Communication method, terminal, and network-side device

Abstract

The present application belongs to the technical field of wireless communications. Disclosed are a communication method, a terminal, and a network-side device. The communication method in the embodiments of the present application comprises: a terminal sending first information to a first network element, wherein the first information is used for indicating information of a service; the terminal receiving second information sent by the first network element, wherein the second information comprises information of an application corresponding to the service; and the terminal negotiating requirement information of the service with a second network element on the basis of the application, wherein the second network element is a network element that provides the service.

Description

Communication methods, terminals and network-side equipment

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411995529.1, filed with the Chinese Patent Office on December 31, 2024, entitled "Communication Method, Terminal and Network Side Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

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

[0004] With technological advancements, future 6G networks will be able to break through traditional connectivity limitations, not only transmitting information but also providing a variety of services such as smart connectivity, computing, positioning, sensing, artificial intelligence (AI), and multimedia. Based on Quality of Service (QoS) requirements, networks typically negotiate service demand information when providing services to user equipment (UEs). For example, AI services and computing services both involve negotiating computing power parameters.

[0005] Currently, service demand information is negotiated between the core network control node and the UE, while the service execution node does not participate in the negotiation process. There is currently no concrete solution regarding how the UE and the service execution node should negotiate service demand information. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method, a terminal, and a network-side device, offering a solution for how the terminal and the service execution node negotiate service demand information.

[0007] Firstly, a communication method is provided, executed by a terminal, the method comprising:

[0008] The terminal sends first information to the first network element, the first information being used to indicate service information;

[0009] The terminal receives second information sent by the first network element, the second information including information about the application corresponding to the service;

[0010] The terminal negotiates the service demand information with the second network element based on the application;

[0011] The second network element is the network element that provides the service.

[0012] Secondly, a communication method is provided, executed by a first network element, the method comprising:

[0013] The first network element receives first information sent by the terminal, the first information being used to indicate service information;

[0014] The first network element sends second information to the terminal, the second information including information about the application corresponding to the service;

[0015] The information in the application is used by the terminal to negotiate the service requirements with the second network element, which is the network element that provides the service.

[0016] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, executed by a second network element, the method comprising:

[0017] The second network element negotiates service requirements with the application and the terminal;

[0018] Wherein, the second network element is the network element that provides the service, the application corresponds to the service, and the terminal obtains the application information from the first network element based on the service information.

[0019] Fourthly, a communication device is provided for use in a terminal, the device comprising:

[0020] The sending module is used to send first information to the first network element, wherein the first information is used to indicate service information;

[0021] The receiving module is used to receive second information sent by the first network element, the second information including information about the application corresponding to the service;

[0022] The processing module is used to negotiate the service demand information with the second network element based on the application;

[0023] The second network element is the network element that provides the service.

[0024] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, applied to a first network element, the device comprising:

[0025] The receiving module is used to receive first information sent by the terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate service information;

[0026] A sending module is used to send second information to the terminal, the second information including information about the application corresponding to the service;

[0027] The information in the application is used by the terminal to negotiate the service requirements with the second network element, which is the network element that provides the service.

[0028] Sixthly, a communication device is provided for use in a second network element, the device comprising:

[0029] The processing module is used to negotiate service requirements with the application and the terminal.

[0030] Wherein, the second network element is the network element that provides the service, the application corresponds to the service, and the terminal obtains the application information from the first network element based on the service information.

[0031] A seventh aspect provides a communication device configured to perform the steps of the method as described in the first, second, or third aspect.

[0032] Eighthly, 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 first aspect.

[0033] A ninth aspect provides a terminal including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor is configured to implement the steps of the method described in the first aspect, and the communication interface is configured to be coupled to the processor.

[0034] In a tenth aspect, a network-side device is provided, the 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 or third aspect.

[0035] Eleventhly, a network-side device is provided, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor is used to implement the steps of the method as described in the second or third aspect, and the communication interface is used to couple with the processor.

[0036] In a twelfth 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 as described in the first, second, or third aspect.

[0037] In a thirteenth aspect, a wireless communication system is provided, comprising: a terminal, a first network-side device, and a second network-side device, wherein the terminal is configured to perform the steps of the method described in the first aspect, the first network-side device is configured to perform the steps of the method described in the second aspect, and the second network-side device is configured to perform the steps of the method described in the third aspect.

[0038] In a fourteenth aspect, a chip is provided, the chip including a processor and a communication interface coupled to the processor, the processor being configured to run programs or instructions to implement the steps of the methods described in the first, second, or third aspects.

[0039] In a fifteenth 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 perform the steps of the method as described in the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect.

[0040] In this embodiment, the terminal sends first information to the first network element, the first information being used to indicate service information. The terminal receives second information sent by the first network element, the second information including information about the application corresponding to the service. The terminal negotiates the service requirement information with the second network element based on the application, wherein the second network element is the network element providing the service. The above process provides a solution for how the terminal and the second network element negotiate the service requirement information. Attached Figure Description

[0041] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 3 is another flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 7 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of another structure of the communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of another structure of the communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a terminal provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a network-side device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0054] 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.

[0055] 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.

[0056] 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.

[0057] 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 in the systems and radio technologies mentioned above, as well as in 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) communication systems.

[0058] Figure 1 is 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. It should be noted that the specific type of terminal 11 is not limited in this application embodiment. Network-side equipment 12 may include access network equipment or core network equipment, wherein access network equipment may also be referred to as Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment, radio access network function, or radio access network unit. Access network equipment may 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.

[0059] 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.

[0060] 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).

[0061] The communication method, terminal, and network-side device provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and through some embodiments and application scenarios.

[0062] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method 200 can be executed by a terminal. As shown in Figure 2, the method may include the following steps.

[0063] S202: The terminal sends first information to the first network element, the first information being used to indicate service information.

[0064] In this embodiment of the application, the first network element can be a network element that provides session management functions, such as an SMF, or a network element that provides service management functions, such as a network function (NF), etc., and the specific is not limited.

[0065] In this application embodiment, NF includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: session management network element, service management network element, connection management network element, computing management network element, data management network element, algorithm management network element, signaling management network element; policy management network element, data management network element, protocol data unit (PDU) network element, short message management network element, policy management network element, location management network element, computing management network element, perception management network element, AI management network element, multimedia management network element, immersive management network element, security management network element, task management network element, artificial intelligence internet of things (AIoT) management network element, energy saving management network element, NTN management network element, slicing management network element, vehicle to everything (V2X) management network element, proximity-based service (ProSe) management network element.

[0066] In this embodiment of the application, the first information may be located in any of the following information elements (IE): standalone IE, session management capability IE, protocol configuration option (PCO) IE, or extended protocol configuration option (ePCO) IE.

[0067] In this embodiment, a standalone IE refers to a newly added IE used to carry the first information. For example, it can be used to carry service type information, specifically a Request service type IE or a service type IE.

[0068] In this embodiment of the application, the first information may include at least one of the following:

[0069] 1) The types of services supported by the terminal or the types of services requested.

[0070] It's worth noting that the service types here can be broad categories, such as: location services, computing services, sensing services, AI services, data services, multimedia services, immersive services, security services, task management, AIoT services, energy-saving services, and NTN services. They can also be subcategories within a specific service category, such as: XR computing services, AI computing services, edge AI services, and terminal AI services.

[0071] 2) Application identification information, used to indicate the application providing the service.

[0072] 3) Application attribute information, which indicates the attribute information of the application providing the service.

[0073] It is worth noting that the APP attribute information here is used to indicate different functions of the APP. Different functions of the APP have different requirements for network resources. It can be a broad category attribute, such as online application, real-time interaction, task planning, or a sub-category attribute, such as calculation or location.

[0074] 4) Application server information, used to indicate the application server providing the service; may include at least one of the following: AS ID, AS FQDN, AS IP address, AS name.

[0075] 5) A dedicated Data Network Name (DNN) for the service; the DNN is used to provide a specific service or a type of service.

[0076] 6) Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI) dedicated to a service, wherein the S-NSSAI is used to provide a certain service or a certain type of service.

[0077] 7) First instruction information, which is used to request the network to allocate second information;

[0078] 8) Terminal usage setting information; wherein, UE's usage setting information is used to indicate the terminal's usage setting information to the network, including at least one of the following: voice centric, data centric, signalalling / connection centric, computing centric, algorithm centric, etc.

[0079] S204: The terminal receives second information sent by the first network element, the second information including information about the application corresponding to the service.

[0080] S206: Terminal requests service information based on application and second network element negotiation.

[0081] In this application embodiment, the above-mentioned services may be of various types, including but not limited to: mobility management service, session management service, service management service, connection management service, computing management service, data management service, algorithm management service, signaling management service; policy management service, data management service, PDU service, short message service, policy service, location service, computing service, perception service, AI service, data service, multimedia service, immersive service, security service, task service, AIoT service, energy saving service, NTN service, slicing service, V2X service, ProSe service, etc., without specific limitations.

[0082] The second network element is the network element that provides services. For example, the second network element is a network element that provides sensing services (e.g., sensing function), a network element that provides computing services (e.g., computing function), or a network element that provides AI services (e.g., AI function).

[0083] In this embodiment of the application, the service requirement information may include various fine-grained service parameters, including but not limited to at least one of the following:

[0084] a) Perceiving service demand information;

[0085] b) Information on computing service requirements;

[0086] c) Information on the demand for AI services.

[0087] In this embodiment of the application, the demand information for the aforementioned sensing service may include at least one of the following:

[0088] a1) Sensing measurement methods may include at least one of the following: UE self-transmission and self-reception, other UE transmission and UE reception, base station transmission and UE reception, UE transmission and base station reception, and base station transmission and base station reception. Here, "transmission" refers to sending measurement signals, and "reception" refers to receiving measurement signals and performing measurements.

[0089] a2) Sensing services may include at least one of the following: large sensing range and high real-time requirement (Delay Critical LSS), large sensing range and low real-time requirement (LSS), small sensing range and low real-time requirement (Delay Critical SSS), and small sensing range and low real-time requirement (SSS). These services may also be represented by numbers, letters, or other strings.

[0090] a3) The purpose of sensing may include one or more applications that require sensing services and are supported by the sensing device, such as respiratory monitoring, surrounding traffic environment monitoring, etc.

[0091] a4) The sensing measurement signal indicates the signal supported by the sensing device (which can be transmitted or received, or both), used for sensing measurement. For example, it may include at least one of the following: RSRP, RSRQ, multipath angle of arrival, multipath angle of departure, multipath delay, Doppler frequency, etc.

[0092] a5) Perception measurement accuracy may include at least one of the following: perception resolution, perception error.

[0093] a6) Perception resolution: refers to the ability to distinguish multiple perception targets from different dimensions, which may include at least one of the following: distance resolution, velocity resolution, angular resolution, etc.

[0094] a7) Sensing range: refers to the effective range of a specific sensing parameter under the premise of meeting certain sensing performance indicators (such as sensing accuracy), which may include at least one of the following: sensing distance range, sensing speed range, sensing angle range, etc.

[0095] a8) Perceived latency: Used to quantitatively describe the real-time requirements of perception services, such as the maximum latency from generating a perception service request to providing feedback on the perception result.

[0096] a9) Perception update frequency: the reciprocal of the time interval between two consecutive perception results.

[0097] In this embodiment of the application, the demand information for the computing service may include at least one of the following:

[0098] b1) Data processing methods may include at least one of the following: noise reduction, privacy protection, standardization, and normalization.

[0099] b2) Data processing latency, used to indicate the overall latency of data acquisition and data computation.

[0100] b3) Calculation accuracy, used to indicate the accuracy of data acquisition and the overall accuracy of data calculation.

[0101] b4) Computing power information may include at least one of the following: computing power size, computing power type.

[0102] In this embodiment of the application, the demand information for the aforementioned AI service may include at least one of the following:

[0103] c1) Model complexity refers to the model's representational power, that is, the complexity of the data that the model can fit;

[0104] c2) Model training time;

[0105] c3) Model inference time;

[0106] c4) Model identifier;

[0107] c5) Model Download Address;

[0108] c6) Data source information (data source address);

[0109] c7) Computing power;

[0110] c8) Calculation type.

[0111] In this embodiment of the application, the second information may include at least one of the following: application download information and application download channel information.

[0112] In one implementation, the second information includes application download information, and the method may further include:

[0113] The terminal downloads the application based on the application's download information.

[0114] It should be noted that the application download information can be at least one of the following: application download address, application download link, or application list.

[0115] In another implementation, the second information includes the application's download channel information, and the method may further include:

[0116] The terminal establishes a download channel for the application based on the application's download channel information;

[0117] The terminal uses the download channel to obtain application download information;

[0118] The terminal downloads the application based on the application's download information.

[0119] In this embodiment of the application, the download channel information of the above application may include at least one of the following: the identification information of the provisioning server, the IP address of the provisioning server, and the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the provisioning server.

[0120] In this embodiment, the configuration server provides application download information. The terminal can obtain the application download information from the configuration server, thereby enabling the terminal to download the corresponding application. For example, the terminal obtains at least one of the following from the configuration server: the application's download address, the application's download link, and a list of applications.

[0121] In this embodiment of the application, the information of the above application can be located in any of the following IEs: standalone IE, session management capability IE, PCO IE, ePCO IE.

[0122] In this embodiment of the application, the service requirement information includes at least one of the following: service accuracy, service scope, service latency, and service type.

[0123] In this embodiment of the application, the above method may further include one of the following:

[0124] 1) A control plane connection is established between the terminal and the first network element, wherein the control plane connection is used to send first information and receive second information;

[0125] 2) A user plane connection is established between the terminal and the first network element, wherein the user plane connection is used to send the first information and receive the second information.

[0126] In one implementation, when a control plane connection is established between the terminal and the first network element, the first information is further used by the third network element to select the first network element that provides session management functions or service management functions; wherein, the third network element is the network element that provides access and mobility management.

[0127] In this embodiment of the application, the third network element can be a network element that provides access and mobility management, such as an AMF.

[0128] For example, the first information is used by the third network element AMF to select SMF as the first network element, or to select NF as the first network element.

[0129] In this embodiment, the AMF can provide the UE with basic communication services such as connection management and mobility management, including but not limited to at least one of the following: access control related functions (such as NAS message endpoint, registration management, security functions, N2 control plane protocol endpoint), mobility management related functions, and mobility management layer support functions for other network services (SM management service, SMS service, location service service, CIoT).

[0130] In this embodiment of the application, the SMF can provide session management functions for the UE, including but not limited to at least one of the following:

[0131] 1) Responsible for the establishment, modification and release of PDU sessions.

[0132] 2) Manage data session parameters with the UE, including QoS parameters, routing rules, and Access Point Name (APN) or DNN.

[0133] 3) Assign an IP address or IPv6 prefix to the UE for communication in the Data Network (DN).

[0134] In this embodiment of the application, the NF can provide service management functions for the UE, including but not limited to at least one of the following:

[0135] 1) Responsible for establishing, modifying, and releasing service sessions.

[0136] 2) Manage service session parameters with the UE, including but not limited to at least one of the following: negotiation of service parameters, allocation of service resources, and processing of service data.

[0137] In this embodiment of the application, in the scenario of establishing a user plane connection between the terminal and the first network element, the above method may include:

[0138] The terminal determines or establishes a PDU session based on the User Equipment Route Selection Policy (URSP) rules, and obtains information about the first network element based on the PDU session;

[0139] The terminal establishes a user plane connection with the first network element based on the information obtained from the first network element.

[0140] In this embodiment of the application, the user plane connection can send first information using a signaling transmission request message, which further includes at least one of the following: message type, security parameters, terminal identifier, and user plane connection identifier.

[0141] In this embodiment of the application, the URSP rule described above may include a target component for indicating information about a service. The target component may include one of the following:

[0142] 1) Extended DNN components in traffic descriptors; in this case, the original components are used to extend their functionality to indicate service information, which can save overhead.

[0143] 2) Extended connectivity components in the traffic descriptor; in this case, the original components are used to extend their functionality to indicate service information, which can save overhead.

[0144] 3) Components added to the traffic descriptor; in this case, the newly added components are used to indicate service information.

[0145] In this embodiment of the application, step S206 may include:

[0146] The terminal establishes an information transmission channel with the second network element based on the downloaded application;

[0147] The terminal negotiates service requirements with the second network element based on the information transmission channel.

[0148] In this embodiment of the application, the establishment of an information transmission channel between the terminal and the second network element based on the downloaded application may include:

[0149] The terminal establishes a quality of service flow with the second network element as an information transmission channel based on the quality of service rules obtained from the newly established PDU session or the existing PDU session; wherein, the quality of service rules are matched with the information of the second network element.

[0150] In this embodiment of the application, a PDU session refers to the association between a terminal and a data network that provides PDU connection services. During the process of establishing a PDU session, the terminal will receive an IP address and QoS rules assigned by the network.

[0151] In this embodiment of the application, the quality of service flow between the terminal and the second network element, and the quality of service flow between the terminal and the first network element, have different quality of service flow identifiers.

[0152] For example, the quality of service flow between the UE and the Service AF, and the quality of service flow between the UE and the NF, have different quality of service flow identifiers.

[0153] It should be noted that a service element (AF) is a network element that provides specific services to the UE, such as a network element that provides sensing services to the UE or a network element that provides computing services to the UE. In some cases, a network element (NF) can be co-located with a service AF; for example, a sensing network element may have both sensing service management and sensing service processing functions.

[0154] The method provided in this application embodiment involves a terminal sending first information to a first network element, receiving second information from the first network element, and negotiating service demand information with a second network element based on an application. The first information indicates service information, the second information includes information about the application corresponding to the service, and the second network element is the network element providing the service. This process provides a solution for how the terminal and the second network element negotiate service demand information. Furthermore, it achieves effective support for new services in a weakly controlled 6G core network, while providing solutions for both 5G compatibility and incompatibility, accelerating the deployment of new services. Different services correspond to different applications, which can be dynamically downloaded to the terminal without prior installation, facilitating user convenience.

[0155] Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method 300 can be executed by a first network element. As shown in Figure 3, the method may include the following steps.

[0156] S302: The first network element receives the first information sent by the terminal, which is used to indicate service information.

[0157] S304: The first network element sends the second information to the terminal, which includes information about the application corresponding to the service.

[0158] The information in the application is used by the terminal to negotiate service requirements with the second network element, which is the network element that provides the service.

[0159] In this embodiment of the application, the above method may further include one of the following:

[0160] 1) A control plane connection is established between the first network element and the terminal, wherein the control plane connection is used to receive first information and send second information;

[0161] 2) A user plane connection is established between the first network element and the terminal, wherein the user plane connection is used to receive the first information and send the second information.

[0162] In this embodiment of the application, the first network element can be a network element that provides session management functions, and correspondingly, the above method may also include one of the following:

[0163] 1) The first network element obtains the second information from the fourth network element based on the first information;

[0164] The fourth network element is used to store application information, which can be either an Information Channel Application Repository (ICAR) or a Data Channel Application Repository. The ICAR is a newly added network element used to store verified application information for consumers to retrieve when needed.

[0165] 2) The first network element obtains the second information from the UDM based on the first information;

[0166] 3) The first network element obtains the second information from its local configuration based on the first information.

[0167] In this embodiment of the application, the first network element obtaining the second information from the fourth network element based on the first information may include:

[0168] The first network element uses the discovery service provided by the fourth network element to obtain the second information from the fourth network element based on the first information.

[0169] For example, the first network element uses the discovery service provided by ICAR to obtain the second information from ICAR based on the first information.

[0170] The discovery service is used by consumers to obtain information about one or more apps. When a consumer wants to use the discovery service, it needs to provide initial information to ICAR.

[0171] The method provided in this application embodiment receives first information sent by the terminal through a first network element and sends second information to the terminal. The first information is used to indicate service information, and the second information includes information of the application corresponding to the service. The application information is used by the terminal and the second network element to negotiate service demand information. The second network element is the network element that provides the service. The above process realizes that the first network element provides application information to the terminal, which helps the terminal negotiate service demand information with the second network element based on the application information.

[0172] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method 400 can be executed by a second network element. As shown in Figure 4, the method may include the following steps.

[0173] S402: The second network element negotiates service requirements with the application and the terminal.

[0174] The second network element is the network element that provides the service. The application corresponds to the service, and the terminal obtains the application information from the first network element based on the service information.

[0175] In this embodiment of the application, step S402 may include:

[0176] The second network element establishes an information transmission channel between the application and the terminal;

[0177] The second network element negotiates service requirements with the terminal based on the information transmission channel.

[0178] In this embodiment of the application, the above-mentioned second network element establishes an information transmission channel with the terminal based on the application, which may include: the second network element establishes an information transmission channel with the terminal based on the application downloaded by the terminal.

[0179] In this process, the terminal downloads the application based on the application's download information or the application's download channel.

[0180] In this embodiment of the application, the aforementioned information transmission channel may include a quality of service flow established based on quality of service rules, wherein the quality of service rules are obtained from a newly established PDU session or an existing PDU session between the second network element and the terminal, and the quality of service rules are matched with the information of the second network element.

[0181] The method provided in this application embodiment offers a solution for how the terminal and the second network element negotiate service requirements based on the service requirements information negotiated between the second network element and the application and the terminal.

[0182] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method involves interaction between the terminal and multiple devices on the network side. Specifically, the UE obtains application information (APP information) and downloads the corresponding APP through the PDU session establishment process. PDU session-related messages are forwarded via the AMF, utilizing the 5GS network architecture to implement new 6GS services. This approach achieves effective support for new services in the 6G core network under weak control mode, while also offering better compatibility with 5G and reducing core network construction costs and complexity. As shown in Figure 5, the method may include the following steps.

[0183] Phase 1: Steps 1-7 are the process of obtaining APP information through the SM process.

[0184] Step 1: The UE includes first information in the session management message, the first information being used to indicate service information, including at least one of the following:

[0185] 1) Service type, used to indicate the types of services supported by the UE or the types of services requested;

[0186] 2) APP ID;

[0187] 3) App attribute information;

[0188] 4) Application server information: Different services are provided by different application servers;

[0189] 5) Dedicated DNN for services;

[0190] 6) S-NSSAI dedicated to services;

[0191] 7) First indication information, such as address request indication, is used to request the network to allocate APP information, including APP download address or APP download channel information;

[0192] 8) Terminal usage settings information.

[0193] In one implementation, the UE includes an address request indication in the ePCO IE or PCO IE, which may be an APP IPv6 Address Request, an APP IPv4 Address Request, or an APP name Request, and is not specifically limited thereto.

[0194] Since the session management message is included in the mobility management message, and the AMF is unaware of the content of the session management message, the UE also needs to include the first information in the mobility management message sent to the AMF. Specifically, the session management message here can also be a PDU session establishment request message or a PDU session modification message.

[0195] Step 2: The AMF selects the SMF that can provide services to the UE based on the first information.

[0196] Among these factors, the first piece of information can be considered as one of the factors in selecting an SMF.

[0197] Step 3: AMF sends a session management message to SMF.

[0198] Step 4: The SMF selects a UPF that can provide services to the UE based on the first information and establishes a session / connection between the SMF and the UPF.

[0199] Step 5: SMF obtains APP information based on the first information, including at least one of the following: APP download address, APP download channel establishment information (e.g., provisioning server IP address or FQDN).

[0200] To obtain information about the app, SMF can perform at least one of the following:

[0201] 1) The SMF obtains APP information from the fourth network element;

[0202] 2) SMF obtains APP information from UDM;

[0203] 3) SMF obtains APP information from local configuration.

[0204] The fourth network element is used to store application information, which can be either an information channel application repository or a data channel application repository, without being limited to any specific type.

[0205] In one implementation, the SMF performs the above actions to obtain the association between service-related information and APP information. The SMF can obtain the APP information based on the first information and the association information.

[0206] Step 6: The SMF provides the UE with APP information, including at least one of the following:

[0207] 1) App download address. In one implementation, if the UE requests an app download address in the session management message, the SMF includes the app download address in the session management response message.

[0208] 2) APP download channel information, used by the UE to establish an information transmission channel with the provisioning server, thereby obtaining the APP download address or download information (e.g., APP list) through the information transmission channel, and then downloading the APP. The APP download channel establishment information includes at least one of the following: the provisioning server's IP address, FQDN, and identification information.

[0209] In one implementation, the APP download channel information is included in the ePCO IE in the session management response message, or in another IE.

[0210] In another implementation, if the UE requests APP download channel information in the session management message, the SMF includes the APP download channel information in the session management response message.

[0211] Step 7: The AMF forwards the session management response message to the UE.

[0212] Phase Two: Steps 8-11 are the process of UE downloading the APP.

[0213] Step 8: If the APP information received by the UE contains an APP download address, the UE will directly download the APP.

[0214] If the APP information received by the UE includes APP download channel information, then the UE executes steps 9-10.

[0215] Step 9: The UE establishes an information transmission channel to the APP provisioning server based on the received APP download channel information.

[0216] In one implementation, the UE establishes a QoS flow to the APP provisioning server based on APP download channel information. In this implementation, the UE needs to receive QoS rules matching the APP provisioning server during the aforementioned session management process.

[0217] In another implementation, the UE establishes a PDU session with the APP provisioning server based on the APP download channel information. In this implementation, the UE needs to store URSP rules that match the APP provisioning server.

[0218] In another implementation, the UE establishes an information transmission channel to the APP provisioning server based on the implementation method (e.g., application layer method, which is not within the scope of this study).

[0219] In one implementation, the APP provisioning server here can be a fourth network element.

[0220] Step 10: The UE obtains the download address of the APP through the information transmission channel.

[0221] The UE provides at least one of the following to the APP provisioning server: APP ID and APP attribute information.

[0222] The UE obtains the APP download address from the APP provisioning server.

[0223] Step 11: The UE downloads the APP based on the APP's download address.

[0224] Phase 3: The UE establishes an information transmission channel with the service AF.

[0225] Step 12: The UE uses the downloaded APP to trigger the establishment of an information transmission channel with the service AF, i.e., a user plane connection, to negotiate service requirement information (such as fine-grained service parameters).

[0226] In one implementation, the UE establishes a QoS flow to the service AF based on information received from the upper layer (e.g., the APP layer). The UE still uses the aforementioned PDU session and needs to receive QoS rules matching the service AF during the session management process.

[0227] In another implementation, the UE establishes a PDU session to the service AF based on information received from the upper-layer APP layer. During the PDU session, it receives QoS rules that match the service AF and then establishes a QoS flow to the service AF. In this implementation, the UE needs to store URSP rules that match the information received from the upper-layer APP layer.

[0228] In another implementation, the UE establishes an information transmission channel to the service AF based on the implementation method (e.g., application layer method).

[0229] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method is completed through interaction between the terminal and multiple devices on the network side. Specifically, the UE and the 6G NF need to establish a control plane connection (e.g., NF session). During the NF session establishment process, the UE obtains APP information and downloads the corresponding APP. Each type or service has an NF session. For example, communication services have PDU sessions, and computing services have computing sessions. Only the first NF session establishment message needs to be forwarded through the AMF. Once the NF session is established, NF session-related messages no longer need to be forwarded through the AMF. This approach uses a new network architecture to implement new 6GS services, allowing the UE to establish information (e.g., signaling or data) transmission channels with each NF. On one hand, it enables effective support for new services in the 6G core network under weak control mode; on the other hand, it allows for dedicated management of dedicated services, making more rational use of network resources.

[0230] In this embodiment, an NF session refers to a bearer used for communication between a UE and a specific NF. Once an NF session is established, a data transmission channel is established between the UE and the specific NF. Therefore, if a UE wants to use a specific NF service, it must first establish a specific NF session. In other words, a specific NF session is a network resource established between the UE and the specific NF. An NF session can sometimes also be referred to as an NF connection.

[0231] As shown in Figure 6, the above method may include the following steps.

[0232] Step 1: The UE includes first information in the service session management message, which is used to indicate service information.

[0233] Since the Service Session Management message is included in the Mobility Management message, and the AMF is unaware of the content of the Service Session Management message, the UE also needs to include the first information in the Mobility Management message sent to the AMF. Specifically, the session management message here can also be a PDU session establishment request message or a PDU session modification message.

[0234] Step 2: Since this is the first time establishing a connection, the RAN needs to assign a globally unique identifier to the UE for communication with the 6G NF.

[0235] Step 3: The RAN forwards the initial AMF NAS message to the AMF.

[0236] Step 4: The AMF determines the UE's request to communicate with the 6G NF based on the first information. The AMF verifies whether the UE has permission to communicate with the 6G NF. If so, the AMF selects the 6G NF based on the first information.

[0237] Different first information corresponds to different NFs. For example, if the first information indicates a computing service, then the NF is the computing NF.

[0238] Step 5: AMF sends a service session management message to NF.

[0239] Step 6: The NF assigns key information to the UE, which is used for encrypting and decrypting messages between the UE and the NF. The NF assigns a globally unique temporary identity (GUTI) to the UE, which is used for mutual authentication and identification between the UE and the NF.

[0240] Step 7: NF obtains APP information based on the first information, including at least one of the following: APP download address, APP download channel establishment information (e.g., provisioning server IP address or FQDN).

[0241] To obtain information about the app, NF can perform at least one of the following:

[0242] 1) The NF obtains APP information from the fourth network element;

[0243] 2) NF obtains APP information from UDM;

[0244] 3) NF obtains APP information from local configuration.

[0245] The fourth network element is used to store application information, which can be either an information channel application repository or a data channel application repository, without being limited to any specific type.

[0246] In one implementation, the NF performs the above-mentioned behavior to obtain the association between service-related information and APP information. The NF can obtain the APP information based on the first information and the association information.

[0247] Steps 8-10: The NF provides the APP information to the UE, including at least one of the following: APP download address, APP download channel information.

[0248] Steps 11-14: UE downloads the APP. The steps for downloading the APP are the same as those in the embodiment shown in Figure 5, and will not be repeated here.

[0249] Step 15: The UE uses the downloaded APP to trigger the establishment of an information transmission channel with the service AF, i.e., a user plane connection, to negotiate service demand information (such as fine-grained service parameters). The steps are the same as those in the embodiment shown in Figure 5, and will not be repeated here.

[0250] In the above process, before the UE establishes a connection with the NF, that is, before the UE stores the identification information allocated by the first network element, or the information used to identify the connection between the UE and the first network element, the UE can execute steps 1-10 to obtain the APP information. If the UE has already established a connection with the first network element, the UE directly sends the first information to the NF to obtain the APP information.

[0251] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method is completed through interaction between the terminal and multiple devices on the network side. The UE obtains APP information and downloads the corresponding APP through a secure user plane connection with the 6G NF. This approach is an enhancement of existing technologies and can be applied to more new 6G services. On the one hand, it enables effective support for new services by the 6G core network in a weak control mode; on the other hand, it has better compatibility with 5G and reduces the construction cost and complexity of the core network. As shown in Figure 7, the method may include the following steps.

[0252] Step 1: The UE has established a PDU session and obtained 6G NF information.

[0253] In one implementation, the UE establishes a dedicated PDU session for the service, which requires enhanced URSP rules, including at least one of the following:

[0254] 1) Extended components in the traffic descriptor, such as extended DNN components or connectivity components, to indicate the service;

[0255] 2) Add a new component to the traffic descriptor to indicate the service.

[0256] The UE obtains NF information, including at least one of the following:

[0257] 1) The UE obtains NF information from the NRF. At this time, the UE provides at least one of the following to the NRF: service type and NF type;

[0258] 2) The UE obtains NF information from the local configuration.

[0259] Step 2: The UE establishes a secure user plane connection with the NF.

[0260] In one implementation, the NF needs to assign a connection ID to identify the UE.

[0261] Step 3: The UE and NF communicate using the user plane secure connection.

[0262] In one implementation, the UE sends a signaling transmission request message to the NF, including at least one of the following: UE ID, connection ID, and first information. The signaling transmission request message is used to transmit signaling between the UE and the NF, and may include at least one of the following: message type, security parameters, UE ID, connection ID, and first information.

[0263] Step 4: NF determines APP information.

[0264] Step 5: The NF sends a signaling transmission response message to the UE, including at least one of the following: connection ID, APP information.

[0265] Steps 6-9: Same as steps 6-9 in the embodiment shown in Figure 5, and will not be repeated here.

[0266] Step 10: The UE uses the downloaded APP to trigger the establishment of an information transmission channel with the service AF, i.e., a user plane connection, to negotiate service request messages (such as fine-grained service parameters).

[0267] In one implementation, the UE establishes a QoS flow to the service AF based on information received from the upper-layer APP layer. Here, the UE still uses the aforementioned PDU session and needs to receive QoS rules matching the service AF during the session management process.

[0268] In another implementation, the QoS flow used for communication between the UE and the NF is different from the QoS flow used for communication between the UE and the service AF. That is, there are different 5QIs used for communication between the UE and the NF and for communication between the UE and the service AF.

[0269] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 8, the device is applied to a terminal and may include: a sending module 801, a receiving module 802, and a processing module 803.

[0270] The sending module 801 is used to send first information to the first network element, and the first information is used to indicate service information.

[0271] The receiving module 802 is used to receive second information sent by the first network element, the second information including information about the application corresponding to the service.

[0272] Processing module 803 is used to negotiate service requirements with the application and the second network element.

[0273] The second network element is the network element that provides the service.

[0274] In this embodiment of the application, the second information includes at least one of the following: application download information and application download channel information.

[0275] In this embodiment of the application, the second information includes application download information, and the processing module 803 is further configured to: download the application according to the application download information.

[0276] In this embodiment of the application, the second information includes the application's download channel information, and the processing module 803 is further used for:

[0277] Establish the application's download channel based on the application's download channel information;

[0278] Use the download channel to obtain the application's download information;

[0279] Download the application based on the download information.

[0280] In this embodiment of the application, the application download channel information includes at least one of the following: the identification information of the configuration server, the IP address of the configuration server, and the FQDN of the configuration server.

[0281] In this embodiment of the application, the first information may be located in any of the following information elements (IEs): independent IE, session management capability IE, PCO IE, ePCO IE.

[0282] In this embodiment of the application, the service requirement information includes at least one of the following: service accuracy, service range, service latency, and service type.

[0283] In this embodiment of the application, the processing module 803 is also used for one of the following:

[0284] Used to establish a control plane connection with the first network element, wherein the control plane connection is used to send first information and receive second information;

[0285] Used to establish a user plane connection with a first network element, wherein the user plane connection is used to send first information and receive second information.

[0286] In this embodiment of the application, the first information is further used by the third network element to select a first network element that provides session management functions or provides service management functions; wherein, the third network element is a network element that provides access and mobility management.

[0287] In this embodiment of the application, the processing module 803 is further configured to:

[0288] Based on the User Equipment Routing Policy (URSP) rules, a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session is determined or established. Information about the first network element is obtained based on the PDU session, and a user plane connection is established with the first network element based on the obtained information.

[0289] In this embodiment of the application, the user plane connection uses a signaling transmission request message to send first information. The signaling transmission request message also includes at least one of the following: message type, security parameters, terminal identifier, and user plane connection identifier.

[0290] In this embodiment of the application, the URSP rule includes a target component for indicating information about the service, and the target component includes one of the following:

[0291] The extended data network name DNN component in the traffic descriptor;

[0292] Extended connectivity components in the traffic descriptor;

[0293] A component added to the traffic descriptor.

[0294] In this embodiment of the application, the processing module 803 is used for:

[0295] Establish an information transmission channel between the downloaded application and the second network element;

[0296] Demand information based on information transmission channels and negotiation services with second network elements.

[0297] In this embodiment of the application, the processing module 803 is used for:

[0298] Based on the quality of service rules obtained from newly created or existing PDU sessions, a quality of service flow is established between the PDU and the second network element as an information transmission channel; wherein, the quality of service rules are matched with the information of the second network element.

[0299] In this embodiment of the application, the quality of service flow between the terminal and the second network element, and the quality of service flow between the terminal and the first network element, have different quality of service flow identifiers.

[0300] In this embodiment of the application, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0301] The types of services supported by the terminal or the types of services requested.

[0302] Application identification information, used to indicate the application providing the service;

[0303] Application attribute information, used to indicate the attribute information of the application providing the service;

[0304] Application server information, used to indicate the application server providing the service;

[0305] DNN dedicated to services;

[0306] Single network slice selection auxiliary information (S-NSSAI) dedicated to services;

[0307] The first instruction information is used to request the network to allocate the second information;

[0308] Terminal usage settings information.

[0309] In this embodiment of the application, the above-mentioned service type is located in any of the following IEs: standalone IE, session management capability IE, PCO IE, ePCO IE; and / or, the first indication information is located in PCO IE or ePCO IE.

[0310] The apparatus provided in this application embodiment can execute the method in any of the method embodiments with the terminal as the execution subject. For details, please refer to the description in the method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0311] The apparatus provided in this application embodiment sends first information to a first network element and receives second information sent by the first network element. Based on the application, it negotiates service demand information with a second network element. The first information indicates service information, and the second information includes information about the application corresponding to the service. The second network element is the network element providing the service. This process provides a solution for how the terminal and the second network element negotiate service demand information. Furthermore, it achieves effective support for new services in a weakly controlled 6G core network, while providing solutions for both 5G compatibility and incompatibility, accelerating the deployment of new services. Different services correspond to different applications, which can be dynamically downloaded to the terminal without prior installation, facilitating user convenience.

[0312] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 9, the device is applied to a first network element and may include a receiving module 901 and a transmitting module 902.

[0313] The receiving module 901 is used to receive first information sent by the terminal, which is used to indicate service information.

[0314] The sending module 902 is used to send second information to the terminal, the second information including information about the application corresponding to the service.

[0315] The information in the application is used by the terminal to negotiate service requirements with the second network element, which is the network element that provides the service.

[0316] In this embodiment of the application, the above-mentioned device further includes a processing module, used for one of the following:

[0317] A control plane connection is established with the terminal, wherein the control plane connection is used to receive first information and send second information;

[0318] A user plane connection is established with the terminal, wherein the user plane connection is used to receive first information and send second information.

[0319] In this embodiment of the application, the first network element is a network element that provides session management functions, and the above-mentioned device further includes a processing module for one of the following:

[0320] The second information is obtained from the fourth network element based on the first information;

[0321] Obtain the second information from the Unified Data Management (UDM) based on the first information;

[0322] The second information is obtained from the local configuration based on the first information.

[0323] In this embodiment of the application, the above-mentioned processing module is used for:

[0324] Using the discovery service provided by the fourth network element, the second information is obtained from the fourth network element based on the first information.

[0325] The apparatus provided in this application embodiment can execute the method in any of the method embodiments with the first network element as the execution subject. For details, please refer to the description in the method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0326] The apparatus provided in this application embodiment receives first information sent by the terminal through a first network element and sends second information to the terminal. The first information is used to indicate service information, and the second information includes information of the application corresponding to the service. The application information is used by the terminal and the second network element to negotiate service demand information. The second network element is the network element that provides the service. The above process enables the first network element to provide application information to the terminal, which helps the terminal negotiate service demand information with the second network element based on the application information.

[0327] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 10, the device is applied to a second network element and may include a processing module 1001.

[0328] Processing module 1001 is used to negotiate service requirements with the application and the terminal.

[0329] The second network element is the network element that provides the service. The application corresponds to the service, and the terminal obtains the application information from the first network element based on the service information.

[0330] In this embodiment of the application, the processing module 1001 is used for:

[0331] Establish an information transmission channel between the application and the terminal;

[0332] Based on the information transmission channel and the terminal, negotiate the service requirements information.

[0333] In this embodiment of the application, the processing module 1001 is used for:

[0334] Applications downloaded from the terminal establish an information transmission channel between the terminal and the application.

[0335] In this process, the terminal downloads the application based on the application's download information or the application's download channel.

[0336] In this embodiment of the application, the information transmission channel includes a quality of service flow established based on quality of service rules, wherein the quality of service rules are obtained from a newly established PDU session or an existing PDU session between the second network element and the terminal, and the quality of service rules are matched with the information of the second network element.

[0337] The apparatus provided in this application embodiment can execute the method in any of the method embodiments with the second network element as the execution subject. For details, please refer to the description in the method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0338] The apparatus provided in this application embodiment offers a solution for how the terminal and the second network element negotiate service requirements based on the service requirements information negotiated between the second network element and the application and the terminal.

[0339] This application provides a communication device. As an example, the 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.

[0340] The aforementioned 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.

[0341] Specifically, referring to Figure 8, when the communication device is a terminal or a component within a terminal, the communication device includes:

[0342] The sending module 801 is used to send first information to the first network element, and the first information is used to indicate service information.

[0343] The receiving module 802 is used to receive second information sent by the first network element, the second information including information about the application corresponding to the service.

[0344] Processing module 803 is used to negotiate service requirements with the application and the second network element.

[0345] The second network element is the network element that provides the service.

[0346] In this embodiment of the application, the second information includes at least one of the following: application download information and application download channel information.

[0347] In this embodiment of the application, the second information includes application download information, and the processing module is further configured to: download the application according to the application download information.

[0348] In this embodiment of the application, the second information includes the application's download channel information, and the processing module 803 is further used for:

[0349] Establish the application's download channel based on the application's download channel information;

[0350] Use the download channel to obtain the application's download information;

[0351] Download the application based on the download information.

[0352] In this embodiment of the application, the application download channel information includes at least one of the following: the identification information of the configuration server, the IP address of the configuration server, and the FQDN of the configuration server.

[0353] In this embodiment of the application, the first information may be located in any of the following information elements (IEs): independent IE, session management capability IE, PCO IE, ePCO IE.

[0354] In this embodiment of the application, the service requirement information includes at least one of the following: service accuracy, service range, service latency, and service type.

[0355] In this embodiment of the application, the processing module 803 is also used for one of the following:

[0356] Used to establish a control plane connection with the first network element, wherein the control plane connection is used to send first information and receive second information;

[0357] Used to establish a user plane connection with a first network element, wherein the user plane connection is used to send first information and receive second information.

[0358] In this embodiment of the application, the first information is further used by the third network element to select a first network element that provides session management functions or provides service management functions; wherein, the third network element is a network element that provides access and mobility management.

[0359] In this embodiment of the application, the processing module 803 is further configured to:

[0360] Based on the User Equipment Routing Policy (URSP) rules, a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session is determined or established. Information about the first network element is obtained based on the PDU session, and a user plane connection is established with the first network element based on the obtained information.

[0361] In this embodiment of the application, the user plane connection uses a signaling transmission request message to send first information. The signaling transmission request message also includes at least one of the following: message type, security parameters, terminal identifier, and user plane connection identifier.

[0362] In this embodiment of the application, the URSP rule includes a target component for indicating information about the service, and the target component includes one of the following:

[0363] The extended data network name DNN component in the traffic descriptor;

[0364] Extended connectivity components in the traffic descriptor;

[0365] A component added to the traffic descriptor.

[0366] In this embodiment of the application, the processing module 803 is used for:

[0367] Establish an information transmission channel between the downloaded application and the second network element;

[0368] Demand information based on information transmission channels and negotiation services with second network elements.

[0369] In this embodiment of the application, the processing module 803 is used for:

[0370] Based on the quality of service rules obtained from newly created or existing PDU sessions, a quality of service flow is established between the PDU and the second network element as an information transmission channel; wherein, the quality of service rules are matched with the information of the second network element.

[0371] In this embodiment of the application, the quality of service flow between the terminal and the second network element, and the quality of service flow between the terminal and the first network element, have different quality of service flow identifiers.

[0372] In this embodiment of the application, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0373] The types of services supported by the terminal or the types of services requested.

[0374] Application identification information, used to indicate the application providing the service;

[0375] Application attribute information, used to indicate the attribute information of the application providing the service;

[0376] Application server information, used to indicate the application server providing the service;

[0377] DNN dedicated to services;

[0378] Single network slice selection auxiliary information (S-NSSAI) dedicated to services;

[0379] The first instruction information is used to request the network to allocate the second information;

[0380] Terminal usage settings information.

[0381] In this embodiment of the application, the above-mentioned service type is located in any of the following IEs: standalone IE, session management capability IE, PCO IE, ePCO IE; and / or, the first indication information is located in PCO IE or ePCO IE.

[0382] Referring to Figure 9, when the communication device is a network-side device or a component within a network-side device, the communication device includes:

[0383] The receiving module 901 is used to receive first information sent by the terminal, which is used to indicate service information.

[0384] The sending module 902 is used to send second information to the terminal, the second information including information about the application corresponding to the service.

[0385] The information in the application is used by the terminal to negotiate service requirements with the second network element, which is the network element that provides the service.

[0386] In this embodiment of the application, the above-mentioned device further includes a processing module, used for one of the following:

[0387] A control plane connection is established with the terminal, wherein the control plane connection is used to receive first information and send second information;

[0388] A user plane connection is established with the terminal, wherein the user plane connection is used to receive first information and send second information.

[0389] In this embodiment of the application, the first network element is a network element that provides session management functions, and the above-mentioned device further includes a processing module, which is also used for one of the following:

[0390] The second information is obtained from the fourth network element based on the first information;

[0391] Obtain the second information from the Unified Data Management (UDM) based on the first information;

[0392] The second information is obtained from the local configuration based on the first information.

[0393] In this embodiment of the application, the above-mentioned processing module is used for:

[0394] Using the discovery service provided by the fourth network element, the second information is obtained from the fourth network element based on the first information.

[0395] Referring to Figure 10, when the communication device is a network-side device or a component within a network-side device, the communication device includes:

[0396] Processing module 1001 is used to negotiate service requirements with the application and the terminal.

[0397] The second network element is the network element that provides the service. The application corresponds to the service, and the terminal obtains the application information from the first network element based on the service information.

[0398] In this embodiment of the application, the processing module 1001 is used for:

[0399] Establish an information transmission channel between the application and the terminal;

[0400] Based on the information transmission channel and the terminal, negotiate the service requirements information.

[0401] In this embodiment of the application, the processing module 1001 is used for:

[0402] Applications downloaded from the terminal establish an information transmission channel between the terminal and the application.

[0403] In this process, the terminal downloads the application based on the application's download information or the application's download channel.

[0404] In this embodiment of the application, the information transmission channel includes a quality of service flow established based on quality of service rules, wherein the quality of service rules are obtained from a newly established PDU session or an existing PDU session between the second network element and the terminal, and the quality of service rules are matched with the information of the second network element.

[0405] The apparatus provided in this application embodiment can implement the various processes implemented in the above method embodiments and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0406] As shown in Figure 11, this application embodiment also provides a communication device 1100, including a processor 1101 and a memory 1102. The memory 1102 stores a program or instructions that can run on the processor 1101. For example, when the communication device 1100 is a terminal, the program or instructions executed by the processor 1101 implement the various steps of the above-described communication method embodiment and achieve the same technical effect. When the communication device 1100 is a network-side device, the program or instructions executed by the processor 1101 implement the various steps of the above-described communication method embodiment and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, this will not be described again here.

[0407] 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 embodiment shown in FIG2. This terminal embodiment corresponds to the above-described terminal-side method embodiment, and all implementation processes and methods of the above-described method embodiments can be applied to this terminal embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect. The terminal can be the device shown in FIG8. Specifically, FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a terminal implementing an embodiment of this application.

[0408] The terminal 1200 includes, but is not limited to, at least some of the following components: radio frequency unit 1201, network module 1202, audio output unit 1203, input unit 1204, sensor 1205, display unit 1206, user input unit 1207, interface unit 1208, memory 1209, and processor 1210.

[0409] Those skilled in the art will understand that terminal 1200 may also include a power supply (such as a battery) for powering various components. The power supply can be logically connected to processor 1210 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 12 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.

[0410] It should be understood that, in this embodiment, the input unit 1204 may include a graphics processor 12041 and a microphone 12042. The graphics processor 12041 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 1206 may include a display panel 12061, which may be configured in the form of a liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode, or the like. The user input unit 1207 includes a touch panel 12071 and at least one of other input devices 12072. The touch panel 12071 is also called a touch screen. The touch panel 12071 may include a touch detection device and a touch controller. Other input devices 12072 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.

[0411] In this embodiment, after receiving downlink data from the network-side device, the radio frequency unit 1201 can transmit it to the processor 1210 for processing; in addition, the radio frequency unit 1201 can send uplink data to the network-side device. Typically, the radio frequency unit 1201 includes, but is not limited to, antennas, amplifiers, transceivers, couplers, low-noise amplifiers, duplexers, etc.

[0412] The memory 1209 can be used to store software programs or instructions, as well as various data. The memory 1209 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 1209 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 1209 in this embodiment includes, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0413] Processor 1210 may include one or more processing units; optionally, processor 1210 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 1210.

[0414] The radio frequency unit 1201 is used to send first information to the first network element and receive second information sent by the first network element. The first information is used to indicate service information, and the second information includes information about the application corresponding to the service.

[0415] Processor 1210 is used to negotiate service requirements with the second network element based on the application.

[0416] The terminal provided in this application embodiment sends first information to a first network element and receives second information sent by the first network element. Based on the application, it negotiates service demand information with a second network element. The first information indicates service information, and the second information includes information about the application corresponding to the service. The second network element is the network element providing the service. This process provides a solution for how the terminal and the second network element negotiate service demand information. Furthermore, it achieves effective support for new services in a weakly controlled 6G core network, while providing solutions for both 5G compatibility and incompatibility, accelerating the deployment of new services. Different services correspond to different applications, which can be dynamically downloaded to the terminal without prior installation, facilitating user convenience.

[0417] It is understood that the implementation process of each implementation method mentioned in this embodiment can refer to the relevant description of the method embodiment and achieve the same or corresponding technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0418] This application also provides a 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 embodiment shown above, where the network-side device is the execution subject. 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 achieve the same technical effects.

[0419] Specifically, this application embodiment also provides a network-side device, which can be the device shown in FIG9 or 10. As shown in FIG13, the network-side device 1300 includes: an antenna 131, a radio frequency device 132, a baseband device 133, a processor 134, and a memory 135. The antenna 131 is connected to the radio frequency device 132. In the uplink direction, the radio frequency device 132 receives information through the antenna 131 and sends the received information to the baseband device 133 for processing. In the downlink direction, the baseband device 133 processes the information to be transmitted and sends it to the radio frequency device 132. The radio frequency device 132 processes the received information and transmits it through the antenna 131.

[0420] The method executed by the network-side device in the above embodiments can be implemented in the baseband device 133, which includes a baseband processor.

[0421] The baseband device 133 may include at least one baseband board, on which multiple chips are disposed, as shown in FIG13. One of the chips is, for example, a baseband processor, which is connected to the memory 135 via a bus interface to call the program or instructions in the memory 135 to execute the network-side device operation shown in the above method embodiment.

[0422] The network-side device may also include a network interface 136, such as a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI).

[0423] The radio frequency device 132 is used to receive first information sent by the terminal and send second information to the terminal. The first information is used to indicate service information, and the second information includes information about the application corresponding to the service. The application information is used by the terminal to negotiate service demand information with the second network element, which is the network element that provides the service.

[0424] Processor 134 is used to negotiate service requirements based on applications and terminals.

[0425] In addition, the network-side device 1300 of this application embodiment also includes: a program or instructions stored in the memory 135 and executable on the processor 134. The processor 134 calls the program or instructions in the memory 135 to execute the methods executed by the modules shown in FIG9 or 10 and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0426] 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 any one or more of the above method embodiments and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, they will not be described again here.

[0427] 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.

[0428] 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 any one or more of the above method embodiments and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0429] 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.

[0430] 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 any one or more of the above method embodiments, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0431] This application embodiment also provides a communication system, including: a terminal and a network-side device, wherein the terminal can be used to execute the steps of the communication method described above with the terminal as the execution subject, and the network-side device can be used to execute the steps of the communication method described above with a first network element or a second network element as the execution subject.

[0432] This application embodiment also provides a communication system, including: a terminal, a first network-side device, and a second network-side device. The terminal can be used to execute the steps of the communication method described above with the terminal as the execution subject. The first network-side device can be used to execute the steps of the communication method described above with a first network element as the execution subject. The second network-side device can be used to execute the steps of the communication method described above with a second network element as the execution subject.

[0433] 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.

[0434] From 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 computer software products plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms, 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 the terminal or network-side device to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of this application.

[0435] 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 communication method, comprising: The terminal sends first information to the first network element, the first information being used to indicate service information; The terminal receives second information sent by the first network element, the second information including information about the application corresponding to the service; The terminal negotiates the service demand information with the second network element based on the application; The second network element is the network element that provides the service.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The second information includes at least one of the following: application download information and application download channel information.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The second information includes application download information, and the method further includes: The terminal downloads the application based on the application's download information.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The second information includes the application's download channel information, and the method further includes: The terminal establishes a download channel for the application based on the application's download channel information; The terminal uses the download channel to obtain the download information of the application; The terminal downloads the application based on the application's download information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2-4, wherein, The application's download channel information includes at least one of the following: the configuration server's identification information, the configuration server's IP address, and the configuration server's fully qualified domain name (FQDN).

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The application information is located in any of the following information elements (IEs): standalone IE, session management capability IE, protocol configuration option (PCO) IE, or extended protocol configuration option (ePCO) IE.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein, It also includes one of the following: The terminal establishes a control plane connection with the first network element, wherein the control plane connection is used to send the first information and receive the second information; The terminal establishes a user plane connection with the first network element, wherein the user plane connection is used to send the first information and receive the second information.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The terminal establishes a control plane connection with the first network element, and the first information is also used by the third network element to select the first network element that provides session management functions or service management functions; wherein, the third network element is a network element that provides access and mobility management.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The establishment of a user plane connection between the terminal and the first network element includes: The terminal determines or establishes a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session based on the User Equipment Routing Policy (URSP) rules, and obtains information about the first network element based on the PDU session. The terminal establishes a user plane connection with the first network element based on the information obtained from the first network element.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The URSP rule includes a target component for indicating information about the service, and the target component includes one of the following: The extended data network name DNN component in the traffic descriptor; Extended connectivity components in the traffic descriptor; A component added to the traffic descriptor.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein, The terminal negotiates the service demand information with the second network element based on the application, including: The terminal establishes an information transmission channel with the second network element based on the downloaded application; The terminal negotiates the service demand information with the second network element based on the information transmission channel.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-11, wherein, The first information includes at least one of the following: The terminal supports or requests the type of service. Application identification information, used to indicate the application providing the service; Application attribute information, used to indicate the attribute information of the application providing the service; Application server information, used to indicate the application server providing the service; A dedicated DNN for the service; Single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) dedicated to the service; First indication information, the first indication information being used to request the network to allocate the second information; The terminal's usage settings information.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1-12, wherein, The first information is located in any of the following IE types: standalone IE, session management IE, PCO IE, or ePCO IE.

14. A communication method, comprising: The first network element receives first information sent by the terminal, the first information being used to indicate service information; The first network element sends second information to the terminal, the second information including information about the application corresponding to the service; The information in the application is used by the terminal to negotiate the service requirements with the second network element, which is the network element that provides the service.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, It also includes one of the following: A control plane connection is established between the first network element and the terminal, wherein the control plane connection is used to receive the first information and send the second information; The first network element establishes a user plane connection with the terminal, wherein the user plane connection is used to receive the first information and send the second information.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein, The first network element is a network element that provides session management functions, and the method further includes one of the following: The first network element obtains the second information from the fourth network element based on the first information; The first network element obtains the second information from the Unified Data Management (UDM) based on the first information; The first network element obtains the second information from its local configuration based on the first information.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The first network element obtains the second information from the fourth network element based on the first information, including: The first network element uses the discovery service provided by the fourth network element to obtain the second information from the fourth network element based on the first information.

18. A communication method, comprising: The second network element negotiates service requirements with the application and the terminal; Wherein, the second network element is the network element that provides the service, the application corresponds to the service, and the terminal obtains the application information from the first network element based on the service information.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein, The second network element negotiates service requirements with the application and the terminal, including: The second network element establishes an information transmission channel with the terminal based on the application; The second network element negotiates the service demand information with the terminal based on the information transmission channel.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein, The second network element establishes an information transmission channel with the terminal based on the application, including: The second network element establishes an information transmission channel with the terminal based on the application downloaded by the terminal; The terminal downloads the application based on the application's download information or the application's download channel.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, wherein, The information transmission channel includes a quality of service flow established based on quality of service rules, wherein the quality of service rules are obtained from a newly established PDU session or an existing PDU session between the second network element and the terminal, and the quality of service rules are matched with the information of the second network element.

22. A communication device applied to a terminal, the device comprising: The sending module is used to send first information to the first network element, wherein the first information is used to indicate service information; The receiving module is used to receive second information sent by the first network element, the second information including information about the application corresponding to the service; The processing module is used to negotiate the service demand information with the second network element based on the application; The second network element is the network element that provides the service.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein, The second information includes at least one of the following: application download information and application download channel information.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein, The second information includes application download information, and the processing module is further configured to: Download the application based on the application's download information.

25. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein, The second information includes the application's download channel information, and the processing module is further configured to: Based on the application's download channel information, establish the application's download channel; Use the download channel to obtain the application's download information; Download the application based on the application's download information.

26. The apparatus according to any one of claims 22-25, wherein, The processing module is also used for one of the following: Used to establish a control plane connection with a first network element, wherein the control plane connection is used to send the first information and receive the second information; Used to establish a user plane connection with a first network element, wherein the user plane connection is used to send the first information and receive the second information.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein, The first information is also used for: The third network element is selected to provide session management functions or the first network element that provides service management functions; wherein, the third network element is the network element that provides access and mobility management.

28. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein, The processing module is also used for: Based on the User Equipment Routing Policy (URSP) rules, a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session is determined or established. Based on the PDU session, information of the first network element is obtained, and a user plane connection is established with the first network element according to the obtained information.

29. The apparatus according to any one of claims 22-28, wherein, The processing module is used for: An information transmission channel is established between the downloaded application and the second network element; Based on the information transmission channel, the service demand information is negotiated with the second network element.

30. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein, The processing module is used for: Based on the quality of service rules obtained from a newly created PDU session or an existing PDU session, a quality of service flow is established between the PDU and the second network element as an information transmission channel; wherein the quality of service rules are matched with the information of the second network element.

31. A communication device applied to a first network element, the device comprising: The receiving module is used to receive first information sent by the terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate service information; A sending module is used to send second information to the terminal, the second information including information about the application corresponding to the service; The information in the application is used by the terminal to negotiate the service requirements with the second network element, which is the network element that provides the service.

32. The apparatus according to claim 31, wherein, The device further includes a processing module for one of the following: A control plane connection is established with the terminal, wherein the control plane connection is used to receive the first information and send the second information; A user plane connection is established with the terminal, wherein the user plane connection is used to receive the first information and send the second information.

33. The apparatus according to claim 31, wherein, The first network element is a network element that provides session management functions, and the device further includes a processing module for one of the following: The second information is obtained from the fourth network element based on the first information; The second information is obtained from the Unified Data Management (UDM) based on the first information; The second information is obtained from the local configuration based on the first information.

34. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein, The processing module is used for: Using the discovery service provided by the fourth network element, the second information is obtained from the fourth network element based on the first information.

35. A communication device applied to a second network element, the device comprising: The processing module is used to negotiate service requirements with the application and the terminal. Wherein, the second network element is the network element that provides the service, the application corresponds to the service, and the terminal obtains the application information from the first network element based on the service information.

36. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein, The processing module is used for: An information transmission channel is established between the application and the terminal; Based on the information transmission channel, the terminal negotiates the service demand information.

37. The apparatus according to claim 36, wherein, The processing module is used for: Based on the application downloaded to the terminal, an information transmission channel is established between the terminal and the application. The terminal downloads the application based on the application's download information or the application's download channel.

38. The apparatus according to claim 36 or 37, wherein, The information transmission channel includes a quality of service flow established based on quality of service rules, wherein the quality of service rules are obtained from a newly established PDU session or an existing PDU session between the second network element and the terminal, and the quality of service rules are matched with the information of the second network element.

39. A terminal comprising 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 communication method as described in any one of claims 1-13.

40. A network-side device, comprising 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 communication method as described in any one of claims 14-21.

41. A readable storage medium storing a program or instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the communication method as described in any one of claims 1-21.

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