Wireless communication method and apparatus, and device

Abstract

The present application belongs to the field of communications. Disclosed are a wireless communication method and apparatus, and a device. The wireless communication method in the embodiments of the present application comprises: a first network-side device allocating a first identifier to a terminal, wherein the first identifier is a unique identifier allocated by the first network-side device to the terminal on a first connection, and the first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and a second network-side device; and the first network-side device sending the first identifier to the second network-side device.

Description

Wireless communication methods, apparatus and equipment

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411972652.1, filed with the Chinese Patent Office on December 30, 2024, entitled "Wireless Communication Method, Apparatus and Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application belongs to the field of communication technology, specifically relating to a wireless communication method, apparatus, and device. Background Technology

[0004] When user equipment (UE) and network functions (NFs) other than access management functions (AMF) communicate in the non-access stratum (NAS), they need to forward NAS messages through the base station and AMF.

[0005] However, due to network deployment issues, the forwarding of NAS messages by the AMF may involve circuitous routes, thereby increasing communication latency. For example, suppose the UE and the Session Management Function (SMF) are both in an industrial park, while the AMF is located in the operator's equipment room. NAS communication between the UE and the SMF needs to be routed from the industrial park to the operator's equipment room and then back to the industrial park, increasing the transmission path of NAS messages and thus increasing the communication latency of NAS messages. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a wireless communication method, apparatus, and device that can reduce the communication latency of NAS messages.

[0007] In a first aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, performed by a first network-side device, the method comprising:

[0008] The first network-side device assigns a first identifier to the terminal. The first identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection. The first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device.

[0009] The first network-side device sends the first identifier to the second network-side device.

[0010] Secondly, a wireless communication method is provided, executed by a second network-side device, the method comprising:

[0011] The second network-side device assigns a second identifier to the terminal. The second identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the second network-side device on the first connection. The first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device.

[0012] The second network-side device sends the second identifier to the first network-side device.

[0013] Thirdly, a wireless communication method is provided, performed by a third network-side device, the method comprising:

[0014] The third network-side device sends the terminal's permanent identifier and second connection information to the second network-side device;

[0015] Wherein, the second connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the third network-side device, and the information of the second connection includes at least one of the following:

[0016] The first network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection;

[0017] The third network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection.

[0018] Fourthly, a wireless communication method is provided, executed by a terminal, the method comprising:

[0019] The terminal sends first information to the first network-side device and a first non-access stratum (NAS) message to the second network-side device.

[0020] The first information is used by the first network-side device to determine the second network-side device, and the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0021] The identification information of the second network-side device;

[0022] The type information of the second network-side device;

[0023] The type information of the NAS message from the second network-side device;

[0024] Service type information of the second network-side device.

[0025] Fifthly, a wireless communication device is provided, comprising:

[0026] The processing module is used to assign a first identifier to the terminal. The first identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection. The first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device.

[0027] The sending module is used to send the first identifier to the second network-side device.

[0028] Sixthly, a wireless communication device is provided, comprising:

[0029] The processing module is used to assign a second identifier to the terminal. The second identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the second network-side device on the first connection. The first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device.

[0030] The sending module is used to send the second identifier to the first network-side device.

[0031] In a seventh aspect, a wireless communication device is provided, comprising:

[0032] The sending module is used to send the terminal's permanent identifier and second connection information to the second network-side device;

[0033] Wherein, the second connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the third network-side device, and the information of the second connection includes at least one of the following:

[0034] The first network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection;

[0035] The third network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection.

[0036] Eighthly, a wireless communication device is provided, comprising:

[0037] The sending module is used to send first information to the first network-side device and a first non-access stratum (NAS) message sent by the terminal to the second network-side device;

[0038] The first information is used by the first network-side device to determine the second network-side device, and the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0039] The identification information of the second network-side device;

[0040] The type information of the second network-side device;

[0041] The type information of the NAS message from the second network-side device;

[0042] Service type information of the second network-side device.

[0043] A ninth aspect provides a wireless communication device configured to perform the steps of the method described in the first aspect, or implement the steps of the method described in the second aspect, or implement the steps of the method described in the third aspect, or implement the steps of the method described in the fourth aspect.

[0044] In a tenth aspect, a first network-side device is provided, the first network-side device including a processor and a memory, the memory storing a program or instructions executable on the processor, the program or instructions, when executed by the processor, implementing the steps of the method as described in the first aspect.

[0045] Eleventhly, a first network-side device is provided, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor is used to assign a first identifier to a terminal, the first identifier being a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on a first connection, the first connection being a connection between the first network-side device and a second network-side device, and the communication interface is used to send the first identifier to the second network-side device.

[0046] In a twelfth aspect, a second network-side device is provided, the second network-side device including a processor and a memory, the memory storing a program or instructions executable on the processor, the program or instructions, when executed by the processor, implementing the steps of the method as described in the second aspect.

[0047] In a thirteenth aspect, a second network-side device is provided, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor is used to assign a second identifier to a terminal, the second identifier being a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the second network-side device on a first connection, the first connection being a connection between a first network-side device and the second network-side device, and the communication interface is used to send the second identifier to the first network-side device.

[0048] In a fourteenth aspect, a third network-side device is provided, the third network-side device including a processor and a memory, the memory storing a program or instructions executable on the processor, the program or instructions, when executed by the processor, implementing the steps of the method as described in the third aspect.

[0049] In a fifteenth aspect, a third network-side device is provided, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is used to send information about a terminal's permanent identifier and a second connection to a second network-side device;

[0050] Wherein, the second connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the third network-side device, and the information of the second connection includes at least one of the following:

[0051] The first network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection;

[0052] The third network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection.

[0053] In a sixteenth aspect, a terminal is provided, the terminal including a processor and a memory, the memory storing a program or instructions executable on the processor, the program or instructions, when executed by the processor, implementing the steps of the method as described in the fourth aspect.

[0054] In a seventeenth aspect, a terminal is provided, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is used to send first information to a first network-side device and a first non-access stratum (NAS) message sent by the terminal to a second network-side device;

[0055] The first information is used by the first network-side device to determine the second network-side device, and the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0056] The identification information of the second network-side device;

[0057] The type information of the second network-side device;

[0058] The type information of the NAS message from the second network-side device;

[0059] Service type information of the second network-side device.

[0060] In an eighteenth aspect, a readable storage medium is provided, on which a program or instructions are stored, which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method described in the first aspect, or the steps of the method described in the second aspect, or the steps of the method described in the third aspect, or the steps of the method described in the fourth aspect.

[0061] In a nineteenth aspect, a wireless communication system is provided, comprising: a terminal and a network-side device, wherein the terminal is configured to perform the steps of the method described in the first aspect, and the network-side device is configured to perform the steps of the method described in the second aspect, or implement the steps of the method described in the third aspect, or implement the steps of the method described in the fourth aspect.

[0062] In a twentieth aspect, a chip is provided, the chip including a processor and a communication interface coupled to the processor, the processor being configured to run a program or instructions to implement the method as described in the first aspect, or the method as described in the second aspect, or the steps of the method as described in the third aspect, or the steps of the method as described in the fourth aspect.

[0063] In a twenty-first aspect, a computer program / program product is provided, the computer program / program product being stored in a storage medium, the computer program / program product being executed by at least one processor to implement the steps of the method as described in the first aspect, or the steps of the method as described in the second aspect, or the steps of the method as described in the third aspect, or the steps of the method as described in the fourth aspect.

[0064] In this embodiment, since the first identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection, and the first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device, after the second network-side device obtains the first identifier, it can send NAS messages to the first network-side device or identify NAS messages from the first network-side device based on the first identifier. That is, the first network-side device and the second network-side device can directly transmit NAS messages. Compared with the scheme of forwarding NAS messages between the first network-side device and the second network-side device through the third network-side device, the communication latency of NAS messages can be improved and reduced. Attached Figure Description

[0065] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0066] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of NAS communication provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0067] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a distributed NAS provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0068] Figures 4 to 12 are schematic flowcharts of the wireless communication method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0069] Figures 13 to 16 are schematic block diagrams of the wireless communication device provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0070] Figure 17 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0071] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a terminal provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0072] Figures 19 and 20 are schematic block diagrams of the network-side device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0073] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0074] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in this application are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such terms can be used interchangeably where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first" and "second" are generally of the same class, not limited in number; for example, the first object can be one or more. Furthermore, "or" in this application indicates at least one of the connected objects. For example, the scope of protection for "A or B" covers at least three scenarios: Scenario 1: including A but not B; Scenario 2: including B but not A; Scenario 3: including both A and B. In addition, the terms "A and / or B," "at least one of A and B," and "at least one of A or B" also cover at least the above three scenarios. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0075] The term "instruction" in this application can be either a direct instruction (or explicit instruction) or an indirect instruction (or implicit instruction). A direct instruction can be understood as the sender explicitly informing the receiver of specific information, the required operation, or the requested result in the instruction sent. An indirect instruction can be understood as the receiver determining the corresponding information based on the instruction sent by the sender, or making a judgment and determining the required operation or requested result based on the judgment result.

[0076] It is worth noting that the technologies described in this application are not limited to Long Term Evolution (LTE) / LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, but can also be used in other wireless communication systems, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single-carrier Frequency-Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA), or other systems. The terms "system" and "network" in this application are often used interchangeably, and the described technologies can be used with the systems and radio technologies mentioned above, as well as with other systems and radio technologies. The following description describes New Radio (NR) systems for illustrative purposes, and the term NR is used in most of the following description; however, these technologies can also be applied to systems other than NR systems, such as 6th generation (6G) radio systems. th Generation 6G communication system.

[0077] Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to an embodiment of this application. The wireless communication system includes a terminal 11 and a network-side device 12. The terminal 11 can also be referred to as User Equipment (UE), and can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, notebook computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld computer, netbook, ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), mobile internet device (MID), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) device, robot, wearable device, flight vehicle, vehicle user equipment (VUE), shipboard equipment, pedestrian user equipment (PUE), smart home (home devices with wireless communication capabilities, such as refrigerators, televisions, washing machines, or furniture), game console, personal computer (PC), ATM, or self-service machine, etc. Wearable devices include: smartwatches, smart bracelets, smart headphones, smart glasses, smart jewelry (smart bracelets, smart chains, smart rings, smart necklaces, smart anklets, smart anklets, etc.), smart wristbands, smart clothing, etc. Among these, in-vehicle devices can also be referred to as in-vehicle terminals, in-vehicle controllers, in-vehicle modules, in-vehicle components, in-vehicle chips, or in-vehicle units, etc. Furthermore, terminal 11 can be any of the terminals described above, or it can be a chip within a terminal, such as a modem chip, a system-on-chip (SoC), etc. It should be noted that the specific type of terminal 11 is not limited in this application embodiment. Network-side equipment 12 can include access network equipment or core network equipment, wherein access network equipment can also be referred to as Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment, radio access network function, or radio access network unit. Access network equipment can include base stations, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access points (APs), or Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) nodes, etc.Among them, base stations can be referred to as Node B (NB), Evolved Node B (eNB), Next Generation Node B (gNB), New Radio Node B (NR Node B), Access Point, Relay Base Station (RBS), Serving Base Station (SBS), Base Transceiver Station (BTS), Radio Base Station, Radio Transceiver, Basic Service Set (BSS), Extended Service Set (ESS), Home Node B (HNB), Home Evolved Node B, Transmit / Receive Point (TRP), Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) equipment (such as satellite or high altitude platform stations). The term "base station" can be any suitable term in the field, such as "station" or any other appropriate term in the relevant field, as long as the same technical effect is achieved. The term "base station" is not limited to specific technical terms. It should be noted that the embodiments of this application only use the base station in the NR system as an example for introduction, and do not limit the specific type of base station.

[0078] Core network equipment, also known as core network nodes, core network functions, or core network elements, includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: Mobility Management Entity (MME), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), User Plane Function (UPF), Policy Control Function (PCF), Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), Edge Application Server Discovery Function (EASDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Unified Data Repository (UDR), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Centralized network configuration (CNC), Network Repository Function (NRF), Network Exposure Function (NEF), Local NEF (L-NEF), and Binding Support. Functions include BSF, Application Function (AF), Location Management Function (LMF), Gateway Mobile Location Centre (GMLC), Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF), and Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) equipment (such as satellite or high altitude platform station).It should be noted that the embodiments of this application only use the core network equipment in the NR system as an example for introduction, and do not limit the specific type of core network equipment. If the name of the core network equipment mentioned in the embodiments of this application changes in subsequent protocol versions (e.g., 6G), it is also within the scope of protection of this application.

[0079] Optionally, the core network equipment can be implemented by one or more functional modules in a single device, or by multiple devices working together; this application does not specifically limit this. It is understood that the aforementioned functional modules can be network elements in hardware devices, software functional modules running on dedicated hardware, or virtualized functional modules instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0080] To facilitate a better understanding of the embodiments of this application, the related technologies are described.

[0081] (1) 5G network Non-Access Stratum (NAS) messages.

[0082] In a 5G network, the UE can communicate with various network functions (NFs) on the network side via NAS, as shown in Figure 2. When the UE communicates with other NFs besides the AMF, it needs to be forwarded through the AMF. For example, when the UE sends a mobility management (MM) message to the AMF, the UE forwards a session management (SM) message to the SMF through the AMF, the UE forwards a Short Message Service (SMS) message to the Short Message Service Function (SMSF) through the AMF, the UE forwards a UE policy message to the PCF through the AMF, and the UE forwards a Location Service (LCS) message to the LMF through the AMF.

[0083] Note 1: NF is a general term for core network elements. NF can be any core network element such as AMF, SMF, PCF, etc.

[0084] Note 2: For the sake of simplicity, the NAS message sent by the UE to the NF will be referred to as NF NAS message or NAS-XX, where XX represents the function of the NF; for example, the NAS message sent by the UE to the AMF will be referred to as AMF NAS message or NAS-MM; and the NAS message sent by the UE to the SMF will be referred to as SMF NAS message or NAS-SM.

[0085] (2) Sending NAS messages on the 5G network.

[0086] To prevent the base station from obtaining the UE's information, the base station does not store the UE's permanent identifier, such as the Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI) or the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI).

[0087] Note: For ease of description, SUPI will be used to replace the UE permanent identifier from now on.

[0088] When a UE transitions from idle to connected mode, the RAN and AMF have already established a Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) connection for the UE. During NGAP connection establishment, the RAN assigns a unique temporary identifier (RAN UE NGAP ID) to the UE and sends it to the AMF. The AMF then assigns a unique temporary identifier (AMF UE NGAP ID) and sends it to the RAN. Thus, the RAN and AMF can uniquely identify a UE based on the RAN UE NGAP ID and the AMF UE NGAP ID.

[0089] When a UE needs to send an uplink NAS message to an NF outside of any AMF, the sending path is as follows:

[0090] 1. The UE includes / encapsulates the NF NAS message within the AMF NAS message and sends the AMF NAS message to the base station via the Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

[0091] 2. The base station sends the AMF NAS message to the AMF via the NG-AP message. The NG-AP message contains the RAN UE NGAP ID and the AMF UE NGAP ID.

[0092] 3. The AMF determines which UE it is based on the RAN UE NGAP ID and the AMF UE NGAP ID, and obtains the UE's SUPI locally.

[0093] 4. The AMF obtains the NF NAS message from the AMF NAS message and sends the NF NAS message and the UE's SUPI to the NF, so that the NF can know which UE sent the NF NAS message based on the SUPI.

[0094] When an NF receives a downlink NAS message, the sending path is as follows:

[0095] 1. NF sends NF NAS messages and SUPI to AMF.

[0096] 2. The AMF determines which UE it is based on the SUPI and includes / encapsulates the NF NAS message in the AMF NAS message.

[0097] 3. The AMF sends the NG-AP message corresponding to the SUPI to the base station. The NG-AP message contains the RAN UE NGAP ID and the AMF UE NGAP ID.

[0098] 4. The base station determines which UE it is based on the RAN UE NGAP ID and AMF UE NGAP ID, and sends the AMF NAS message to the UE through the corresponding RRC message.

[0099] 5. The UE locally parses out the NF NAS message.

[0100] (3) Distributed NAS.

[0101] Due to network deployment issues, AMF may encounter path detours when forwarding NAS messages. For example, if the UE and SMF are both in an industrial park, and the AMF is in the operator's data center, NAS communication between the UE and SMF needs to be routed from the industrial park to the operator's data center and then back to the industrial park. This results in a long NAS path, high latency, and affects communication performance.

[0102] Distributed NAS is a solution to the problem of NAS path detours. As shown in Figure 3, the UE can communicate with any NF in NAS without going through AMF forwarding, thus solving the problem of NAS path detours caused by AMF forwarding of NAS.

[0103] Since NAS messages between the UE and each NF do not need to be relayed through the AMF, a direct connection needs to be established between the RAN and each NF. For example, in Figure 3, NAS messages between the UE and the AMF are sent through the RRC and NGAP connections; NAS messages between the UE and NF-1 are sent through the RRC and NXAP-1 connections.

[0104] Note: In 5G, the interface between RAN and AMF is the NGAP interface, which may be renamed in 6G. For ease of description, it will still be referred to as the NGAP interface.

[0105] The interface standard between the RAN and other NFs has not yet been defined. For ease of description, it will be referred to as NXAP in this article. Here, NFs can be core network elements such as SMF, PCF, and sensing function (SF).

[0106] The wireless communication method provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and through some embodiments and application scenarios.

[0107] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of a wireless communication method 210 according to an embodiment of this application.

[0108] As shown in Figure 4, the wireless communication method 210 may include at least some of the following:

[0109] S211, the first network-side device assigns a first identifier to the terminal. The first identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on a first connection. The first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device.

[0110] For example, the first network-side device may be an access network device, and the second network-side device may be a core network device or core network element other than the AMF.

[0111] For example, the first network-side device is a RAN, and the first identifier can be recorded as RAN UE NXAP ID.

[0112] S212, the first network-side device sends the first identifier to the second network-side device.

[0113] For example, the first network-side device may send the first identifier to the second network-side device via an Initial Context Setting Request or an Initial UE Message.

[0114] In this embodiment, since the first identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection, and the first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device, after the second network-side device obtains the first identifier, it can send NAS messages to the first network-side device or identify NAS messages from the first network-side device based on the first identifier. That is, the first network-side device and the second network-side device can directly transmit NAS messages. Compared with the scheme of forwarding NAS messages between the first network-side device and the second network-side device through the third network-side device, the communication latency of NAS messages can be improved and reduced.

[0115] In some embodiments, the method 210 further includes:

[0116] The first network-side device receives information about a second connection from the second network-side device; wherein the second connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the third network-side device, and the information about the second connection includes at least one of the following: a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the second connection; and a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the third network-side device on the second connection.

[0117] For example, the first network-side device is RAN, the third network-side device is AMF, the unique identifier assigned by RAN to the terminal on the second connection can be recorded as RAN UE NGAP ID, and the unique identifier assigned by AMF to the terminal on the second connection can be recorded as AMF UE NGAP ID.

[0118] For example, after the first network-side device obtains the information of the second connection from the second network-side device, it assigns the first identifier to the terminal based on the information of the second connection and sends the first identifier to the second network-side device.

[0119] For example, the first network-side device receives information about the second connection and a NAS message from the second network-side device. The first network-side device assigns the first identifier to the terminal based on the information about the second connection, and forwards the NAS message from the second network-side device to the terminal based on the information about the second connection.

[0120] In this embodiment, the first network-side device receives the information of the second connection, enabling the first identifier to be associated with the information of the second connection. Furthermore, since the information of the second connection is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device and the third network-side device, i.e., the second connection information is information associated with the terminal, the second network-side device can associate the first identifier with the terminal through the information of the second connection. This makes the identifier assigned by the first network-side device on the first connection an identifier assigned to the terminal, thereby increasing the accuracy of the first identifier.

[0121] In some embodiments, the method 210 includes:

[0122] The first network-side device determines the terminal based on the information from the second connection.

[0123] For example, the first network-side device receives information about the second connection and a NAS message from the second network-side device. The first network-side device assigns the first identifier to the terminal based on the information about the second connection, identifies the terminal based on the information about the second connection, and forwards the NAS message from the second network-side device to the terminal.

[0124] In this embodiment, the first network-side device determines the terminal based on the information of the second connection during the transmission of downlink NAS messages, which reduces the probability of forwarding downlink NAS messages to non-target terminals and can ensure the success rate of downlink NAS message transmission.

[0125] In some embodiments, the first network-side device receives information about the second connection and a second identifier from the second network-side device; wherein the second identifier is a unique identifier assigned by the second network-side device to the terminal on the first connection.

[0126] For example, the second network-side device is NF, and the second identifier can be recorded as NF UE NXAP ID.

[0127] For example, the first network-side device receives information about the second connection, the second identifier, and a downlink NAS message from the second network-side device. The first network-side device assigns the first identifier to the terminal based on the information about the second connection, identifies the terminal based on the information about the second connection, and forwards the NAS message from the second network-side device to the terminal.

[0128] In this embodiment, since the second identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the second network-side device on the first connection, and the first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device, after the first network-side device obtains the second identifier, it can send NAS messages to the second network-side device or identify NAS messages from the second network-side device based on the second identifier. That is, the first network-side device and the second network-side device can directly transmit NAS messages. Compared with the scheme of forwarding NAS messages between the first network-side device and the second network-side device through the third network-side device, the communication latency of NAS messages can be improved and reduced.

[0129] In some embodiments, the method 210 further includes:

[0130] The first network-side device receives information about a second connection from the third network-side device; wherein the second connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the third network-side device, and the information about the second connection includes at least one of the following: a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the second connection; and a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the third network-side device on the second connection.

[0131] For example, the first network-side device is RAN, the third network-side device is AMF, the unique identifier assigned by RAN to the terminal on the second connection can be recorded as RAN UE NGAP ID, and the unique identifier assigned by AMF to the terminal on the second connection can be recorded as AMF UE NGAP ID.

[0132] For example, after receiving the information of the second connection from the third network side device, the first network side device assigns the first identifier to the terminal based on the information of the second connection and sends the first identifier to the second network side device.

[0133] In this embodiment, the first network-side device receives the information of the second connection, enabling the first identifier to be associated with the information of the second connection. Furthermore, since the information of the second connection is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device and the third network-side device, i.e., the second connection information is information associated with the terminal, the second network-side device can associate the first identifier with the terminal through the information of the second connection. This makes the identifier assigned by the first network-side device on the first connection an identifier assigned to the terminal, thereby increasing the accuracy of the first identifier.

[0134] In some embodiments, the method 210 further includes:

[0135] The first network-side device performs at least one of the following:

[0136] The terminal is determined based on the information from the second connection;

[0137] Send the information about the second connection to the second network-side device.

[0138] For example, the first network-side device receives information about the second connection and a NAS message from the second network-side device from the third network-side device. The first network-side device determines the terminal based on the information about the second connection and forwards the NAS message from the second network-side device to the terminal. In this embodiment, the first network-side device determines the terminal based on the information about the second connection during the transmission of downlink NAS messages, which can ensure the success rate of downlink NAS message transmission.

[0139] For example, after the first network-side device obtains the information of the second connection, it assigns the first identifier to the terminal based on the information of the second connection, and sends the information of the second connection and the first identifier to the second network-side device.

[0140] In this embodiment, since the information of the second connection is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device and the third network-side device, that is, the second connection information is information associated with the terminal, the second network-side device helps the second network-side device associate the terminal with the first identifier by sending the information of the second connection with the first identifier. That is, after the second network-side device receives the first identifier, it can ensure that the second network-side device can send NAS messages to the second network-side device or identify NAS messages from the second network-side device based on the second identifier, thereby ensuring the success rate of NAS message transmission.

[0141] In some embodiments, the method 210 further includes:

[0142] The first network-side device receives first information from the terminal, the first information including at least one of the following:

[0143] The identification information of the second network-side device;

[0144] The type information of the second network-side device;

[0145] The type information of the NAS message from the second network-side device;

[0146] Service type information of the second network-side device.

[0147] For example, the identification information of the second network-side device includes: the device identifier of the second network-side device. The type information of the second network-side device includes: the device type of the second network-side device, and the type information of the NAS message of the second network-side device includes: the NAS message corresponding to the device type of the second network-side device. The service type information of the second network-side device includes: the service type provided by the second network-side device.

[0148] For example, the second network-side device is an NF, wherein the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0149] NF ID, which can be an ID obtained through NF GUTI;

[0150] NF type; for example, SMF, PCF and other NF types.

[0151] The NAS type corresponding to NF; for example, NAS types such as SMF NAS message and PCF NAS message.

[0152] NF corresponds to the service type; for example, data service, computing service, artificial intelligence service, etc. Service type can also be called business type.

[0153] For example, the first network-side device receives the first information from the terminal and a NAS message sent to the second network-side device. Based on the first information, the first network-side device sends the first identifier and the NAS message sent to the second network-side device.

[0154] In this embodiment, by receiving the first information, the first network-side device can be instructed to send the first identifier to the second network-side device, thereby ensuring that the second network-side device can successfully obtain the first identifier.

[0155] In some embodiments, the method 210 further includes:

[0156] The first network-side device determines the second network-side device based on the first information.

[0157] For example, the first network-side device receives the first information from the terminal and a NAS message sent to the second network-side device. The first network-side device determines the second network-side device based on the first information and sends the first identifier and the NAS message sent to the second network-side device.

[0158] In this embodiment, the first network-side device determines the second network-side device based on the first information, which can ensure that the first network-side device sends the first identifier to the appropriate network-side device, thereby ensuring the success rate of the first network-side device sending the first identifier.

[0159] In some embodiments, the method 210 further includes:

[0160] The first network-side device receives a second identifier from the second network-side device; wherein the second identifier is a unique identifier assigned by the second network-side device to the terminal on the first connection.

[0161] For example, the second network-side device is NF, and the second identifier can be recorded as NF UE NXAP ID.

[0162] For example, the first network-side device receives the second identifier, the second connection information, and the NAS message from the second network-side device from the second network-side device. The first network-side device assigns the first identifier to the terminal based on the second connection information and sends the first identifier to the second network-side device. Based on the second connection information, the first network-side device forwards the NAS message from the second network-side device to the terminal.

[0163] For example, the first network-side device receives the second identifier and a NAS message from the second network-side device, the first network-side device assigns the first identifier and the second identifier to the terminal, and forwards the NAS message from the second network-side device to the terminal.

[0164] For example, after the first network-side device sends the first identifier and the second connection information to the second network-side device, the first network-side device receives the second identifier from the second network-side device.

[0165] In this embodiment, after receiving the second identifier, the first network-side device can send a NAS message to the second network-side device or identify a NAS message from the second network-side device based on the second identifier. That is, the first network-side device and the second network-side device can directly transmit NAS messages. Compared with the scheme of forwarding NAS messages between the first network-side device and the second network-side device through a third network-side device, this can improve and reduce the communication latency of NAS messages.

[0166] In some embodiments, the method 210 further includes:

[0167] The first network-side device receives the second information;

[0168] The second information includes at least one of the following:

[0169] The type information of the second network-side device;

[0170] The type information of the non-access stratum NAS message from the second network-side device;

[0171] Service type information of the second network-side device;

[0172] The identifier ID of the second network-side device;

[0173] The full name domain name (FQDN) of the second network-side device;

[0174] The Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second network-side device;

[0175] The port number of the second network-side device.

[0176] For example, the identification information of the second network-side device includes: the device identifier of the second network-side device. The type information of the second network-side device includes: the device type of the second network-side device, and the type information of the NAS message of the second network-side device includes: the NAS message corresponding to the device type of the second network-side device. The service type information of the second network-side device includes: the service type provided by the second network-side device.

[0177] For example, after the first network-side device receives the second information from the second network-side device, the first network-side device assigns the first identifier to the terminal and sends the first identifier to the second network-side device.

[0178] For example, after the first network-side device receives the second information and the second identifier from the second network-side device, the first network-side device assigns the first identifier to the terminal and sends the first identifier to the second network-side device.

[0179] For example, after the first network-side device receives the second information from the third network-side device, the first network-side device assigns the first identifier to the terminal and sends the first identifier to the second network-side device.

[0180] For example, the first network-side device receives the second information from the second network-side device. After receiving the second information, the first network-side device sends an uplink NAS message (e.g., a NAS message sent by the terminal to the second network-side device) to the second network-side device based on the second information.

[0181] For example, the first network-side device sends an uplink NAS message (e.g., a NAS message sent by the terminal to the second network-side device) to the second network-side device based on the FQDN or IP address of the second network-side device, or the first network-side device sends an uplink NAS message to the second network-side device based on the IP address and port number of the second network-side device, thereby helping to improve the transmission success rate of the uplink NAS message.

[0182] For example, the first network-side device can identify the second network-side device based on the type information of the second network-side device, the type information of the non-access stratum NAS message of the second network-side device, the service type information of the second network-side device, or the identifier ID of the second network-side device. Based on this, after the first network-side device receives an uplink NAS message from the terminal (e.g., a NAS message sent by the terminal to the second network-side device), it can send an uplink NAS message to the second network-side device based on the type information of the second network-side device, the type information of the non-access stratum NAS message of the second network-side device, the service type information of the second network-side device, or the identifier ID of the second network-side device, thereby helping to improve the transmission success rate of the uplink NAS message.

[0183] In some embodiments, the method 210 further includes:

[0184] The first network-side device stores a first correspondence between the second information and the first connection.

[0185] For example, the first correspondence is a correspondence between the second information and at least one of the following: the first identifier and the second identifier. The first correspondence is used by the first network-side device to forward uplink NAS messages received from the terminal (e.g., NAS messages sent by the terminal to the second network-side device) to the second network-side device.

[0186] In this embodiment, by saving the first correspondence between the second information and the first connection, the first network-side device can directly forward the uplink NAS message received from the terminal (e.g., the NAS message sent by the terminal to the second network-side device) to the second network-side device based on the first correspondence. Compared with the scheme of forwarding the NAS message between the first network-side device and the second network-side device through the third network-side device, this can improve and reduce the communication latency of the NAS message.

[0187] In some embodiments, the method 210 further includes:

[0188] The first network-side device receives a first non-access stratum (NAS) message from the terminal to the second network-side device; the first network-side device sends the first NAS message to the second network-side device based on the first correspondence.

[0189] For example, the first network-side device receives a first NAS message and first information sent by the terminal to the second network-side device from the terminal; the first network-side device determines the second network-side device based on the first correspondence and the first information, and sends the first NAS message to the second network-side device.

[0190] In this embodiment, when the first network-side device receives the first NAS message from the terminal, it can select the second network-side device from among multiple network-side devices that have established a connection with the first network-side device based on the first correspondence, and forward it to the second network-side device, which can improve the transmission success rate of the uplink NAS message.

[0191] In some embodiments, the method 210 further includes:

[0192] The first network-side device stores the third information of the terminal and the second correspondence between the first connection;

[0193] The third information includes at least one of the following:

[0194] The terminal's identification information;

[0195] Identification information of the connection between the terminal and the first network-side device.

[0196] For example, the terminal's identification information includes the terminal's device identifier. The identification information of the connection between the terminal and the first network-side device may include the terminal's Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI).

[0197] For example, the second correspondence is a correspondence between the third information and at least one of the following: the first identifier and the second identifier. The first correspondence is used by the first network-side device to forward downlink NAS messages (e.g., NAS messages sent by the second network-side device to the terminal) received from the second network-side device to the terminal.

[0198] In this embodiment, by saving the second correspondence, the first network-side device can directly forward the downlink NAS messages received from the second network-side device (e.g., NAS messages sent by the second network-side device to the terminal) to the terminal based on the second correspondence. Compared with the scheme of forwarding NAS messages between the first network-side device and the second network-side device through a third network-side device, this can improve and reduce the communication latency of NAS messages.

[0199] In some embodiments, the method 210 further includes:

[0200] The first network-side device receives a second non-access stratum (NAS) message sent by the second network-side device to the terminal from the first connection;

[0201] The first network-side device sends the second NAS message to the terminal based on the second correspondence.

[0202] For example, the first network-side device receives a second NAS message sent to the terminal by the second network-side device from the first connection; the first network-side device determines the third information based on the second correspondence, and forwards the second NAS message to the terminal based on the third information.

[0203] In this embodiment, through the second correspondence, the first network-side device can associate the first connection with the third information. When the first network-side device receives the second NAS message from the second network-side device, it can determine the third information based on the second correspondence and correctly forward the second NAS message to the terminal, thereby improving the transmission success rate of the downlink NAS message.

[0204] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of a wireless communication method 220 according to an embodiment of this application.

[0205] As shown in Figure 5, the wireless communication method 220 may include at least some of the following:

[0206] S221, the second network-side device assigns a second identifier to the terminal. The second identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the second network-side device on the first connection. The first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device.

[0207] For example, the first network-side device may be an access network device, and the second network-side device may be a core network device or core network element other than the AMF.

[0208] For example, the second network-side device is NF, and the second identifier can be recorded as NF UE NXAP ID.

[0209] S222, the second network-side device sends the second identifier to the first network-side device.

[0210] For example, the second network-side device may send the second identifier to the first network-side device via an Initial Context Setting Request (INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST) or an Initial Context Setting Response (INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE).

[0211] In this embodiment, since the second identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the second network-side device on the first connection, and the first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device, after the first network-side device obtains the second identifier, it can send NAS messages to the second network-side device or identify NAS messages from the second network-side device based on the second identifier. That is, the first network-side device and the second network-side device can directly transmit NAS messages. Compared with the scheme of forwarding NAS messages between the first network-side device and the second network-side device through the third network-side device, the communication latency of NAS messages can be improved and reduced.

[0212] In some embodiments, the method 220 further includes:

[0213] The second network-side device receives information about a second connection from the third network-side device; wherein the second connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the third network-side device, and the information about the second connection includes at least one of the following: a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the second connection; and a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the third network-side device on the second connection.

[0214] For example, the first network-side device is RAN, the third network-side device is AMF, the unique identifier assigned by RAN to the terminal on the second connection can be recorded as RAN UE NGAP ID, and the unique identifier assigned by AMF to the terminal on the second connection can be recorded as AMF UE NGAP ID.

[0215] For example, after receiving the second connection information from the third network side device, the second network side device assigns a second identifier to the terminal based on the second connection information and sends the second identifier to the first network side device. The second network side device, after receiving the second connection information from the third network side device, sends the second identifier to the first network side device and receives the first identifier from the first network side device. The first identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network side device on the first connection. When the first network side device is a RAN, the first identifier can be denoted as the RAN UE NXAP ID.

[0216] For example, after receiving the information about the second connection from the third network-side device, the second network-side device assigns a second identifier to the terminal based on the information about the second connection and sends the second identifier to the first network-side device. The second network-side device receives the first identifier from the first network-side device and, upon receiving the first identifier, sends the second identifier to the first network-side device. For example, after receiving the first identifier, the second network-side device sends both the first identifier and the second identifier to the first network-side device. The first identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection. When the first network-side device is a RAN, the first identifier can be denoted as the RAN UE NXAP ID.

[0217] In this embodiment, the second network-side device receives the information of the second connection, enabling the second identifier to be associated with the information of the second connection. Furthermore, since the information of the second connection is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device and the third network-side device, that is, the second connection information is information associated with the terminal, the second network-side device can associate the second identifier with the terminal through the information of the second connection. This makes the identifier assigned by the second network-side device on the first connection an identifier assigned to the terminal, thereby increasing the accuracy of the second identifier.

[0218] In some embodiments, the method 220 further includes:

[0219] The second network-side device performs at least one of the following:

[0220] The terminal is identified based on its permanent identifier;

[0221] The terminal is determined based on the information from the second connection.

[0222] For example, the permanent identifier of the terminal includes SUPI or IMSI.

[0223] For example, the second network-side device determines the terminal based on the terminal's permanent identifier. After receiving the uplink NAS message through the first connection, the second network-side device can determine the terminal based on the first connection.

[0224] For example, after receiving the information of the second connection from the third network side device, the second network side device determines the terminal based on the information of the second connection, assigns the second identifier to the terminal, and sends the second identifier to the first network side device.

[0225] In this embodiment, the second network-side device determines the terminal based on the information of the second connection during the transmission of uplink NAS messages, which reduces the probability of forwarding uplink NAS messages to non-target terminals and can ensure the success rate of uplink NAS message transmission.

[0226] In some embodiments, the second network-side device receives information about the second connection from the third network-side device, including:

[0227] The second network-side device receives information about the second connection and at least one of the following from the third network-side device:

[0228] The permanent identifier of the terminal;

[0229] The identifier ID of the first network-side device;

[0230] The full name domain name (FQDN) of the first network-side device;

[0231] The first network-side device's Internet Protocol (IP) address;

[0232] The port number of the first network-side device.

[0233] In this embodiment, by receiving the permanent identifier of the terminal, the second network-side device can determine the terminal based on the permanent identifier of the terminal. Then, after the second network-side device receives the uplink NAS message through the first connection, it can determine the terminal based on the first connection. That is, the second network-side device determines the terminal based on the information of the second connection during the transmission of the uplink NAS message, which reduces the probability of forwarding the uplink NAS message to a non-target terminal and can ensure the success rate of uplink NAS message transmission.

[0234] For example, the second network-side device sends the first identifier to the first network-side device based on the first network-side device's FQDN or IP address, or the second network-side device sends the first identifier to the first network-side device based on the first network-side device's IP address and port number, which helps improve the transmission success rate of the first identifier. The first identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection. When the first network-side device is a RAN, the first identifier can be recorded as the RAN UE NXAP ID.

[0235] In some embodiments, the method 220 further includes:

[0236] The second network-side device receives a third non-access stratum (NAS) message from the first network-side device;

[0237] The second network-side device determines the terminal based on the third NAS message.

[0238] For example, the second network-side device receives the first identifier and the third NAS message from the first network-side device, the second network-side device determines the terminal based on the third NAS message, assigns the second identifier to the terminal, and sends the second identifier to the first network-side device.

[0239] In this embodiment, the second network-side device determines the terminal based on the third NAS message and assigns the second identifier to the terminal. The second identifier can be associated with the terminal, which means that the identifier assigned by the second network-side device on the first connection is an identifier assigned to the terminal, thereby increasing the accuracy of the second identifier.

[0240] In some embodiments, the method 220 further includes:

[0241] The second network-side device receives the first identifier from the first network-side device;

[0242] Wherein, the first identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection.

[0243] For example, when the first network-side device is a RAN, the first identifier can be recorded as RAN UE NXAP ID.

[0244] In this embodiment, since the first identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection, and the first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device, after the second network-side device obtains the first identifier, it can send NAS messages to the first network-side device or identify NAS messages from the first network-side device based on the first identifier. That is, the first network-side device and the second network-side device can directly transmit NAS messages. Compared with the scheme of forwarding NAS messages between the first network-side device and the second network-side device through the third network-side device, the communication latency of NAS messages can be improved and reduced.

[0245] In some embodiments, the method 220 further includes:

[0246] The second network-side device sends the second information to the first network-side device;

[0247] The second information includes at least one of the following:

[0248] The type information of the second network-side device;

[0249] The type information of the non-access stratum NAS message from the second network-side device;

[0250] Service type information of the second network-side device;

[0251] The identifier ID of the second network-side device;

[0252] The full name domain name (FQDN) of the second network-side device;

[0253] The Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second network-side device;

[0254] The port number of the second network-side device.

[0255] For example, the identification information of the second network-side device includes: the device identifier of the second network-side device. The type information of the second network-side device includes: the device type of the second network-side device, and the type information of the NAS message of the second network-side device includes: the NAS message corresponding to the device type of the second network-side device. The service type information of the second network-side device includes: the service type provided by the second network-side device.

[0256] For example, the second network-side device sends the first information and the second identifier to the first network-side device, and receives the first identifier from the first network-side device.

[0257] For example, the second information may also be information sent by the third network-side device to the first network-side device. In this case, the second network-side device receives the first identifier from the first network-side device and sends the second identifier to the first network-side device.

[0258] In this embodiment, the second network-side device sends second information to the first network-side device, enabling the first network-side device to send uplink NAS messages (e.g., NAS messages sent by the terminal to the second network-side device) based on the second network-side device's FQDN or IP address, or the first network-side device to send uplink NAS messages based on the second network-side device's IP address and port number, thereby helping to improve the transmission success rate of uplink NAS messages. Similarly, this enables the first network-side device to send uplink NAS messages to the second network-side device based on the second network-side device's type information, the type information of the second network-side device's non-access stratum NAS messages, the second network-side device's service type information, or the second network-side device's identifier ID, thereby helping to improve the transmission success rate of uplink NAS messages.

[0259] In some embodiments, the method 220 further includes:

[0260] The second network-side device stores a third correspondence between the terminal's permanent identifier and the first connection.

[0261] The third correspondence may be a permanent identifier of the terminal and at least one of the following correspondences: the first identifier and the second identifier. The third correspondence is used by the second network-side device to determine the terminal corresponding to the uplink NAS message received by the second network-side device (e.g., a NAS message sent by the terminal to the second network-side device).

[0262] In this embodiment, by saving the third correspondence, the second network-side device can identify the terminal corresponding to the uplink NAS message received by the second network-side device (e.g., the NAS message sent by the terminal to the second network-side device), thereby improving the success rate of NAS message transmission.

[0263] In some embodiments, the method 220 further includes:

[0264] Based on the third correspondence, the second network-side device receives a first non-access stratum NAS message sent by the terminal to the second network-side device through the first connection; or based on the third correspondence, the second network-side device sends a second non-access stratum NAS message to the first network-side device through the first connection.

[0265] For example, the second network-side device receives the first NAS message and at least one of the following from the first network-side device: a first identifier and a second identifier. Based on the third correspondence and the received identifier, the second network-side device determines that the first NAS message is the NAS message of the terminal.

[0266] For example, the second network-side device determines at least one of the following based on the third correspondence: a first identifier and a second identifier, and sends the second NAS message and at least one of the following to the first network-side device: the first identifier and the second identifier.

[0267] In this embodiment, the second network-side device can improve the transmission success rate of the uplink NAS message when it correctly receives the first NAS message from the terminal or correctly sends the second NAS message to the terminal based on the third correspondence.

[0268] It should be noted that the wireless communication method 220 includes the relevant processes of the second network-side device, and the terminology involved is similar to that of method 210. Therefore, the specific content can be referred to the relevant description in method 210. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0269] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of a wireless communication method 230 according to an embodiment of this application.

[0270] As shown in Figure 6, the wireless communication method 230 may include at least some of the following:

[0271] S231, the third network-side device sends the terminal's permanent identifier and second connection information to the second network-side device.

[0272] Wherein, the second connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the third network-side device, and the information of the second connection includes at least one of the following:

[0273] The first network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection;

[0274] The third network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection.

[0275] For example, the first network-side device may be an access network device, and the second network-side device may be a core network device or core network element other than an AMF. The third network-side device may be an AMF.

[0276] For example, the first network-side device is RAN, the third network-side device is AMF, the unique identifier assigned by RAN to the terminal on the second connection can be recorded as RAN UE NGAP ID, and the unique identifier assigned by AMF to the terminal on the second connection can be recorded as AMF UE NGAP ID.

[0277] In this embodiment, after the second network-side device obtains the permanent identifier and second connection information of the terminal, it enables the second network-side device to establish a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device based on the permanent identifier and second connection information of the terminal. As a result, the first network-side device can directly transmit NAS messages with the second network-side device. Compared with the scheme of forwarding NAS messages between the first network-side device and the second network-side device through a third network-side device, the communication latency of NAS messages can be improved and reduced.

[0278] In some embodiments, the method 230 further includes:

[0279] The third network-side device sends at least one of the following to the second network-side device:

[0280] The identifier ID of the first network-side device;

[0281] The full name domain name (FQDN) of the first network-side device;

[0282] The first network-side device's Internet Protocol (IP) address;

[0283] The port number of the first network-side device.

[0284] For example, the identification information of the second network-side device includes: the device identifier of the second network-side device. The type information of the second network-side device includes: the device type of the second network-side device, and the type information of the NAS message of the second network-side device includes: the NAS message corresponding to the device type of the second network-side device. The service type information of the second network-side device includes: the service type provided by the second network-side device.

[0285] In this embodiment, the information sent by the third network-side device to the second network-side device enables the second network-side device to send the first identifier to the first network-side device based on the first network-side device's FQDN or IP address, or the second network-side device to send the first identifier to the first network-side device based on the first network-side device's IP address and port number, which helps improve the transmission success rate of the first identifier. The first identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection. When the first network-side device is a RAN, the first identifier can be recorded as the RAN UE NXAP ID.

[0286] In some embodiments, the method 230 further includes:

[0287] The third network-side device sends second information to the first network-side device, the second information including at least one of the following:

[0288] The type information of the second network-side device;

[0289] The type information of the non-access stratum NAS message from the second network-side device;

[0290] Service type information of the second network-side device;

[0291] The identifier ID of the second network-side device;

[0292] The full name domain name (FQDN) of the second network-side device;

[0293] The Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second network-side device;

[0294] The port number of the second network-side device.

[0295] For example, the identification information of the second network-side device includes: the device identifier of the second network-side device. The type information of the second network-side device includes: the device type of the second network-side device, and the type information of the NAS message of the second network-side device includes: the NAS message corresponding to the device type of the second network-side device. The service type information of the second network-side device includes: the service type provided by the second network-side device.

[0296] In this embodiment, the third network-side device sends second information to the first network-side device, enabling the first network-side device to send uplink NAS messages (e.g., NAS messages sent by the terminal to the second network-side device) based on the second network-side device's FQDN or IP address, or the first network-side device to send uplink NAS messages based on the second network-side device's IP address and port number, thereby improving the success rate of uplink NAS message transmission. Similarly, this enables the first network-side device to send uplink NAS messages to the second network-side device based on the second network-side device's type information, the type information of the second network-side device's non-access stratum NAS messages, the second network-side device's service type information, or the second network-side device's identifier ID, thereby improving the success rate of uplink NAS message transmission.

[0297] It should be noted that the wireless communication method 230 includes the relevant processes of the third network-side device, and the terminology involved is similar to that of method 210. Therefore, the specific content can be referred to the relevant description in method 210. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0298] Figure 7 is a schematic flowchart of a wireless communication method 240 according to an embodiment of this application.

[0299] As shown in Figure 7, the wireless communication method 240 may include at least some of the following:

[0300] S241, the terminal sends first information to the first network-side device and a first non-access stratum (NAS) message sent by the terminal to the second network-side device;

[0301] The first information is used by the first network-side device to determine the second network-side device, and the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0302] The identification information of the second network-side device;

[0303] The type information of the second network-side device;

[0304] The type information of the NAS message from the second network-side device;

[0305] Service type information of the second network-side device.

[0306] For example, the identification information of the second network-side device includes: the device identifier of the second network-side device. The type information of the second network-side device includes: the device type of the second network-side device, and the type information of the NAS message of the second network-side device includes: the NAS message corresponding to the device type of the second network-side device. The service type information of the second network-side device includes: the service type provided by the second network-side device.

[0307] For example, the second network-side device is an NF, wherein the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0308] NF ID, which can be an ID obtained through NF GUTI;

[0309] NF type; for example, SMF, PCF and other NF types.

[0310] The NAS type corresponding to NF; for example, NAS types such as SMF NAS message and PCF NAS message.

[0311] NF corresponds to the service type; for example, data service, computing service, artificial intelligence service, etc. Service type can also be called business type.

[0312] For example, the first network-side device receives the first information from the terminal and a NAS message sent to the second network-side device. Based on the first information, the first network-side device sends the first identifier and the NAS message sent to the second network-side device.

[0313] In this embodiment, the terminal sends the first information and the first NAS message together to the first network-side device, which helps the first network-side device to directly send the first NAS message to the second network-side device. Compared with the scheme of forwarding the first NAS message through the third network-side device, this can improve and reduce the communication latency of the first NAS message.

[0314] It should be noted that the wireless communication method 240 includes related processes for the terminal, and the terminology involved is similar to that of method 210. Therefore, the specific content can be found in the relevant description in method 210. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0315] The wireless communication method provided in this application can be executed by a wireless communication device. This application uses an example of a wireless communication device executing a wireless communication method to illustrate the wireless communication device provided in this application.

[0316] This application provides a wireless communication device. As an example, the wireless communication device may be a communication equipment or a component within a communication equipment, such as a chip. The communication equipment may be a terminal, a network-side device, or a server, etc. Exemplarily, the terminal may include, but is not limited to, the type of terminal 11 listed above, and the network-side device may include, but is not limited to, the type of network-side device 12 listed above. This application does not impose specific limitations.

[0317] The wireless communication method provided in this application will be described below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0318] Example 1:

[0319] In this embodiment, a first network-side device and a second network-side device establish a first connection. Specifically, the first network-side device assigns a first identifier to the terminal, which is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection. The second network-side device assigns a second identifier to the terminal, which is also a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the second network-side device on the first connection. The first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device. For ease of explanation, the following example uses the first network-side device as the RAN and the second network-side device as the NF to illustrate the scheme where the RAN and NF do not establish a first connection for the UE through the AMF when the UE and NF have not yet established an association.

[0320] Figure 8 is a schematic flowchart of the wireless communication method 410 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0321] As shown in Figure 8, the UE is in a connected state, and the RAN and AMF have established a second connection for the UE. The second connection is a connection between the RAN and AMF. The method 410 includes:

[0322] S411, the UE sends an AMF NAS message (NAS container (NF NAS message)) to the RAN.

[0323] When a UE needs to communicate with an NF, it sends an AMF NAS message to the AMF via an RRC message. This AMF NAS message contains an NF NAS message, which is encapsulated within a NAS container. The NAS container is a mechanism in 5G networks used to encapsulate and transmit Non-Access Stratum (NASS) messages. For example, if the NF is an SMF, the NF NAS message is a PDU session establishment request, and the NAS container is an SMF container.

[0324] S412, RAN sends an uplink NAS transmission message (second connection information, AMF NAS message (NAS container (NF NAS message)) to AMF.

[0325] The RAN sends an uplink NAS transport message to the AMF via a second connection with the AMF.

[0326] For example, the RAN sends an NF NAS message to the AMF via an uplink NAS transport message. The uplink NAS transport message includes information about the second connection and an AMF NAS message. The AMF NAS message includes an NF NAS message, which is contained within a NAS container. The information about the second connection may include at least one of the following: a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the RAN on the second connection, and a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the AMF on the second connection. The unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the RAN on the second connection can be denoted as the RAN UE NGAP ID, and the unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the AMF on the second connection can be denoted as the AMF UE NGAP ID.

[0327] S413, AMF sends an Nn_NAS transport message (second connection information, SUPI, RAN information, NF NAS message) to NF.

[0328] AMF selects NF and sends an Nn_NAS transport message to NF.

[0329] The Nn_NAS transport message may include at least one of the following: information about the second connection, SUPI, RAN information, or NF NAS message. The RAN information is used to identify the RAN and includes at least one of the following:

[0330] RAN ID;

[0331] RAN (Fully Qualified Domain Name, FQDN)

[0332] RAN IP address;

[0333] RAN port number.

[0334] S414, NF sends an Nn_NAS transfer response (NF NAS message) to AMF.

[0335] After receiving the Nn_NAS transport message from the AMF, the NF sends an Nn_NAS transport (Nnf_NASTransport) response to the AMF and saves the correspondence between the SUPI and the second connection information. The Nn_NAS transport response may include an NF NAS message.

[0336] S415, NF sends an initial context setup request (second connection information, second identifier, second information, NF NAS message (NF GUTI)) to RAN.

[0337] The NF processes the received NF NAS message and sends an Initial Context Setup Request to the RAN based on the RAN information, which includes at least one of the following: information about the second connection, a second identifier, second information, and an NF NAS message.

[0338] The second identifier is a unique identifier assigned by NF to the UE on the first connection, and the second identifier can be recorded as NF UE NXAP ID.

[0339] The second information may include at least one of the following:

[0340] NF ID;

[0341] NF FQDN;

[0342] NF IP address or IP address + port number;

[0343] NF type; for example, SMF, PCF and other NF types.

[0344] The NAS type corresponding to NF; for example, NAS types such as SMF NAS message and PCF NAS message.

[0345] NF corresponds to the service type; for example, data service, computing service, artificial intelligence service, etc. Service type can also be called business type.

[0346] The NF NAS message contains a globally unique temporary UE identity (GUTI) assigned to the UE.

[0347] S416, the RAN determines the UE based on the information from the second connection.

[0348] The RAN determines the UE or the UE's RRC connection based on the information from the second connection.

[0349] The UE or its RRC connection can be identified using the Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI).

[0350] S417, the RAN sends an AMF NAS (NAS container (NF NAS message)) to the UE.

[0351] After the RAN determines the UE's RRC connection, it sends the NF NAS message to the UE through the UE's RRC connection.

[0352] S418, RAN assigns the first identifier.

[0353] After receiving the initial context setup request, the RAN assigns the first identifier.

[0354] The first identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the RAN on the first connection, and the first identifier can be recorded as RAN UE NXAP ID.

[0355] S419, RAN sends an initial context setup response (first identifier, second identifier, information about the second connection) to NF.

[0356] The RAN sends an Initial Context Setting Reply (INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE) to the NF. This initial context setting response may include the first identifier and the second identifier, and the information about the second connection is optional. For example, if the NF can determine the UE based on the correspondence between request and response messages, the initial context setting response may not include the information about the second connection. Here, the NF determining the UE can be understood as the NF determining the UE's SUPI.

[0357] S4110, RAN stores the first correspondence.

[0358] The first mapping relationship is the mapping between the second information (obtained by the UE from the NF) and the first connection. For example, the first mapping relationship is the mapping between the second information and the RAN UE NXAP ID + NF UE NXAP ID. The first mapping relationship is used to route to the NF when an uplink NAS message from the UE is received.

[0359] S4111, RAN stores the second correspondence.

[0360] The second mapping relationship is the mapping between UE information (UE identifier or UE RRC connection information) and the first connection. For example, the second mapping relationship is the mapping between the UE identifier and RAN UE NXAP ID + NF UE NXAP ID; or, the second mapping relationship is the mapping between the UE's RRC connection information and RAN UE NXAP ID + NF UE NXAP ID. The second mapping relationship is used to route to the UE when a downlink NAS message sent from the NF to the UE is received.

[0361] S4112, NF stores the third correspondence.

[0362] The third correspondence is the correspondence between SUPI and the first connection, for example, the third correspondence is the correspondence between SUPI and RAN UE NXAP ID+NF UE NXAP ID.

[0363] S4113, the UE sends an RRC message (first information, first NAS message) to the RAN.

[0364] When the UE has a first NAS message to send to the NF, the UE sends the first information and the first NF NAS message to the base station through the RRC connection.

[0365] The first information includes at least one of the following:

[0366] NF ID, which can be an ID obtained through NF GUTI;

[0367] NF type; for example, SMF, PCF and other NF types.

[0368] The NAS type corresponding to NF; for example, NAS types such as SMF NAS message and PCF NAS message.

[0369] NF corresponds to the service type; for example, data service, computing service, artificial intelligence service, etc. Service type can also be called business type.

[0370] S4114, RAN determines the first connection based on the first information.

[0371] The RAN determines the first connection based on the first information and the stored first correspondence.

[0372] S4115, RAN sends an uplink NAS transmission message (first identifier, second identifier, first NF NAS message) to NF.

[0373] The RAN sends an uplink NAS transport message to the NF. The uplink NAS transport message includes a first identifier, a second identifier, and a first NF NAS message.

[0374] In this embodiment, the process of establishing the first connection enables direct transmission of NAS messages between the RAN and NF, which reduces the communication latency of NAS messages compared to the scheme of transmitting NAS messages through the AMF. Furthermore, since the AMF is less involved in the process of establishing the first connection, it facilitates the decoupling of the AMF and NF.

[0375] It should be noted that the establishment process for the first connection shown in Figure 8 can be executed when the UE initially establishes an association with the NF or during the association establishment process. For example, the establishment process for the first connection shown in Figure 8 can be executed when the UE initiates a PDU session or during the PDU session. This embodiment does not limit this.

[0376] Example 2:

[0377] In this embodiment, a first network-side device and a second network-side device establish a first connection. Specifically, the first network-side device assigns a first identifier to the terminal, which is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection. The second network-side device assigns a second identifier to the terminal, which is also a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the second network-side device on the first connection. The first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device. For ease of explanation, the following example uses the first network-side device as the RAN and the second network-side device as the NF. When the UE and NF have already established an association, and the UE enters the idle state, the scheme of the RAN and NF not establishing a first connection for the UE through the AMF will be explained.

[0378] Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of the wireless communication method 420 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0379] As shown in Figure 9, the UE is in a connected state, and the RAN and AMF have established a second connection for the UE. The second connection is a connection between the RAN and AMF. The method 420 includes:

[0380] S421, the UE sends an RRC message (first information, NAS message) to the RAN.

[0381] When the UE needs to communicate with the NF, the UE sends the first information and the NF NAS message to the base station via the RRC connection. If the NF is an SMF, the NF NAS message is a PDU session modification request.

[0382] The first information includes at least one of the following:

[0383] NF ID, which can be an ID obtained through NF GUTI;

[0384] NF type; for example, SMF, PCF and other NF types.

[0385] The NAS type corresponding to NF; for example, NAS types such as SMF NAS message and PCF NAS message.

[0386] NF corresponds to the service type; for example, data service, computing service, artificial intelligence service, etc. Service type can also be called business type.

[0387] S422, RAN sends the initial UE message (first identifier, NF NAS) to NF.

[0388] The RAN allocates a first identifier and sends an initial UE message to the NF. The initial UE message includes the first identifier and the NF NAS. The first identifier is a unique identifier allocated by the RAN to the terminal on the first connection, and can be denoted as the RAN UE NXAP ID. The initial UE message includes the first identifier and the NF NAS.

[0389] S423, Initial Context Setup Request (Second Identifier, Second Information, NF NAS Message (NF GUTI))

[0390] The NF processes the received NF NAS message and sends an Initial Context Setup Request (INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST) to the RAN based on the RAN information, which includes at least one of the following: a second identifier, second information, and an NF NAS message.

[0391] The second identifier is a unique identifier assigned by NF to the UE on the first connection, and the second identifier can be recorded as NF UE NXAP ID.

[0392] The second information may include at least one of the following:

[0393] NF ID;

[0394] NF FQDN;

[0395] NF IP address or IP address + port number;

[0396] NF type; for example, SMF, PCF and other NF types.

[0397] The NAS type corresponding to NF; for example, NAS types such as SMF NAS message and PCF NAS message.

[0398] NF corresponds to the service type; for example, data service, computing service, artificial intelligence service, etc. Service type can also be called business type.

[0399] The NF NAS message contains a globally unique temporary UE identity (GUTI) assigned to the UE.

[0400] S424, RAN sends an initial context setting response to NF.

[0401] The initial context setting response (INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE) may include the first identifier and the second identifier.

[0402] S425, the RAN sends an RRC message (AMF NAS message (NAS container (NF NAS message)) to the UE.

[0403] The RAN sends an RRC message to the UE via the RRC connection with the UE, which includes an AMF NAS message. This AMF NAS message contains an NF NAS message, which is contained within a NAS container.

[0404] S426, RAN stores the first correspondence.

[0405] The first mapping relationship is the mapping between the second information (obtained by the UE from the NF) and the first connection. For example, the first mapping relationship is the mapping between the second information and the RAN UE NXAP ID + NF UE NXAP ID. The first mapping relationship is used to route to the NF when an uplink NAS message from the UE is received.

[0406] S427, RAN stores the second correspondence.

[0407] The second mapping relationship is the mapping between UE information (UE identifier or UE RRC connection information) and the first connection. For example, the second mapping relationship is the mapping between the UE identifier and RAN UE NXAP ID + NF UE NXAP ID; or, the second mapping relationship is the mapping between the UE's RRC connection information and RAN UE NXAP ID + NF UE NXAP ID. The second mapping relationship is used to route to the UE when a downlink NAS message sent from the NF to the UE is received.

[0408] S428, NF stores the third correspondence.

[0409] The third correspondence is the correspondence between SUPI and the first connection, for example, the third correspondence is the correspondence between SUPI and RAN UE NXAP ID+NF UE NXAP ID.

[0410] S429, the UE sends an RRC message (first information, first NAS message) to the RAN.

[0411] When the UE has a first NAS message to send to the NF, the UE sends the first information and the first NF NAS message to the base station through the RRC connection.

[0412] The first information includes at least one of the following:

[0413] NF ID, which can be an ID obtained through NF GUTI;

[0414] NF type; for example, SMF, PCF and other NF types.

[0415] The NAS type corresponding to NF; for example, NAS types such as SMF NAS message and PCF NAS message.

[0416] NF corresponds to the service type; for example, data service, computing service, artificial intelligence service, etc. Service type can also be called business type.

[0417] S4210, RAN determines the first connection based on the first information.

[0418] The RAN determines the first connection based on the first information and the stored first correspondence.

[0419] S4211, RAN sends an uplink NAS transmission message (first identifier, second identifier, first NF NAS message) to NF.

[0420] The RAN sends an uplink NAS transport message to the NF. The uplink NAS transport message includes a first identifier, a second identifier, and a first NF NAS message.

[0421] In this embodiment, the process of establishing the first connection enables direct transmission of NAS messages between the RAN and NF, which reduces the communication latency of NAS messages compared to the scheme of transmitting NAS messages through the AMF. Furthermore, since the AMF is less involved in the process of establishing the first connection, it facilitates the decoupling of the AMF and NF.

[0422] It should be noted that the establishment process for the first connection shown in Figure 9 can be executed when the UE and NF have already established an association. For example, when the UE and NF have already established an association, after the UE enters the idle state, the network-side device will release the RRC connection, NGAP, or the first connection. When the UE has NAS messages or data that need to be sent to the NF, the establishment process for the first connection shown in Figure 9 can be executed when the PDU session is modified or during the process of modifying the PDU session. This embodiment does not limit this.

[0423] Example 3:

[0424] In this embodiment, a first network-side device and a second network-side device establish a first connection. Specifically, the first network-side device assigns a first identifier to the terminal, which is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection. The second network-side device assigns a second identifier to the terminal, which is also a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the second network-side device on the first connection. The first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device. For ease of explanation, the following example uses the first network-side device as the RAN and the second network-side device as the NF. When the UE and NF have established an association, and the UE enters an idle state, the scheme of establishing a first connection between the RAN and NF without using the AMF to send the UE is described. The difference between Embodiment 3 and Embodiment 1 is that in Embodiment 1, the establishment process of the first connection is triggered when the UE needs to communicate with the NF, while in Embodiment 3, the establishment process of the first connection is triggered when the NF needs to communicate with the UE.

[0425] Figure 10 is a schematic flowchart of the wireless communication method 430 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0426] As shown in Figure 10, the method 430 includes:

[0427] S431, NF has signaling or data that needs to be sent to UE, and there is no first connection.

[0428] S432, NF sends a RAN Information Request (SUPI) to AMF.

[0429] The RAN information request is used to request RAN information, which may include the UE's SUPI.

[0430] S433, AMF sends a paging message to RAN.

[0431] If the RAN and AMF have not established a second connection for the UE, the AMF will send a paging message to the UE.

[0432] S434, the RAN sends a paging message to the UE.

[0433] S435, Service Request Process.

[0434] The service request process may refer to the RAN and AMF establishing a second connection for the UE, where the second connection is a connection between the RAN and AMF.

[0435] S436, AMF sends a RAN information response (SUPI, Information for Second Connection, RAN Information) to NF.

[0436] If the RAN and AMF have not established a second connection for the UE, the AMF sends a RAN information response to the NF.

[0437] RAN information responses can be Nn_NAS transport messages. Nn_NAS transport messages may include at least one of the following: second connection information, SUPI, RAN information, or NF NAS messages. RAN information is used to identify the RAN and includes at least one of the following:

[0438] RAN ID;

[0439] RAN (Fully Qualified Domain Name, FQDN)

[0440] RAN IP address;

[0441] RAN port number.

[0442] S437~S4314.

[0443] It should be understood that S437 to S4314 can be referred to as S415 to S4112 in Figure 8. To avoid repetition, they will not be described again here.

[0444] S4315, NF sends downlink NAS transmission messages (first identifier, second identifier, second NF NAS message) to RAN.

[0445] When the NF has a second downlink NAS message, the NF sends a downlink NAS transfer message to the RAN through the first connection, which includes a first identifier, a second identifier, and a second NF NAS message.

[0446] S4316, the RAN sends an RRC message (second NAS message) to the UE.

[0447] The RAN sends the second NF NAS message to the UE according to the second correspondence. If the UE has an uplink first NAS message, the UE sends it to the NF according to S4113~S411512-14 as shown in Figure 8.

[0448] In this embodiment, the process of establishing the first connection enables direct transmission of NAS messages between the RAN and NF, which reduces the communication latency of NAS messages compared to the scheme of transmitting NAS messages through the AMF. Furthermore, since the AMF is less involved in the process of establishing the first connection, it facilitates the decoupling of the AMF and NF.

[0449] It should be noted that the establishment process for the first connection shown in Figure 12 can be executed when the UE and NF have already established an association. For example, when the UE and NF have already established an association, after the UE enters the idle state, the network-side device will release the RRC connection, NGAP or the first connection. When the NF has NAS messages or data that need to be sent to the UE, the establishment process for the first connection shown in Figure 12 can be executed when the PDU session is modified or during the process of modifying the PDU session. This embodiment does not limit this.

[0450] Example 4:

[0451] In this embodiment, a first network-side device and a second network-side device establish a first connection. Specifically, the first network-side device assigns a first identifier to the terminal, which is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection. The second network-side device assigns a second identifier to the terminal, which is also a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the second network-side device on the first connection. The first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device. For ease of explanation, the following example uses the first network-side device as the RAN and the second network-side device as the NF to illustrate the scheme for the RAN and NF to establish a first connection for the UE through the AMF when the UE and NF have not yet established an association.

[0452] Figure 11 is a schematic flowchart of the wireless communication method 440 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0453] As shown in Figure 11, the UE is in a connected state, and the RAN and AMF have established a second connection for the UE. The second connection is a connection between the RAN and AMF. The method 440 includes:

[0454] S441, the UE sends an AMF NAS message (NAS container (NF NAS message)) to the RAN.

[0455] When a UE needs to communicate with an NF, it sends an AMF NAS message to the AMF via an RRC message. This AMF NAS message contains an NF NAS message, which is encapsulated within a NAS container. The NAS container is a mechanism in 5G networks used to encapsulate and transmit Non-Access Stratum (NASS) messages. For example, if the NF is an SMF, the NF NAS message is a PDU session establishment request, and the NAS container is an SMF container.

[0456] S442, RAN sends an uplink NAS transmission message (second connection information, AMF NAS message (NAS container (NF NAS message)) to AMF.

[0457] The RAN sends an uplink NAS transport message to the AMF via a second connection with the AMF.

[0458] For example, the RAN sends an NF NAS message to the AMF via an uplink NAS transport message. The uplink NAS transport message includes information about the second connection and an AMF NAS message. The AMF NAS message includes an NF NAS message, which is contained within a NAS container. The information about the second connection may include at least one of the following: a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the RAN on the second connection, and a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the AMF on the second connection. The unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the RAN on the second connection can be denoted as the RAN UE NGAP ID, and the unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the AMF on the second connection can be denoted as the AMF UE NGAP ID.

[0459] S443, AMF sends an Nn_NAS transport message (second connection information, SUPI, NF NAS message) to NF.

[0460] AMF selects NF and sends an Nn_NAS transport message to NF.

[0461] The Nn_NAS transmission message may include at least one of the following: information about the second connection, SUPI, or NF NAS message.

[0462] It is worth noting that, compared with S413 shown in Figure 8, the Nn_NAS transmission message in S443 may not include RAN information, because the NF does not need to directly contact the RAN, but forwards it through the AMF, so it does not need to carry RAN information.

[0463] S444, NF sends an Nn_NAS transfer response (NF NAS message) to AMF.

[0464] After receiving the Nn_NAS transport message from the AMF, the NF generates a NAS message to be sent to the UE and sends an Nn_NAS transport (Nnf_NASTransport) response to the AMF. The Nn_NAS transport response may include an NF NAS message, which may contain GUTI information. Furthermore, the NF maintains the mapping between SUPI and the second connection information.

[0465] S445, AMF sends a downlink NAS transmission message (second connection information, second information, AMF NAS message (NAS container (NF NAS message)) to RAN.

[0466] The AMF sends a downlink NAS transport message to the RAN. This downlink NAS transport message includes information about the second connection, second information, and an AMF NAS message. The AMF NAS message contains an NF NAS message, which is contained within a NAS container.

[0467] The information of the second connection may include at least one of the following: a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the RAN on the second connection, and a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the AMF on the second connection. The unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the RAN on the second connection may be denoted as RAN UE NGAP ID, and the unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the AMF on the second connection may be denoted as AMF UE NGAP ID.

[0468] The second information may include at least one of the following:

[0469] NF ID;

[0470] NF FQDN;

[0471] NF IP address or IP address + port number;

[0472] NF type; for example, SMF, PCF and other NF types.

[0473] The NAS type corresponding to NF; for example, NAS types such as SMF NAS message and PCF NAS message.

[0474] NF corresponds to the service type; for example, data service, computing service, artificial intelligence service, etc. Service type can also be called business type.

[0475] S446, the RAN sends an RRC message (AMF NAS message (NAS container (NF NAS message)) to the UE.

[0476] The RAN determines the RRC connection based on the information from the second connection, and sends the AMF NAS message to the UE through the RRC connection.

[0477] S447, RAN assigns the first identifier.

[0478] After receiving the downlink NAS transmission message, the RAN assigns the first identifier.

[0479] The first identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the RAN on the first connection, and the first identifier can be recorded as RAN UE NXAP ID.

[0480] S448, RAN sends an initial UE message (first identifier, second connection information) to NF.

[0481] The RAN allocates a first identifier and sends an initial UE message to the NF. The initial UE message includes the first identifier, which is a unique identifier allocated by the RAN to the terminal on the first connection. The first identifier can be denoted as the RAN UE NXAP ID.

[0482] S449, NF assigns the second identifier.

[0483] The NF assigns a second identifier. This second identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the UE by the NF on the first connection, and can be denoted as NF UE NXAP ID.

[0484] S4410, NF stores the third correspondence.

[0485] The third correspondence is the correspondence between SUPI and the first connection, for example, the third correspondence is the correspondence between SUPI and RAN UE NXAP ID+NF UE NXAP ID.

[0486] S4411, NF sends an initial context setup request (second identifier, second connection information) to RAN.

[0487] The NF sends an Initial Context Setup Request to the RAN, which includes a second identifier. The information regarding the second connection is optional. For example, if the RAN can determine the UE based on the correspondence between request and response messages, the Initial Context Setup Request may not include the information regarding the second connection. Here, the RAN determining the UE can be understood as the RAN determining the UE's SUPI.

[0488] S4412, RAN sends an initial context setting response to NF.

[0489] The RAN sends an Initial Context Setting Reply (INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE) to the NF. This initial context setting response may include the first identifier and the second identifier, and the information about the second connection is optional. For example, if the NF can determine the UE based on the correspondence between request and response messages, the initial context setting response may not include the information about the second connection. Here, the NF determining the UE can be understood as the NF determining the UE's SUPI.

[0490] S4413, RAN stores the first correspondence.

[0491] The first mapping relationship is the mapping between the second information (obtained by the UE from the NF) and the first connection. For example, the first mapping relationship is the mapping between the second information and the RAN UE NXAP ID + NF UE NXAP ID. The first mapping relationship is used to route to the NF when an uplink NAS message from the UE is received.

[0492] S4414, RAN stores the second correspondence.

[0493] The second mapping relationship is the mapping between UE information (UE identifier or UE RRC connection information) and the first connection. For example, the second mapping relationship is the mapping between the UE identifier and RAN UE NXAP ID + NF UE NXAP ID; or, the second mapping relationship is the mapping between the UE's RRC connection information and RAN UE NXAP ID + NF UE NXAP ID. The second mapping relationship is used to route to the UE when a downlink NAS message sent from the NF to the UE is received.

[0494] In this embodiment, the process of establishing the first connection enables direct transmission of NAS messages between the RAN and NF, which reduces the communication latency of NAS messages compared to the scheme of transmitting NAS messages through the AMF. Furthermore, having the RAN trigger the first connection establishment process facilitates compatibility with other traditional connection establishment procedures.

[0495] It should be noted that the establishment process for the first connection shown in Figure 11 can be executed when the UE initially establishes an association with the NF or during the association establishment process. For example, the establishment process for the first connection shown in Figure 11 can be executed when the UE initiates a PDU session or during the PDU session. This embodiment does not limit this.

[0496] Example 5:

[0497] In this embodiment, a first network-side device and a second network-side device establish a first connection. Specifically, the first network-side device assigns a first identifier to the terminal. The first identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection. The second network-side device assigns a second identifier to the terminal. The second identifier is also a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the second network-side device on the first connection. The first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device. For ease of explanation, the first network-side device is taken as RAN and the second network-side device as NF as an example. When the UE and NF have established an association, after the UE enters the idle state, if the UE has NAS messages or data that need to be sent to the NF, the RAN and NF can establish a first connection for the UE through AMF. The establishment process of the first connection is the same as that in Figure 9, and will not be described again here to avoid repetition.

[0498] Example 6:

[0499] In this embodiment, a first network-side device and a second network-side device establish a first connection. Specifically, the first network-side device assigns a first identifier to the terminal, which is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection. The second network-side device assigns a second identifier to the terminal, which is also a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the second network-side device on the first connection. The first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device. For ease of explanation, the following example uses the first network-side device as the RAN and the second network-side device as the NF. When the UE and NF have established an association, and the UE enters the idle state, the scheme for the RAN and NF to establish a first connection for the UE through the AMF is described.

[0500] Figure 12 is a schematic flowchart of the wireless communication method 450 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0501] As shown in Figure 12, the UE is in a connected state, and the RAN and AMF have established a second connection for the UE. The second connection is a connection between the RAN and AMF. The method 450 includes:

[0502] S451, NF has signaling or data that needs to be sent to UE, and there is no first connection.

[0503] S452, NF sends a RAN Information Request (SUPI) to AMF.

[0504] The RAN information request is used to request RAN information, which may include the UE's SUPI.

[0505] S453, AMF sends a paging message to RAN.

[0506] If the RAN and AMF have not established a second connection for the UE, the AMF will send a paging message to the UE.

[0507] S454, the RAN sends a paging message to the UE.

[0508] S455, Service Request Process.

[0509] The service request process may refer to the RAN and AMF establishing a second connection for the UE, where the second connection is a connection between the RAN and AMF.

[0510] S456, AMF sends a downlink NAS transmission message (second connection information, second information, AMF NAS message (NAS container (NF NAS message)) to RAN.

[0511] If the RAN and AMF have not established a second connection for the UE, the AMF sends a downlink NAS transmission message to the RAN. This downlink NAS transmission message includes information about the second connection, second information, and an AMF NAS message. This AMF NAS message contains an NF NAS message, which is contained within a NAS container.

[0512] The information of the second connection may include at least one of the following: a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the RAN on the second connection, and a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the AMF on the second connection. The unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the RAN on the second connection may be denoted as RAN UE NGAP ID, and the unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the AMF on the second connection may be denoted as AMF UE NGAP ID.

[0513] The second information may include at least one of the following:

[0514] NF ID;

[0515] NF FQDN;

[0516] NF IP address or IP address + port number;

[0517] NF type; for example, SMF, PCF and other NF types.

[0518] The NAS type corresponding to NF; for example, NAS types such as SMF NAS message and PCF NAS message.

[0519] NF corresponds to the service type; for example, data service, computing service, artificial intelligence service, etc. Service type can also be called business type.

[0520] S457~S4515.

[0521] It should be understood that S457 to S4515 can be referred to as S446 to S4114 in Figure 11. To avoid repetition, they will not be described again here.

[0522] In this embodiment, the process of establishing the first connection enables direct transmission of NAS messages between the RAN and NF, which reduces the communication latency of NAS messages compared to the scheme of transmitting NAS messages through the AMF. Furthermore, having the RAN trigger the first connection establishment process facilitates compatibility with other traditional connection establishment procedures.

[0523] It should be noted that the establishment process for the first connection shown in Figure 12 can be executed when the UE and NF have already established an association. For example, when the UE and NF have already established an association, after the UE enters the idle state, the network-side device will release the RRC connection, NGAP or the first connection. When the NF has NAS messages or data that need to be sent to the UE, the establishment process for the first connection shown in Figure 12 can be executed when the PDU session is modified or during the process of modifying the PDU session. This embodiment does not limit this.

[0524] The wireless communication device includes a receiving module, a transmitting module, and a processing module. These modules can be implemented in software or hardware. When implemented in hardware, the processing module can be implemented by a processor. For example, the processor can include general-purpose processors, special-purpose processors, etc., such as central processing units (CPUs), microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), artificial intelligence (AI) processors, graphics processing units (GPUs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), network processors (NPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, gate circuits, transistors, discrete hardware components, etc. The receiving and transmitting modules can be implemented by a communication interface, which can include one or more of the following: transceivers, pins, circuits, buses, radio frequency units, etc.

[0525] Referring to Figure 13, when the wireless communication device is a first network-side device or a component of the first network-side device, the wireless communication device 510 includes:

[0526] Processing module 511 is used to assign a first identifier to the terminal. The first identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection. The first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device.

[0527] The sending module 522 is used to send the first identifier to the second network-side device.

[0528] In some embodiments, the device 510 further includes a first receiving module, configured to:

[0529] Receive information about the second connection from the second network-side device;

[0530] Wherein, the second connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the third network-side device, and the information of the second connection includes at least one of the following:

[0531] The first network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection;

[0532] The third network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection.

[0533] In some embodiments, the processing module 511 is further configured to:

[0534] The terminal is determined based on the information from the second connection.

[0535] In some embodiments, the first receiving module is specifically used for:

[0536] Receive the information of the second connection and the second identifier from the second network-side device;

[0537] The second identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the second network-side device on the first connection.

[0538] In some embodiments, the device 510 further includes a second receiving module, configured to:

[0539] Receive information about the second connection from the third network-side device;

[0540] Wherein, the second connection is the connection between the first network-side device and the third network-side device, and the information of the second connection includes at least one of the following:

[0541] The first network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection;

[0542] The third network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection.

[0543] In some embodiments, the processing module 511 or the sending module 512 is further configured to:

[0544] Perform at least one of the following:

[0545] The terminal is determined based on the information from the second connection;

[0546] Send the information about the second connection to the second network-side device.

[0547] In some embodiments, the device 510 further includes a third receiving module, configured to:

[0548] Receive first information from the terminal, the first information including at least one of the following:

[0549] The identification information of the second network-side device;

[0550] The type information of the second network-side device;

[0551] The type information of the NAS message from the second network-side device;

[0552] Service type information of the second network-side device.

[0553] In some embodiments, the processing module 511 is further configured to:

[0554] The second network-side device is determined based on the first information.

[0555] In some embodiments, the device 510 further includes a fourth receiving module, configured to:

[0556] Receive the second identifier from the second network-side device;

[0557] The second identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the second network-side device on the first connection.

[0558] In some embodiments, the device 510 further includes a fifth receiving module, configured to:

[0559] Receive the second message;

[0560] The second information includes at least one of the following:

[0561] The type information of the second network-side device;

[0562] The type information of the non-access stratum NAS message from the second network-side device;

[0563] Service type information of the second network-side device;

[0564] The identifier ID of the second network-side device;

[0565] The full name domain name (FQDN) of the second network-side device;

[0566] The Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second network-side device;

[0567] The port number of the second network-side device.

[0568] In some embodiments, the processing module 511 is further configured to:

[0569] Save the first correspondence between the second information and the first connection.

[0570] In some embodiments, the device 510 further includes a sixth receiving module, configured to:

[0571] From the terminal, receive the first non-access stratum (NAS) message sent by the terminal to the second network-side device;

[0572] The sending module 512 is further configured to:

[0573] Based on the first correspondence, the first NAS message is sent to the second network-side device.

[0574] In some embodiments, the processing module 511 is further configured to:

[0575] Save the third information of the terminal and the second correspondence between the first connection;

[0576] The third information includes at least one of the following:

[0577] The terminal's identification information;

[0578] Identification information of the connection between the terminal and the first network-side device.

[0579] In some embodiments, the device 510 further includes a seventh receiving module, configured to:

[0580] From the first connection, receive a second Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message sent by the second network-side device to the terminal;

[0581] The sending module 512 is further configured to:

[0582] Based on the second correspondence, the second NAS message is sent to the terminal.

[0583] Referring to Figure 14, when the wireless communication device is a second network-side device or a component within a second network-side device, the wireless communication device 520 includes:

[0584] Processing module 521 is used to assign a second identifier to the terminal. The second identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the second network-side device on the first connection. The first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device.

[0585] The sending module 522 is used to send the second identifier to the first network-side device.

[0586] In some embodiments, the device 520 further includes a first receiving module, configured to:

[0587] Receive information about the second connection from the third network-side device;

[0588] Wherein, the second connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the third network-side device, and the information of the second connection includes at least one of the following:

[0589] The first network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection;

[0590] The third network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection.

[0591] In some embodiments, the processing module 521 is further configured to:

[0592] Perform at least one of the following:

[0593] The terminal is identified based on its permanent identifier;

[0594] The terminal is determined based on the information from the second connection.

[0595] In some embodiments, the first receiving module is specifically used for:

[0596] Receive information about the second connection from the third network-side device and at least one of the following:

[0597] The permanent identifier of the terminal;

[0598] The identifier ID of the first network-side device;

[0599] The full name domain name (FQDN) of the first network-side device;

[0600] The first network-side device's Internet Protocol (IP) address;

[0601] The port number of the first network-side device.

[0602] In some embodiments, the device 520 further includes a second receiving module, configured to:

[0603] Receive third non-access stratum (NAS) messages from the first network-side device;

[0604] The processing module 521 is further configured to:

[0605] The terminal is determined based on the third NAS message.

[0606] In some embodiments, the device 520 further includes a third receiving module, configured to:

[0607] Receive the first identifier from the first network-side device;

[0608] Wherein, the first identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection.

[0609] In some embodiments, the sending module 522 is further configured to:

[0610] Send the second information to the first network-side device;

[0611] The second information includes at least one of the following:

[0612] The type information of the second network-side device;

[0613] The type information of the non-access stratum NAS message from the second network-side device;

[0614] Service type information of the second network-side device;

[0615] The identifier ID of the second network-side device;

[0616] The full name domain name (FQDN) of the second network-side device;

[0617] The Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second network-side device;

[0618] The port number of the second network-side device.

[0619] In some embodiments, the processing module 521 is further configured to:

[0620] The second network-side device stores a third correspondence between the terminal's permanent identifier and the first connection.

[0621] In some embodiments, the device 520 further includes a fourth receiving module, configured to:

[0622] Based on the third correspondence, the terminal sends a first non-access stratum (NAS) message to the second network-side device via the first connection; or

[0623] The sending module 522 is further configured to:

[0624] Based on the third correspondence, a second non-access stratum (NAS) message is sent to the first network-side device through the first connection.

[0625] Referring to Figure 15, when the wireless communication device is a third network-side device or a component within a third network-side device, the wireless communication device 530 includes:

[0626] The sending module 531 is used to send the terminal's permanent identifier and second connection information to the second network-side device;

[0627] Wherein, the second connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the third network-side device, and the information of the second connection includes at least one of the following:

[0628] The first network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection;

[0629] The third network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection.

[0630] In some embodiments, the sending module 531 is further configured to:

[0631] Send at least one of the following to the second network-side device:

[0632] The identifier ID of the first network-side device;

[0633] The full name domain name (FQDN) of the first network-side device;

[0634] The first network-side device's Internet Protocol (IP) address;

[0635] The port number of the first network-side device.

[0636] In some embodiments, the sending module 531 is further configured to:

[0637] Send second information to the first network-side device, the second information including at least one of the following:

[0638] The type information of the second network-side device;

[0639] The type information of the non-access stratum NAS message from the second network-side device;

[0640] Service type information of the second network-side device;

[0641] The identifier ID of the second network-side device;

[0642] The full name domain name (FQDN) of the second network-side device;

[0643] The Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second network-side device;

[0644] The port number of the second network-side device.

[0645] Specifically, referring to Figure 16, when the wireless communication device is a terminal or a component within a terminal, the wireless communication device 540 includes:

[0646] The sending module 541 is used to send first information to the first network-side device and a first non-access stratum (NAS) message sent by the terminal to the second network-side device;

[0647] The first information is used by the first network-side device to determine the second network-side device, and the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0648] The identification information of the second network-side device;

[0649] The type information of the second network-side device;

[0650] The type information of the NAS message from the second network-side device;

[0651] Service type information of the second network-side device.

[0652] The apparatus provided in this application embodiment can implement the various processes implemented in the method embodiments of Figures 4 to 12 and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0653] As shown in Figure 17, this application embodiment also provides a communication device 600, including a processor 601 and a memory 602. The memory 602 stores programs or instructions that can run on the processor 601. For example, when the communication device 600 is a terminal, the program or instructions executed by the processor 601 implement the various steps of the above-described wireless communication method embodiment and achieve the same technical effect. When the communication device 600 is a network-side device (e.g., a first network-side device, a second network-side device, or a third network-side device), the program or instructions executed by the processor 601 implement the various steps of the above-described wireless communication method embodiment and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, further details are omitted here.

[0654] This application also provides a terminal, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is used to run programs or instructions to implement the steps in the method embodiments shown in Figures 7 to 12. This terminal embodiment corresponds to the above-described terminal-side method embodiments, and all implementation processes and methods of the above-described method embodiments can be applied to this terminal embodiment and achieve the same technical effect. The terminal may be the wireless communication device shown in Figure 16. Specifically, Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a terminal implementing an embodiment of this application.

[0655] The terminal 700 includes, but is not limited to, at least some of the following components: radio frequency unit 701, network module 702, audio output unit 703, input unit 704, sensor 705, display unit 706, user input unit 707, interface unit 708, memory 709, and processor 710.

[0656] Those skilled in the art will understand that the terminal 700 may also include a power supply (such as a battery) for powering various components. The power supply can be logically connected to the processor 710 through a power management system, thereby enabling functions such as charging, discharging, and power consumption management through the power management system. The terminal structure shown in Figure 18 does not constitute a limitation on the terminal. The terminal may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements, which will not be elaborated here.

[0657] It should be understood that, in this embodiment, the input unit 704 may include a graphics processor 7041 and a microphone 7042. The graphics processor 7041 processes image data of still images or videos obtained by an image capture device (such as a camera) in video capture mode or image capture mode. The display unit 706 may include a display panel 7061, which may be configured in the form of a liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode, or the like. The user input unit 707 includes at least one of a touch panel 7071 and other input devices 7072. The touch panel 7071 is also called a touch screen. The touch panel 7071 may include a touch detection device and a touch controller. Other input devices 7072 may include, but are not limited to, physical keyboards, function keys (such as volume control buttons, power buttons, etc.), trackballs, mice, and joysticks, which will not be described in detail here.

[0658] In this embodiment, after receiving downlink data from the network-side device, the radio frequency unit 701 can transmit it to the processor 710 for processing; in addition, the radio frequency unit 701 can send uplink data to the network-side device. Typically, the radio frequency unit 701 includes, but is not limited to, antennas, amplifiers, transceivers, couplers, low-noise amplifiers, duplexers, etc.

[0659] The memory 709 can be used to store software programs or instructions, as well as various data. The memory 709 may primarily include a first storage area for storing programs or instructions and a second storage area for storing data. The first storage area may store the operating system, application programs or instructions required for at least one function (such as sound playback, image playback, etc.). Furthermore, the memory 709 may include volatile memory or non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory may be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct memory bus RAM (DRRAM). The memory 709 in the embodiments of this application includes, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0660] Processor 710 may include one or more processing units; optionally, processor 710 integrates an application processor and a modem processor, wherein the application processor mainly handles operations involving the operating system, user interface, and applications, and the modem processor mainly handles wireless communication signals, such as a baseband processor. It is understood that the aforementioned modem processor may also not be integrated into processor 710.

[0661] The radio frequency unit 701 is used to send first information to the first network-side device and a first non-access stratum (NAS) message sent by the terminal to the second network-side device.

[0662] The first information is used by the first network-side device to determine the second network-side device, and the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0663] The identification information of the second network-side device;

[0664] The type information of the second network-side device;

[0665] The type information of the NAS message from the second network-side device;

[0666] Service type information of the second network-side device.

[0667] In this embodiment, the terminal sends the first information and the first NAS message together to the first network-side device, which helps the first network-side device to directly send the first NAS message to the second network-side device. Compared with the scheme of forwarding the first NAS message through the third network-side device, this can improve and reduce the communication latency of the first NAS message.

[0668] It is understood that the implementation process of each implementation method mentioned in this embodiment can refer to the relevant descriptions of method embodiments 240, 310-350, and achieve the same or corresponding technical effects. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0669] This application also provides a network-side device (e.g., a first network-side device) including a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is used to run programs or instructions to implement the steps of the method embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 12. This network-side device embodiment corresponds to the above-described network-side device method embodiment. All implementation processes and methods of the above-described method embodiments can be applied to this network-side device embodiment and can achieve the same technical effects.

[0670] Specifically, this application embodiment also provides a network-side device, which can be the wireless communication device shown in FIG14. As shown in FIG19, the network-side device 800 includes: an antenna 81, a radio frequency device 82, a baseband device 83, a processor 84, and a memory 85. The antenna 81 is connected to the radio frequency device 82. In the uplink direction, the radio frequency device 82 receives information through the antenna 81 and sends the received information to the baseband device 83 for processing. In the downlink direction, the baseband device 83 processes the information to be transmitted and sends it to the radio frequency device 82. The radio frequency device 82 processes the received information and transmits it through the antenna 81.

[0671] The method executed by the network-side device in the above embodiments can be implemented in the baseband device 83, which includes a baseband processor.

[0672] The baseband device 83 may include at least one baseband board, on which multiple chips are disposed, as shown in FIG19. One of the chips is, for example, a baseband processor, which is connected to the memory 85 via a bus interface to call the program or instructions in the memory 85 to execute the network-side device operation shown in the above method embodiment.

[0673] The network-side device may also include a network interface 86, such as a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI).

[0674] The processor 84 is used to assign a first identifier to the terminal. The first identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection. The first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device.

[0675] The radio frequency device 82 is used to send the first identifier to the second network-side device.

[0676] In this embodiment, since the first identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection, and the first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device, after the second network-side device obtains the first identifier, it can send NAS messages to the first network-side device or identify NAS messages from the first network-side device based on the first identifier. That is, the first network-side device and the second network-side device can directly transmit NAS messages. Compared with the scheme of forwarding NAS messages between the first network-side device and the second network-side device through the third network-side device, the communication latency of NAS messages can be improved and reduced.

[0677] In addition, the network-side device 800 of this application embodiment also includes: a program or instructions stored in a memory 85 and executable on a processor 84. The processor 84 calls the program or instructions in the memory 85 to execute the methods executed by each module shown in FIG14 and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0678] Specifically, embodiments of this application also provide a network-side device (e.g., a second network-side device or a third network-side device). As shown in FIG20, the network-side device 900 includes: a processor 901, a network interface 902, and a memory 903. The network-side device may be the wireless communication device shown in FIG14. The network interface 902 is, for example, a common public radio interface (CPRI).

[0679] When the network-side device 900 is the second network-side device, the processor 901 is used to allocate a second identifier, which is a unique identifier allocated by the second network-side device to the terminal on the first connection, and the first connection is the connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device; the network interface 902 is used to send the second identifier to the first network-side device.

[0680] In this embodiment, since the second identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the second network-side device on the first connection, and the first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device, after the first network-side device obtains the second identifier, it can send NAS messages to the second network-side device or identify NAS messages from the second network-side device based on the second identifier. That is, the first network-side device and the second network-side device can directly transmit NAS messages. Compared with the scheme of forwarding NAS messages between the first network-side device and the second network-side device through the third network-side device, the communication latency of NAS messages can be improved and reduced.

[0681] When the network-side device 900 is a third network-side device, the network interface 902 is used to send the terminal's permanent identifier and second connection information to the second network-side device.

[0682] Wherein, the second connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the third network-side device, and the information of the second connection includes at least one of the following:

[0683] The first network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection;

[0684] The third network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection.

[0685] In this embodiment, after the second network-side device obtains the permanent identifier and second connection information of the terminal, it enables the second network-side device to establish a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device based on the permanent identifier and second connection information of the terminal. As a result, the first network-side device can directly transmit NAS messages with the second network-side device. Compared with the scheme of forwarding NAS messages between the first network-side device and the second network-side device through a third network-side device, the communication latency of NAS messages can be improved and reduced.

[0686] In addition, the network-side device 900 of this application embodiment also includes: a program or instructions stored in a memory 903 and executable on a processor 901. The processor 901 calls the program or instructions in the memory 903 to execute the methods executed by each module shown in FIG15 and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0687] This application also provides a readable storage medium storing a program or instructions. When the program or instructions are executed by a processor, they implement the various processes of the above-described wireless communication method embodiments and achieve the same technical effects. To avoid repetition, they will not be described again here.

[0688] The processor mentioned above is either the processor in the terminal described in the above embodiments or the processor in the network-side device. The readable storage medium includes computer-readable storage media, such as computer read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk, or optical disk. In some examples, the readable storage medium may be a non-transient readable storage medium.

[0689] This application embodiment also provides a chip, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface is coupled to the processor. The processor is used to run programs or instructions to implement the various processes of the above-described wireless communication method embodiments and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0690] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of this application may also be referred to as a system-on-a-chip, system chip, chip system, or system-on-a-chip, etc.

[0691] This application also provides a computer program / program product, which is stored in a storage medium and executed by at least one processor to implement the various processes of the above-described wireless communication method embodiments, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0692] This application also provides a wireless communication system, including: a terminal and a network-side device (e.g., a first network-side device, a second network-side device, or a third network-side device), wherein the terminal can be used to perform the steps of the wireless communication method described above, and the network-side device can be used to perform the steps of the wireless communication method described above.

[0693] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatuses in the embodiments of this application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0694] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by means of a computer software product plus the necessary general-purpose hardware platform, and of course, they can also be implemented by hardware. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM, RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc.), and the computer software product includes several instructions to cause a terminal or network-side device (such as a first network-side device, a second network-side device, or a third network-side device) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of this application.

[0695] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other implementations under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. All of these implementations are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, wherein, include: The first network-side device assigns a first identifier to the terminal. The first identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection. The first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device. The first network-side device sends the first identifier to the second network-side device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: The first network-side device receives information about the second connection from the second network-side device; Wherein, the second connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the third network-side device, and the information of the second connection includes at least one of the following: The first network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection; The third network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The method includes: The first network-side device determines the terminal based on the information from the second connection.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, The first network-side device receives information about the second connection from the second network-side device, including: The first network-side device receives the second connection information and the second identifier from the second network-side device; The second identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the second network-side device on the first connection.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: The first network-side device receives information about the second connection from the third network-side device; Wherein, the second connection is the connection between the first network-side device and the third network-side device, and the information of the second connection includes at least one of the following: The first network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection; The third network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The method further includes: The first network-side device performs at least one of the following: The terminal is determined based on the information from the second connection; Send the information about the second connection to the second network-side device.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: The first network-side device receives first information from the terminal, the first information including at least one of the following: The identification information of the second network-side device; The type information of the second network-side device; The type information of the NAS message from the second network-side device; Service type information of the second network-side device.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The method further includes: The first network-side device determines the second network-side device based on the first information.

9. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein, The method further includes: The first network-side device receives the second identifier from the second network-side device; The second identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the second network-side device on the first connection.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, The method further includes: The first network-side device receives the second information; The second information includes at least one of the following: The type information of the second network-side device; The type information of the non-access stratum NAS message from the second network-side device; Service type information of the second network-side device; The identifier ID of the second network-side device; The full name domain name (FQDN) of the second network-side device; The Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second network-side device; The port number of the second network-side device.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The method further includes: The first network-side device stores a first correspondence between the second information and the first connection.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The method further includes: The first network-side device receives a first non-access stratum (NAS) message from the terminal to the second network-side device. The first network-side device sends the first NAS message to the second network-side device based on the first correspondence.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein, The method further includes: The first network-side device stores the third information of the terminal and the second correspondence between the first connection; The third information includes at least one of the following: The terminal's identification information; Identification information of the connection between the terminal and the first network-side device.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, The method further includes: The first network-side device receives a second non-access stratum (NAS) message sent by the second network-side device to the terminal from the first connection; The first network-side device sends the second NAS message to the terminal based on the second correspondence.

15. A wireless communication method, wherein, include: The second network-side device assigns a second identifier to the terminal. The second identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the second network-side device on the first connection. The first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device. The second network-side device sends the second identifier to the first network-side device.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The method further includes: The second network-side device receives information about the second connection from the third network-side device; Wherein, the second connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the third network-side device, and the information of the second connection includes at least one of the following: The first network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection; The third network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The method further includes: The second network-side device performs at least one of the following: The terminal is identified based on its permanent identifier; The terminal is determined based on the information from the second connection.

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, wherein, The second network-side device receives information about the second connection from the third network-side device, including: The second network-side device receives information about the second connection and at least one of the following from the third network-side device: The permanent identifier of the terminal; The identifier ID of the first network-side device; The full name domain name (FQDN) of the first network-side device; The first network-side device's Internet Protocol (IP) address; The port number of the first network-side device.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The method further includes: The second network-side device receives a third non-access stratum (NAS) message from the first network-side device; The second network-side device determines the terminal based on the third NAS message.

20. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein, The method further includes: The second network-side device receives the first identifier from the first network-side device; Wherein, the first identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection.

21. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 20, wherein, The method further includes: The second network-side device sends the second information to the first network-side device; The second information includes at least one of the following: The type information of the second network-side device; The type information of the non-access stratum NAS message from the second network-side device; Service type information of the second network-side device; The identifier ID of the second network-side device; The full name domain name (FQDN) of the second network-side device; The Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second network-side device; The port number of the second network-side device.

22. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 21, wherein, The method further includes: The second network-side device stores a third correspondence between the terminal's permanent identifier and the first connection.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein, The method further includes: Based on the third correspondence, the second network-side device receives the first non-access stratum (NAS) message sent by the terminal to the second network-side device through the first connection; or Based on the third correspondence, the second network-side device sends a second non-access stratum (NAS) message to the first network-side device through the first connection.

24. A wireless communication method, wherein, include: The third network-side device sends the terminal's permanent identifier and second connection information to the second network-side device; Wherein, the second connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the third network-side device, and the information of the second connection includes at least one of the following: The first network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection; The third network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein, The method further includes: The third network-side device sends at least one of the following to the second network-side device: The identifier ID of the first network-side device; The full name domain name (FQDN) of the first network-side device; The first network-side device's Internet Protocol (IP) address; The port number of the first network-side device.

26. The method according to claim 24 or 25, wherein, The method further includes: The third network-side device sends second information to the first network-side device, the second information including at least one of the following: The type information of the second network-side device; The type information of the non-access stratum NAS message from the second network-side device; Service type information of the second network-side device; The identifier ID of the second network-side device; The full name domain name (FQDN) of the second network-side device; The Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second network-side device; The port number of the second network-side device.

27. A wireless communication method, wherein, include: The terminal sends first information to the first network-side device and a first non-access stratum (NAS) message to the second network-side device. The first information is used by the first network-side device to determine the second network-side device, and the first information includes at least one of the following: The identification information of the second network-side device; The type information of the second network-side device; The type information of the NAS message from the second network-side device; Service type information of the second network-side device.

28. A wireless communication device, wherein, include: The processing module is used to assign a first identifier to the terminal. The first identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the first network-side device on the first connection. The first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device. The sending module is used to send the first identifier to the second network-side device.

29. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein, The device further includes a first receiving module for: Receive information about the second connection from the second network-side device; Wherein, the second connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the third network-side device, and the information of the second connection includes at least one of the following: The first network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection; The third network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection.

30. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein, The device further includes a second receiving module for: Receive information about the second connection from the third network-side device; Wherein, the second connection is the connection between the first network-side device and the third network-side device, and the information of the second connection includes at least one of the following: The first network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection; The third network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection.

31. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein, The device further includes a third receiving module for: Receive first information from the terminal, the first information including at least one of the following: The identification information of the second network-side device; The type information of the second network-side device; The type information of the NAS message from the second network-side device; Service type information of the second network-side device.

32. A wireless communication device, wherein, include: The processing module is used to assign a second identifier to the terminal. The second identifier is a unique identifier assigned to the terminal by the second network-side device on the first connection. The first connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the second network-side device. The sending module is used to send the second identifier to the first network-side device.

33. The apparatus according to claim 32, wherein, The device further includes a first receiving module for: Receive information about the second connection from the third network-side device; Wherein, the second connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the third network-side device, and the information of the second connection includes at least one of the following: The first network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection; The third network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection.

34. The apparatus according to claim 32, wherein, The device further includes a second receiving module for: Receive third non-access stratum (NAS) messages from the first network-side device; The processing module is also used for: The terminal is determined based on the third NAS message.

35. A wireless communication device, wherein, include: The sending module is used to send the terminal's permanent identifier and second connection information to the second network-side device; Wherein, the second connection is a connection between the first network-side device and the third network-side device, and the information of the second connection includes at least one of the following: The first network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection; The third network-side device assigns a unique identifier to the terminal on the second connection.

36. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein, The sending module is also used for: Send at least one of the following to the second network-side device: The identifier ID of the first network-side device; The full name domain name (FQDN) of the first network-side device; The first network-side device's Internet Protocol (IP) address; The port number of the first network-side device.

37. The apparatus according to claim 35 or 36, wherein, The sending module is also used for: Send second information to the first network-side device, the second information including at least one of the following: The type information of the second network-side device; The type information of the non-access stratum NAS message from the second network-side device; Service type information of the second network-side device; The identifier ID of the second network-side device; The full name domain name (FQDN) of the second network-side device; The Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second network-side device; The port number of the second network-side device.

38. A wireless communication device, wherein, include: The sending module is used to send first information to the first network-side device and a first non-access stratum (NAS) message sent by the terminal to the second network-side device; The first information is used by the first network-side device to determine the second network-side device, and the first information includes at least one of the following: The identification information of the second network-side device; The type information of the second network-side device; The type information of the NAS message from the second network-side device; Service type information of the second network-side device.

39. A network-side device, wherein, It includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing a program or instructions that can run on the processor, the program or instructions being executed by the processor to implement the steps of the wireless communication method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14, or to implement the steps of the wireless communication method as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 23, or to implement the steps of the wireless communication method as claimed in any one of claims 24 to 26.

40. A terminal, wherein, It includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing a program or instructions that can run on the processor, the program or instructions being executed by the processor to implement the steps of the wireless communication method as claimed in claim 27.

41. A readable storage medium, wherein, The readable storage medium stores a program or instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the wireless communication method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14, or the steps of the wireless communication method as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 23, or the steps of the wireless communication method as claimed in any one of claims 24 to 26, or the steps of the wireless communication method as claimed in claim 27.

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