user plane network element based on information about a first service and service deployment information includes: determining a first parameter based on information about a first service and service deployment information; the first parameter being used to indicate the deployment location of the first service; and obtaining information about the first user plane network element based on the first parameter.

[0017] In one possible design, obtaining information about the first user plane network element based on the first parameter includes: sending the first parameter; and receiving information about the first user plane network element.

[0018] Based on this possible design, by sending the first parameter to other network elements, the network elements can obtain the information of the first user plane network element based on the first parameter and return the information of the first user plane network element to the first control plane network element. This eliminates the need for the first control plane network element to determine the information itself, thus reducing the implementation complexity of the first control plane network element.

[0019] In one possible design, obtaining information about the first user plane network element based on the first parameter includes: determining the information about the first user plane network element based on the first parameter, the ephemeris information of at least one non-terrestrial network device, and the correspondence between the non-terrestrial network device and the user plane network element.

[0020] In one possible design, the first parameter is a first data network access identifier; the first parameter is determined based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information, including: determining the first data network access identifier based on the information of the first service, the location of the terminal, the first time, and the service deployment information.

[0021] For example, the first data network access identifier is one of the at least one data network access identifiers corresponding to the information of the first service, which is the data network access identifier corresponding to the location of the terminal and the first time. The service deployment information includes the time information corresponding to the at least one data network access identifier corresponding to the information of the first service.

[0022] For example, the first data network access identifier may also have other names, or the first parameter may also be other parameters that can indicate the location of service deployment. The first data network access identifier can be understood as an example name of the parameter. This application does not specifically limit the name of the parameter.

[0023] In one possible design, the first parameter is a first non-terrestrial network device identifier list; the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list includes at least one non-terrestrial network device identifier, and the at least one non-terrestrial network device identifier is a non-terrestrial network device identifier corresponding to the information of the first service in the service deployment information.

[0024] In one possible design, the first parameter is a first data network access identifier list; the first data network access identifier list includes at least one data network access identifier, and the at least one data network access identifier is a data network access identifier corresponding to the information of the first service in the service deployment information.

[0025] For example, the data network access identifier list may also have other names, or the first parameter may also be other parameters that can indicate the location of service deployment. The data network access identifier list can be understood as an example name of the parameter, and this application does not specifically limit the name of the parameter.

[0026] In one possible design, the information of the first user plane network element is obtained based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information, including: determining the information of the first user plane network element based on the information of the first service, the service deployment information, the ephemeris information of at least one non-terrestrial network device, and the correspondence between the non-terrestrial network device and the user plane network element.

[0027] In one possible design, the information of the first user plane network element is obtained based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information, including: when the terminal accesses through a non-terrestrial network device, or when the data network access identifier corresponding to the terminal corresponds to the time information, the information of the first user plane network element is obtained based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information.

[0028] For example, the correspondence between a data network access identifier and time information can be understood as follows: the service deployment information to which the data network access identifier belongs includes time information. For instance, service deployment information may include a data network access identifier and time information. The data network access identifier may correspond to a service domain name / address. When the service deployment information includes different time periods, the correspondence between the data network access identifier and the service domain name and / or address may differ.

[0029] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending at least one of the following: the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal, the location of the terminal, the data network access identifier corresponding to the terminal, or first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal accesses the network through the non-terrestrial network device.

[0030] In one possible design, the service deployment information may also include information about one or more secondary services.

[0031] It should be noted that the correspondence between business information and time information / non-terrestrial network equipment, and the correspondence between business and data network access identifier can also be represented in the form of tables, key-value pairs, sets, databases, etc., or in other ways. This application does not make specific limitations on the form in which the correspondence is represented.

[0032] Secondly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a second control plane network element, or by a component of the second control plane network element, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the second control plane network element, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second control plane network element. The method includes: obtaining a first parameter, the first parameter indicating the deployment location of the service accessed by the terminal; obtaining information about one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location based on the first parameter; obtaining information about a first user plane network element based on the information about the one or more non-terrestrial network devices; and sending the information about the first user plane network element. The first user plane network element is used to serve the terminal, and the first user plane network element is deployed on one of the one or more non-terrestrial network devices.

[0033] Based on this scheme, the first parameter can indicate the deployment location of the service accessed by the terminal. Therefore, when the service is deployed on a non-terrestrial network, the first parameter can reflect the non-terrestrial network device (such as a satellite) corresponding to the service. Thus, one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location obtained based on the first parameter can correspond to or be associated with the service. As a result, the user plane network elements deployed on the one or more non-terrestrial network devices can serve the terminal and enable the terminal to access the service. This can help select a suitable edge application server / distribution point for the terminal, thereby ensuring the normal transmission of the service and improving the user experience.

[0034] In one possible design, obtaining information about one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location based on a first parameter includes: sending first information, the first information being used to indicate the provision of non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location; the first information including the first parameter, or including information related to the first parameter; and receiving information about one or more non-terrestrial network devices.

[0035] Based on this possible design, by sending first information related to the first parameter to other network elements, the network element can obtain information about one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location based on the first information, without the second control plane network element having to determine it itself, thereby reducing the implementation complexity of the second control plane network element.

[0036] In one possible design, obtaining information about one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location based on the first parameter includes: determining information about one or more non-terrestrial network devices based on the first parameter and the ephemeris information of at least one non-terrestrial network device.

[0037] Based on this possible design, the geographical area served by each non-terrestrial network device can be determined through the ephemeris information of the non-terrestrial network device. Thus, based on the geographical area served by each non-terrestrial network device, non-terrestrial network devices whose geographical area of ​​service corresponds to the deployment location indicated by the first parameter (e.g., the geographical area served by the non-terrestrial network device includes the deployment location) can be selected. This allows for the selection of one or more suitable non-terrestrial network devices, ensuring that appropriate user plane network elements can be selected subsequently, thereby guaranteeing normal service transmission and improving user experience.

[0038] In one possible design, obtaining information about the first user plane network element based on information from one or more non-terrestrial network devices includes: determining information about the first user plane network element based on information from one or more non-terrestrial network devices and the correspondence between non-terrestrial network devices and user plane network elements.

[0039] Based on this possible design, the correspondence between non-terrestrial network devices and user plane network elements can indicate the user plane network elements deployed on the non-terrestrial network devices. Based on this correspondence, non-terrestrial network devices with deployed user plane network elements can be selected from one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location, thereby selecting appropriate user plane network elements, ensuring normal service transmission, and improving user experience.

[0040] In one possible design, determining the information of the first user plane network element based on information from one or more non-terrestrial network devices and the correspondence between non-terrestrial network devices and user plane network elements includes: determining at least one non-terrestrial network device with user plane network elements deployed from one or more non-terrestrial network devices based on the correspondence between non-terrestrial network devices and user plane network elements; and determining the information of the first user plane network element based on information from at least one non-terrestrial network device with user plane network elements deployed.

[0041] In one possible design, the first user plane network element is deployed in a second non-terrestrial network device, which is the highest priority non-terrestrial network device among at least one non-terrestrial network device with deployed user plane network elements.

[0042] In one possible design, the method further includes: obtaining the correspondence between locally configured non-terrestrial network devices and user plane network elements; or, receiving the correspondence between non-terrestrial network devices and user plane network elements.

[0043] Thirdly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a third control plane network element, or by a component of the third control plane network element, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the third control plane network element, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the third control plane network element. The method includes: receiving first information, the first information indicating a non-terrestrial network device corresponding to the deployment location of a service providing terminal access; determining a first non-terrestrial network device based on the first information; determining one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location based on the first non-terrestrial network device; and sending information about one or more non-terrestrial network devices. The first non-terrestrial network device satisfies at least one of the following: related to a geographical area corresponding to a first data network access identifier; closest to the terminal among non-terrestrial network devices in the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list; closest to the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal among non-terrestrial network devices in the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list; closest to the terminal among non-terrestrial network devices in the first data network access identifier list; or closest to the terminal among non-terrestrial network devices in the first data network access identifier list.

[0044] Based on this scheme, the first information can indicate the non-terrestrial network device corresponding to the deployment location of the service provided by the terminal. Therefore, the deployment location of the service accessed by the terminal can be known through the first information. Thus, when the service is deployed on a non-terrestrial network, the first non-terrestrial network device determined by the first information can be the non-terrestrial network device that is closest to the terminal or the non-terrestrial network device it accesses, which is related to the geographical area of ​​the service. Therefore, one or more non-terrestrial network devices determined based on the first non-terrestrial network device can enable the terminal to access the service, thereby assisting in selecting a suitable edge application server / distribution point for the terminal, ensuring the normal transmission of the service and improving the user experience.

[0045] In one possible design, determining the first non-terrestrial network device based on the first information includes: determining the first non-terrestrial network device based on the first information and ephemeris information of at least one non-terrestrial network device.

[0046] Based on this possible design, the geographical area served by each non-terrestrial network device can be determined through the ephemeris information of the non-terrestrial network device. Thus, based on the geographical area served by each non-terrestrial network device, non-terrestrial network devices whose geographical area of ​​service corresponds to the deployment location indicated by the first information (e.g., the geographical area served by the non-terrestrial network device includes the deployment location) can be selected. This allows for the selection of one or more suitable non-terrestrial network devices, ensuring that appropriate user plane network elements can be selected subsequently, thereby guaranteeing normal service transmission and improving user experience.

[0047] Fourthly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a second control plane network element, or by a component of the second control plane network element, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the second control plane network element, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second control plane network element. The method includes: acquiring a first parameter, the first parameter indicating the deployment location of the service accessed by the terminal; determining information of the first user plane network element based on the first parameter, ephemeris information of at least one non-terrestrial network device, and the correspondence between the non-terrestrial network device and the user plane network element; and sending the information of the first user plane network element. The first user plane network element is used to serve the terminal. The technical effects of this fourth aspect are similar to those of the second aspect described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0048] In one possible design, combining the second, third, or fourth aspects, the first parameter is a first data network access identifier, which corresponds to the service accessed by the terminal.

[0049] In one possible design, in conjunction with the second, third, or fourth aspect, the first information includes a first data network access identifier, or information about the geographical area corresponding to the first data network access identifier.

[0050] In combination with the second, third, or fourth aspect, in one possible design, the distance between one or more non-terrestrial network devices and the first non-terrestrial network device satisfies a preset condition; the first non-terrestrial network device is related to the geographical area corresponding to the first data network access identifier.

[0051] In one possible design, combining the second, third, or fourth aspects, the first parameter is a first non-terrestrial network device identifier list, which corresponds to the service accessed by the terminal.

[0052] In one possible design, in conjunction with the second, third, or fourth aspect, the first information includes a first list of non-terrestrial network device identifiers and a second parameter, wherein the second parameter is the location of the terminal and / or the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device to which the terminal is connected.

[0053] In conjunction with the second, third, or fourth aspect, in one possible design, the distance between one or more non-terrestrial network devices and the first non-terrestrial network device satisfies a preset condition; the first non-terrestrial network device is the non-terrestrial network device closest to the terminal among the non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list; or it is the non-terrestrial network device closest to the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal among the non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list.

[0054] In one possible design, combining the second, third, or fourth aspects, the first parameter is a first data network access identifier list, which corresponds to the services accessed by the terminal.

[0055] In one possible design, in conjunction with the second, third, or fourth aspect, the first information includes a first data network access identifier list and a second parameter, wherein the second parameter is the location of the terminal and / or the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device to which the terminal is accessed.

[0056] In conjunction with the second, third, or fourth aspect, in one possible design, the distance between one or more non-terrestrial network devices and the first non-terrestrial network device satisfies a preset condition; the first non-terrestrial network device is the non-terrestrial network device closest to the terminal among the non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the first data network access identifier list, or it is the non-terrestrial network device closest to the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal among the non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the first data network access identifier list.

[0057] In conjunction with the second, third, or fourth aspect, in one possible design, the preset condition includes: the number of hops in the inter-satellite link between one or more non-terrestrial network devices and the first non-terrestrial network device is less than or equal to a hop count threshold, and / or the distance between one or more non-terrestrial network devices and the first non-terrestrial network device is less than or equal to a distance threshold.

[0058] Based on this possible design, non-terrestrial network devices that can communicate with the first non-terrestrial network device can be selected, and when the number of hops in the inter-satellite link is small or the distance between non-terrestrial network devices is small, low communication latency can be guaranteed, thereby reducing service latency.

[0059] In conjunction with the second, third, or fourth aspect, in one possible design, the first information further includes second instruction information, which is used to indicate the provision of information for one or more non-terrestrial network devices, or to indicate the provision of information for one or more non-terrestrial network devices with priority.

[0060] In conjunction with the second, third, or fourth aspect, in one possible design, the information of the non-terrestrial network device includes the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device.

[0061] In conjunction with the second, third, or fourth aspects, in one possible design, the information of the non-terrestrial network device also includes the priority information of the non-terrestrial network device.

[0062] In conjunction with the second, third, or fourth aspect, in one possible design, the priority information of the non-terrestrial network device is determined based on the hop count and / or distance of the inter-satellite link between the non-terrestrial network device and the first non-terrestrial network device; or, the priority information is used to indicate the hop count and / or distance of the inter-satellite link between the non-terrestrial network device and the first non-terrestrial network device.

[0063] Based on this possible design, the network can select non-terrestrial network devices that are closer to the first non-terrestrial network device or have a smaller inter-satellite link based on priority information, thereby ensuring lower communication latency and reducing service latency.

[0064] Fifthly, a communication device is provided for implementing various methods. This communication device can be a first control plane network element in the first aspect, or a device included in the first control plane network element, such as a chip or chip system; or, the communication device can be a second control plane network element in the second or fourth aspect, or a device included in the second control plane network element, such as a chip or chip system; or, the communication device can be a third control plane network element in the third aspect, or a device included in the third control plane network element, 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.

[0065] 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.

[0066] In some possible designs, the transceiver module can consist of transceiver circuits, transceivers, transceivers, or communication interfaces.

[0067] A sixth aspect provides a communication device, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory being used to store computer instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the communication device to perform the method described in any aspect. The communication device may be a first control plane network element in the first aspect, or a device included in the first control plane network element, such as a chip or a chip system; or, the communication device may be a second control plane network element in the second or fourth aspect, or a device included in the second control plane network element, such as a chip or a chip system; or, the communication device may be a third control plane network element in the third aspect, or a device included in the third control plane network element, such as a chip or a chip system.

[0068] A seventh aspect provides a communication device, 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 a computer program or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the method described in any aspect. The communication device may be a first control plane network element in the first aspect, or a device included in the first control plane network element, such as a chip or chip system; or, the communication device may be a second control plane network element in the second or fourth aspect, or a device included in the second control plane network element, such as a chip or chip system; or, the communication device may be a third control plane network element in the third aspect, or a device included in the third control plane network element, such as a chip or chip system.

[0069] Eighthly, a communication device is provided, 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 of the aspects. The memory may be coupled to the processor, or may be independent of the processor. The communication device may be a first control plane network element in the first aspect, or a device included in the first control plane network element, such as a chip or a chip system; or, the communication device may be a second control plane network element in the second or fourth aspect, or a device included in the second control plane network element, such as a chip or a chip system; or, the communication device may be a third control plane network element in the third aspect, or a device included in the third control plane network element, such as a chip or a chip system.

[0070] A ninth aspect provides a communication device (e.g., the communication device may be a chip or a chip system), 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 control plane network element in the first aspect, or a device included in the first control plane network element, such as a chip or a chip system; or, the communication device may be a second control plane network element in the second or fourth aspect, or a device included in the second control plane network element, such as a chip or a chip system; or, the communication device may be a third control plane network element in the third aspect, or a device included in the third control plane network element, such as a chip or a chip system.

[0071] In some possible designs, the communication device includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.

[0072] In some possible designs, when the device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or contain chips and other discrete components.

[0073] In a tenth aspect, a communication device is provided. This communication device may be a first control plane network element, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, chip system, or circuit) within the first control plane network element 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 control plane network element; or, the communication device may be a second control plane network element, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, chip system, or circuit) within the second control plane network element that performs the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second or fourth aspect, or a module or unit that can be used in conjunction with the second control plane network element; or, the communication device may be a third control plane network element, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, chip system, or circuit) within the third control plane network element that performs the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the third aspect, or a module or unit that can be used in conjunction with the third control plane network element.

[0074] It is understandable that when the communication device provided in any of the fifth to tenth 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.

[0075] Eleventhly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores 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.

[0076] In a twelfth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided that, when run on a communication device, enables the communication device to perform the method described in either aspect or any possible design thereof.

[0077] In a thirteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising a first control plane network element, a second control plane network element, and a third control plane network element. The first control plane network element is used to implement the methods described in the first aspect and any possible design thereof, the second control plane network element is used to implement the methods described in the second / fourth aspect and any possible design thereof, and the third control plane network element is used to implement the methods described in the third aspect and any possible design thereof.

[0078] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects five through thirteen can be found in the technical effects of different design methods in aspects one through four, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0079] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a non-roaming architecture for 5GS provided in this application;

[0080] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a multi-anchor session architecture provided in this application;

[0081] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the discovery process of EAS provided in this application;

[0082] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a regenerative satellite network architecture provided in this application;

[0083] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a scenario where a LEO satellite covers different areas at different times, as provided in this application.

[0084] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a UPF and EAS deployment scenario on a satellite provided in this application;

[0085] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in this application;

[0086] Figures 8-14 are schematic flowcharts of the communication method provided in this application;

[0087] Figures 15 and 16 are schematic diagrams of the communication device provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0088] 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.

[0089] 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 single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, a and b and c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0090] 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.

[0091] 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.

[0092] 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.

[0093] 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.

[0094] 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.

[0095] 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, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referenced. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships. The following descriptions of the embodiments of this application do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0096] In this application, "sending information" can be understood as one device sending information to another device, or it can also be understood as one logical module within a device sending information to another logical module. For example, "network device sending information" can be understood as a network device sending information to another device (such as a terminal or other network device), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in the network device sending information to logical module 2 in the network device.

[0097] In this application, "receiving information" can be understood as one device receiving information from another device, or it can also be understood as a logical module within a device receiving information from another logical module. For example, "network device receiving information" can be understood as a network device receiving information from another device (such as a terminal or other network device), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in the network device receiving information from logical module 2 in the network device.

[0098] In this application, phrases such as "sending information to... (e.g., a terminal)" or related illustrations in the accompanying drawings can be understood as indicating that the destination of the information is a terminal. This can include sending information directly or indirectly to a terminal. Similarly, phrases such as "receiving information from... (e.g., a terminal)," "receiving information from... (e.g., a terminal)," or "receiving information sent by (e.g., a terminal)," or related illustrations in the accompanying drawings, can be understood as indicating that the source of the information is a terminal. This can include receiving information directly or indirectly from a terminal. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be interpreted similarly and will not be elaborated further here.

[0099] 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.

[0100] 1. Fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system (5G system, 5GS):

[0101] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the non-roaming architecture of 5GS. As shown in Figure 1, 5GS includes: an access network (AN) and a core network (CN), and may also include: terminals.

[0102] The aforementioned terminal can be a terminal with transceiver capabilities, or a chip or chip system that can be installed on the terminal. This terminal can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, user station, mobile station (MS), mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user equipment. The terminals in the embodiments of this application may be mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, tablets, wireless data cards, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless modems, handsets, laptop computers, machine-type communication (MTC) terminals, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminals, augmented reality (AR) terminals, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, vehicle-mounted terminals, roadside units (RSUs) with terminal functions, etc. The terminal of this application may also be an on-board module, on-board unit, on-board component, on-board chip or on-board unit that is built into a vehicle as one or more components or units.

[0103] The aforementioned AN is used to implement access-related functions. It can provide network access functionality for authorized users in a specific area and determine transmission links of different quality according to user level and service requirements to transmit user data. The AN forwards control signals and user data between the terminal and the CN. The AN can be a radio access network (RAN). The AN may include access network equipment, also known as RAN equipment or RAN network elements.

[0104] The Network Center (CN) is primarily responsible for maintaining the subscription data of the mobile network and providing terminals with functions such as session management, mobility management, policy management, and security authentication. The CN mainly includes the following network elements: User Plane Function (UPF) network elements, Authentication Server Function (AUSF) network elements, Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network elements, Session Management Function (SMF) network elements, Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) network elements, Network Exposure Function (NEF) network elements, Network Function Repository Function (NRF) network elements, Policy Control Function (PCF) network elements, Unified Data Management (UDM) network elements, Unified Data Repository (UDR) network elements, and Application Function (AF).

[0105] As shown in Figure 1, the UE accesses the 5G network through the AN. The UE communicates with the AMF network element through the N1 interface (N1 for short). The access network equipment in the AN communicates with the AMF network element through the N2 interface (N2 for short). The access network equipment in the AN communicates with the UPF network element through the N3 interface (N3 for short). The SMF communicates with the UPF network element through the N4 interface (N4 for short). The UPF network element accesses the data network (DN) through the N6 interface (N6 for short).

[0106] In addition, the control plane functions of the AUSF, AMF, SMF, NSSF, NEF, NRF, PCF, UDM, UDR or AF network elements shown in Figure 1 interact using service-oriented interfaces.

[0107] For example, the service interface provided by the AUSF network element is Nausf; the service interface provided by the AMF network element is Namf; the service interface provided by the SMF network element is Nsmf; the service interface provided by the NSSF network element is Nnssf; the service interface provided by the NEF network element is Nnef; the service interface provided by the NRF network element is Nnrf; the service interface provided by the PCF network element is Npcf; the service interface provided by the UDM network element is Nudm; the service interface provided by the UDR network element is Nudr; and the service interface provided by the AF network element is Naf.

[0108] RAN equipment can be a device that provides access to terminals. For example, RAN equipment may include: access network equipment in a future mobile communication system, or in a future mobile communication system, the RAN equipment may also have other naming conventions, all of which are covered within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application, and this application does not limit them in any way. Alternatively, RAN equipment may also include 5G, such as gNB in ​​a new radio (NR) system, or one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in 5G, or it may be a network node constituting a gNB, transmission and reception point (TRP) or transmission point (TP) or transmission measurement function (TMF), such as a building base band unit (BBU), or a centralized unit (CU) or distributed unit (DU), an RSU with base station function, or a wired access gateway, or a core network element of 5G. Alternatively, RAN equipment may also include access points (APs) in wireless fidelity (WiFi) systems, wireless relay nodes, wireless backhaul nodes, various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small stations), relay stations, access points, wearable devices, vehicle-mounted equipment, and so on.

[0109] UPF network elements are primarily responsible for user data processing (forwarding, receiving, billing, etc.). For example, a UPF network element can receive user data from a DN (Network Data Center) and forward that data to the terminal through access network equipment. A UPF network element can also receive user data from the terminal through access network equipment and forward that data to the DN. A DN network element refers to the operator's network that provides data transmission services to users. Examples include Internet Protocol (IP), IP Multimedia Service (IMS), and the Internet. A DN can be an external network of the operator or a network controlled by the operator, used to provide services to terminal equipment.

[0110] The AUSF network element is mainly used to perform security authentication for terminals.

[0111] AMF network elements are primarily used for mobility management in mobile networks. Examples include user location updates, user network registration, and user handover.

[0112] SMF network elements are primarily used for session management in mobile networks. This includes tasks such as session establishment, modification, and release. Specific functions include assigning Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to users and selecting UPF network elements that provide packet forwarding capabilities.

[0113] The PCF network element primarily supports providing a unified policy framework to control network behavior, providing policy rules to the control layer network functions, and is also responsible for acquiring user subscription information related to policy decisions. The PCF network element can provide policies to the AMF and SMF network elements, such as Quality of Service (QoS) policies and slice selection policies.

[0114] NSSF network elements are mainly used to select network slices for terminals.

[0115] NEF network elements are primarily used to support the opening of capabilities and events.

[0116] UDM network elements are mainly used to store user data, such as subscription data and authentication / authorization data.

[0117] UDR network elements are mainly used to store structured data, including contract data, policy data, externally exposed structured data, and application-related data.

[0118] AF primarily supports interaction with CN to provide services, such as influencing data routing decisions, policy control functions, or providing third-party services to the network side.

[0119] 2. Multi-anchor Protocol Data Unit (PDU) Session:

[0120] In edge computing (EC) deployment scenarios, certain services may be provided by multiple edge application servers (EAS) deployed at the network edge. An EAS can be understood as an application server deployed within the network domain (DN) to provide service access addresses to terminals.

[0121] In this deployment scenario, in order to support selective traffic routing to the DN or support session continuity mode, the SMF network element can insert multiple UPF network elements controlled by the SMF network element into the user plane of the PDU session to control the user plane path of the PDU session, so that a PDU session can access the DN through multiple N6 interfaces at the same time.

[0122] In a multi-anchor session architecture, as shown in Figure 2, there is a splitting point UPF network element, also known as an uplink classifier (ULCL) or branching point (BP). The splitting point UPF network element has the function of splitting user plane packets according to the source / destination IP address of the user plane packets. The splitting rules are configured by the SMF network element.

[0123] For example, ULCL routes uplink packets based on their destination IP address, forwarding user plane packets through different tunnels to either the central-PDU session anchor (C-PSA) or the local-PDU session anchor (L-PSA). The C-PSA or L-PSA then forwards the packets to the EAS deployed in the DN or local DN. Similarly, BP routes uplink packets based on their source IP address, forwarding user plane packets through different tunnels to either the C-PSA or L-PSA.

[0124] 3. EAS deployment information (EDI):

[0125] EAS deployment information is used to reflect the network deployment status at the edge. EAS deployment information includes the address range information, DNS server information, and full qualified domain name (FQDN) information of the EAS deployed by the service provider. It also includes the core network's identification of these edge services, such as the data network access identifier (DNAI), the data network name (DNN) corresponding to the EAS, and single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI).

[0126] EAS deployment information reflects the correspondence between these information. For example, it includes one or more of the following: the FQDN range for each DNAI, the EAS IP address range, and the DNS server identifier. If a service's FQDN or EAS IP falls within the above range, it indicates that the service is deployed at the local edge.

[0127] DNAI is a concept related to service deployment and geographical location, and its function is to identify a network access point. One DNAI can correspond to one or more UPFs and EASs. For example, if there is an edge data center deployed in area A, which has two EASs and two UPFs in the core network that are directly connected to this data center (e.g., fiber optic connection), these two EASs and these two UPFs all belong to the same DNAI, such as the DNAI of area A.

[0128] An FQDN can represent a service deployed within the geographic location associated with its corresponding DNAI. An EAS address can be understood as the address of the EAS deployed within the geographic location associated with its corresponding DNAI.

[0129] 4. EAS Discovery Process:

[0130] As shown in Figure 2, in edge deployment scenarios, the CN can also include an EAS discovery function (EASDF) network element. EASDF is mainly used to assist in EAS discovery. EAS discovery is used by terminals in edge deployment scenarios to obtain the appropriate EAS IP address, thereby accessing the nearest available EAS.

[0131] As shown in Figure 3, the EAS discovery process includes the following steps:

[0132] Step 0: The SMF network element sends a DNS message handling rule to the EASDF network element.

[0133] For example, in the session establishment process, the SMF network element selects an EASDF network element for the session, and then sends DNS message processing rules to the EASDF network element, instructing the EASDF network element on how to process the terminal's DNS messages. The DNS message processing rules are determined based on the EAS deployment information.

[0134] Step 1: The terminal sends a DNS request (DNS query) message to the EASDF network element.

[0135] The DNS request message includes an FQDN, indicating the service the terminal is requesting access to. For example, step 1 occurs after the session establishment process. During this process, the SMF network element can be configured to use the EASDF network element's address as the default address for sending DNS request messages.

[0136] Step 2: The EASDF network element matches the information in the DNS request message with the DNS processing rules.

[0137] Upon receiving a DNS request message, EASDF first matches the source IP address of the DNS request message with the source address in the DNS message processing rules. Because one EASDF can serve multiple sessions, and each session has different DNS message processing rules, upon receiving a DNS query, it needs to first determine the session and corresponding DNS message processing rule based on the source address. After matching the source address, EASDF matches the FQDN contained in the DNS request message with the FQDN range in the aforementioned DNS message processing rules. If it falls within this range, steps 3 and 4 are executed.

[0138] If the FQDN in the DNS request message is not within the range indicated by the DNS message processing rules, the EASDF network element will directly forward the DNS request message to the default DNS server without going through steps 3-4 below. In this case, the server queried is generally the address of a remote server, such as the central cloud server.

[0139] Step 3: The EASDF network element sends the FQDN in the DNS request message to the SMF network element.

[0140] Step 4: The SMF network element instructs the EASDF network element to add the EDNS client subnet (ECS) option to the DNS request message.

[0141] The ECS option can also be understood as the EDNS client-subnet option. EDNS refers to Extended Mechanisms for DNS.

[0142] After receiving the FQDN included in the DNS request message, the SMF determines an address based on this FQDN, EAS deployment information, and terminal location information. This address is then sent to the EASDF network element, instructing the EASDF network element to determine the ECS option based on this address. For example, the EASDF network element may use this address as the ECS option in the DNS request message. This address (or ECS option) can actually be the address of the UPF network element. In this embodiment, for ease of description, the terms "ECS option" and "the address of the UPF network element that serves as the ECS option" are interchangeable and not limited.

[0143] ECS option is an extension in a DNS message used to represent the terminal's location information. For example, when the ECS option is the address of a UPF network element, it indicates that the terminal is located within the service area of ​​that UPF network element, or that the terminal is close to that UPF network element, or that the address of that UPF network element can represent the terminal's location. When the central DNS server (C-DNS server) receives a DNS request message that includes the ECS option, it will return the address of the server (such as EAS) that is closest to the address in the ECS option.

[0144] Step 5: The EASDF network element forwards the DNS request message to the central DNS server (with the ECS option added).

[0145] For example, EASDF can generate an ECS option based on the address received from the SMF network element, add the ECS option to the DNS request message, and forward it to the DNS server.

[0146] Step 6: The central DNS server sends a DNS response message to the EASDF network element.

[0147] The DNS response message includes an FQDN (the same as the FQDN in the DNS request message) and an address (such as the IP address of EAS).

[0148] Step 7: The EASDF network element matches the information in the DNS response message with the DNS message processing rules.

[0149] After receiving the DNS response message from the central DNS server, the EASDF network element matches the FQDN / EAS IP contained in the DNS response message with the FQDN / EAS IP range in the aforementioned DNS message processing rules. If it matches the rules, proceed to steps 8-10 below; if it does not match the rules, i.e., the EAS IP / FQDN in the DNS response message is not within the range indicated by the DNS message processing rules, then step 8-10 is not executed, and step 11 is executed directly.

[0150] Step 8: The EASDF network element sends the EAS IP included in the DNS response message to the SMF network element.

[0151] Optionally, the EASDF element also sends the FQDN included in the DNS response message to the SMF element. Furthermore, the EASD element caches this DNS response message locally before receiving the SMF instruction.

[0152] Step 9: Configure the distribution point for the SMF network element according to the EAS IP.

[0153] For example, the SMF network element inserts a traffic splitting point and an L-PSA based on the EAS IP received from the EASDF network element and the locally configured EAS deployment information, and configures the traffic splitting rules on the traffic splitting point.

[0154] It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, the shunt point can refer to ULCL or BP, and they can be interchanged. This is explained here uniformly, and will not be repeated in subsequent embodiments.

[0155] Step 10: The SFM network element instructs the EASDF network element to forward the DNS response message to the terminal.

[0156] Step 11: The EASDF network element sends a DNS response message to the terminal.

[0157] Subsequently, when accessing services, the terminal can use the EAS IP carried in the DNS response message as the destination address.

[0158] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, optional steps are indicated by dashed lines in the accompanying drawings. In the EAS discovery process, if the FQDN / EAS IP in the DNS request / response message is not within the scope indicated by the DNS message processing rules, the optional steps in Figure 3 will not be executed.

[0159] It should be noted that the above is only an exemplary description of 5GS, multi-anchor PDU sessions, EAS deployment information, and EAS discovery process, and is not intended to be limiting. For detailed implementation, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) TS23.501, 23.502, 23.548 and other protocols, which will not be repeated here.

[0160] 5. Non-terrestrial networks (NTN):

[0161] 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.

[0162] 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.

[0163] 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.

[0164] 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.

[0165] The GEO satellite communication system, also known as a 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.

[0166] 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.

[0167] 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.

[0168] Satellite networks include transparent payload network architectures and regenerative satellite network architectures. As shown in Figure 4, in a regenerative satellite network architecture, RAN equipment, core network elements, or service servers are deployed on the satellite, meaning the satellite has all or some of the functions of a base station / core network element. Before the uplink radio frequency signal transmitted by the terminal is transmitted on the downlink (referring to the feeder link, the link between the satellite and the gateway station), the satellite can convert and amplify it, including demodulation / decoding, encoding / modulation, etc.

[0169] In 3GPP Release 18, the scenario of deploying UPF and EAS in GEO has been discussed. In this scenario, since GEO is stationary relative to the ground, the current EAS deployment information and EAS discovery process are applicable.

[0170] However, with the development of communication technology, in future satellite networks, as the number of LEO satellites increases, UPF and EAS can also be deployed on LEO satellites. However, LEO satellites move at high speeds relative to the ground, which will cause changes in the geographical areas served by the UPF and EAS deployed on LEO satellites (because the LEO satellites move relative to the ground). For example, as shown in Figure 5, LEO satellites cover city 1 at 9:00 AM but only cover city 2 at 10:00 AM.

[0171] In other words, when UPF and EAS are deployed on LEO satellites, EAS deployment information is no longer fixed. Therefore, the current static EAS deployment information is no longer applicable in this scenario and can no longer reflect the geographical area of ​​EAS service in real time. Consequently, the current EAS discovery process based on static EAS deployment information is no longer used. For example, the existing EAS discovery process cannot select UPF network elements and EAS, or the selected UPF network elements and EAS are not the most suitable for the terminal.

[0172] Based on this, this application provides a communication method in which service deployment information is enhanced, such as including at least one of the following: time information corresponding to the service information, a non-terrestrial network device identifier corresponding to the service information, or a data network access identifier corresponding to the service, wherein the data network access identifier corresponds to the non-terrestrial network device. The session management network element can determine the deployment location of the service accessed by the terminal based on the enhanced service deployment information, determine the corresponding non-terrestrial network device based on the deployment location, and select a suitable edge application server or distribution point for the terminal based on the user plane network element deployed on the non-terrestrial network device, thereby ensuring normal service transmission and improving user experience.

[0173] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be used in NTN systems such as satellite communication systems, satellite overall architecture (SAT_ARCH), 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 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.

[0174] The technical solutions of this application can be used in scenarios where RAN devices, UPF, and EAS are deployed on non-terrestrial network devices. These non-terrestrial network devices can be satellites that are not geosynchronous with Earth, such as LEO and MEO satellites, or network devices deployed on high-altitude platforms (such as aircraft, drones, balloons, etc.). The following embodiments of this application use the deployment of RAN devices, UPF, and EAS on LEO satellites as an example. It is understood that this application does not limit the deployment of RAN devices, UPF, and EAS on every satellite; that is, RAN devices, UPF, and EAS can be deployed on different satellites.

[0175] For example, as shown in Figure 6, RAN device 1, UPF network element 1, and EAS1 are deployed on satellite 1, and RAN device 2 and EAS2 are deployed on satellite 2. Satellite 1 and satellite 2 can communicate with each other via an inter-satellite link. Satellite 1 communicates with other core network elements on the ground through a gateway station.

[0176] The communication systems and scenarios applicable to this application mentioned above are merely illustrative examples. 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.

[0177] In one possible implementation, as shown in FIG7, the communication system applicable to the present application may include a first control plane network element. Optionally, it may also include a second control plane network element and / or a third control plane network element.

[0178] As one possible implementation, the first control plane network element can obtain (or perceive) service deployment information. For example, the first control plane network element can also implement the functions of the aforementioned SMF network element. The first control plane network element can be the aforementioned SMF network element, or referred to as a session management network element, or in future communication systems, the first control plane network element can be replaced with any other possible name.

[0179] As one possible implementation, the second control plane network element maintains the correspondence between non-terrestrial network devices (such as satellites) and user plane network elements. That is, the second control plane network element is aware of which non-terrestrial network device the user plane network element is deployed on, or in other words, it is aware of the user plane network elements deployed on non-terrestrial network devices.

[0180] For example, the second control plane network element can also implement the functions of the NRF network element described above. It can be the NRF network element described above, or called the network function storage network element. In future communication systems, the second control plane network element can also be replaced with any other possible name.

[0181] For example, the user plane network element can implement the functions of the UPF network element described above. The user plane network element can be the UPF network element described above, or in future communication systems, the user plane network element can be replaced with any other possible name.

[0182] As one possible implementation, the third control plane network element is used to maintain the ephemeris information of non-terrestrial network equipment. For example, the third control plane network element can also be called an ephemeris maintenance network element; in future mobile communication systems, the third control plane network element may have other names, which this application does not specifically limit.

[0183] In one possible scenario, the functions of the aforementioned first control plane network element, second control plane network element, and third control plane network element can be integrated into a single network element. For example, the first control plane network element can also maintain the correspondence between non-terrestrial network devices and user plane network elements, as well as the ephemeris information of the non-terrestrial network devices. In this case, the communication system may not include the second and third control plane network elements.

[0184] In another possible scenario, the functions of the second control plane network element and the third control plane network element can be integrated into one network element, or the second control plane network element and the third control plane network element can be co-located. That is, there is a network element that can maintain the correspondence between non-terrestrial network equipment and user plane network elements, as well as maintain the ephemeris information of non-terrestrial network equipment.

[0185] As one possible implementation, the aforementioned first control plane network element, second control plane network element, and third control plane network element can be deployed on the ground or on non-terrestrial network equipment; this application does not specifically limit this.

[0186] It is understood that the satellites in the embodiments of this application can be replaced with network-side equipment mounted on other flight platforms or high-altitude platforms such as drones and airplanes.

[0187] 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.

[0188] It should be noted that in the following embodiments of this application, the message names between network elements, the names of each parameter, or the names of each piece of 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.

[0189] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, a certain network element 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 execute other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the 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.

[0190] As an example, the following embodiments use the aforementioned flight platform as a satellite, specifically satellite communication in NTN. Of course, this method can also be applied to other scenarios in NTN, such as LAP subnetworks or HAP subnetworks. In these scenarios, the ephemeris information can be replaced with preset flight trajectory information or preset flight route information of the flight platform or high-altitude platform, etc., without specific limitations.

[0191] The interaction process between various network elements / devices in the above-described communication system will be specifically described below through method embodiments. The communication method provided in this application embodiment can be applied to the above-described communication system and specifically applied to various scenarios mentioned in the above-described communication system, which will be described in detail below.

[0192] Figure 8 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This communication method can be executed by a first control plane network element, or by a component of the first control plane network element, such as a processor, chip, or chip system, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first control plane network element. Referring to Figure 8, taking the execution of the communication method by the first control plane network element as an example, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0193] S801, the first control plane network element obtains the information of the first user plane network element based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information.

[0194] For example, the first service can be understood as the service accessed by the terminal, such as the service requested by the terminal, the service that the terminal will access, or the service that the terminal hopes to access.

[0195] For example, the business described in this application embodiment can also be referred to as a service, which can be understood as a third-party business, application service, etc. For instance, services provided by social software, game software, search engines, etc., can all be considered as a business.

[0196] As one possible implementation, service deployment information can indicate the deployment status of services. This can be edge application server deployment information, such as the edge application server deployment information defined in 3GPP TS23.548. Here, "service deployment information" is used generically and can include service information for one or more services, indicating the deployment status of those services. Specifically, the one or more services include a first service; that is, the service deployment information includes information about the first service.

[0197] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, the service deployment information may also have other names. The key point is that it includes information about one or more services, and the service deployment information can be used to determine the information of user plane network elements. This application does not specifically limit its name. The service deployment information can be used to determine the information of user plane network elements. This can be either the information of user plane network elements can be determined directly based on the service deployment information, or intermediate information can be determined based on the service deployment information, and this intermediate information can be used to determine the information of user plane network elements.

[0198] For example, the first control plane network element can determine the deployment location of a service (which can be represented by the service's domain name, address, etc.) based on service deployment information, such as the data network access identifier corresponding to the service. The first control plane network element also stores ephemeris information, the correspondence between non-terrestrial network devices and user plane network elements locally. Thus, based on the data network access identifier corresponding to the service, the ephemeris information, and the correspondence between the data network access identifier and the user plane network element, the information of the user plane network element can be determined. The detailed implementation of determining the information of the user plane network element based on service deployment information will be described in subsequent embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0199] The service deployment information includes at least one of the following: the time information corresponding to the service information, the non-terrestrial network device identifier corresponding to the service information, or the data network access identifier corresponding to the service, wherein the data network access identifier corresponds to the non-terrestrial network device.

[0200] For example, service deployment information including at least one of the above can be understood as an enhancement of the edge application server deployment information defined in 3GPP TS23.548. In addition to at least one of the above, the service deployment information may also include other information in the edge application server deployment information defined in 3GPP TS23.548, without limitation.

[0201] For example, business information includes one or more of the following: business domain name information, business address information, or the data network access identifier corresponding to the business. The business domain name information can be the business's FQDN; the business address information can be the business's IP address, which can be the IP address of the EAS providing the service; the data network access identifier corresponding to the business can be a DNAI. The business information can be in the form of a correspondence or set of the above one or more items, and can be stored in the form of tables, databases, etc., without limitation on its form or storage method.

[0202] As one possible implementation, the data network access identifier is essentially an identifier representing the entry point of a data network. It can point to a data network providing a specific service or indicate the location of service deployment. In this application embodiment, the data network access identifier can also have other names, as long as they can represent the above-mentioned essence. This application does not specifically limit its name. It is uniformly stated here that the following embodiments will not be repeated.

[0203] As one possible implementation, in this embodiment, the service information can also be described as "service information," and both can represent the same meaning. For example, the information of the first service is also a kind of "service information," which can also be described as "first service information." The service deployment information includes the information of the first service. Optionally, the service deployment information also includes information of at least one second service.

[0204] As one possible implementation, the information for the first service can be either the domain name information or the address information of the first service. For example, the domain name information for the first service could be the FQDN carried in the DNS request message when a terminal attempts to access the first service, and the address information for the first service could be the EAS IP address carried in the corresponding DNS response message.

[0205] As one possible implementation, the first control plane network element can obtain the information of the first user plane network element based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information, either when the terminal accesses the network through a non-terrestrial network device or when the data network access identifier corresponding to the terminal corresponds to the time information.

[0206] For example, the data network access identifier corresponding to the terminal can be understood as: the data network access identifier corresponding to the location of the terminal. That is, the first control plane network element can determine the data network access identifier corresponding to the terminal based on the location of the terminal. For example, if the geographical area corresponding to a certain data network access identifier includes the location of the terminal, or overlaps with the location of the terminal, then the data network access identifier is considered to correspond to the location of the terminal.

[0207] For example, the correspondence between a data network access identifier and time information can be understood as follows: the service deployment information to which the data network access identifier belongs includes time information. For instance, the service deployment information may include a data network access identifier and time information. The data network access identifier may correspond to a service domain name / address. When the service deployment information includes different time periods, the correspondence between the data network access identifier and the service domain name and / or address may be different. Please refer to the relevant explanation in Method 1 below, which will not be repeated here.

[0208] After step S801, either step S802a or S802b can be executed. For example, if the information of the first service is the domain name information of the first service, step S802a is executed; if the information of the first service is the address information of the first service, step S802b is executed.

[0209] S802a, The first control plane network element sends information from the first user plane network element.

[0210] The information of the first user plane network element is used to determine the edge application server, which is used by the terminal to access the first service. For example, the information of the first user plane network element can be its identifier (ID) or IP address.

[0211] As one possible implementation, the first control plane network element sends information about the first user plane network element to the network element used for discovering the application server. Correspondingly, the network element used for discovering the application server receives information from the first user plane network element of the first control plane network element.

[0212] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the network element used for discovering the application server is an EASDF network element, but in practical applications, the network element used for discovering the application server can also be other network elements. In future mobile communication systems, the EASDF network element can also be replaced with any other possible name, and this application does not limit its name in any way.

[0213] As one possible implementation, if the information of the first user plane network element is its IP address, the EASDF network element can use the IP address of the first user plane network element as the ECS option field in a DNS request message, sending a DNS request message carrying the ECS option to the DNS server. The DNS server can then return a DNS response message carrying the address information (such as the IP address) of the edge application server. This edge application server is the one determined based on the information of the first user plane network element. Subsequently, the EASDF network element can send the address information of this edge application server to the first control plane network element and the terminal. Refer to the relevant description in the EAS discovery process shown in Figure 3; it will not be repeated here.

[0214] When the information of the first user plane network element is its identifier, the EASDF network element can obtain the IP address of the first user plane network element based on its identifier, and then use the IP address of the first user plane network element as the ECS option to determine the edge application server. Please refer to the relevant explanations regarding the information of the first user plane network element being its IP address; these will not be repeated here.

[0215] For example, an EASDF network element can send information to a first user plane network element based on the identifier of the first user plane network element to request the IP address of the first user plane network element. The first user plane network element can respond to the request of the EASDF network element and send its own IP address to the EASDF network element.

[0216] S802b: The first control plane network element configures the first user plane network element according to the information of the first user plane network element. The first user plane network element is used for terminal access to the first service.

[0217] As one possible implementation, the first control plane network element can configure the first user plane network element service terminal based on the information of the first user plane network element, such as configuring the first user plane network element as a distribution point (e.g., ULCL or BP) and / or a local session anchor point (e.g., L-PSA). The terminal can access the first service through the first user plane network element.

[0218] For example, the first user plane network element service terminal can be understood as: the session / connection of the first user plane network element service terminal. For example, the session / connection may be a session / connection for transmitting DNS messages of the terminal, or a session / connection for the terminal to access services.

[0219] In one possible implementation, when the first control plane network element obtains the domain name information of the first service, such as receiving the FQDN in the DNS request message from the EASDF network element, it can select a suitable edge application server for the terminal through the above steps S801 and S802a; when the first control plane network element obtains the address information of the first service, such as receiving the EAS IP in the DNS response message from the EASDF network element, it can select a suitable user plane network element as a distribution point through the above steps S801 and S802b.

[0220] For example, steps S801 and S802a can be executed first to select a suitable edge application server, and then steps S801 and S802b can be executed to select a suitable user plane network element as a distribution point. In the two processes of selecting the edge application server and selecting the user plane network element, the first user plane network element in step S801 above may be the same or different.

[0221] The service deployment information in the embodiments of this application is described below. For example, the service deployment information can be implemented in at least one of the following three ways.

[0222] Method 1: Business deployment information includes the time information corresponding to the business information.

[0223] For example, in this method one, the business information may include at least one of the following: the domain name information of the business, the address information of the business, or the data network access identifier corresponding to the business. Please refer to the relevant descriptions above, which will not be repeated here.

[0224] In one possible implementation, the time information corresponding to the service information is used to indicate the availability time (or validity time, effective time, etc.) of the service information. For example, taking the service's domain name information as FQDN, the service's address information as the IP address of the EAS providing the service, and the service's data access network identifier as DNAI as an example, the service deployment information may include the contents shown in Table 1 and / or Table 2 below.

[0225] Table 1

[0226] Table 2

[0227] As shown in Table 1, the service's FQDN is www.1111.com, the corresponding DNAI is 1, the service's EAS IP address is 192.aaa, and the above service information is available from 9:00 to 9:10 am. This means that from 9:00 to 9:10 am, the EAS with IP address 192.aaa can provide the service corresponding to www.1111.com (such as a search engine service) to the geographical area corresponding to DNAI 1.

[0228] For example, time information can indicate a time period within a time cycle. Taking a satellite as an example of a non-terrestrial network device, and considering the periodic motion of the satellite, the time information can indicate the time within any satellite motion cycle. For instance, if the satellite's motion cycle is one day, the aforementioned time information can be that time period on any day, and Table 1 above shows the correspondence between service information and that time period on any day. Of course, the aforementioned cycle can also have other values, such as a cycle of 1 hour, 7 days, etc., without restriction.

[0229] As shown in Table 2, the FQDNs of the services include www.1111.com and www.2222.com, the DNAI corresponding to the services is 1, the EAS IP addresses of the services include 192.bbb and 192.ccc, and the availability time of the service information is 9:10-9:20 am. This means that from 9:10 to 9:20 am, the EAS with IP addresses 192.bbb and 192.ccc can provide the services corresponding to www.1111.com (such as a search engine service) and www.2222.com (such as a social software service) to the geographical area corresponding to DNAI 1.

[0230] The information shown in Tables 1 and 2 above indicates the service information provided for the geographic area corresponding to DNAI 1 at different time periods. For example, www.1111.com corresponds to service A, and www.2222.com corresponds to service B. Based on the example shown in Tables 1 and 2, the information for service A corresponds to DNAI 1 from 9:00-9:10 am and 9:10-9:20 am, while the information for service B corresponds to DNAI 1 only from 9:10-9:20 am. That is, within the geographic area corresponding to DNAI 1, service A is provided from 9:00-9:10 am and 9:10-9:20 am, and service B is provided from 9:10-9:20 am. As one possible implementation, in this method one, for an EAS deployed on a non-terrestrial network device, the service (FQDN) and EAS IP address range it provides remain unchanged, but the DNAI corresponding to the service changes over time. This is because non-terrestrial network devices move over time, so the geographic area they serve also changes.

[0231] For example, taking the business corresponding to Table 1 as an example, the corresponding business deployment information is different from that in other time periods. For example, it can be shown in Table 3 below.

[0232] Table 3

[0233] That is, the service provided by EAS with address 192.aaa for www.1111.com will have its service (or coverage) area changed to the area corresponding to DNAI 2 between 9:10 and 9:20 AM.

[0234] As one possible implementation, different DNAIs exist for business information corresponding to different time periods. For example, based on Tables 1 and 3 above, business A (www.1111.com, 192.aaa) corresponds to DNAI 1 between 9:00-9:10 am, and business A (www.1111.com, 192.aaa) corresponds to DNAI 2 between 9:10-9:20 am.

[0235] As one possible implementation, the correspondence between business information and time information can be direct or indirect. For example, if time information corresponds to DNAI and DNAI corresponds to FQDN / EAS IP, then time information corresponds directly to DNAI and indirectly to FQDN / EAS IP.

[0236] It should be noted that the above example illustrates the correspondence between business information and time information through a table. In addition, the correspondence between business information and time information can also be represented in other forms, such as key-value pairs, sets, databases, etc. This application does not impose specific limitations on the form in which the correspondence is represented.

[0237] Based on the above method one, the service deployment information can indicate the services provided in different geographical areas at different times, or the services provided in a certain geographical area at different times. In other words, the service deployment information can reflect the geographical areas that the network can serve in real time, so that the network can select the edge application server / distribution point that can serve the current location of the terminal based on the terminal's location and the service deployment information, thereby selecting a suitable edge application server / distribution point for the terminal, thus ensuring the normal transmission of services and improving the user experience.

[0238] Method 2: Service deployment information includes the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device corresponding to the service information. For example, it includes the satellite identifier corresponding to the service information.

[0239] For example, in this second method, the service information may include the service's domain name information and / or the service's address information. Furthermore, the service deployment information may not include the service's corresponding DNAI, or it can be understood that the service deployment information uses a non-terrestrial network device identifier to replace the service's corresponding DNAI. Of course, the service deployment information may also include the service's corresponding DNAI; this application does not specifically limit this.

[0240] In one possible implementation, the non-terrestrial network device identifier corresponding to the service information identifies (or corresponds to) the non-terrestrial network device that provides the service corresponding to the service information. For example, taking the domain name information of the service as FQDN, the address information of the service as the IP address of the EAS providing the service, and the non-terrestrial network device as a satellite, the service deployment information may include the contents shown in Table 4 and / or Table 5 below.

[0241] Table 4

[0242] Table 5

[0243] As shown in Table 4, the FQDN of the service is www.1111.com, the satellite identifier corresponding to the service is A, and the EAS IP address of the service is 192.aaa. This means that the EAS deployed on satellite A corresponding to satellite identifier A can provide the service corresponding to www.1111.com, and the IP address of the EAS is 192.aaa.

[0244] As shown in Table 5, the FQDN of the service is www.2222.com, the satellite identifier corresponding to the service is B, and the EAS IP address of the service is 192.bbb. This indicates that the EAS deployed on satellite B corresponding to satellite identifier B can provide the service corresponding to www.2222.com, and the IP address of the EAS is 192.bbb.

[0245] It should be noted that the above example illustrates the correspondence between business information and non-terrestrial network device identifiers through a table. In addition, the correspondence between business information and non-terrestrial network device identifiers can also be represented in other forms, such as key-value pairs. This application does not impose any specific limitations on the form in which the correspondence is represented.

[0246] Based on Method 2 above, the service deployment information can indicate the services provided by different non-terrestrial network devices. Therefore, based on the ephemeris information of the non-terrestrial network devices (see the relevant description in Method B below), the geographical area served by the non-terrestrial network devices at different times can be known. This allows the network to select an edge application server / distribution point that can currently serve the terminal's location based on the terminal's location, service deployment information, and the ephemeris information of the non-terrestrial network devices. This ensures the normal transmission of services and improves the user experience.

[0247] Method 3: Service deployment information includes the data network access identifier corresponding to the service, which corresponds to non-terrestrial network equipment. For example, service deployment information includes the DNAI corresponding to the service, which corresponds to a satellite.

[0248] In one possible implementation, the data network access identifier corresponds to a non-terrestrial network device. This can also be understood as: the data network access identifier is used to identify the corresponding non-terrestrial network device, for example, DNAI can be used to identify a satellite.

[0249] As one possible implementation, in this third method, the data network access identifier can also have other names, the key being that it can identify the corresponding non-terrestrial network device. The data network access identifier is merely an example, and this application does not specifically limit the name.

[0250] As one possible implementation, in this third approach, the service deployment information may not include the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device corresponding to the data network access identifier; that is, the service deployment information is not enhanced, but the network maintains the correspondence between the data network access identifier and the non-terrestrial network device. Alternatively, the service deployment information may also include the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device corresponding to the data network access identifier, without restriction.

[0251] For example, taking the domain name information of the service as FQDN, the address information of the service as the IP address of the EAS providing the service, and the non-terrestrial network device as a satellite, the service deployment information may include the contents shown in Table 6 and / or Table 7 below.

[0252] Table 6

[0253] Table 7

[0254] As shown in Tables 6 and 7, DNAI 1 corresponds to satellite A. The EAS deployed on satellite A can provide the service corresponding to www.1111.com, and the IP address of this EAS is 192.aaa; DNAI 2 corresponds to satellite B. The EAS deployed on satellite B can provide the service corresponding to www.2222.com, and the IP address of this EAS is 192.bbb.

[0255] Based on Method 3 above, the data network access identifier in the service deployment information corresponds to the non-terrestrial network device. Therefore, based on the ephemeris information of the non-terrestrial network device corresponding to the data network access identifier (see the relevant description in Method B below), it can be known that the non-terrestrial network device provides the service corresponding to the data network access identifier to the corresponding geographical area at different times. This enables the network to select the edge application server / distribution point that can currently serve the terminal's location based on the terminal's location, service deployment information, and the ephemeris information of the non-terrestrial network device. This allows the network to select a suitable edge application server / distribution point for the terminal, thereby ensuring the normal transmission of services and improving the user experience.

[0256] The above describes the service deployment information. The following section describes the implementation of step S801 above, in which the first control plane network element obtains the information of the first user plane network element based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information. For example, the first control plane network element can obtain the information of the first user plane network element through either method 1 or method 2.

[0257] Method 1: The first control plane network element determines the first parameter based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information, and then obtains the information of the first user plane network element based on the first parameter.

[0258] The first parameter indicates the deployment location of the first service. The deployment location of the service can be understood as the geographical area or location where the service is deployed (or provides).

[0259] In one possible implementation, the first parameter may include at least one of the following: a first data network access identifier, a first non-terrestrial network device identifier list, or a first data network access identifier list.

[0260] For example, when the service deployment information is implemented using the first method described above, the first parameter may include the first data network access identifier; when the service deployment information is implemented using the second method described above, the first parameter may include the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list; when the service deployment information is implemented using the third method described above, the first parameter may include the first data network access identifier list.

[0261] As one possible implementation, the first control plane network element determines the first data network access identifier based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information. This can include: the first control plane network element determining the first data network access identifier based on the information of the first service, the location of the terminal, the first time, and the service deployment information. The first time can be the current time, or it can be the time at which the first control plane network element determines the first data network access identifier. The representation of the first time is the same as the representation of the time information in the service deployment information.

[0262] For example, the first control plane network element can determine at least one data network access identifier (denoted as data network access identifier set 1) corresponding to the information of the first service from the service deployment information. Then, based on the terminal's location and the first time, it can determine the data network access identifier corresponding to the terminal's location and the first time from data network access identifier set 1, and use this data network access identifier as the first data network access identifier. That is, the first data network access identifier can be the data network access identifier corresponding to the terminal's location and the first time from the at least one data network access identifier corresponding to the information of the first service.

[0263] Taking at least one data network access identifier corresponding to the information of the first service as DNAI 1, DNAI 2, and DNAI 3 as an example, if the geographical areas corresponding to DNAI 1 and DNAI 2 include the location of the terminal (i.e., correspond to the location of the terminal), and the geographical area corresponding to DNAI 3 does not include the location of the terminal, then the first control plane network element selects the first data network access identifier from DNAI 1 and DNAI 2. Assuming that the time information corresponding to DNAI 1 includes the first time (i.e., DNAI 1 corresponds to the first time), and the time information corresponding to DNAI 2 does not include the first time, then the first control plane network element determines DNAI 1 as the first data network access identifier. Alternatively, if the geographical area corresponding to DNAI 1 is closest to the location of the terminal, then DNAI 1 is the first data network access identifier.

[0264] As one possible implementation, the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list includes "one or more" or "at least one" non-terrestrial network device identifier. The non-terrestrial network device identifier list can also be replaced by one or more non-terrestrial network device identifiers. Furthermore, these one or more non-terrestrial network device identifiers can also be collectively referred to as a non-terrestrial network device identifier group or a non-terrestrial network device identifier set, etc. Of course, these one or more non-terrestrial network device identifiers can also have other collective names or representations, which are not specifically limited in this application.

[0265] In this embodiment of the application, the non-terrestrial network device identifier can be any information that can identify a non-terrestrial network device, such as its identifier, address, or domain name, and is not limited thereto.

[0266] For example, the first control plane network element determines the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information. This may include: the first control plane network element selecting non-terrestrial network device identifiers corresponding to the information of the first service from the service deployment information, and using them as non-terrestrial network device identifiers in the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list. That is, at least one non-terrestrial network device identifier included in the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list is a non-terrestrial network device identifier in the service deployment information that corresponds to the information of the first service.

[0267] Taking a non-terrestrial network device as a satellite and the information of the first service as FQDN 1 as an example, assuming that the service deployment information indicates that FQDN 1 corresponds to satellite A and satellite B, FQDN 2 corresponds to satellite C, and FQDN 3 corresponds to satellite D, then the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list includes the identifiers of satellite A and satellite B.

[0268] As one possible implementation, the first data network access identifier list includes "one or more" or "at least one" data network access identifier. The data network access identifier list can also be replaced by one or more data network access identifiers. Furthermore, these one or more data network access identifiers can also be collectively referred to as a data network access identifier group or a data network access identifier set, etc. Of course, these one or more data network access identifiers can also have other collective names or representations, and this application does not specifically limit them in this regard.

[0269] For example, the first control plane network element determines the first data network access identifier list based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information. This may include: the first control plane network element selecting a data network access identifier corresponding to the information of the first service from the service deployment information, and using it as a data network access identifier in the first data network access identifier list. That is, at least one data network access identifier included in the first data network access identifier list is a data network access identifier corresponding to the information of the first service in the service deployment information.

[0270] Taking DNAI as the data network access identifier and FQDN 1 as the information of the first service as an example, assuming that the service deployment information indicates that FQDN 1 corresponds to DNAI A and DNAI B, FQDN 2 corresponds to DNAI C, and FQDN 3 corresponds to DNAID, then the list of the first data network access identifiers includes DNAI A and DNAI B.

[0271] In one possible implementation, the first control plane network element obtains information about the first user plane network element based on the first parameter, which can be achieved through either method A or method B.

[0272] Method A: The first control plane network element sends a first parameter to the second control plane network element and receives information from the second control plane network element regarding the first user plane network element. The specific implementation of Method A will be described in subsequent embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0273] Method B: The first control plane network element obtains the information of the first user plane network element locally based on the first parameter.

[0274] For example, the first control plane network element determines the information of the first user plane network element based on the first parameter, the ephemeris information of at least one non-terrestrial network device, and the correspondence between the non-terrestrial network device and the user plane network element. The correspondence between the non-terrestrial network device and the user plane network element indicates the user plane network element deployed on the non-terrestrial network device.

[0275] Understandably, in method B, the first control plane network element can maintain or perceive the ephemeris information of non-terrestrial network devices and the correspondence between non-terrestrial network devices and user plane network elements. The specific implementation of method B can be found in the subsequent detailed explanation of method A, where the specific implementation of the relevant steps will not be elaborated upon here.

[0276] For example, in this embodiment of the application, ephemeris information can be used to indicate the location and / or coverage of non-terrestrial network devices (such as satellites). For instance, the ephemeris information can be satellite motion pattern information, such as satellite orbital parameters, angular velocity, speed, etc. Communication devices, components, or functions (e.g., SMF, NRF, ephemeris maintenance network elements) can calculate the satellite's position in orbit at each moment based on this information. Ephemeris information can be represented as a simple correspondence, such as satellite position information corresponding to each moment and / or time period. Ephemeris information can also be represented as a satellite coverage map, such as satellite coverage availability information. A satellite coverage map can divide the Earth's surface into multiple grid points and show the grid points covered and uncovered by the satellite at each moment. For example, the satellite's orbital period around the Earth is one hour, with an accuracy of minutes. Each minute, the satellite corresponds to a satellite coverage map, where some grid points are lit and some are dark. The lit grid points represent the grid points that the satellite will cover at that corresponding moment in each cycle.

[0277] The ephemeris information involved in this application includes, but is not limited to, traditional ephemeris information, satellite map information, and gateway deployment information. For example, traditional ephemeris information includes, but is not limited to, orbital parameters, or parameters such as the satellite's azimuth calculated based on orbital parameters. It is understood that traditional ephemeris information can be used to calculate, predict, depict, or track the satellite's flight time, position, or velocity. For example, traditional ephemeris information can be 17 bytes of information to represent position (78 bits) and velocity (54 bits), or traditional ephemeris information can be 18 bytes of information to represent orbital parameters (e.g., semi-major axis, range, eccentricity, or perigee distance). Satellite map information can be the area covered by the satellite on a map at each moment. This application does not limit the specific form, content, and name of the ephemeris information; reference can be made to the definition of ephemeris information in the relevant protocol. For example, in this application, ephemeris information can also be referred to as satellite coverage availability information.

[0278] Optionally, the ephemeris information in this application may also include equipment information deployed on the satellite, such as whether an application server (e.g., EAS), RAN equipment (e.g., next-generation RAN, NG-RAN), or core network function (e.g., UPF) is deployed on the satellite, or the identifiers of the application server, RAN equipment, or core network function (such as UPF) deployed on the satellite, i.e., the correspondence between the satellite and the application server / RAN equipment / core network function. In this case, the ephemeris information can be considered to include the correspondence between the satellite and user plane network elements.

[0279] Optionally, the ephemeris information in this application may also include service information corresponding to the equipment deployed on the satellite, such as the services provided by the application server deployed on the satellite (e.g., one or more FQDNs corresponding to EAS, one or more DNNs corresponding to EAS, etc.), or the services provided by the access network equipment and core network equipment on the satellite (e.g., one or more network slices corresponding to RAN and UPF, one or more DNNs corresponding to UPF, etc.). The network slice may correspond to single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) or other information.

[0280] Ephemeris information can be used to determine the movement trajectory of non-terrestrial network devices, or the connectivity between non-terrestrial network devices, and so on. For example, ephemeris information may include the connectivity status of inter-satellite links between a satellite and other satellites at each moment.

[0281] Method 2: The first control plane network element determines the information of the first user plane network element based on the information of the first service, the service deployment information, the ephemeris information of at least one non-terrestrial network device, and the correspondence between the non-terrestrial network device and the user plane network element.

[0282] For example, taking a non-terrestrial network device as a satellite, the first control plane network element determines one or more satellite identifiers based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information. The first control plane network element then determines one of the one or more satellite identifiers (i.e., the identifier of the satellite closest to the terminal at the current time) based on the ephemeris information of at least one satellite, the location of the terminal, and the current time. The first control plane network element then determines the user plane network element deployed on the satellite corresponding to the satellite identifier based on the correspondence between the satellite and the user plane network element. This user plane network element is the first user plane network element.

[0283] The difference between Method 2 and Method 1 is that the first control plane network element determines the information of the first user plane network element entirely locally, and does not reflect the intermediate parameter, the first parameter.

[0284] Understandably, in this method 2, the first control plane network element can maintain or perceive the ephemeris information of the non-terrestrial network equipment and the correspondence between the non-terrestrial network equipment and the user plane network element.

[0285] The communication process in Method A described above, where the first control plane network element receives information from the first user plane network element from the second control plane network element, is explained below. As shown in Figure 9, this communication process includes the following steps:

[0286] S901, the EASDF network element sends information about the first service to the first control plane network element. Correspondingly, the first control plane network element receives the information about the first service from the EASDF network element. It should be noted that Figure 9 uses the SMF network element as an example to illustrate this.

[0287] As one possible implementation, EASDF network elements can send information about the first service to the first control plane network element during the EAS discovery process.

[0288] S902. The first control plane network element determines the first parameter based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information.

[0289] The service deployment information can be found in the descriptions of Method 1, Method 2, and Method 3 above. The implementation of the first parameter and the first control plane network element is determined based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information, which can be found in the relevant explanations in Method 1 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0290] S903, the first control plane network element sends the first parameter to the second control plane network element. Correspondingly, the second control plane network element receives the first parameter from the first control plane network element. It should be noted that Figure 9 uses an NRF network element as an example for illustration, but the type of the second control plane network element is not limited.

[0291] The first parameter indicates the deployment location of the service accessed by the terminal. The first parameter includes a first data network access identifier, a first non-terrestrial network device identifier list, or at least one of the first data network access identifier list. Please refer to the relevant description in Method 1, which will not be repeated here.

[0292] S904. The second control plane network element obtains information about one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location based on the first parameter.

[0293] The information for the non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location includes the identifiers of the non-terrestrial network devices. That is, the second control plane network element obtains the identifiers of one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location based on the first parameter.

[0294] Optionally, the information of the non-terrestrial network device may further include priority information for the non-terrestrial network device. For example, the priority information of the non-terrestrial network device indicates the hop count of the inter-satellite link between the non-terrestrial network device and the first non-terrestrial network device, or indicates the distance between the non-terrestrial network device and the first non-terrestrial network device. Alternatively, it can be considered that the priority information of the non-terrestrial network device is determined based on the hop count and / or distance of the inter-satellite link between the non-terrestrial network device and the first non-terrestrial network device.

[0295] The first non-terrestrial network device is determined based on the first parameter. The first non-terrestrial network device will be described in detail in subsequent embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0296] In one possible implementation, the second control plane network element obtains information about one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location based on the first parameter, which can be achieved through method a or method b.

[0297] Method a: The second control plane network element sends first information to the third control plane network element and receives information from the third control plane network element regarding the one or more non-terrestrial network devices.

[0298] The first information is used to indicate the non-terrestrial network device corresponding to the deployment location. The first information may include a first parameter, or information related to the first parameter. The specific implementation of method a will be described in subsequent embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0299] Method b: The second control plane network element determines the information of one or more non-terrestrial network devices based on the first parameter and the ephemeris information of at least one non-terrestrial network device.

[0300] For example, taking a non-terrestrial network device as a satellite, the second control plane network element can determine the first satellite based on the first parameter, and then determine the information of at least one satellite that is close to the first satellite or has a low number of hops in the inter-satellite link based on the ephemeris information of at least one satellite. For instance, if the first parameter is a DNAI, the first satellite can be a satellite related to the geographical area corresponding to the DNAI, such as the coverage area of ​​the first satellite including the geographical area corresponding to the DNAI, or the coverage area of ​​the second satellite overlapping with the geographical area corresponding to the DNAI; if the first parameter is a satellite identifier list, the first satellite can be the satellite closest to the terminal or the satellite to which the terminal accesses from the satellites in the satellite identifier list; if the first parameter is a DNAI list, the first satellite can be the satellite closest to the terminal or the satellite to which the terminal accesses from the satellites in the DNAI list.

[0301] Understandably, in method b, the second control plane network element can maintain / sense / obtain the ephemeris information of non-terrestrial network devices. The specific implementation of method b can be found in the subsequent detailed explanation of method a, where the specific implementation of the relevant steps will not be elaborated upon here.

[0302] S905. The second control plane network element obtains the information of the first user plane network element based on the information of the one or more non-terrestrial network devices.

[0303] The first user plane network element is used to serve the terminal. The first user plane network element is deployed on one of the one or more non-terrestrial network devices.

[0304] For ease of description, in the following embodiments of this application, the non-terrestrial network device where the first user plane network element is located, or the non-terrestrial network device on which the first user plane network element is deployed, is referred to as the second non-terrestrial network device.

[0305] As one possible implementation, the second control plane network element can determine the information of the first user plane network element based on the information of one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location and the correspondence between the non-terrestrial network devices and the user plane network element.

[0306] For example, the second control plane network element can determine at least one non-terrestrial network device with a user plane network element deployed from one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location based on the correspondence between non-terrestrial network devices and user plane network elements; and then determine the information of the first user plane network element based on the information of the at least one non-terrestrial network device with a user plane network element deployed.

[0307] For example, taking satellites as non-terrestrial network devices, assuming that one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to this deployment location are satellite 1, satellite 2, satellite 3, and satellite 4, if the correspondence between satellites and user plane network elements indicates that user plane network element a, user plane network element b, and user plane network element c are deployed on satellites 1, 2, and 4 respectively, and no user plane network element is deployed on satellite 3, then at least one satellite with user plane network elements deployed includes satellites 1, 2, and 4. The first user plane network element is the user plane network element deployed on satellite 1, satellite 2, or satellite 4.

[0308] When the information of the non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location includes the priority of the non-terrestrial network devices, the first user plane network element is the user plane network element deployed on the non-terrestrial network device with the highest priority among at least one non-terrestrial network device with user plane network elements deployed. That is, the second non-terrestrial network device is the non-terrestrial network device with the highest priority among at least one non-terrestrial network device with user plane network elements deployed.

[0309] For example, based on the above example, if the priority of satellite 1 is higher than the priority of satellite 2, and the priority of satellite 2 is higher than the priority of satellite 4, then the first user plane network element is user plane network element a deployed on satellite 1.

[0310] As one possible implementation, the correspondence between non-terrestrial network devices and user plane network elements can be configured locally by the second control plane network element, or it can be received by the second control plane network element from other network elements. For example, when a user plane network element registers its network element capabilities with the second control plane network element, it can send the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device where the user plane network element is located, or in other words, send the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device on which the user plane network element is deployed.

[0311] S906. The second control plane network element sends information about the first user plane network element to the first control plane network element. Correspondingly, the first control plane network element receives the information about the first user plane network element from the second control plane network element.

[0312] In one possible implementation, steps S904 and S905 can be replaced by: the second control plane network element determining the information of the first user plane network element based on the first parameter, the ephemeris information of at least one non-terrestrial network device, and the correspondence between the non-terrestrial network device and the user plane network element. The difference between this step and steps S904 and S905 is that the second control plane network element determines the information of the first user plane network element entirely locally, and does not reflect the intermediate parameter of one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location.

[0313] Understandably, in this replacement method, the second control plane network element can maintain the ephemeris information of the non-terrestrial network devices and the correspondence between the non-terrestrial network devices and the user plane network elements. The specific implementation of this replacement method can be found in the detailed explanation of method a below; the specific implementation of the relevant steps will not be elaborated here.

[0314] Based on the above scheme, the first parameter can indicate the deployment location of the service accessed by the terminal. Therefore, when the service is deployed on a non-terrestrial network, the first parameter can reflect the non-terrestrial network device (such as a satellite) corresponding to the service. Thus, one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location obtained based on the first parameter can correspond to or be associated with the service. As a result, the user plane network elements deployed on the one or more non-terrestrial network devices can serve the terminal and enable the terminal to access the service. This can help select a suitable edge application server / distribution point for the terminal, thereby ensuring the normal transmission of the service and improving the user experience.

[0315] The following describes the communication process in step S904 (mode a) above, where the second control plane network element receives information from the third control plane network element regarding one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location. As shown in Figure 10, this communication process includes the following steps:

[0316] S1001, the second control plane network element sends first information to the third control plane network element. Correspondingly, the third control plane network element receives the first information from the second control plane network element.

[0317] It should be noted that Figure 10 uses the second control plane network element as an NRF network element and the third control plane network element as an ephemeris maintenance network element as an example for illustration. For example, the third control plane network element locally stores ephemeris information. As another example, the second control plane network element locally stores the correspondence between satellites and user plane network elements (e.g., which one or more user plane network elements are deployed on each satellite).

[0318] The first information is used to indicate the non-terrestrial network equipment corresponding to the deployment location of the service providing terminal access. The first information includes a first parameter, or information related to the first parameter. For example, the first parameter and the first information may exist in the following three ways:

[0319] Scenario 1: The first parameter is a first data network access identifier. The first information includes the first data network access identifier, or information about the geographical area corresponding to the first data network access identifier.

[0320] The first data network access identifier corresponds to the service accessed by the terminal. Please refer to the aforementioned explanation of the first data network access; it will not be repeated here.

[0321] The information of the geographical area corresponding to the first data network access identifier may include, but is not limited to: the information of the tracking area (TA) corresponding to the first data network access identifier, the first data network access identifier and its corresponding latitude and longitude information, etc.

[0322] Scenario 2: The first parameter is a list of identifiers for the first non-terrestrial network devices. The first information includes the list of identifiers for the first non-terrestrial network devices and the second parameter.

[0323] The first non-terrestrial network device identifier list corresponds to the services accessed by the terminal. Please refer to the aforementioned explanation of the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list; it will not be repeated here.

[0324] The second parameter includes the location of the terminal and / or the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device (such as a satellite) accessed by the terminal. For example, the location of the terminal and / or the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal may be sent from the first control plane network element to the second control plane network element.

[0325] Scenario 3: The first parameter is a list of first data network access identifiers. The first information includes the list of first data network access identifiers and the second parameter.

[0326] The first data network access identifier list corresponds to the services accessed by the terminal. Please refer to the aforementioned explanation of the first data network access identifier list; it will not be repeated here.

[0327] The second parameter includes the location of the terminal and / or the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device to which the terminal is connected. The second parameter can be sent from the first control plane network element to the second control plane network element.

[0328] As one possible implementation, in either scenario one or scenario three above, the data network access identifier may also have other names, or the first parameter may also be other parameters that can indicate the location of service deployment. The data network access identifier can be understood as an example name of the parameter, and this application does not specifically limit the name of the parameter.

[0329] Optionally, in the above three cases, the first information may further include second indication information, which is used to indicate information about non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location of the service providing terminal access, or to indicate information about non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location with priority. That is, the first information may carry information elements to explicitly instruct the third control plane network element to provide information about the non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location.

[0330] S1002, the third control plane network element determines the first non-terrestrial network device based on the first information.

[0331] For example, the third control plane network element can determine the first non-terrestrial network device based on the first information and the ephemeris information of at least one non-terrestrial network device.

[0332] In one possible implementation, as described in Case 1 above, the first non-terrestrial network device is associated with the geographical area corresponding to the first data network access identifier. The third control plane element can determine the first non-terrestrial network device based on the geographical area corresponding to the first data network access identifier and the ephemeris information of at least one non-terrestrial network device.

[0333] As one possible implementation, the coverage area of ​​the first non-terrestrial network device (currently) includes the geographical area corresponding to the first data network access identifier, or overlaps with the geographical area corresponding to the first data network access identifier. Alternatively, the first non-terrestrial network device is the non-terrestrial network device (currently) closest to the geographical area corresponding to the first data network access identifier.

[0334] For example, the third control plane network element can determine the current coverage area of ​​each non-terrestrial network device based on the ephemeris information of the non-terrestrial network device, and then select from at least one non-terrestrial network device the non-terrestrial network device whose coverage area includes the geographical area corresponding to the first data network access identifier, or overlaps with the geographical area, or is the closest to the geographical area, as the first non-terrestrial network device.

[0335] In another possible implementation, when the first information is as described in Case 2 above, the first non-terrestrial network device is the non-terrestrial network device closest to the terminal in the non-terrestrial network device corresponding to the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list (denoted as the first non-terrestrial network device list), or it is the non-terrestrial network device closest to the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal in the first non-terrestrial network device list.

[0336] For example, taking non-terrestrial network devices as satellites, the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list includes the identifiers of satellite 1, satellite 2, satellite 3 and satellite 4. That is, if the first non-terrestrial network device list includes satellite 1, satellite 2, satellite 3 and satellite 4, then if satellite 2 is closest to the terminal, or satellite 2 is closest to the satellite accessed by the terminal, then the first non-terrestrial network device is satellite 2.

[0337] As one possible implementation, the third control plane network element can determine the current location of each non-terrestrial network device in the first non-terrestrial network device list based on the ephemeris information of the non-terrestrial network device, and then select the non-terrestrial network device that is currently closest to the terminal or closest to the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal from the first non-terrestrial network device list as the first non-terrestrial network device.

[0338] In another possible implementation, when the first information is as described in Case 3 above, the first non-terrestrial network device is the non-terrestrial network device closest to the terminal in the non-terrestrial network device corresponding to the first data network access identifier list (denoted as the second non-terrestrial network device list), or it is the non-terrestrial network device in the second non-terrestrial network device list that is closest to the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal.

[0339] For example, taking a satellite as the non-terrestrial network device and DNAI as the data network access identifier, assuming the first data network access identifier list includes DNAI 1, DNAI 2, DNAI 3, and DNAI 4, corresponding to satellite 1, satellite 2, satellite 3, and satellite 4 respectively, then the second non-terrestrial network device list includes satellite 1, satellite 2, satellite 3, and satellite 4. If satellite 2 is closest to the terminal, or satellite 2 is closest to the satellite accessed by the terminal, then the first non-terrestrial network device is satellite 2.

[0340] As one possible implementation, the third control plane network element can first determine the non-terrestrial network device corresponding to the first data network access identifier list (i.e., the second non-terrestrial network device list), then determine the current position of each non-terrestrial network device in the second non-terrestrial network device list according to the ephemeris information, and then select the non-terrestrial network device that is currently closest to the terminal or closest to the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal from the second non-terrestrial network device list as the first non-terrestrial network device.

[0341] S1003, the third control plane network element determines one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location based on the first non-terrestrial network device.

[0342] In this context, one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location meet preset conditions along with the first non-terrestrial network device. For ease of description, in the following embodiments of this application, the one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location are collectively referred to as the third non-terrestrial network device list. Of course, they can also be collectively referred to by other names, such as the third non-terrestrial network device group or the third non-terrestrial network device set, etc., all of which collectively represent one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location.

[0343] As one possible implementation, the preset conditions include: the number of hops in the inter-satellite link between the non-terrestrial network devices in the third non-terrestrial network device list and the first non-terrestrial network device is less than or equal to a hop count threshold X, and / or the distance between the non-terrestrial network devices in the third non-terrestrial network device list and the first non-terrestrial network device is less than or equal to a distance threshold Y. Where X is a positive integer and Y is a positive number.

[0344] For example, the third control plane network element maintains the hop count of inter-satellite links between non-terrestrial network devices, and selects non-terrestrial network devices with an inter-satellite link hop count less than or equal to X from the first non-terrestrial network device as the non-terrestrial network device corresponding to the deployment location. Alternatively, the third control plane network element can maintain ephemeris information of the non-terrestrial network devices, determine the current location of each non-terrestrial network device based on the ephemeris information, and then select non-terrestrial network devices with a distance less than or equal to Y from the first non-terrestrial network device as the non-terrestrial network device corresponding to the deployment location.

[0345] As one possible implementation, the one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location may include a first non-terrestrial network device.

[0346] As one possible implementation, one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to this deployment location have priorities. The priority of a non-terrestrial network device can indicate its distance from a first non-terrestrial network device or the number of hops in the inter-satellite link. For example, the closer a non-terrestrial network device is to the first non-terrestrial network device, or the smaller the number of hops in the inter-satellite link between them, the higher its priority; conversely, the farther the network device is from the first non-terrestrial network device, or the more hops in the inter-satellite link between them, the lower its priority.

[0347] For example, the priority of non-terrestrial network devices can be represented by priority values, distance, hop count of inter-satellite links, or the order of the non-terrestrial network device in the third list of non-terrestrial network devices. Of course, there may be other representation methods, and this application does not specifically limit them.

[0348] S1004. The third control plane network element sends information about the one or more non-terrestrial network devices to the second control plane network element. Correspondingly, the second control plane network element receives information about the one or more non-terrestrial network devices from the third control plane network element.

[0349] Based on the above scheme, the first information can indicate the non-terrestrial network device corresponding to the deployment location of the service provided by the terminal. Therefore, the deployment location of the service accessed by the terminal can be known through the first information. Thus, when the service is deployed on a non-terrestrial network, the first non-terrestrial network device determined by the first information can be the non-terrestrial network device that is closest to the terminal or the non-terrestrial network device it accesses, which is related to the geographical area of ​​the service. Therefore, one or more non-terrestrial network devices determined based on the first non-terrestrial network device can enable the terminal to access the service, thereby assisting in selecting a suitable edge application server / distribution point for the terminal, thus ensuring the normal transmission of the service and improving the user experience.

[0350] The following description, in conjunction with the above description, illustrates the specific communication process of this application embodiment when the first control plane network element obtains information about the first user plane network element using method A, and the second control plane network element obtains information about one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the service deployment location using method a.

[0351] In a first possible implementation, the service deployment information is implemented through the above-described method one. For example, the first parameter includes a first data network access identifier, the first service information includes the FQDN and EAS IP of the first service, the first control plane network element is an SMF network element, the second control plane network element is an NRF network element, and the third control plane network element is an ephemeris maintenance network element. As shown in Figure 11, this communication process may include the following steps:

[0352] S1101, the EASDF network element sends the FQDN of the first service to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the FQDN of the first service from the EASDF network element.

[0353] As one possible implementation, the EASDF network element can send the FQDN of the first service to the SMF network element during the EAS discovery process. The FQDN of the first service can be carried in the DNS Context Notify message.

[0354] As one possible implementation, before step S1101, the terminal can send a DNS request message to the EASDF network element, carrying the FQDN of the first service in the DNS request message. After receiving the DNS request message from the terminal, the EASDF network element matches the FQDN of the first service with the DNS message processing rules. If the match is successful, it executes step S1101 and sends the FQDN of the first service to the SMF network element.

[0355] S1102, the SMF network element determines the first data network access identifier #1 based on the FQDN of the first service and the service deployment information.

[0356] As one possible implementation, when the terminal accesses the network via a non-terrestrial network device (such as a satellite), or when the data network access identifier corresponding to the terminal corresponds to the time information, the SMF network element performs step S1102.

[0357] For example, an SMF network element can learn that a terminal accesses the network via a non-terrestrial network device based on a notification from an AMF network element. For instance, an AMF network element can send the identifier and / or first indication information of the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal to the SMF network element. This first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal accesses the network via a non-terrestrial network device. The identifier of the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal or the first indication information can be carried in a PDU session establishment session management context request (PDUSession_CreateSMContext request) message.

[0358] For example, an AMF network element can maintain a correspondence between RAN node identifiers and non-terrestrial network device identifiers, thereby determining the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal from the correspondence based on the identifier of the RAN accessed by the terminal.

[0359] For example, the data network access identifier corresponding to the terminal can be understood as the data network access identifier corresponding to the location of the terminal. The SMF network element can be determined from the service deployment information to determine whether the data network access identifier corresponding to the terminal corresponds to the time information. If the data network access identifier corresponding to the terminal corresponds to the time information, then step S1102 is executed.

[0360] The service deployment information includes the time information corresponding to the service information, which can be referred to in the relevant description of Method 1 above. The SMF network element determines the implementation of the first data network access identifier #1 based on the FQDN of the first service and the service deployment information. This can be referred to in the relevant explanation of Method 1 above, where the first control plane network element determines the first data network access identifier based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information, and will not be repeated here.

[0361] As one possible implementation, service deployment information can be sent from the AF network element to the SMF network element via the NEF network element. For example, the AF network element can send service deployment information to the NEF network element via the EAS discovery creation (EASDeployment_Create) message, and the NEF network element can then send the service deployment information to the SMF network element via the EAS discovery notification (EASDeployment_Notify) message.

[0362] S1103, the SMF network element sends the first data network access identifier #1 to the NRF network element. Correspondingly, the NRF network element receives the first data network access identifier #1 from the SMF network element.

[0363] Optionally, the SMF network element may also send the identifier and / or first indication information of the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal to the NRF network element, wherein the first indication information indicates that the terminal accesses the network through the non-terrestrial network device.

[0364] S1104, the NRF network element sends the first information to the ephemeris maintenance network element. Correspondingly, the ephemeris maintenance network element receives the first information from the NRF network element.

[0365] The first information includes the first data network access identifier #1, or information about the geographical area corresponding to the first data network access identifier #1. Refer to the relevant explanation in Case 1 of step S1001 above; it will not be repeated here.

[0366] As one possible implementation, after receiving the first data network access identifier #1 from the SMF network element, the NRF network element can determine that the first data network access identifier #1 is related to non-terrestrial network equipment, and thus execute step S1104 to send the first information to the ephemeris maintenance network element.

[0367] For example, since the NRF network element can maintain the correspondence between user plane network elements and data network access identifiers, as well as the correspondence between non-terrestrial network devices and user plane network elements, after receiving the first data network access identifier #1, the NRF network element can determine the user plane network element corresponding to the first data network access identifier #1 based on the correspondence between user plane network elements and data network access identifiers, and then determine that the user plane network element is deployed on a non-terrestrial network device based on the correspondence between non-terrestrial network devices and user plane network elements, thereby determining that the first data network access identifier #1 is related to a non-terrestrial network device.

[0368] As another possible implementation, after receiving the identifier and / or first indication information of the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal from the SMF network element, the NRF network element executes step S1104 to send the first information to the ephemeris maintenance network element.

[0369] As one possible implementation, the NRF network element can also send the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal to the ephemeris maintenance network element.

[0370] As one possible implementation, the first information can implicitly or explicitly indicate the deployment location of one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the ephemeris maintenance network element, providing information about the service accessed by the terminal. For example, it can be implicitly indicated by a first parameter or information related to the first parameter carried in the first information, or explicitly indicated by a second indication information carried in the first information. The second indication information can be referred to the relevant description in step S1001 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0371] S1105, the ephemeris maintenance network element determines the first non-terrestrial network device based on the first information.

[0372] The first non-terrestrial network device is associated with the geographical area corresponding to the first data network access identifier #1. Refer to step S1002 above, where the first information is as described in Case 1 above, for the explanation regarding how the third control plane network element determines the first non-terrestrial network device based on the first information; this will not be repeated here.

[0373] S1106. The ephemeris maintenance network element determines one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the service deployment location accessed by the terminal based on the first non-terrestrial network device.

[0374] As one possible implementation, an inter-satellite link exists between the one or more non-terrestrial network devices and the first non-terrestrial network device. Without an inter-satellite link, the two non-terrestrial network devices are not connected, and the terminal cannot access services.

[0375] Wherein, the hop count of the inter-satellite link between the one or more non-terrestrial network devices and the first non-terrestrial network device is less than or equal to X, and / or the distance between them and the first non-terrestrial network device is less than or equal to Y. Refer to the relevant explanation in step S1003 above; it will not be repeated here.

[0376] S1107. The ephemeris maintenance network element sends information about the one or more non-terrestrial network devices to the NRF network element. Correspondingly, the NRF network element receives information about the one or more non-terrestrial network devices from the ephemeris maintenance network element.

[0377] The information for the non-terrestrial network device includes its identifier.

[0378] Optionally, priority information for non-terrestrial network devices may also be included. This priority information indicates the number of hops of the inter-satellite link between the non-terrestrial network device and the first non-terrestrial network device, or indicates the distance between the non-terrestrial network device and the first non-terrestrial network device. For the relevant explanations of priority in steps S904 and S1003 above, please refer to them and they will not be repeated here.

[0379] S1108, the NRF network element obtains the information of the first user plane network element #1 based on the information of the one or more non-terrestrial network devices.

[0380] As one possible implementation, the NRF network element can determine the information of the first user plane network element #1 based on the information of one or more non-terrestrial network devices and the correspondence between non-terrestrial network devices and user plane network elements. For example, it can identify non-terrestrial network devices that have deployed user plane network elements in one or more non-terrestrial networks, select the non-terrestrial network device with the highest priority from among the non-terrestrial network devices that have deployed user plane network elements, and determine the user plane network element deployed on the non-terrestrial network device with the highest priority as the first user plane network element #1. Refer to the relevant explanation of the second control plane network element obtaining the information of the first user plane network element in step S905 above; it will not be repeated here.

[0381] S1109, the NRF network element sends information about the first user plane network element #1 to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the information about the first user plane network element #1 from the NRF network element.

[0382] S1110, the SMF network element sends information about the first user plane network element #1 to the EASDF network element. Correspondingly, the EASDF network element receives the information about the first user plane network element #1 from the SMF network element. The information about the first user plane network element #1 is used to determine the EAS.

[0383] As one possible implementation, after receiving the information from the first user plane network element #1, the EASDF network element can determine the ECS option based on the information from the first user plane network element #1, and send a DNS request message carrying the ECS option to the DNS server. The DNS server can return a DNS response message carrying the EAS IP address. This EAS IP address is the address information of the first service, which can be understood as the IP address of the EAS used to serve the terminal. The terminal can access the first service through this EAS. Refer to the relevant description in step S802a above; it will not be repeated here.

[0384] After receiving the EAS IP returned by the DNA server, the EASDF network element can perform the following steps S1111.

[0385] S1111, the EASDF network element sends the EAS IP address to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the EAS IP address from the EASDF network element.

[0386] For example, an EASDF network element can send the EAS IP address to an SMF network element via a DNS Context Notify message.

[0387] As one possible implementation, the EASDF network element can also send a DNS response message to the terminal, carrying the EAS IP address. For example, the EASDF network element can send this DNS response message to the terminal according to the instructions of the SMF network element, as described in the relevant explanation in the process shown in Figure 3 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0388] S1112, SMF network element determines the first data network access identifier #2 based on EAS IP address and service deployment information.

[0389] As one possible implementation, the SMF network element can determine the data network access identifier corresponding to the EAS IP in the service deployment information as the first data network access identifier #2.

[0390] The first data network access identifier #2 and the first data network access identifier #1 may be the same or different. However, both the first data network access identifier #2 and the first data network access identifier #1 belong to the data network access identifier corresponding to the terminal.

[0391] For example, a possible scenario exists where, in step S1102 above, the SMF network element determines multiple data network access identifiers based on the information of the first service, the terminal's location, the first time, and the service deployment information. That is, among at least one data network access identifier corresponding to the information of the first service, there are multiple data network access identifiers corresponding to the terminal's location and the first time. In other words, the terminal can access the network through multiple data network access identifiers to access the first service at the first time. In this scenario, the first data network access identifier #1 and the first data network access identifier #2 can be different data network access identifiers among these multiple data network access identifiers.

[0392] For example, taking the multiple data network access identifiers (including DNAI 1 and DNAI 2) determined by the SMF network element based on the information of the first service, the location of the terminal, the first time, and the service deployment information as an example, the first data network access identifier #1 can be DNAI 1, and the first data network access identifier #2 can be DNAI 2. The main reason for this situation is that the EAS IP address returned by the DNS server based on the actual situation (such as congestion control) is the EAS IP address corresponding to DNAI 2.

[0393] S1113-S1117 are similar to steps S1103-S1107 above, except that the first data network access identifier #1 in steps S1103-S1107 above needs to be replaced with the first data network access identifier #2.

[0394] Furthermore, the first non-terrestrial network device (denoted as first non-terrestrial network device #1) determined by the ephemeris maintenance network element in step S1105 may be the same as or different from the first non-terrestrial network device (denoted as first non-terrestrial network device #2) determined in step S1115.

[0395] The one or more non-terrestrial network devices (denoted as the third non-terrestrial network device list #1) determined in step S1106 by the ephemeris maintenance network element may be the same as or different from the one or more non-terrestrial network devices (denoted as the third non-terrestrial network device list #2) determined in step S1116. For example, the third non-terrestrial network device list #2 is a subset of the third non-terrestrial network device list #1.

[0396] S1118. The NRF network element obtains the information of the first user plane network element #2 based on the information of one or more non-terrestrial network devices (i.e., non-terrestrial network devices in the third non-terrestrial network device list #2). Refer to the relevant explanation of step S1108 above; it will not be repeated here.

[0397] S1119. The NRF network element sends the information of the first user plane network element #2 to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the information of the first user plane network element #2 from the NRF network element.

[0398] S1120, the SMF network element configures the first user plane network element #2 according to the information of the first user plane network element #2. Refer to the relevant explanations in step S802b above; they will not be repeated here.

[0399] At this point, a suitable EAS and user plane network element can be selected for the terminal. The terminal can then access the first service through the user plane network element and EAS to transmit service data.

[0400] As one possible implementation, if the first control plane network element obtains information about the first user plane network element through method A above, and the second control plane network element obtains information about one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location through method b above, then in the process shown in Figure 11 above, the steps performed by the ephemeris maintenance network element can be implemented by the NRF network element, and the interaction between the NRF network element and the ephemeris maintenance network element is not performed. For example, steps S1104-S1107 above can be omitted, and the NRF network element can determine one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location locally based on the first parameter.

[0401] As a possible implementation, if the first control plane network element obtains the information of the first user plane network element through the above method B or method 2, then in the process shown in Figure 11 above, the steps performed by the NRF network element and the ephemeris maintenance network element can be implemented by the SMF network element, and the interaction actions between the NRF network element / ephemeris maintenance network element and the SMF network element are not executed.

[0402] In a second possible implementation, service deployment information is implemented through the above-described method two. For example, the first parameter includes a first non-terrestrial network device identifier list, the first service information includes the FQDN and EAS IP address of the first service, the first control plane network element is an SMF network element, the second control plane network element is an NRF network element, and the third control plane network element is an ephemeris maintenance network element. As shown in Figure 12, this communication process can include the following steps:

[0403] S1201, the EASDF network element sends the FQDN of the first service to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the FQDN of the first service from the EASDF network element. Refer to the relevant explanation in step S1101 above; it will not be repeated here.

[0404] S1202, SMF network element determines the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list #1 based on the FQDN of the first service and the service deployment information.

[0405] As one possible implementation, when the terminal accesses the network through a non-terrestrial network device (such as a satellite), the SMF network element performs step S1202. Please refer to the relevant description in step S1102 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0406] The service deployment information includes the identifiers of the non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the service information, as described in Method 2 above. The implementation of the SMF network element determining the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list #1 based on the FQDN of the first service and the service deployment information can be found in Method 1 above, where the first control plane network element determines the first non-terrestrial network device list based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information; this will not be repeated here.

[0407] As one possible implementation, service deployment information can be sent by the AF network element through the NEF network element. Refer to the relevant explanation in step S1102 above; it will not be repeated here.

[0408] As one possible implementation, when the SMF network element is aware of ephemeris information, the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list #1 includes a non-terrestrial network device identifier (denoted as non-terrestrial network device identifier A). The non-terrestrial network device identifier A is: among the non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the non-terrestrial network device identifier corresponding to the FQDN of the first service in the service deployment information, the non-terrestrial network device that is (currently) closest to the terminal.

[0409] For example, taking a satellite as a non-terrestrial network device, if the satellite identifiers corresponding to the FQDN of the first service in the service deployment information include the identifiers of satellite 1, satellite 2, and satellite 3, then the SMF network element can determine the current positions of satellite 1, satellite 2, and satellite 3 based on the satellite ephemeris information. If satellite 2 is currently closest to the terminal, then the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list #1 only includes the identifier of satellite 2.

[0410] As one possible implementation, in step S1202, the SMF network element can search for the data network access identifier corresponding to the FQDN of the first service in the service deployment information. However, if it finds that there is no data network access identifier in the service deployment information and that it includes the identifier of non-terrestrial network equipment, then the SMF network element can determine that the first service is deployed on non-terrestrial network equipment and that the first service is not deployed in the terrestrial network.

[0411] Alternatively, the SMF network element can determine, based on the FQDN of the first service, that the first service is only deployed on non-terrestrial network devices and not deployed on terrestrial networks. In this case, the SMF network element can determine the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list #1 based on the deployment information corresponding to the non-terrestrial network (i.e., the deployment information provided in this application).

[0412] Alternatively, if the SMF network element determines that the terminal accesses the network through a non-terrestrial network device, the SMF network element can determine the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list #1 based on the deployment information corresponding to the non-terrestrial network device (i.e., the deployment information provided in this application).

[0413] For example, the first service may be deployed in both terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. Therefore, the SMF network element needs to determine the deployment information to be used based on the terminal's access method, such as whether the terminal accesses through a non-terrestrial network device or through a terrestrial network.

[0414] S1203, the SMF network element sends the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list #1 to the NRF network element. Correspondingly, the NRF network element receives the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list #1 from the SMF network element.

[0415] As one possible implementation, the SMF network element can also send at least one of the following to the NRF network element: the terminal's location, the data network access identifier corresponding to the terminal, or the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device to which the terminal is connected. For example, the data network access identifier corresponding to the terminal can indicate or reflect the terminal's location.

[0416] S1204, the NRF network element sends the first information to the ephemeris maintenance network element. Correspondingly, the ephemeris maintenance network receives the first information from the NRF network element.

[0417] The first information includes a first non-terrestrial network device identifier list #1 and a second parameter. The second parameter includes the terminal's location and / or the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device the terminal accesses. Refer to the relevant explanation in step S1001 above for case two; it will not be repeated here.

[0418] As one possible implementation, if the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list #1 only includes non-terrestrial network device identifier A, the first information may not include the second parameter.

[0419] As one possible implementation, the first information can implicitly or explicitly indicate the deployment location of one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the ephemeris maintenance network element, providing information about the service accessed by the terminal. For example, it can be implicitly indicated by a first parameter or information related to the first parameter carried in the first information, or explicitly indicated by a second indication information carried in the first information. The second indication information can be referred to the relevant description in step S1001 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0420] S1205, the ephemeris maintenance network element determines the first non-terrestrial network device based on the first information.

[0421] As one possible implementation, when the SMF network element is unaware of ephemeris information, the first non-terrestrial network device is either the non-terrestrial network device closest to the terminal among the non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list #1, or the non-terrestrial network device closest to the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal among the non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list #1. Refer to the above step 1002, where the first information is as shown in situation two above, for the relevant explanation of how the third control plane network element determines the first non-terrestrial network device based on the first information; these details will not be repeated here.

[0422] As another possible implementation, if the SMF network element senses ephemeris information and the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list #1 only includes non-terrestrial network device identifier A, the first non-terrestrial network device can be the non-terrestrial network device corresponding to non-terrestrial network device identifier A (denoted as non-terrestrial network device A).

[0423] S1206-S1210 are the same as steps S1106-S1110 above, and can be referred to the implementation of steps S1106-S1110 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0424] As one possible implementation, after receiving the information from the first user plane network element #1, the EASDF network element can determine the ECS option based on the information from the first user plane network element #1, and send a DNS request message carrying the ECS option to the DNS server. The DNS server can return a DNS response message carrying the EAS IP address. This EAS IP address is the address information of the first service, which can be understood as the IP address of the EAS used to serve the terminal. The terminal can access the first service through this EAS. Refer to the relevant description in step S802a above; it will not be repeated here.

[0425] After receiving the EAS IP returned by the DNA server, the EASDF network element can perform the following step S1211.

[0426] S1211, the EASDF network element sends the EAS IP address to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the EAS IP address from the EASDF network element. The implementation of step S1111 above can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0427] S1212 and SMF network elements determine the non-terrestrial network device identifier B based on the EAS IP address and service deployment information.

[0428] As one possible implementation, the SMF network element can identify the non-terrestrial network device identifier corresponding to the EAS IP address in the service deployment information as non-terrestrial network device identifier B. Specifically, non-terrestrial network device identifier B is identical to a non-terrestrial network device identifier in the aforementioned first non-terrestrial network device identifier list #1.

[0429] It is understandable that the non-terrestrial network device identifier B can be interpreted as the first parameter when the information of the first service is the EAS IP address.

[0430] S1213. The SMF network element sends the non-terrestrial network device identifier B to the NRF network element. Correspondingly, the NRF network element receives the non-terrestrial network device identifier B from the SMF network element.

[0431] As one possible implementation, if a user plane network element is deployed on the non-terrestrial network device (denoted as non-terrestrial network device B) corresponding to the non-terrestrial network device identifier B, the NRF will identify a certain user plane network element deployed on the non-terrestrial network device B as the first user plane network element #2 and perform the following steps S1218.

[0432] As another possible implementation, if no user plane network element is deployed on the non-terrestrial network device B, perform the following steps S1214-S1217.

[0433] S1214. The NRF network element sends the non-terrestrial network device identifier B to the ephemeris maintenance network element. Correspondingly, the ephemeris maintenance network element receives the non-terrestrial network device identifier B from the NRF network element.

[0434] As one possible implementation, non-terrestrial network device B can be understood as: when the information of the first service is an EAS IP address, the first parameter carried in the first information.

[0435] Optionally, the NRF network element can also send a second indication message to the ephemeris maintenance network element. Please refer to the aforementioned explanation of the second indication message, which will not be repeated here.

[0436] S1215. The ephemeris maintenance network element determines information about one or more non-terrestrial network devices (denoted as the fourth non-terrestrial network device list) based on the non-terrestrial network device B.

[0437] As one possible implementation, non-terrestrial network device B can be understood as: the first non-terrestrial network device when the information of the first service is the EAS IP address.

[0438] Among them, the one or more non-terrestrial network devices meet preset rules, such as the number of hops of the inter-satellite link with non-terrestrial network device B being less than or equal to X, and / or the distance with non-terrestrial network device B being less than or equal to Y. For details, please refer to the relevant description in step S1106 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0439] S1216. The ephemeris maintenance network element sends information about non-terrestrial network devices from the fourth non-terrestrial network device list to the NRF network element. Correspondingly, the NRF network element receives the information about non-terrestrial network devices from the fourth non-terrestrial network device list from the ephemeris maintenance network element.

[0440] The information of the non-terrestrial network device includes its identifier. Optionally, it may also include the priority information of the non-terrestrial network device, as explained in step S1107 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0441] S1217. The NRF network element obtains the information of the first user plane network element #2 based on the information of the non-terrestrial network devices in the fourth non-terrestrial network device list. Refer to the relevant explanation of step S1108 above; it will not be repeated here.

[0442] S1218, the NRF network element sends the information of the first user plane network element #2 to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the information of the first user plane network element #2 from the NRF network element.

[0443] S1219. The SMF network element configures the first user plane network element #2 according to the information of the first user plane network element #2. Refer to the relevant explanation in step S802b above; it will not be repeated here.

[0444] At this point, a suitable EAS and user plane network element can be selected for the terminal. The terminal can then access the first service through the user plane network element and EAS to transmit service data.

[0445] As one possible implementation, if the first control plane network element obtains information about the first user plane network element through method A above, and the second control plane network element obtains information about one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location through method b above, then in the process shown in Figure 12 above, the steps performed by the ephemeris maintenance network element can be implemented by the NRF network element, and the interaction between the NRF network element and the ephemeris maintenance network element is not performed. For example, steps S1204-S1207 above can be omitted, and the NRF network element can determine one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location locally based on the first parameter.

[0446] As a possible implementation, if the first control plane network element obtains the information of the first user plane network element through the above method B or method 2, then in the process shown in Figure 12 above, the steps performed by the NRF network element and the ephemeris maintenance network element can be implemented by the SMF network element, and the interaction actions between the NRF network element / ephemeris maintenance network element and the SMF network element are not executed.

[0447] In a third possible implementation, the service deployment information is implemented through the above-described method three. For example, the first parameter includes a first data network access identifier list, the first service information includes the FQDN and EAS IP address of the first service, the first control plane network element is an SMF network element, the second control plane network element is an NRF network element, and the third control plane network element is an ephemeris maintenance network element. As shown in Figure 13, this communication process can include the following steps:

[0448] S1301, the EASDF network element sends the FQDN of the first service to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the FQDN of the first service from the EASDF network element. Refer to the relevant explanation in step S1201 above; it will not be repeated here.

[0449] S1302, SMF network element determines the first data network access identifier list #1 based on the FQDN of the first service and the service deployment information.

[0450] As one possible implementation, when the terminal accesses the network through a non-terrestrial network device (such as a satellite), the SMF network element performs step S1302. Please refer to the relevant description in step S1102 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0451] The service deployment information includes the data network access identifier corresponding to the service. This data network access identifier corresponds to the non-terrestrial network equipment, as described in the relevant description of Method 3 above. The SMF network element determines the implementation of the first data network access identifier list #1 based on the FQDN of the first service and the service deployment information. This can be referred to in Method 1 above, where the first control plane network element determines the first data network access identifier list based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information, and will not be repeated here.

[0452] S1303, the SMF network element sends the first data network access identifier list #1 to the NRF network element. Correspondingly, the NRF network element receives the first data network access identifier list #1 from the SMF network element.

[0453] As one possible implementation, the SMF network element can also send the NRF network element at least one of the following: the terminal's location, the data network access identifier corresponding to the terminal, or the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device to which the terminal is connected. Refer to the relevant description in step S1203 above; it will not be repeated here.

[0454] As one possible implementation, the SMF network element may send the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list #1 corresponding to the first data network access identifier list #1 to the NRF network element. This first non-terrestrial network device identifier list #1 includes the identifiers of the non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the data network access identifiers in the first data network access identifier list #1.

[0455] S1304, the NRF network element sends the first information to the ephemeris maintenance network element. Correspondingly, the ephemeris maintenance network receives the first information from the NRF network element.

[0456] The first information includes a first data network access identifier list #1 and a second parameter. The second parameter includes the location of the terminal and / or the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device to which the terminal is accessed. Refer to the relevant explanation in case three of step S1001 above; it will not be repeated here.

[0457] As one possible implementation, in step S1303 above, when the SMF network element sends the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list #1 to the NRF network element, the first information may include the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list #1 and the second parameter.

[0458] S1305, the ephemeris maintenance network element determines the first non-terrestrial network device based on the first information.

[0459] As one possible implementation, the first non-terrestrial network device is the non-terrestrial network device closest to the terminal among the non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the first data network access identifier list #1 or the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list #1, or the non-terrestrial network device closest to the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal among the non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the first data network access identifier list #1 or the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list #1. Refer to the above step 1002, where the first information is as shown in situation three above, for the relevant explanation of how the third control plane network element determines the first non-terrestrial network device based on the first information, which will not be repeated here.

[0460] S1306-S1310 are the same as steps S1206-S1210 above, and can be referred to the implementation of steps S1206-S1210 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0461] As one possible implementation, after receiving the information from the first user plane network element #1, the EASDF network element can determine the ECS option based on the information from the first user plane network element #1, and send a DNS request message carrying the ECS option to the DNS server. The DNS server can return a DNS response message carrying the EAS IP address. This EAS IP address is the address information of the first service, which can be understood as the IP address of the EAS used to serve the terminal. The terminal can access the first service through this EAS. Refer to the relevant description in step S802a above; it will not be repeated here.

[0462] After receiving the EAS IP returned by the DNA server, the EASDF network element can perform the following step S1311.

[0463] S1311, the EASDF network element sends the EAS IP address to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the EAS IP address from the EASDF network element. The implementation of step S1211 above can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0464] S1312-S1319 are similar to steps S1212-S1219 above, except that: in step S1312, the non-terrestrial network device identifier B in step S1212 above can be the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device corresponding to the data network access identifier (denoted as the second data network access identifier) ​​corresponding to the EAS IP address in the service deployment information.

[0465] At this point, a suitable EAS and user plane network element can be selected for the terminal. The terminal can then access the first service through the user plane network element and EAS to transmit service data.

[0466] As one possible implementation, if the first control plane network element obtains information about the first user plane network element through method A above, and the second control plane network element obtains information about one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location through method b above, then in the process shown in Figure 13 above, the steps performed by the ephemeris maintenance network element can be implemented by the NRF network element, and the interaction between the NRF network element and the ephemeris maintenance network element is not performed. For example, steps S1304-S1307 above can be omitted, and the NRF network element can determine one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location locally based on the first parameter.

[0467] As a possible implementation, if the first control plane network element obtains the information of the first user plane network element through the above method B or method 2, then in the process shown in Figure 13 above, the steps performed by the NRF network element and the ephemeris maintenance network element can be implemented by the SMF network element, and the interaction actions between the NRF network element / ephemeris maintenance network element and the SMF network element are not performed.

[0468] In one possible implementation, the second and third control plane network elements can be co-located, meaning that one network element (denoted as the fourth control plane network element) maintains both ephemeris information and the correspondence between non-terrestrial network devices and user plane network elements, or the correspondence between non-terrestrial network devices and edge application servers. In this scenario, service deployment information does not need to be enhanced, and as shown in Figure 14, the communication method provided in this application for this scenario may include the following steps:

[0469] S1401, the EASDF network element sends the FQDN of the first service to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the FQDN of the first service from the EASDF network element. Refer to the relevant explanation of step S1101 above; it will not be repeated here.

[0470] S1402, the SMF network element sends the FQDN and second parameters of the first service to the fourth control plane network element. Correspondingly, the fourth control plane network element receives the FQDN and second parameters of the first service from the SMF network element.

[0471] The second parameter includes the location of the terminal and / or the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device to which the terminal is connected.

[0472] As one possible implementation, the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal can be sent from the AMF network element to the SMF network element. For example, the RAN node identifier can be carried in the initial UE message sent by the RAN device to the AMF network element. The AMF network element can then determine the non-terrestrial network device corresponding to the RAN node identifier as the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal based on the correspondence between the RAN node identifier and the non-terrestrial network device identifier. Subsequently, during the PDU session establishment process, the AMF network element can send the terminal's location and / or the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal to the SMF network element through a PDU session establishment session management context request (PDUSession_CreateSMContext request) message.

[0473] S1403. The fourth control plane network element determines the information of the first user plane network element #1 based on the FQDN of the first service, the second parameter, the ephemeris information of the non-terrestrial network equipment, the correspondence between the non-terrestrial network equipment and the user plane network element, and the correspondence between the non-terrestrial network equipment and the EAS.

[0474] As one possible implementation, the correspondence between non-terrestrial network devices and user plane network elements can be configured locally by the fourth control plane network element, or it can be sent from the user plane network element to the fourth control plane network element, without restriction.

[0475] As one possible implementation, the fourth control plane network element can identify a non-terrestrial network device a that has deployed the EAS corresponding to the FQDN of the first service and has an inter-satellite link with the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal. Then, it can identify at least one non-terrestrial network device b that is close to both non-terrestrial network device a and the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal and has deployed user plane network elements. From the at least one non-terrestrial network device b, it can identify the non-terrestrial network device c with the highest priority and designate the user plane network element deployed on non-terrestrial network device c as the first user plane network element #1. Optionally, when determining the first user plane network element #1, the fourth control plane network element can also consider the terminal coverage time of the non-terrestrial network device and designate the user plane network element deployed on the non-terrestrial network with the longest remaining coverage time as the first user plane network element #1.

[0476] S1404, the fourth control plane network element sends information about the first user plane network element #1 to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the information from the first user plane network element #1 from the fourth control plane network element.

[0477] S1405, the SMF network element sends information about the first user plane network element #1 to the EASDF network element. Correspondingly, the EASDF network element receives the information about the first user plane network element #1 from the SMF network element.

[0478] As one possible implementation, after receiving the information from the first user plane network element #1, the EASDF network element can determine the ECS option based on the information from the first user plane network element #1, and send a DNS request message carrying the ECS option to the DNS server. The DNS server can return a DNS response message carrying the EAS IP address. This EAS IP address is the address information of the first service, which can be understood as the IP address of the EAS used to serve the terminal. The terminal can access the first service through this EAS. Refer to the relevant description in step S802a above; it will not be repeated here.

[0479] After receiving the EAS IP returned by the DNA server, the EASDF network element can execute the following step S1405.

[0480] S1406. The EASDF network element sends the EAS IP address to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the EAS IP address from the EASDF network element. Refer to the relevant explanation of step S1111 above; it will not be repeated here.

[0481] S1407. The SMF network element sends the EAS IP address and second parameters to the fourth control plane network element. Correspondingly, the fourth control plane network element receives the EAS IP address and second parameters from the SMF network element.

[0482] S1408, the fourth control plane network element determines the information of the first user plane network element #2 based on the EAS IP address, the second parameter, the ephemeris information of the non-terrestrial network equipment, the correspondence between the non-terrestrial network equipment and the user plane network element, and the correspondence between the non-terrestrial network equipment and the EAS. Refer to the relevant explanation in step S1403 above; it will not be repeated here.

[0483] S1409. The fourth control plane network element sends the information of the first user plane network element #2 to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the information of the first user plane network element #2 from the fourth control plane network element.

[0484] S1410, the SMF network element configures the first user plane network element #2 according to the information of the first user plane network element #2. Refer to the relevant explanations in step S802b above; they will not be repeated here.

[0485] At this point, a suitable EAS and user plane network element can be selected for the terminal. The terminal can then access the first service through the user plane network element and EAS to transmit service data.

[0486] It is understood that the methods and / or steps implemented by the first control plane network element / second control plane network element / third control plane network element in the above embodiments can also be implemented by components (e.g., processors, chips, chip systems, circuits, logic modules, or software) that can be used in the first control plane network element / second control plane network element / third control plane network element. The chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0487] 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.

[0488] 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.

[0489] 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. The communication device 150 can be used to implement the functions of the aforementioned first control plane network element, second control plane network element, or third control plane network element.

[0490] In some embodiments, the communication device 150 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG15) for storing program instructions and data.

[0491] 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.

[0492] 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 first control plane network element / second control plane network element / third control plane network element in the above method embodiments, and / or to support other processes of the technology described herein; the processing module 1501 may be configured to perform the processing steps (e.g., determination) performed by the first control plane network element / second control plane network element / third control plane network element in the above method embodiments, and / or to support other processes of the technology described herein.

[0493] For example, when the communication device 150 is used to implement the functions of the first control plane network element described above:

[0494] Processing module 1501 is used to obtain information about the first user plane network element based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information; the service deployment information includes at least one of the following: time information corresponding to the service information, non-terrestrial network device identifier corresponding to the service information, or data network access identifier corresponding to the service, wherein the data network access identifier corresponds to the non-terrestrial network device; transceiver module 1502 is used to send the information of the first user plane network element, wherein the information of the first user plane network element is used to determine the edge application server, wherein the edge application server is used for the terminal to access the first service; or, processing module 1501 is further used to configure the first user plane network element based on the information of the first user plane network element, wherein the first user plane network element is used for the terminal to access the first service.

[0495] Optionally, the processing module 1501 is used to obtain information about the first user plane network element based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information, including: the processing module 1501 is used to determine a first parameter based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information; the first parameter is used to indicate the deployment location of the first service; the processing module 1501 is also used to obtain information about the first user plane network element based on the first parameter.

[0496] Optionally, the processing module 1501 is used to obtain information about the first user plane network element according to the first parameter, including: the processing module 1501 is used to send the first parameter through the transceiver module 1502; the processing module 1501 is also used to receive information about the first user plane network element through the transceiver module 1502.

[0497] Optionally, the processing module 1501 is used to obtain information about the first user plane network element according to the first parameter, including: the processing module 1501 is used to determine the information about the first user plane network element according to the first parameter, the ephemeris information of at least one non-terrestrial network device, and the correspondence between the non-terrestrial network device and the user plane network element.

[0498] Optionally, the first parameter is a first data network access identifier; the processing module 1501 is used to determine the first parameter based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information, including: the processing module 1501 is used to determine the first data network access identifier based on the information of the first service, the location of the terminal, the first time and the service deployment information.

[0499] Optionally, the processing module 1501 is used to obtain information about the first user plane network element based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information, including: the processing module 1501 is used to determine the information of the first user plane network element based on the information of the first service, the service deployment information, the ephemeris information of at least one non-terrestrial network device, and the correspondence between the non-terrestrial network device and the user plane network element.

[0500] Optionally, the processing module 1501 is used to obtain information about the first user plane network element based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information. The processing module 1501 is used to obtain information about the first user plane network element based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information when the terminal accesses through a non-terrestrial network device or when the data network access identifier corresponding to the terminal corresponds to the time information.

[0501] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to send at least one of the following: the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal, the location of the terminal, the data network access identifier corresponding to the terminal, or the first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal accesses the network through the non-terrestrial network device.

[0502] When the communication device 150 is used to implement the functions of the second control plane network element described above:

[0503] Processing module 1501 is used to obtain a first parameter, which indicates the deployment location of the service accessed by the terminal; processing module 1501 is also used to obtain information of one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location based on the first parameter; processing module 1501 is also used to obtain information of a first user plane network element based on the information of one or more non-terrestrial network devices, the first user plane network element is used to serve the terminal, and the first user plane network element is deployed on one of the one or more non-terrestrial network devices; transceiver module 1502 is used to send the information of the first user plane network element.

[0504] Optionally, the processing module 1501 is used to obtain information about one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location according to the first parameter, including: the processing module 1501 is used to send first information through the transceiver module 1502, the first information being used to indicate the provision of non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location; the first information includes the first parameter, or includes information related to the first parameter; the processing module 1501 is also used to receive information about one or more non-terrestrial network devices through the transceiver module 1502.

[0505] Optionally, the processing module 1501 is used to obtain information about one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location based on the first parameter, including: the processing module 1501 is used to determine the information of one or more non-terrestrial network devices based on the first parameter and the ephemeris information of at least one non-terrestrial network device.

[0506] Optionally, the processing module 1501 is used to obtain information of the first user plane network element based on information of one or more non-terrestrial network devices, including: the processing module 1501 is used to determine the information of the first user plane network element based on information of one or more non-terrestrial network devices and the correspondence between non-terrestrial network devices and user plane network elements.

[0507] When the communication device 150 is used to implement the functions of the aforementioned third control plane network element:

[0508] The transceiver module 1502 is used to receive first information, which indicates the non-terrestrial network device corresponding to the deployment location of the service providing terminal access; the processing module 1501 is used to determine a first non-terrestrial network device based on the first information, wherein the first non-terrestrial network device satisfies at least one of the following: related to a geographical area corresponding to a first data network access identifier, closest to the terminal among non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to a first non-terrestrial network device identifier list, closest to the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal among non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to a first non-terrestrial network device identifier list, closest to the terminal among non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to a first data network access identifier list, or closest to the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal among non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to a first data network access identifier list; the processing module 1501 is also used to determine one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location based on the first non-terrestrial network device; the transceiver module 1502 is also used to send information about one or more non-terrestrial network devices.

[0509] Optionally, the processing module 1501 is used to determine the first non-terrestrial network device based on the first information, including: the processing module 1501 is used to determine the first non-terrestrial network device based on the first information and the ephemeris information of at least one non-terrestrial network device.

[0510] 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.

[0511] 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.

[0512] 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.

[0513] 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.

[0514] 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.

[0515] 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.

[0516] As a possible product form, the first control plane network element, the second control plane network element, or the third control plane network element in this application may adopt the composition structure shown in FIG16, or include the components shown in FIG16. FIG16 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device 1600 provided in this application. The communication device 1600 may be a first control plane network element or a module, chip, or system-on-a-chip in the first control plane network element; or the communication device 1600 may be a second control plane network element or a module, chip, or system-on-a-chip in the second control plane network element; or the communication device 1600 may be a third control plane network element or a module, chip, or system-on-a-chip in the third control plane network element.

[0517] As shown in Figure 16, the communication device 1600 includes at least one processor 1601 and at least one communication interface (Figure 16 is merely an example illustrating the inclusion of a communication interface 1604 and a processor 1601). Optionally, the communication device 1600 may also include a communication bus 1602 and a memory 1603.

[0518] Processor 1601 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 1601 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.

[0519] Communication bus 1602 is used to connect different components in communication device 1600, enabling communication between them. Communication bus 1602 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 16, but this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0520] Communication interface 1604 is used for communicating with other devices or communication networks. For example, communication interface 1604 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 1604 can also be an input / output interface located within processor 1601, used to implement signal input and signal output for the processor.

[0521] The memory 1603 may be a device with storage function, used to store instructions and / or data. The instructions may be computer programs.

[0522] For example, memory 1603 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.

[0523] It should be noted that the memory 1603 can exist independently of the processor 1601, or it can be integrated with the processor 1601. The memory 1603 can be located inside or outside the communication device 1600, without limitation.

[0524] 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.

[0525] Optionally, the computer execution instructions in this solution can also be referred to as application code, and this solution does not specifically limit this.

[0526] As an optional implementation, the communication device 1600 may also include an output device 1605 and an input device 1606. The output device 1605 communicates with the processor 1601 and can display information in various ways. For example, the output device 1605 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 1606 communicates with the processor 1601 and can receive user input in various ways. For example, the input device 1606 may be a mouse, keyboard, touchscreen device, or sensing device, etc.

[0527] 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 1600 shown in FIG16 in terms of hardware implementation.

[0528] 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 communication interface 1604 in the communication device 1600 shown in Figure 16.

[0529] It should be noted that the structure shown in Figure 16 does not constitute a specific limitation on the first control plane network element, the second control plane network element, or the third control plane network element. For example, in other embodiments of this application, the first control plane network element, the second control plane network element, and the third control plane network element 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.

[0530] 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.

[0531] 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.

[0532] 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.

[0533] 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.

[0534] 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.

[0535] 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.

[0536] This application also provides a computer program product that, when executed by a computer, implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0537] 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.

[0538] 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.

[0539] 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.

[0540] 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.

[0541] 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.

[0542] 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.

[0543] 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 by comprising: The method is applied to a first control plane network element or a chip in the first control plane network element, and the method includes: Information about the first user plane network element is obtained based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information; the service deployment information includes at least one of the following: time information corresponding to the service information, non-terrestrial network device identifier corresponding to the service information, or data network access identifier corresponding to the service, wherein the data network access identifier corresponds to the non-terrestrial network device; The information of the first user plane network element is sent, and this information is used to determine the edge application server. The edge application server is used for the terminal to access the first service, or... Configure the first user plane network element according to the information of the first user plane network element, and use the first user plane network element for the terminal to access the first service.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The time information corresponding to the service information is used to indicate the availability time of the service information. The service information includes one or more of the following: domain name information of the service, address information of the service, or data network access identifier corresponding to the service.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The non-terrestrial network device corresponding to the non-terrestrial network device identifier provides the service corresponding to the service information; the service information includes the domain name information and / or the address information of the service.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The step of obtaining information about the first user plane network element based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information includes: The first parameter is determined based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information; the first parameter is used to indicate the deployment location of the first service. Based on the first parameter, obtain the information of the first user plane network element.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the information of the first user plane network element based on the first parameter includes: Send the first parameter; Receive information from the first user plane network element.

6. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the information of the first user plane network element based on the first parameter includes: Based on the first parameter, the ephemeris information of at least one non-terrestrial network device, and the correspondence between the non-terrestrial network device and the user plane network element, the information of the first user plane network element is determined.

7. The method according to any one of claims 4-6, characterized in that, The first parameter is a first data network access identifier; determining the first parameter based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information includes: The first data network access identifier is determined based on the information of the first service, the location of the terminal, the first time, and the service deployment information.

8. The method according to any one of claims 4-6, characterized in that, The first parameter is a first non-terrestrial network device identifier list; the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list includes at least one non-terrestrial network device identifier, and the at least one non-terrestrial network device identifier is the non-terrestrial network device identifier in the service deployment information that corresponds to the information of the first service.

9. The method according to any one of claims 4-6, characterized in that, The first parameter is a first data network access identifier list; the first data network access identifier list includes at least one data network access identifier, and the at least one data network access identifier is the data network access identifier in the service deployment information that corresponds to the information of the first service.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The step of obtaining information about the first user plane network element based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information includes: Based on the information of the first service, the service deployment information, the ephemeris information of at least one non-terrestrial network device, and the correspondence between the non-terrestrial network device and the user plane network element, the information of the first user plane network element is determined.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The step of obtaining information about the first user plane network element based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information includes: When the terminal accesses the network via a non-terrestrial network device, or when the data network access identifier corresponding to the terminal corresponds to the time information, the information of the first user plane network element is obtained based on the information of the first service and the service deployment information.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, The method further includes: sending at least one of the following: the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal, the location of the terminal, the data network access identifier corresponding to the terminal, or first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal accesses the network through a non-terrestrial network device.

13. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a second control plane network element or a chip within the second control plane network element, and the method includes: Obtain the first parameter, which is used to indicate the deployment location of the service accessed by the terminal; Based on the first parameter, obtain information about one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location; Based on the information of the one or more non-terrestrial network devices, information of a first user plane network element is obtained. The first user plane network element is used to serve the terminal. The first user plane network element is deployed on one of the one or more non-terrestrial network devices. Send information about the first user plane network element.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The step of obtaining information about one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location based on the first parameter includes: Send a first message, which is used to instruct the provision of a non-terrestrial network device corresponding to the deployment location; the first message includes the first parameter, or includes information related to the first parameter; Receive information from the one or more non-terrestrial network devices.

15. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The step of obtaining information about one or more non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the deployment location based on the first parameter includes: Based on the first parameter and the ephemeris information of at least one non-terrestrial network device, the information of the one or more non-terrestrial network devices is determined.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The first parameter is a first data network access identifier, which corresponds to the service accessed by the terminal.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The first information includes the first data network access identifier, or includes information about the geographical area corresponding to the first data network access identifier.

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that, The distance between the one or more non-terrestrial network devices and the first non-terrestrial network device meets a preset condition; the first non-terrestrial network device is related to the geographical area corresponding to the first data network access identifier.

19. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The first parameter is a first non-terrestrial network device identifier list, and the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list corresponds to the service accessed by the terminal.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The first information includes the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list and the second parameter, wherein the second parameter is the location of the terminal and / or the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that, The distance between the one or more non-terrestrial network devices and the first non-terrestrial network device meets the preset conditions; The first non-terrestrial network device is the non-terrestrial network device closest to the terminal among the non-terrestrial network devices in the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list; or it is the non-terrestrial network device closest to the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal among the non-terrestrial network devices in the first non-terrestrial network device identifier list.

22. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The first parameter is a first data network access identifier list, which corresponds to the service accessed by the terminal.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that, The first information includes the first data network access identifier list and the second parameter, wherein the second parameter is the location of the terminal and / or the identifier of the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal.

24. The method according to claim 22 or 23, characterized in that, The distance between the one or more non-terrestrial network devices and the first non-terrestrial network device meets the preset conditions; The first non-terrestrial network device is either the non-terrestrial network device closest to the terminal among the non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the first data network access identifier list, or the non-terrestrial network device closest to the non-terrestrial network device accessed by the terminal among the non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the first data network access identifier list.

25. The method according to any one of claims 18, 21, or 24, characterized in that, The preset conditions include: The number of hops in the inter-satellite link between the one or more non-terrestrial network devices and the first non-terrestrial network device is less than or equal to a hop count threshold, and / or, The distance between the one or more non-terrestrial network devices and the first non-terrestrial network device is less than or equal to a distance threshold.

26. The method according to any one of claims 14, 16-25, characterized in that, The first information also includes second indication information, which is used to indicate the provision of information for the one or more non-terrestrial network devices, or to indicate the provision of information for the one or more non-terrestrial network devices with priority.

27. The method according to any one of claims 13-26, characterized in that, The step of obtaining information about the first user plane network element based on information from the one or more non-terrestrial network devices includes: Based on the information of the one or more non-terrestrial network devices and the correspondence between the non-terrestrial network devices and the user plane network elements, the information of the first user plane network element is determined.

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 described in any one of claims 1-12, or to cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 13-27.

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 1-12 to be performed, or cause the method described in any one of claims 13-27 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 1-12 to be performed, or cause the method of any one of claims 13-27 to be performed.

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