Paging method and apparatus, and device, chip and storage medium

Abstract

A paging method and apparatus, and a device, a chip and a storage medium, which relate to the technical field of communications. The method comprises: a terminal device receiving first information, which is used for indicating first identification information of the terminal device, the first identification information being identification information of the terminal device within a first sub-area, wherein a PLMN in which the terminal device is located comprises a plurality of sub-areas, and the first sub-area is one of the plurality of sub-areas (210); and the terminal device determining, on the basis of the first identification information, a monitoring occasion of the terminal device for a paging message (220). By means of the method, UE IDs are reallocated on the basis of the actual number of terminal devices within a paging area that is smaller than a PLMN, and the terminal devices are grouped on the basis of the reallocated UE IDs, thereby ensuring that the terminal devices within the paging area can be grouped more evenly, and reducing false paging alarms, thus reducing the power consumption of terminals.

Description

Paging method, device, apparatus, chip and storage medium TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technology, in particular to a paging method, device, apparatus, chip and storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] The main function of paging is to find and wake up a terminal device through a paging message when the terminal device is in a non-connected state, so as to perform data transmission.

[0003] In the current paging scheme, a network device allocates PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) level identification information for a terminal device. Different terminal devices belonging to the same PLMN have different identification information. The terminal device determines a corresponding paging occasion based on the PLMN level identification information, and performs paging listening at the determined paging occasion.

[0004] However, the above-mentioned method can easily increase the probability of incorrect wake-up of the terminal device, thereby increasing the power consumption of the terminal device. SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide a paging method, device, apparatus, chip and storage medium. The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are as follows.

[0006] According to an aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a paging method is provided, the method is executed by a terminal device, and the method comprises:

[0007] receiving first information, the first information being used to indicate first identification information of the terminal device, the first identification information being identification information of the terminal device in a first sub-region, wherein a PLMN in which the terminal device is located comprises a plurality of sub-regions, and the first sub-region is one of the plurality of sub-regions;

[0008] determining a listening occasion of the terminal device for a paging message based on the first identification information.

[0009] According to an aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a paging method is provided, the method is executed by a network device, and the method comprises:

[0010] sending first information, the first information being used to indicate first identification information of a terminal device, the first identification information being identification information of the terminal device in a first sub-region, wherein a PLMN in which the terminal device is located comprises a plurality of sub-regions, and the first sub-region is one of the plurality of sub-regions;

[0011] determine, based on the first identification information, a paging occasion in which a paging message is to be sent to the terminal device.

[0012] According to an aspect of embodiments of the present application, a paging device is provided, the device comprising:

[0013] a receiving module configured to receive first information, the first information being used to indicate first identification information of a terminal device, the first identification information being identification information of the terminal device in a first sub-region, wherein a PLMN in which the terminal device is located comprises a plurality of sub-regions, and the first sub-region is one of the plurality of sub-regions;

[0014] a processing module configured to determine, based on the first identification information, a listening occasion of the terminal device for a paging message.

[0015] According to an aspect of embodiments of the present application, a paging device is provided, the device comprising:

[0016] a sending module configured to send first information, the first information being used to indicate first identification information of a terminal device, the first identification information being identification information of the terminal device in a first sub-region, wherein a PLMN in which the terminal device is located comprises a plurality of sub-regions, and the first sub-region is one of the plurality of sub-regions;

[0017] a processing module configured to determine, based on the first identification information, a paging occasion in which a paging message is to be sent to the terminal device.

[0018] According to an aspect of embodiments of the present application, a communication device is provided, the communication device comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program, and the processor executing the computer program to implement the paging method on the terminal device side or the paging method on the network device side.

[0019] According to an aspect of embodiments of the present application, a computer readable storage medium is provided, the storage medium storing a computer program, and the computer program being used to be executed by a processor to implement the paging method on the terminal device side or the paging method on the network device side.

[0020] According to an aspect of embodiments of the present application, a chip is provided, the chip comprising programmable logic circuit and / or program instructions, and when the chip is running, the chip is used to implement the paging method on the terminal device side or the paging method on the network device side.

[0021] According to an aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a computer program product is provided, which includes computer instructions stored in a computer readable storage medium, and a processor reads and executes the computer instructions from the computer readable storage medium to implement the paging method at the terminal device side or implement the paging method at the network device side.

[0022] The technical scheme provided by the embodiments of the present application can have the following beneficial effects:

[0023] By dividing the PLMN into multiple sub-areas, the terminal device determines the listening occasion for the paging message based on the identification information at the sub-area level, which realizes the re-allocation of the UE ID in a smaller paging area than the PLMN according to the actual number of terminal devices, and the grouping of the terminal devices according to the re-allocated UE ID, which can ensure that the grouping of the terminal devices in the paging area is more uniform, reduces the false alarm of paging, and thus helps to save the terminal power consumption. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a paging method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a paging method provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0027] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a paging method provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a paging method provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a paging method provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a paging method provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a paging method provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a paging apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a paging apparatus provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG. 11 is a structural schematic diagram of a terminal device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG. 12 is a structural schematic diagram of a network device provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] For the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present application to be clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0037] The network architecture and service scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are for more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. It can be known by those skilled in the art that, with the evolution of network architecture and the appearance of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0038] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Global System of Mobile communication (GSM) system, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, Advanced long term evolution (LTE-A) system, New Radio (NR) system, evolved system of NR system, LTE-based access to unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) system, NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) system, Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), 5th-Generation (5G) system, B5G (Beyound 5G) system, 6th-Generation (6G) system or other communication systems, etc.

[0039] Generally, a conventional communication system supports a limited number of connections and is easy to implement. However, with the development of communication technology, a mobile communication system will not only support conventional communication, but also support, for example, Device to Device (D2D) communication, Machine to Machine (M2M) communication, Machine Type Communication (MTC), Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) communication, or Vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, and the like. Embodiments of the present application can also be applied to these communication systems.

[0040] The communication system in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, a dual connectivity (DC) scenario, or a standalone (SA) network deployment scenario.

[0041] The communication system in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to an unlicensed spectrum, which can also be considered as a shared spectrum. Alternatively, the communication system in the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to a licensed spectrum, which can also be considered as a non-shared spectrum.

[0042] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to a Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) system or a Terrestrial Networks (TN) system. The NTN generally adopts a satellite communication mode to provide communication services to ground users. The NTN system currently includes an NR-NTN and an IoT-NTN system, and other NTN systems can be included in the future.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 1, a schematic diagram of a network architecture 100 is shown according to an embodiment of the present application. The network architecture 100 can include a terminal device 10, an access network device 20, and a core network element 30.

[0044] The terminal device 10 can refer to a UE (User Equipment), an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user apparatus. In some embodiments, the terminal device 10 can also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) phone, a WLL (Wireless Local Loop) station, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5GS (5th Generation System), or a terminal device in a future evolved PLMN, etc. The embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. For convenience of description, the above-mentioned devices are collectively referred to as terminal devices. The number of terminal devices 10 is usually multiple, and one or more terminal devices 10 can be distributed in a cell managed by each access network device 20. The terminal device can also be referred to as a terminal or a UE, and those skilled in the art can understand its meaning.

[0045] The access network device 20 is a device deployed in an access network to provide wireless communication function for the terminal device 10. The access network device 20 can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, relay stations, access points, etc. In systems using different wireless access technologies, the names of devices with access network device functions may be different, for example, in a 5G NR system, it is called gNodeB or gNB. With the evolution of communication technology, the name of "access network device" may change. For the convenience of description, in the embodiments of the present application, the above-mentioned devices providing wireless communication function for the terminal device 10 are collectively referred to as access network devices. In some embodiments, through the access network device 20, a communication relationship can be established between the terminal device 10 and the core network element 30. Exemplarily, in an LTE (Long Term Evolution) system, the access network device 20 can be an EUTRAN (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network) or one or more eNodeBs in the EUTRAN; in a 5G NR system, the access network device 20 can be a RAN (Radio Access Network) or one or more gNBs in the RAN. In the embodiments of the present application, the "network device" refers to the access network device 20, such as a base station, unless otherwise specified.

[0046] The core network element 30 is a network element deployed in the core network, and the function of the core network element 30 is mainly to provide user connection, management of users, and completion of bearer for services, and to provide an interface to an external network as a bearer network. For example, the core network element in the 5G NR system can include an AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) entity, a UPF (User Plane Function) entity, and an SMF (Session Management Function) entity, and the like.

[0047] In some embodiments, the access network device 20 and the core network element 30 communicate with each other through an air interface technology, such as an NG interface in the 5G NR system. The access network device 20 and the terminal device 10 communicate with each other through an air interface technology, such as a Uu interface.

[0048] The "5G NR system" in the embodiments of the present application can also be referred to as a 5G system or an NR system, but those skilled in the art can understand its meaning. The technical solutions described in the embodiments of the present application can be applicable to the LTE system, and can also be applicable to the 5G NR system, and can also be applicable to the subsequent evolution system of the 5G NR system (for example, a B5G (Beyond 5G, Beyond 5G) system, a 6G system (6th Generation System, 6th Generation System)), and can also be applicable to other communication systems such as an NB-IoT (Narrow Band Internet of Things, Narrow Band Internet of Things) system, and the like, and the present application does not limit this.

[0049] In the embodiments of the present application, the network device can serve a cell, and the terminal device communicates with the network device through transmission resources (for example, frequency domain resources, or frequency spectrum resources) on a carrier used by the cell. The cell can be a cell corresponding to the network device (for example, a base station), and the cell can belong to a macro base station or a base station corresponding to a small cell (Small cell). The small cell can include a metro cell, a micro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, and the like, and these small cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmit power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0050] Before introducing the technical solutions of the present application, some related technical knowledge involved in the present application is introduced and explained. The following related technologies can be combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and all belong to the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application include at least part of the following contents.

[0051] Currently, with the pursuit of rate, delay, high-speed mobility, energy efficiency and the diversity and complexity of services in future life, the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project, third generation partnership project) international standard organization begins to develop 5G. The main application scenarios of 5G are: enhanced mobile broadband (enhanced Mobile Broadband, eMBB), ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (Ultra Reliable and Low Latency Communications, URLLC), and massive machine type communication (massive Machine Type Communications, mMTC).

[0052] NR can also be deployed independently, and in order to reduce air signaling and quickly recover wireless connection in 5G network environment, a new RRC (Radio Resource Control, radio resource control) state, RRC_INACTIVE state (inactive state), is defined for the purpose of quickly recovering data services. This state is different from RRC_IDLE state (idle state) and RRC_CONNECTED state (connected state).

[0053] RRC_IDLE state: mobility is based on UE cell selection and reselection, paging is initiated by CN (Core Network, core network), and paging area is configured by CN. There is no UE AS (Access Stratum, access layer) context on the base station side, and there is no RRC connection.

[0054] RRC_CONNECTED state: there is an RRC connection, and there is a UE AS context between the base station and the UE. The network side knows the location of the UE is specific to the cell level. Mobility is network-controlled mobility. Unicast data can be transmitted between the UE and the base station.

[0055] RRC_INACTIVE state: mobility is based on UE cell selection and reselection, there is a connection between CN and NR, the UE AS context exists on a certain base station, the paging is triggered by RAN (Radio Access Network, radio access network), the RAN-based paging area is managed by RAN, and the network side knows the location of the UE is based on the RAN-based paging area level.

[0056] 1. 5G NR paging mechanism

[0057] The primary function of paging is to page the UE via paging messages or notify the UE of system message changes or earthquake / tsunami / public warning information via short messages when the UE is in the aforementioned RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE states. This paging also applies to all UE RRC states, including the connected state RRC_CONNECTED.

[0058] Paging includes a PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) scrambled with P-RNTI (Paging-Radio Network Temporary Identifier) ​​and a PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel) scheduled by the PDCCH. Paging messages are transmitted in the PDSCH, while short messages can be 8 bits and are transmitted in the PDCCH.

[0059] For UEs in RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE states, since there is no other data communication between the UE and network equipment, the UE can listen to the paging channel discontinuously to save power, i.e., using the paging DRX (Discontinuous Reception) mechanism. Under the paging DRX mechanism, the UE only needs to listen to paging during one PO (Paging Occasion) within each DRX cycle. A PO consists of multiple PDCCH monitoring occasions in the paging search space. One PO contains X PDCCH monitoring occasions, where X equals the actual number of SSBs (Synchronization Signal Blocks) broadcast in the MIB (Master Information Block). There is also the concept of a PF (Paging Frame), which refers to a radio frame (which can be fixed at 10 milliseconds). This radio frame can contain multiple POs or the start positions of multiple POs.

[0060] The paging DRX cycle is determined by a common cycle in system broadcast and a dedicated cycle configured in high layer signaling, which can be NAS (Non Access Stratum) signaling. From the perspective of a network device, one paging DRX cycle can have multiple POs, and the position of a UE listening to the PO is related to the ID (Identifier) of the UE. Specifically, the determination of the PF and PO of a certain UE in a paging DRX cycle is as follows:

[0061] The SFN (System Frame Number) number of the PF is determined by the following formula:

[0062] (SFN+PF_offset) mod T = (T div N)*(UE_ID mod N)

[0063] The number Index(i_s) of the PO in a PF is determined by the following formula:

[0064] i_s = floor(UE_ID / N) mod Ns

[0065] The above formula involves the following explanations of parameters:

[0066] mod represents the modulo operation, div represents the division operation, and floor represents the floor function.

[0067] T: DRX cycle of the UE receiving paging. The network device broadcasts a default DRX cycle, and if the RRC / high layer configures a UE-specific DRX cycle for the UE, the minimum of the network device broadcast DRX cycle and the RRC / high layer configured UE-specific DRX cycle is taken as the DRX cycle of the UE. If the RRC / high layer does not configure a UE-specific DRX cycle for the UE, the network device broadcast DRX cycle is taken as the DRX cycle of the UE.

[0068] N: The number of PFs contained in one T.

[0069] Ns: The number of POs contained in one PF.

[0070] PF_offset: A time domain offset for determining the PF.

[0071] UE_ID: represents UE ID, which can be determined based on formula 5G-S-TMSI mod 1024, where 5G-S-TMSI refers to 5G-Serving-Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (5G service temporary mobile subscriber identity).

[0072] After the UE calculates the index of PF, PO, and the number of PDCCH monitoring occasions in PO based on the above formula, the UE can determine the starting position of the first PDCCH monitoring occasion of the PO through the relevant configuration parameters, and the starting position is configured through high layer signaling. The UE performs blind detection of the paging message according to the determined PO.

[0073] 2. Paging false alarm (paging false alarm) and PEI (Paging Early Indication)

[0074] Paging false alarm refers to paging false alarm. As can be seen from the above determination of PO by the UE, the determination of PO is related to the UE ID, and is related to the number of PF and PO. When the number of UEs in the system is large, and the network device cannot allocate each UE to a different PO, there will be a situation where multiple UEs correspond to one PO. If the network device needs to page a certain UE in this PO, it may cause other UEs that do not have paging messages to perform additional blind detection, mainly including blind detection of PDCCH and corresponding PDSCH. For these UEs that do not have paging messages, this false paging is paging false alarm.

[0075] 3GPP agreed to further enhance the terminal energy saving project. One of the goals of this project is to reduce unnecessary UE paging reception (i.e., reduce paging false alarm) by designing an enhanced paging mechanism. To this end, the UE power saving (enhanced energy saving) project introduces a PEI mechanism, and the basic working principle is as follows:

[0076] 1. PEI is designed based on PDCCH, and the network device sends PEI before PO. The UE decides whether to normally monitor paging in the corresponding PO or can skip paging monitoring according to the received PEI indication.

[0077] 2. The PEI can be based on UE grouping, i.e. the UEs assigned to the same PO are further divided into multiple UE groups, and the network device can indicate which UE group or groups the paging message is for, so that UEs in other groups do not need to receive the paging message.

[0078] In the existing paging scheme, the network calculates the UE group corresponding to the configured PO based on the 5G-S-TMSI of the UE. In each DRX cycle, each UE only needs to monitor one PO, i.e. the PO corresponding to the UE group to which the UE belongs. When the 5G-S-TMSI of the network is uniformly distributed, the number of UEs in each PO corresponding UE group is equal (or close). However, within a certain area, such as a TA (Tracking Area), RNA (RAN Notification Area), or cell range, the 5G-S-TMSI distribution of the UE is most likely non-uniform. If the existing formula is still used for calculation, the number of UEs in some UE groups will be higher than the average, and the number of UEs in some UE groups will be lower than the average or even no UEs will exist. This will increase the probability of false wake-up of UEs in groups with a large number of UEs, increasing the power consumption of the UE. In some groups without UEs, the corresponding paging resources are idle, causing power consumption on the network side.

[0079] Please refer to FIG. 2, which shows a flowchart of a paging method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method can be applied to the network architecture shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the method can include at least one of the following steps 210-220.

[0080] Step 210, the terminal device receives first information, the first information is used to indicate the first identification information of the terminal device, the first identification information is the identification information of the terminal device in the first sub-area, wherein the PLMN where the terminal device is located includes multiple sub-areas, and the first sub-area is one of the multiple sub-areas.

[0081] In the existing paging scheme, in a DRX cycle, the network configures multiple POs, each PO corresponding to a group of terminal devices. The group to which the terminal device belongs is determined based on the UE ID modulo 1024, and the UE ID is the 5G-S-TMSI of the terminal device. The premise of this is that the 5G-S-TMSI numbers of the terminal devices in the paging area are uniformly distributed, so the probability of the terminal devices being paged on each PO is the same.

[0082] However, if the 5G-S-TMSI distribution of the terminal devices in the paging area is not uniform, this will result in a high false alarm rate of paging.

[0083] Therefore, considering re-allocating the UE ID according to the actual number of terminal devices in a smaller paging area, grouping the terminal devices according to the re-allocated UE ID, it can be ensured that the grouping of terminal devices in the paging area is more uniform, and the false alarm of paging is reduced.

[0084] Based on this, in the embodiments of the present application, the PLMN in which the terminal device is located is divided into a plurality of sub-areas, and each sub-area is a part of the PLMN. For a certain terminal device, the terminal device is in one of the above-mentioned sub-areas, and for the sake of description, the sub-area in which the terminal device is located is referred to as the first sub-area.

[0085] In some embodiments, the PLMN includes a plurality of sub-areas, and there is no overlap between different sub-areas. The first sub-area of the terminal device is the sub-area in which the terminal device is located.

[0086] In some embodiments, the PLMN includes a plurality of sub-areas, and there can be overlap between different sub-areas. In this case, if the sub-area in which the terminal device is located has and only has one, the first sub-area of the terminal device is the sub-area in which the terminal device is located; if the sub-area in which the terminal device is located includes at least two, the first sub-area of the terminal device can be one of the at least two sub-areas. Exemplarily, the first sub-area of the terminal device is one of the at least two sub-areas, and the distance between the center point of the sub-area and the location of the terminal device is the closest. Exemplarily, the first sub-area of the terminal device is one of the at least two sub-areas, and the signal reception quality of the terminal device is optimal, wherein the signal reception quality can be the reception quality of the downlink reference signal, such as RSRP (Reference Signal Receiving Power, Reference Signal Receiving Power), RSRQ (Reference Signal Receiving Quality, Reference Signal Receiving Quality), SINR (Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio, Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio), etc.

[0087] The first identification information of the terminal device is the identification information of the terminal device in the first sub-area. In the same sub-area, different terminal devices have different first identification information. In the same sub-area, different terminal devices are distinguished by different first identification information. Optionally, the first identification information of the terminal devices in the same sub-area is numbered in sequence and uniformly distributed, for example, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.

[0088] In some embodiments, each sub-region corresponds to any one of the following: one TA, one TA list, one RNA, one RNA list, one cell, and one cell list.

[0089] In some embodiments, each sub-region corresponds to one TA. The PLMN in which the terminal device is located includes a plurality of TAs. The first sub-region can be referred to as a first TA, which is one of the plurality of TAs, i.e., one TA in which the terminal device is located.

[0090] In some embodiments, each sub-region corresponds to one TA list. Each TA list includes at least one TA. The PLMN in which the terminal device is located includes a plurality of TA lists. The first sub-region can be referred to as a first TA list, which is one of the plurality of TA lists, i.e., one TA list in which the terminal device is located. Wherein, one TA list in which the terminal device is located refers to the TA list to which the TA in which the terminal device is located belongs.

[0091] A TA refers to an area composed of a group of cells, used to manage and control the location and mobility of terminal devices. A TA is identified and distinguished by a TAC (Tracking Area Code). The main functions of a TA include location management and paging message delivery. The TA helps the system to manage the location information of the UE, ensuring that the system knows the current location of the UE. The network device can send a paging message to the terminal device through the TA to ensure that the message can be accurately delivered. A TA can contain one or more cells, and a TA list (TA List) is usually composed of 1 to 16 TAs, which is allocated and set by the core network element for each terminal device. When the terminal device moves from one TA to another TA, location update is required, and the current location of the terminal device is notified to the network side. The network device delivers the paging message through the TA to ensure that the terminal device can be accurately found and communicated.

[0092] In some embodiments, each sub-region corresponds to one RNA. The PLMN in which the terminal device is located includes a plurality of RNAs. The first sub-region can be referred to as a first RNA, which is one of the plurality of RNAs, i.e., one RNA in which the terminal device is located.

[0093] In some embodiments, each sub-region corresponds to one RNA list. Each RNA list includes at least one RNA. The PLMN in which the terminal device is located includes a plurality of RNA lists. The first sub-region can be referred to as a first RNA list, which is one of the plurality of RNA lists, i.e., one RNA list in which the terminal device is located. Wherein, one RNA list in which the terminal device is located refers to the RNA list to which the RNA in which the terminal device is located belongs.

[0094] The RNA is also referred to as a RAN-based notification area. The RNA is an area used for definition and management when the terminal device moves in the network, mainly used for managing the location update and paging process of the terminal device. The RNA is a logical area used to define the active range of the terminal device in the network. It can be a single or a collection of multiple cells, and must be contained within the core network registration area. The purpose of the RNA is to reduce the signaling overhead in the network and improve the efficiency and performance of the system.

[0095] In some embodiments, each sub-area corresponds to a cell. The PLMN in which the terminal device is located includes multiple cells. The first sub-area can be referred to as a first cell, which is one of the multiple cells, i.e., one of the cells in which the terminal device is located.

[0096] In some embodiments, each sub-area corresponds to a cell list. Each cell list includes at least one cell. The PLMN in which the terminal device is located includes multiple cell lists. The first sub-area can be referred to as a first cell list, which is one of the multiple cell lists, i.e., one of the cell lists in which the terminal device is located. Among them, one of the cell lists in which the terminal device is located refers to the cell list to which the cell in which the terminal device is located belongs.

[0097] A cell refers to an area covered by a network device (such as a base station), which is the basic unit for providing wireless signal coverage and service to terminal devices. Each cell has a unique identifier for network identification and management. The size and shape of the cell depend on factors such as the antenna height, transmission power, and terrain of the network device, and the coverage can range from a few hundred meters to several kilometers.

[0098] For different cases of sub-areas, several embodiments will be introduced and described below.

[0099] In some embodiments, the first information is also used to indicate the third identification information of the terminal device. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the terminal device receives third information, and the third information is used to indicate the third identification information of the terminal device. Among them, the third information and the first information can be carried in the same message, or can be carried in different messages. The third identification information of the terminal device is the identification information of the terminal device in the PLMN in which it is located. In the same PLMN, different terminal devices have different third identification information. Illustratively, the third identification information is 5G-S-TMSI. That is, in addition to assigning the terminal device a PLMN-level third identification information (such as 5G-S-TMSI), the network device also assigns the terminal device a sub-area-level first identification information in the PLMN.

[0100] In step 220, the terminal device determines the listening occasion of the terminal device for the paging message based on the first identification information.

[0101] Different from the existing paging scheme in which the terminal device determines the listening occasion of the paging message based on the third identification information (such as 5G-S-TMSI) at the PLMN level, in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device determines the listening occasion of the paging message based on the first identification information at the sub-area level in the PLMN.

[0102] In addition, the terminal device determines the listening occasion of the paging message based on the first identification information at the sub-area level in the same manner as the network device determines the paging occasion of sending the paging message based on the first identification information at the sub-area level, which can be understood in the following embodiments.

[0103] The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the present application divides the PLMN into multiple sub-areas, and the terminal device determines the listening occasion for the paging message based on the identification information at the sub-area level, which realizes the re-allocation of the UE ID in a smaller paging area than the PLMN according to the actual number of terminal devices, and groups the terminal devices according to the re-allocated UE ID, which can ensure that the grouping of the terminal devices in the paging area is more uniform, reduces the false alarm of paging, and thus helps to save the terminal power consumption.

[0104] Please refer to FIG. 3, which shows a flow chart of a paging method provided by another embodiment of the present application. The method can be applied to the network architecture shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the method can include at least one of the following steps 310-320.

[0105] Step 310, the network device sends first information, the first information being used to indicate the first identification information of the terminal device, the first identification information being the identification information of the terminal device in the first sub-area, wherein the PLMN where the terminal device is located includes multiple sub-areas, and the first sub-area is one of the multiple sub-areas.

[0106] The introduction of the sub-area can be referred to the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0107] Step 320, the network device determines the paging occasion of sending the paging message to the terminal device based on the first identification information.

[0108] Different from the existing paging scheme in which the network device determines the paging occasion of sending the paging message based on the third identification information (such as 5G-S-TMSI) at the PLMN level, in the embodiment of the present application, the network device determines the paging occasion of sending the paging message based on the first identification information at the sub-area level in the PLMN.

[0109] In addition, the terminal device determines the listening occasion of the paging message based on the first identification information at the sub-area level in the same manner as the network device determines the paging occasion of the paging message based on the first identification information at the sub-area level. Details can be found in the following embodiments.

[0110] The technical scheme provided by the embodiments of the present application divides a PLMN into multiple sub-areas, and the network device determines the paging occasion of the paging message based on the identification information at the sub-area level, thereby re-allocating UE IDs in a smaller paging area than the PLMN according to the actual number of terminal devices, grouping the terminal devices according to the re-allocated UE IDs, which can ensure that the terminal devices in the paging area are more evenly grouped and the false alarm of paging is reduced, thereby helping to save terminal power consumption.

[0111] Please refer to FIG. 4, which shows a flowchart of a paging method provided by another embodiment of the present application. The method can be applied to the network architecture shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the method can include at least one of the following steps 420-450.

[0112] Step 420, the network device sends configuration information, which is used to provide configuration of paging based on terminal identification information at the sub-area level.

[0113] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the configuration information.

[0114] In some embodiments, the configuration information is used to determine at least one of the following information:

[0115] (1) indication information at the sub-area level;

[0116] (2) whether paging based on identification information at the sub-area level is supported;

[0117] (3) whether the function of paging based on identification information at the sub-area level is activated;

[0118] (4) the effective area of the identification information at the sub-area level;

[0119] (5) the DRX cycle in which the terminal device receives the paging message;

[0120] (6) the number of PFs in which paging based on identification information at the sub-area level is included in one DRX cycle;

[0121] (7) the number of POs in which paging based on identification information at the sub-area level is included in one PF;

[0122] (8) the time domain offset of the PF in which paging based on identification information at the sub-area level is included.

[0123] For (1) above, the indication information at the sub-area level is used to indicate the sub-area level, which can be any one of the TA, the TA list, the RNA, the RNA list, the cell, and the cell list introduced above. Optionally, if the communication system supports multiple different sub-area levels, the configuration information can include the indication information of the sub-area level; if the communication system only supports one sub-area level, the configuration information does not necessarily include the indication information of the sub-area level.

[0124] For (2) above, the network device can indicate whether it supports paging based on the sub-area level identification information through the configuration information. For example, the network device can indicate that it supports paging based on the sub-area level identification information through the configuration information, or indicate that it does not support paging based on the sub-area level identification information.

[0125] For (3) above, the network device can indicate whether it activates the function of paging based on the sub-area level identification information through the configuration information. For example, the network device can indicate that it activates the function of paging based on the sub-area level identification information through the configuration information, or indicate that it does not activate the function of paging based on the sub-area level identification information. In some embodiments, in the case where the network device supports paging based on the sub-area level identification information, the network device can further indicate whether it activates the function of paging based on the sub-area level identification information.

[0126] For (4) above, the effective area of the sub-area level identification information refers to an area in which the terminal device can use the sub-area level identification information to determine the listening occasion for the paging message. Optionally, the effective area can be indicated by an identifier, an index, or other coding information, which is not limited in the present application.

[0127] For (5) above, the configuration information is further used to indicate the DRX cycle of the terminal device receiving the paging message. Exemplarily, the DRX cycle can be denoted by T. Under the Paging DRX mechanism, the terminal device only needs to listen to the paging message during one PO in each DRX cycle.

[0128] For (6) above, the configuration information is further used to indicate the number of PFs for paging based on the sub-area level identification information within one DRX cycle T. Exemplarily, the number of PFs can be denoted by N-sub-area.

[0129] For the above (7), the configuration information is further used to indicate the number of POs in one PF containing paging based on the sub-area level identification information. Optionally, in the case that the number of PFs containing paging based on the sub-area level identification information in one DRX cycle T is multiple, the number of POs in each PF containing paging based on the sub-area level identification information in the multiple PFs is the same. Exemplarily, the number of POs can be represented by N S - sub-area.

[0130] For the above (8), the configuration information is further used to indicate the time domain offset of the PF containing paging based on the sub-area level identification information. Exemplarily, the time domain offset is represented by PF_offset-sub-area.

[0131] Optionally, in the case that the network device supports and activates the function of paging based on the sub-area level identification information, the configuration information is further used to determine at least one of the above (4) to (8), or the configuration information contains information used to determine at least one of the above (4) to (8).

[0132] In some embodiments, the above configuration information is carried in a broadcast message or in an RRC (Radio Resource Control) message. Exemplarily, the RRC message includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: RRC Release (RRCRelease) message, RRC Resume (RRCResume) message, RRC Reconfiguration (RRCReconfiguration) message.

[0133] In some embodiments, the network device sends a broadcast message carrying the above configuration information. Optionally, after receiving the broadcast message, the terminal device first confirms whether the broadcast message is the broadcast message sent to itself, and if yes, obtains the configuration information therefrom; otherwise, if it is confirmed that the broadcast message is not the broadcast message sent to itself, the broadcast message can be ignored.

[0134] In some embodiments, the network device sends an RRC message carrying the above configuration information to the terminal device. Optionally, after receiving the RRC message sent by the network device, the terminal device obtains the configuration information therefrom.

[0135] By sending the configuration information by the network device, the terminal device can know whether the network device supports and / or activates the function of paging based on the sub-area level identification information and the related parameters for determining the PF and PO containing paging based on the sub-area level identification information after receiving the configuration information.

[0136] In some embodiments, the SFN of a PF is determined based on the following parameters: DRX period (i.e., T mentioned above), number of PFs (i.e., N - sub-regions mentioned above), and time-domain offset (i.e., PF_offset - sub-regions mentioned above). For example, the SFN number of a PF is determined by the following formula: (SFN + PF_offset - sub-regions) mod T = (T div N - sub-regions) * (sub-region - UE-ID mod N - sub-regions). Where mod represents modulo operation, div represents division operation, and sub-region - UE-ID represents the sub-region level identification information of the terminal device, such as the first identification information mentioned above.

[0137] In some embodiments, the number of a PO located within a PF is determined based on the following parameters: sub-region level identification information (i.e., the aforementioned sub-region-UE-ID), the number of PFs (i.e., the aforementioned N-sub-regions), and the number of POs (i.e., the aforementioned N). S - Sub-region). For example, the index (i_s) of the PO located within a PF is determined by the following formula: i_s = floor(sub-region - UE-ID / N - sub-region) mod Ns - sub-region. Where floor represents rounding down, mod represents modulo operation, and sub-region - UE-ID represents the sub-region level identification information of the terminal device, such as the first identification information mentioned above.

[0138] In some embodiments, the configuration information described above is further used to determine the offset between the paging timing based on sub-region level identification information and the paging timing based on the terminal device's identification information within the PLMN (i.e., the third identification information described above, such as 5G-S-TMSI). In some embodiments, when the sub-region is an RNA or an RNA list, or when the sub-region is a cell or a cell list, the configuration information is further used to determine the offset between the paging timing based on sub-region level identification information and the paging timing based on the terminal device's identification information within the PLMN.

[0139] In some embodiments, the configuration information described above is further used to determine at least one of the following: resource configuration information for the terminal device to transmit uplink information; resource configuration information for the terminal device to receive downlink information; and timer configuration information for the terminal device waiting to receive downlink information after transmitting uplink information. Optionally, the resource configuration information described above can be used to determine time-frequency resources or time-frequency code domain resources. Optionally, the timer configuration information described above can be used to determine at least one of the duration and start time of the timer.

[0140] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG4, step 410 is included before step 420 above.

[0141] Step 410: The terminal device sends capability information, which indicates whether the terminal device has the capability to perform paging monitoring based on sub-region level identification information.

[0142] Optionally, the terminal device sends capability information to the network device, and the network device receives the capability information sent by the terminal device.

[0143] For example, the terminal device can carry the above-mentioned capability information in RRC messages (such as RRC Resume Complete message, RRC Setup Complete message, and RRC Reestablishment Complete message) to report the UE capabilities it supports to the network device.

[0144] For example, when the terminal device is in a connected state, the terminal device can also report the UE capabilities it supports to the network device by carrying the above-mentioned capability information in the UE capability information message based on the capability acquisition request sent by the network device.

[0145] By reporting to the network device whether it has the ability to perform paging and listening based on sub-area level identification information, the terminal device can determine whether it needs to be configured with sub-area level identification information based on this information.

[0146] Step 430: The network device sends first information, which is used to indicate the first identification information of the terminal device. The first identification information is the identification information of the terminal device in the first sub-area.

[0147] Accordingly, the terminal device receives the first information. In some embodiments, the network device sends the first information to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the first information sent by the network device.

[0148] Step 440: The network device determines the paging timing for sending a paging message to the terminal device based on the first identification information.

[0149] Step 450: Based on the first identification information, the terminal device determines the timing for listening to the paging message.

[0150] For a description of steps 430 to 450 above, please refer to the embodiments in Figures 2 and 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0151] Please refer to Figure 5, which shows a flowchart of a paging method provided in another embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to the network architecture shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 5, after step 430, at least one of the following steps 460-470 is included.

[0152] Step 460: If the first condition is met, the terminal device sends update information, which is used to request the terminal device to update the identification information at the sub-region level.

[0153] If the sub-region level identification information currently used by the terminal device is the first identification information described above, and if the first condition is met, the terminal device sends update information to request an update to the sub-region level identification information for the terminal device. Optionally, the terminal device sends update information to the network device, and the network device receives the update information sent by the terminal device.

[0154] In some embodiments, the first condition includes at least one of the following conditions 1 to 4.

[0155] Condition 1: The terminal device moves out of the first sub-region. Since the first identification information is the sub-region level identification information assigned to the terminal device by the network device when the terminal device is in the first sub-region, the first sub-region can be understood as the valid area of ​​the first identification information. Therefore, when the terminal device moves out of the first sub-region, the first identification information will become invalid. At this time, the terminal device can request the network device to update its sub-region level identification information.

[0156] Condition 2: The terminal device moves from the first sub-region to the second sub-region, and the second sub-region and the first sub-region are two different sub-regions. Since the first identification information is sub-region-level identification information assigned to the terminal device by the network device when the terminal device is in the first sub-region, the first sub-region can be understood as the valid area of ​​the first identification information. Therefore, when the terminal device moves from the first sub-region to the second sub-region, the first identification information is no longer valid in the second sub-region. At this time, the terminal device can request the network device to update its sub-region-level identification information.

[0157] Condition 3: Sub-region update timer times out. The sub-region update timer is used to control the update of the sub-region. When the sub-region update timer times out, the sub-region update is triggered. At this time, the terminal device can request the network device to update the sub-region-level identification information.

[0158] Condition 4: The sub-area-level identification information update timer times out. The sub-area-level identification information update timer controls the updating of sub-area-level identification information. When the sub-area-level identification information update timer times out, it triggers an update of the sub-area-level identification information. At this time, the terminal device can request the network device to update its sub-area-level identification information. Optionally, the terminal device starts or restarts the sub-area-level identification information update timer upon receiving the sub-area-level identification information allocated by the network device.

[0159] It should be noted that the duration of the update timer for the aforementioned sub-region and / or the update timer for the sub-region-level identification information may be configured by the network, pre-configured, specified by the standard, or depend on the implementation of the terminal device. This application does not limit this.

[0160] It should also be noted that the first condition may include only one of the conditions 1 to 4, or it may include a combination of two or more of the conditions 1 to 4. This application does not limit this.

[0161] In some embodiments, where each sub-region corresponds to a TA or a list of TAs, the update information is sent in the request message of the TA update process.

[0162] In some embodiments, where each subregion corresponds to an RNA or a list of RNAs, the update information is sent in the request message of the RNA update process.

[0163] In some embodiments, where each sub-area corresponds to a cell or a list of cells, the update information is sent in the uplink resources configured by the network device, and / or the update information is carried in the random access message. Optionally, the uplink resources configured by the network device can be configured by the network device using the configuration information described above, such as the resource configuration information for sending uplink information by the terminal device described above. Optionally, the random access message can be Msg3 in a four-step random access process, or MsgA in a two-step random access process.

[0164] In some embodiments, the update information includes at least one of the following: first identification information and indication information for a first sub-region. The indication information for the first sub-region is used by the network device to determine the first sub-region based on the indication information.

[0165] In some embodiments, when the first sub-region is a TA or a TA list, the update information includes at least one of the following: first identification information and indication information for the first sub-region. For example, the first sub-region is a first TA or a first TA list, the first identification information is terminal identification information at the TA or TA list level assigned by the network device to the terminal device within the first TA or first TA list, and the indication information for the first sub-region is used to indicate the first TA or first TA list.

[0166] In some embodiments, when the first sub-region is an RNA or a list of RNAs, the update information includes at least one of the following: first identification information and indication information for the first sub-region. For example, the first sub-region is a first RNA or a list of first RNAs, the first identification information is terminal identification information at the RNA or RNA list level assigned by the network device to the terminal device within the first RNA or the first RNA list, and the indication information for the first sub-region is used to indicate the first RNA or the first RNA list.

[0167] In some embodiments, when the first sub-region is a cell or a list of cells, the update information includes at least one of the following: first identification information and indication information for the first sub-region. For example, the first sub-region is a first cell or a list of first cells, the first identification information is terminal identification information at the cell or cell list level assigned to the terminal device by the network device in the first cell or the first cell list, and the indication information for the first sub-region is used to indicate the first cell or the first cell list.

[0168] In some embodiments, when the first sub-region is a cell or a list of cells, the update information further includes at least one of the following:

[0169] Identification information at the TA or TA list level assigned to the terminal device;

[0170] The first indication information is used to indicate the TA or TA list corresponding to the identification information at the TA or TA list level assigned to the terminal device.

[0171] Identification information at the RNA or RNA list level assigned to the terminal device;

[0172] The second indication information is used to indicate the RNA or RNA list corresponding to the identification information at the RNA or RNA list level assigned to the terminal device.

[0173] Optionally, if the first sub-area is a cell or a list of cells, and if the network device also assigns identification information at the TA or TA list level to the terminal device, the update information may also include at least one of the following: identification information at the TA or TA list level assigned to the terminal device, and first indication information.

[0174] Optionally, if the first sub-region is a cell or a list of cells, and if the network device also assigns RNA or RNA list-level identification information to the terminal device, the update information may also include at least one of the following: RNA or RNA list-level identification information assigned to the terminal device, and second indication information.

[0175] Step 470: The network device sends second information, which is used to indicate the second identification information of the terminal device. The second identification information is the sub-area level identification information reassigned to the terminal device.

[0176] After receiving update information from the terminal device, the network device can reassign sub-region level identification information to the terminal device. For example, based on the sub-region the terminal device is currently in, it can assign a second identification information to the terminal device. Then, the network device sends this second identification information to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the second information sent by the network device.

[0177] Optionally, the second information is also used to indicate the valid area of ​​the second identification information. The valid area of ​​the second identification information refers to the area in which the terminal device can use the second identification information to determine the timing of listening for paging messages. Optionally, this valid area is also at the sub-region level.

[0178] Optionally, if the update information is carried in a random access message, and the update information is carried in Msg3, then the second information can be carried in Msg4; if the update information is carried in MsgA, then the second information can be carried in MsgB.

[0179] In some embodiments, when a terminal device moves from a first cell within a first sub-region to a second cell within the same first sub-region, where the first and second cells are two different cells: if the second cell supports and / or has activated paging based on sub-region level identification information, the terminal device continues to determine the timing for listening to paging messages based on the first identification information, and correspondingly, the network device continues to determine the timing for sending paging messages to the terminal device based on the first identification information; if the second cell does not support and / or has deactivated paging based on sub-region level identification information, or the network device has not allocated sub-region level identification information to the terminal device, the terminal device determines the timing for listening to paging messages based on its identification information within the PLMN (i.e., the third identification information described above, such as 5G-S-TMSI), and correspondingly, the network device determines the timing for sending paging messages to the terminal device based on its identification information within the PLMN.

[0180] Using the above method, when a sub-region includes multiple cells, if a terminal device moves between different cells within the same sub-region, it can accurately determine whether paging listening is based on sub-region-level identification information or PLMN-level identification information. This ensures that the terminal device and network equipment have a consistent understanding of the timing of paging message listening and paging.

[0181] The technical solution of this application will be described and explained below through several embodiments, taking into account different situations in the sub-regions.

[0182] Case 1: Each sub-region corresponds to a TA or a list of TAs. As shown in Figure 6, the paging method may include at least one of the following steps 610 to 690.

[0183] Step 610: The terminal device sends capability information, which indicates whether the terminal device has the capability to perform paging monitoring based on identification information at the TA / TA list level.

[0184] Optionally, the terminal device sends capability information to the network device. Optionally, the network device can be an access network device, such as a base station; or, the network device can be a core network element, such as an AMF entity.

[0185] Step 620: The network device sends configuration information via broadcast message or RRC message. This configuration information is used to provide paging configuration based on terminal identification information at the TA / TA list level.

[0186] Optionally, the aforementioned RRC message can be an RRC Resume message or an RRC Resume message.

[0187] In some embodiments, the configuration information is used to determine at least one of the following:

[0188] (1) Does it support paging based on terminal identification information at the TA / TA list level?

[0189] (2) Whether to activate the paging function based on terminal identification information at the TA / TA list level;

[0190] (3) The effective area of ​​terminal identification information at the TA / TA list level; optionally, the effective area can be indicated by at least one of TAC, TAC list, and cell list;

[0191] (4) The DRX period for the terminal device to receive paging messages is denoted as T;

[0192] (5) The number of PFs paging based on TA / TA list level terminal identification information contained in a DRX cycle, denoted as N-TA;

[0193] (6) The number of POs paging based on TA / TA list level terminal identification information contained in a PF, denoted as Ns-TA;

[0194] (7) The time-domain offset of the PF that performs paging based on the terminal identification information at the TA / TA list level is denoted as PF_offset-TA.

[0195] Step 630: During the registration or registration update process, the terminal device receives first information sent by the network device. The first information is used to indicate the first identification information of the terminal device. The first identification information is the identification information of the terminal device in the first TA / TA list. The PLMN where the terminal device is located includes multiple TA / TA lists, and the first TA / TA list is one of the multiple TA / TA lists.

[0196] Optionally, the aforementioned first information can be carried in the first message. For example, the first message can be a Registration Accept message.

[0197] Optionally, in addition to the first information, the first message also includes third information, which is used to indicate the third identification information of the terminal device. The third identification information is the identification information of the terminal device in its PLMN, such as 5G-S-TMSI.

[0198] Optionally, the first information is also used to indicate the effective area of ​​the first identification information. The effective area of ​​the first identification information refers to the area in which the terminal device can use the first identification information to determine the timing of listening to paging messages. Optionally, the effective area can be indicated by at least one of TAC, TAC list, and cell list, and this application does not limit this.

[0199] Step 640: If the terminal device is in a certain TA / TA list, the network device determines the paging timing to send a paging message to the terminal device based on the terminal identification information at the TA / TA list level.

[0200] Step 650: If the terminal device is in a certain TA / TA list, the terminal device determines the timing of listening for paging messages based on the terminal identification information at the TA / TA list level.

[0201] In some embodiments, the SFN of a PF is determined based on the following parameters: DRX period (i.e., T mentioned above), number of PFs (i.e., N-TA mentioned above), and time-domain offset (i.e., PF_offset-TA mentioned above). For example, the SFN number of a PF is determined by the following formula: (SFN + PF_offset-TA) mod T = (T div N-TA) * (TA-UE-ID mod N-TA). Where mod represents modulo operation, div represents division operation, and TA-UE-ID represents the TA or TA list-level identification information of the terminal device.

[0202] In some embodiments, the number of a PO located within a PF is determined based on the following parameters: sub-region level identification information (i.e., the TA-UE-ID mentioned above), the number of PFs (i.e., the N-TA mentioned above), and the number of POs (i.e., the N mentioned above). S -TA). For example, the index (i_s) of the PO located within a PF is determined by the following formula: i_s = floor(TA-UE-ID / N-TA) mod Ns-TA. Where floor represents flooring down, mod represents modulo operation, and TA-UE-ID represents the identification information at the TA / TA list level of the terminal device.

[0203] When the terminal device is in the first TA / TA list, since the network device has assigned terminal identification information under the first TA / TA list to the terminal device, namely the aforementioned first identification information, the terminal device and the network device can substitute the first identification information as TA-UE-ID into the above formula to determine PF and PO.

[0204] In addition, it should be understood that the listening time for paging messages determined by the terminal device is the paging time when the network device sends paging messages to the terminal device. The two have the same meaning and can both be represented by PO.

[0205] Step 660: The terminal device listens for paging messages on the determined PO. If the paging message contains terminal identification information at the TA / TA list level of the terminal device, the terminal device triggers random access.

[0206] When the terminal device is in the first TA / TA list, the terminal device determines the PF and PO based on the first identification information. The terminal device listens for paging messages on the determined PO. If the paging message contains the first identification information of the terminal device, the terminal device triggers random access.

[0207] Step 670: When a terminal device moves from a first cell in the first TA / TA list to a second cell in the first TA / TA list, if the second cell supports and / or has activated paging based on terminal identification information at the TA / TA list level, the terminal device continues to determine the timing for listening to paging messages based on the first identification information. Correspondingly, the network device continues to determine the timing for sending paging messages to the terminal device based on the first identification information. If the second cell does not support and / or has deactivated paging based on terminal identification information at the TA / TA list level, or the network device has not allocated terminal identification information at the TA / TA list level to the terminal device, the terminal device determines the timing for listening to paging messages based on its identification information in the PLMN (i.e., the third identification information mentioned above, such as 5G-S-TMSI). Correspondingly, the network device determines the timing for sending paging messages to the terminal device based on its identification information in the PLMN.

[0208] Step 680: If the first condition is met, the terminal device sends update information, which is used to request the terminal identification information at the TA / TA list level to be updated for the terminal device.

[0209] In some embodiments, the first condition includes at least one of the following conditions 1 to 4:

[0210] Condition 1: The terminal device is removed from the first TA / TA list;

[0211] Condition 2: The terminal device moves from the first TA / TA list to the second TA / TA list;

[0212] Condition 3: The update timer for the TA / TA list times out;

[0213] Condition 4: The timer for updating terminal identification information at the TA / TA list level times out.

[0214] Optionally, the updated information includes at least one of the following: first identification information and indication information of the first TA / TA list. The indication information of the first TA / TA list is used by the network device to determine the first TA / TA list based on the indication information.

[0215] Optionally, the update information is sent in the request message of the TA update process.

[0216] Step 690: The network device sends second information, which is used to indicate the second identification information of the terminal device. The second identification information is the terminal identification information at the TA / TA list level that is reassigned to the terminal device.

[0217] After receiving update information from a terminal device, the network device can reassign terminal identification information at the TA / TA list level to the terminal device. For example, based on the TA / TA list the terminal device currently belongs to, it can assign second identification information to the terminal device. Then, the network device sends this second identification information to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the second information sent by the network device.

[0218] Optionally, the second information is also used to indicate the valid area of ​​the second identification information. The valid area of ​​the second identification information refers to the area in which the terminal device can use the second identification information to determine the timing of listening for paging messages. Optionally, this valid area is also at the TA / TA list level.

[0219] Optionally, after receiving the update information sent by the terminal device, the network device corresponding to the cell where the terminal device is currently located, based on the first identification information and the indication information of the first TA / TA list contained in the update information, notifies the source network device or core network element of the terminal device through the Xn interface or NG interface to update the mapping relationship between the terminal identification information at the TA / TA list level and the terminal identification information at the PLMN level under the original TA / TA list. The released TA / TA list level terminal identification information can be used by other terminal devices. For example, when the terminal device moves from the first TA / TA list to the second TA / TA list, the mapping relationship between the first identification information and the third identification information (such as 5G-S-TMSI) can be updated to the mapping relationship between the second identification information and the third identification information (such as 5G-S-TMSI), and the released first identification information can be used by other terminal devices.

[0220] Case 2: Each subregion corresponds to an RNA or a list of RNAs. As shown in Figure 7, the paging method may include at least one of the following steps 710 to 790.

[0221] Step 710: The terminal device sends capability information, which indicates whether the terminal device has the capability to perform paging listening based on RNA / RNA list-level identification information.

[0222] Optionally, the terminal device sends capability information to the network device. Optionally, the network device can be an access network device, such as a base station; or, the network device can be a core network element, such as an AMF entity.

[0223] Step 720: When the terminal device enters the inactive state from the connected state, the network device sends configuration information through an RRC message. This configuration information is used to provide paging configuration based on the terminal identification information at the RNA / RNA list level.

[0224] Optionally, the aforementioned RRC message can be an RRCRelease message.

[0225] In some embodiments, the configuration information is used to determine at least one of the following:

[0226] (1) Does it support paging based on terminal identification information at the RNA / RNA list level?

[0227] (2) Whether to activate the paging function based on terminal identification information at the RNA / RNA list level;

[0228] (3) The effective area of ​​terminal identification information at the RNA / RNA list level; optionally, the effective area can be indicated by at least one of RNA identifier, RNA list identifier, and cell list;

[0229] (4) The DRX period for the terminal device to receive paging messages is denoted as T;

[0230] (5) The number of PFs paging based on RNA / RNA list-level terminal identifier information contained in a DRX cycle, denoted as N-RNA;

[0231] (6) The number of POs paging based on RNA / RNA list-level terminal identifier information contained in a PF, denoted as Ns-RNA;

[0232] (7) The temporal offset of the PF for paging based on the terminal identifier information at the RNA / RNA list level, denoted as PF_offset-RNA;

[0233] (8) The offset between the paging timing based on the terminal identification information at the RNA / RNA list level and the paging timing based on the terminal device identification information in the PLMN (i.e., the third identification information introduced above, such as 5G-S-TMSI) is denoted as PO_offset-RNA.

[0234] Optionally, (1) and (2) included in the above configuration information can also be replaced with: the configuration information includes indication information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device uses terminal identification information based on RNA / RNA list level for paging listening or uses terminal identification information based on PLMN level for paging listening.

[0235] Step 730: The terminal device receives first information sent by the network device. The first information is used to indicate the first identification information of the terminal device. The first identification information is the identification information of the terminal device in the first RNA / RNA list. The PLMN in which the terminal device is located includes multiple RNA / RNA lists, and the first RNA / RNA list is one of the multiple RNA / RNA lists.

[0236] Optionally, the aforementioned first information may be carried in the first message. For example, the first message may be an RRRCRelease message or other messages; this application does not limit this.

[0237] Optionally, the first information is also used to indicate the effective area of ​​the first identification information. The effective area of ​​the first identification information refers to the area in which the terminal device can use the first identification information to determine the timing of listening to paging messages. Optionally, the effective area can be indicated by at least one of RNA identifier, RNA list identifier, and cell list, and this application does not limit this.

[0238] Step 740: If the terminal device is in a certain RNA / RNA list, the network device determines the paging timing to send a paging message to the terminal device based on the terminal identification information at the RNA / RNA list level.

[0239] Step 750: If the terminal device is within a certain RNA / RNA list, the terminal device determines the timing of listening to paging messages based on the terminal identification information at the RNA / RNA list level.

[0240] In some embodiments, the SFN of a PF is determined based on the following parameters: DRX period (i.e., T mentioned above), number of PFs (i.e., N-RNA mentioned above), and time offset (i.e., PF_offset-RNA mentioned above). For example, the SFN number of a PF is determined by the following formula: (SFN + PF_offset-RNA) mod T = (T div N-RNA) * (RNA-UE-ID mod N-RNA). Here, mod represents modulo operation, div represents division operation, and RNA-UE-ID represents the RNA or RNA list-level identification information of the terminal device.

[0241] In some embodiments, the number of POs within a PF is determined based on the following parameters: sub-region level identification information (i.e., the RNA-UE-ID mentioned above), the number of PFs (i.e., the N-RNA mentioned above), and the number of POs (i.e., the N-RNA mentioned above). S-RNA). For example, the index (i_s) of the PO located within a PF is determined by the following formula: i_s = floor(RNA-UE-ID / N-RNA) mod Ns-RNA. Where floor represents flooring down, mod represents modulo operation, and RNA-UE-ID represents the RNA / RNA list-level identification information of the terminal device.

[0242] When the terminal device is in the first RNA / RNA list, since the network device has assigned terminal identification information under the first RNA / RNA list to the terminal device, namely the aforementioned first identification information, the terminal device and the network device can substitute the first identification information as RNA-UE-ID into the above formula to determine PF and PO.

[0243] In addition, it should be understood that the listening time for paging messages determined by the terminal device is the paging time when the network device sends paging messages to the terminal device. The two have the same meaning and can both be represented by PO.

[0244] Step 760: The terminal device listens for paging messages on the determined PO. If the paging message contains terminal identification information at the RNA / RNA list level of the terminal device, the terminal device triggers random access.

[0245] When the terminal device is in the first RNA / RNA list, the terminal device determines the PF and PO based on the first identification information. The terminal device listens for paging messages on the determined PO. If the paging message contains the first identification information of the terminal device, the terminal device triggers random access.

[0246] Step 770: When a terminal device moves from a first cell within the first RNA / RNA list to a second cell within the first RNA / RNA list, if the second cell supports and / or has activated paging based on terminal identification information at the RNA / RNA list level, the terminal device continues to determine the timing for listening to paging messages based on the first identification information. Correspondingly, the network device continues to determine the timing for sending paging messages to the terminal device based on the first identification information. If the second cell does not support and / or has deactivated paging based on terminal identification information at the RNA / RNA list level, or the network device has not assigned terminal identification information at the RNA / RNA list level to the terminal device, the terminal device determines the timing for listening to paging messages based on its identification information within the PLMN (i.e., the third identification information described above, such as 5G-S-TMSI). Correspondingly, the network device determines the timing for sending paging messages to the terminal device based on its identification information within the PLMN.

[0247] Step 780: If the first condition is met, the terminal device sends update information, which is used to request the terminal identification information at the RNA / RNA list level to be updated for the terminal device.

[0248] In some embodiments, the first condition includes at least one of the following conditions 1 to 4:

[0249] Condition 1: The terminal device is removed from the first RNA / RNA list;

[0250] Condition 2: The terminal device moves from the first RNA / RNA list to the second RNA / RNA list;

[0251] Condition 3: The RNA / RNA list update timer times out;

[0252] Condition 4: The timer for updating terminal identifier information at the RNA / RNA list level times out.

[0253] Optionally, the updated information includes at least one of the following: first identification information and indication information for a first RNA / RNA list. The indication information for the first RNA / RNA list is used by the network device to determine the first RNA / RNA list based on this indication information.

[0254] Optionally, the update information is sent in the request message of the RNA update process.

[0255] Step 790: The network device sends second information, which is used to indicate the second identification information of the terminal device. The second identification information is the terminal identification information at the RNA / RNA list level that has been reassigned to the terminal device.

[0256] After receiving update information from the terminal device, the network device can reassign terminal identification information at the RNA / RNA list level to the terminal device. For example, based on the current RNA / RNA list in which the terminal device is located, it can assign second identification information to the terminal device. Then, the network device informs the terminal device of this second identification information by sending it to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the second information sent by the network device.

[0257] Optionally, the second information is also used to indicate the valid area of ​​the second identification information. The valid area of ​​the second identification information refers to the area in which the terminal device can use the second identification information to determine the timing of listening for paging messages. Optionally, this valid area is also at the RNA / RNA list level.

[0258] Optionally, after receiving the update information sent by the terminal device, the network device corresponding to the cell where the terminal device is currently located, based on the first identification information and the indication information of the first RNA / RNA list contained in the update information, notifies the source network device or core network element of the terminal device through the Xn interface or NG interface to update the mapping relationship between the terminal identification information at the RNA / RNA list level and the terminal identification information at the PLMN level under the original RNA / RNA list. The released RNA / RNA list level terminal identification information can be used by other terminal devices. For example, when the terminal device moves from the first RNA / RNA list to the second RNA / RNA list, the mapping relationship between the first identification information and the third identification information (such as 5G-S-TMSI) can be updated to the mapping relationship between the second identification information and the third identification information (such as 5G-S-TMSI), and the released first identification information can be used by other terminal devices.

[0259] Case 3: Each sub-region corresponds to a cell or a list of cells. As shown in Figure 8, the paging method may include at least one of the following steps 810 to 892.

[0260] Step 810: The terminal device sends capability information, which indicates whether the terminal device has the capability to perform paging monitoring based on cell / cell list level identification information.

[0261] Optionally, the terminal device sends capability information to the network device. Optionally, the network device can be an access network device, such as a base station; or, the network device can be a core network element, such as an AMF entity.

[0262] Step 820: The network device sends configuration information via broadcast message or RRC message. This configuration information is used to provide paging configuration based on terminal identification information at the cell / cell list level.

[0263] Optionally, the aforementioned RRC message can be an RRCRelease message, an RRCReconfiguration message, or an RRCResume message.

[0264] In some embodiments, the configuration information is used to determine at least one of the following:

[0265] (1) Does it support paging based on terminal identification information at the cell / cell list level?

[0266] (2) Whether to activate the paging function based on terminal identification information at the cell / cell list level;

[0267] (3) The effective area of ​​terminal identification information at the cell / cell list level; optionally, the effective area can be indicated by at least one of the cell identifier and the cell list;

[0268] (4) The DRX period for the terminal device to receive paging messages is denoted as T;

[0269] (5) The number of PFs paging based on cell / cell list level terminal identification information contained in a DRX cycle, denoted as N-Cell;

[0270] (6) The number of POs paging based on cell / cell list level terminal identification information contained in a PF, denoted as Ns-Cell;

[0271] (7) The time-domain offset of the PF that performs paging based on the terminal identification information at the cell / cell list level, denoted as PF_offset-Cell;

[0272] (8) The offset between the paging timing based on the terminal identification information at the cell / cell list level and the paging timing based on the terminal device's identification information in the PLMN (i.e., the third identification information introduced above, such as 5G-S-TMSI) is denoted as PO_offset-Cell;

[0273] (9) At least one of the following: resource configuration information for the terminal device to send uplink information, resource configuration information for the terminal device to receive downlink information, and timer configuration information for the terminal device to wait for receiving downlink information after sending uplink information.

[0274] Step 830: During the registration or registration update process, the terminal device receives first information sent by the network device. The first information is used to indicate the first identification information of the terminal device. The first identification information is the identification information of the terminal device in the first cell / cell list. The PLMN where the terminal device is located includes multiple cells / cell lists, and the first cell / cell list is one of the multiple cell / cell lists.

[0275] Optionally, the aforementioned first information can be carried in the first message. For example, the first message can be a Registration Accept message.

[0276] Optionally, the first message may also include terminal identification information at the TA / TA list level or at the RNA / RNA list level, which are assigned to the terminal device by the network device.

[0277] Optionally, in addition to the first information, the first message also includes third information, which is used to indicate the third identification information of the terminal device. The third identification information is the identification information of the terminal device in its PLMN, such as 5G-S-TMSI.

[0278] Optionally, the first information may also be used to indicate the effective area of ​​the first identification information. The effective area of ​​the first identification information refers to the area in which the terminal device can use the first identification information to determine the timing of listening to paging messages. Optionally, the effective area may be indicated by at least one of the cell identifier and the cell list, and this application does not limit this.

[0279] In one example, the first message includes: Cell-UE-ID, TA-UE-ID (or RNA-UE-ID), 5G-S-TMSI.

[0280] Step 840: If the terminal device is in a certain cell / cell list, the network device determines the paging timing to send a paging message to the terminal device based on the terminal identification information at the cell / cell list level.

[0281] Step 850: When the terminal device is in a certain cell / cell list, the terminal device determines the timing of listening to paging messages based on the terminal identification information at the cell / cell list level.

[0282] In some embodiments, the SFN of a PF is determined based on the following parameters: DRX period (i.e., T mentioned above), the number of PFs (i.e., N-Cell mentioned above), and the time-domain offset (i.e., PF_offset-Cell mentioned above). For example, the SFN number of a PF is determined by the following formula: (SFN + PF_offset-Cell) mod T = (T div N-Cell) * (Cell-UE-ID mod N-Cell). Where mod represents modulo operation, div represents division operation, and Cell-UE-ID represents the cell or cell list level identification information of the terminal device.

[0283] In some embodiments, the number of a PO located within a PF is determined based on the following parameters: sub-region level identification information (i.e., the Cell-UE-ID mentioned above), the number of PFs (i.e., the N-Cell mentioned above), and the number of POs (i.e., the N-Cell mentioned above). S-Cell). For example, the index (i_s) of the PO located within a PF is determined by the following formula: i_s = floor(Cell-UE-ID / N-Cell) mod Ns-Cell. Where floor represents rounding down, mod represents modulo operation, and Cell-UE-ID represents the cell / cell list level identification information of the terminal device.

[0284] When the terminal device is in the first cell / cell list, since the network device has assigned terminal identification information under the first cell / cell list to the terminal device, namely the aforementioned first identification information, the terminal device and the network device can substitute the first identification information as Cell-UE-ID into the above formula to determine PF and PO.

[0285] In addition, it should be understood that the listening time for paging messages determined by the terminal device is the paging time when the network device sends paging messages to the terminal device. The two have the same meaning and can both be represented by PO.

[0286] Step 860: The terminal device listens for paging messages on the determined PO. If the paging message contains terminal identification information at the cell / cell list level of the terminal device, the terminal device triggers random access.

[0287] When the terminal device is in the first cell / cell list, the terminal device determines the PF and PO based on the first identification information. The terminal device listens for paging messages on the determined PO. If the paging message contains the first identification information of the terminal device, the terminal device triggers random access.

[0288] Step 870: When a terminal device moves from a first cell in a cell list to a second cell in the same cell list, if the second cell supports and / or has activated paging based on cell / cell list level terminal identification information, the terminal device continues to determine the timing for listening to paging messages based on the first identification information. Correspondingly, the network device continues to determine the timing for sending paging messages to the terminal device based on the first identification information. If the second cell does not support and / or has deactivated paging based on cell / cell list level terminal identification information, or the network device has not allocated cell / cell list level terminal identification information to the terminal device, the terminal device determines the timing for listening to paging messages based on its identification information within the PLMN (i.e., the third identification information mentioned above, such as 5G-S-TMSI). Correspondingly, the network device determines the timing for sending paging messages to the terminal device based on its identification information within the PLMN.

[0289] Step 880: If the first condition is met, the terminal device sends update information, which is used to request the terminal identification information at the cell / cell list level to be updated for the terminal device.

[0290] In some embodiments, the first condition includes at least one of the following conditions 1 to 4:

[0291] Condition 1: The terminal device is removed from the first cell / cell list;

[0292] Condition 2: The terminal device moves from the first cell / cell list to the second cell / cell list;

[0293] Condition 3: The update timer for the cell / cell list times out;

[0294] Condition 4: The timer for updating terminal identification information at the cell / cell list level times out.

[0295] Optionally, the updated information includes at least one of the following: first identification information and indication information of the first cell / cell list. The indication information of the first cell / cell list is used by the network device to determine the first cell / cell list based on the indication information.

[0296] Optionally, when the network device assigns terminal identification information at the TA / TA list level or at the RNA / RNA list level to the terminal device, the above-mentioned update information may also include at least one of the following: terminal identification information at the TA / TA list level (or terminal identification information at the RNA / RNA list level) assigned to the terminal device, and indication information of the TA / TA list (or the RNA / RNA list corresponding to the terminal identification information at the RNA / RNA list level) assigned to the terminal device.

[0297] In one example, when the network device assigns a Cell-UE-ID and a TA-UE-ID (or RNA-UE-ID) to the terminal device, the above-mentioned update information includes: Cell-UE-ID, indication information of the cell / cell list corresponding to the Cell-UE-ID, TA-UE-ID (or RNA-UE-ID), and indication information of the TA / TA list corresponding to the TA-UE-ID (or the RNA / RNA list corresponding to the RNA-UE-ID).

[0298] In some embodiments, the update information is sent in the uplink resources configured by the network device, and / or the update information is carried in the random access message. Optionally, the uplink resources configured by the network device can be configured by the network device using the configuration information described above, such as the resource configuration information for sending uplink information by the terminal device described above. Optionally, the random access message can be Msg3 in a four-step random access process, or MsgA in a two-step random access process.

[0299] Step 890: The network device sends second information, which is used to indicate the second identification information of the terminal device. The second identification information is the terminal identification information at the cell / cell list level that is reassigned to the terminal device.

[0300] After receiving update information from the terminal device, the network device can reassign terminal identification information at the cell / cell list level. For example, based on the cell / cell list the terminal device is currently in, it can assign a second identification information to the terminal device. Then, the network device sends this second identification information to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the second information sent by the network device.

[0301] Optionally, the second information is also used to indicate the valid area of ​​the second identification information. The valid area of ​​the second identification information refers to the area in which the terminal device can use the second identification information to determine the timing of listening for paging messages. Optionally, this valid area is also at the cell / cell list level.

[0302] Optionally, if the update information is carried in a random access message, and the update information is carried in Msg3, then the second information can be carried in Msg4; if the update information is carried in MsgA, then the second information can be carried in MsgB.

[0303] Step 892: When the terminal device is removed from the current TA / TA list or the current RNA / RNA list, the terminal device performs a TA or RNA update process. During this process, the network device assigns new TA / TA list-level terminal identification information or new RNA / RNA list-level terminal identification information to the terminal device, and also assigns new cell / cell list-level terminal identification information to the terminal device.

[0304] Optionally, after receiving the update information sent by the terminal device, the network device corresponding to the cell where the terminal device is currently located, based on the Cell-UE-ID and TA-UE-ID (or RNA-UE-ID) and the corresponding indication information contained in the update information, notifies the source network device or core network element of the terminal device through the Xn interface or NG interface to update the mapping relationship between the terminal device's Cell-UE-ID and TA-UE-ID (or RNA-UE-ID) and the terminal identification information at the PLMN level. The released Cell-UE-ID and TA-UE-ID (or RNA-UE-ID) can be used by other terminal devices. For example, when a terminal device moves from the first cell / cell list to the second cell / cell list, the original mapping relationship between Cell-UE-ID and TA-UE-ID (or RNA-UE-ID) and the third identification information (such as 5G-S-TMSI) can be updated to a new mapping relationship between Cell-UE-ID and TA-UE-ID (or RNA-UE-ID) and the third identification information (such as 5G-S-TMSI). The released Cell-UE-ID and TA-UE-ID (or RNA-UE-ID) can then be used by other terminal devices.

[0305] It should be noted that, in the above method embodiments, the steps executed by the terminal device can be implemented independently as a paging method on the terminal device side, and the steps executed by the network device can be implemented independently as a paging method on the network device side. Furthermore, the various embodiments of this application can be arbitrarily combined to form new embodiments, all of which are within the protection scope of this application.

[0306] The following are embodiments of the apparatus described in this application, which can be used to execute the embodiments of the method described in this application. For details not disclosed in the apparatus embodiments of this application, please refer to the embodiments of the method described in this application.

[0307] Please refer to Figure 9, which shows a block diagram of a paging device according to an embodiment of this application. This device has the function of implementing the paging method described above on the terminal device side. This function can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The device can be the terminal device described above, or it can be installed within a terminal device. As shown in Figure 9, the device 900 may include a receiving module 910 and a processing module 920.

[0308] The receiving module 910 is used to receive first information, which is used to indicate first identification information of the terminal device. The first identification information is the identification information of the terminal device in a first sub-region. The PLMN where the terminal device is located includes multiple sub-regions, and the first sub-region is one of the multiple sub-regions.

[0309] The processing module 920 is used to determine the timing for the terminal device to listen for paging messages based on the first identification information.

[0310] In some embodiments, each subregion corresponds to any of the following: a TA; a list of TAs including at least one TA; an RNA; a list of RNAs including at least one RNA; a cell; a list of cells including at least one cell.

[0311] In some embodiments, the receiving module 910 is further configured to receive configuration information, the configuration information being used to determine at least one of the following: sub-region level indication information; whether paging based on the sub-region level identification information is supported; whether the function of paging based on the sub-region level identification information is activated; the valid area of ​​the sub-region level identification information; the DRX period for the terminal device to receive paging messages; the number of PFs paging based on the sub-region level identification information contained in one DRX period; the number of POs paging based on the sub-region level identification information contained in one PF; and the time domain offset of the PFs paging based on the sub-region level identification information.

[0312] In some embodiments, the SFN of the PF is determined based on the following parameters: the DRX period, the number of PFs, and the time-domain offset.

[0313] In some embodiments, the number of the PO located within a PF is determined based on the following parameters: the sub-region level identification information, the number of PFs, and the number of POs.

[0314] In some embodiments, the configuration information is further used to determine the following information: the offset between the paging timing based on the identification information at the sub-region level and the paging timing based on the identification information of the terminal device within the PLMN.

[0315] In some embodiments, the configuration information is further used to determine at least one of the following: resource configuration information for the terminal device to send uplink information; resource configuration information for the terminal device to receive downlink information; and timer configuration information for the terminal device to wait for receiving downlink information after sending uplink information.

[0316] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG9, the device 900 further includes a sending module 930 for sending capability information, the capability information being used to indicate whether the terminal device has the capability to perform paging monitoring based on the sub-region level identification information.

[0317] In some embodiments, the capability information is reported in an RRC message, or the capability information is reported based on a capability acquisition request sent by the network device.

[0318] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG9, the device 900 further includes a sending module 930, configured to send update information when a first condition is met, the update information being used to request the terminal device to update the sub-region level identification information.

[0319] In some embodiments, the first condition includes at least one of the following: the terminal device moves out of the first sub-region; the terminal device moves from the first sub-region to a second sub-region, wherein the second sub-region and the first sub-region are two different sub-regions; the update timer of the sub-region times out; the update timer of the sub-region-level identification information times out.

[0320] In some embodiments, when each sub-region corresponds to a TA or a list of TAs, the update information is sent in a request message of the TA update procedure; or, when each sub-region corresponds to an RNA or a list of RNAs, the update information is sent in a request message of the RNA update procedure; or, when each sub-region corresponds to a cell or a list of cells, the update information is sent in the uplink resources configured by the network device, and / or, the update information is sent in a random access message.

[0321] In some embodiments, the receiving module 910 is further configured to receive second information, the second information being used to indicate second identification information of the terminal device, the second identification information being the sub-region level identification information reassigned for the terminal device.

[0322] In some embodiments, the second information is further used to indicate the valid area of ​​the second identification information.

[0323] In some embodiments, the update information includes at least one of the following: the first identification information and the indication information of the first sub-region.

[0324] In some embodiments, when the first sub-region is a cell or a list of cells, the update information further includes at least one of the following: identification information at the TA or TA list level assigned to the terminal device; first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the TA or TA list corresponding to the identification information at the TA or TA list level assigned to the terminal device; identification information at the RNA or RNA list level assigned to the terminal device; and second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the RNA or RNA list corresponding to the identification information at the RNA or RNA list level assigned to the terminal device.

[0325] In some embodiments, the processing module 920 is further configured to, when the terminal device moves from a first cell within the first sub-region to a second cell within the first sub-region, if the second cell supports and / or has activated paging based on the sub-region level identification information, then continue to determine the timing for the terminal device to listen for paging messages based on the first identification information; if the second cell does not support and / or deactivates paging based on the sub-region level identification information, or the network device has not allocated the sub-region level identification information to the terminal device, then determine the timing for the terminal device to listen for paging messages based on the identification information of the terminal device within the PLMN.

[0326] Please refer to Figure 10, which shows a block diagram of a paging device according to another embodiment of this application. This device has the function of implementing the paging method on the network device side described above. This function can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The device can be the network device described above, or it can be disposed within a network device. As shown in Figure 10, the device 1000 may include: a sending module 1010 and a processing module 1020.

[0327] The sending module 1010 is used to send first information, which is used to indicate first identification information of the terminal device. The first identification information is the identification information of the terminal device in a first sub-region. The PLMN where the terminal device is located includes multiple sub-regions, and the first sub-region is one of the multiple sub-regions.

[0328] The processing module 1020 is used to determine the paging timing for sending a paging message to the terminal device based on the first identification information.

[0329] In some embodiments, each subregion corresponds to any of the following: a TA; a list of TAs including at least one TA; an RNA; a list of RNAs including at least one RNA; a cell; a list of cells including at least one cell.

[0330] In some embodiments, the sending module 1010 is further configured to send configuration information, the configuration information being used to determine at least one of the following: sub-region level indication information; whether paging based on the sub-region level identification information is supported; whether the function of paging based on the sub-region level identification information is activated; the valid area of ​​the sub-region level identification information; the DRX period for the terminal device to receive paging messages; the number of PFs paging based on the sub-region level identification information contained in one DRX period; the number of POs paging based on the sub-region level identification information contained in one PF; and the time domain offset of the PFs paging based on the sub-region level identification information.

[0331] In some embodiments, the SFN of the PF is determined based on the following parameters: the DRX period, the number of PFs, and the time-domain offset.

[0332] In some embodiments, the number of the PO located within a PF is determined based on the following parameters: the sub-region level identification information, the number of PFs, and the number of POs.

[0333] In some embodiments, the configuration information is further used to determine the following information: the offset between the paging timing based on the identification information at the sub-region level and the paging timing based on the identification information of the terminal device within the PLMN.

[0334] In some embodiments, the configuration information is further used to determine at least one of the following: resource configuration information for the terminal device to send uplink information; resource configuration information for the terminal device to receive downlink information; and timer configuration information for the terminal device to wait for receiving downlink information after sending uplink information.

[0335] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG10, the device 1000 further includes a receiving module 1030 for receiving capability information sent by the terminal device, the capability information being used to indicate whether the terminal device has the capability to perform paging monitoring based on the sub-region level identification information.

[0336] In some embodiments, the capability information is reported in an RRC message, or the capability information is reported based on a capability acquisition request sent by the network device.

[0337] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG10, the device 1000 further includes a receiving module 1030, configured to receive update information sent by the terminal device when a first condition is met, the update information being used to request the terminal device to update the sub-region level identification information.

[0338] In some embodiments, the first condition includes at least one of the following: the terminal device moves out of the first sub-region; the terminal device moves from the first sub-region to a second sub-region, wherein the second sub-region and the first sub-region are two different sub-regions; the update timer of the sub-region times out; the update timer of the sub-region-level identification information times out.

[0339] In some embodiments, when each sub-region corresponds to a TA or a list of TAs, the update information is sent in a request message of the TA update procedure; or, when each sub-region corresponds to an RNA or a list of RNAs, the update information is sent in a request message of the RNA update procedure; or, when each sub-region corresponds to a cell or a list of cells, the update information is sent in the uplink resources configured by the network device, and / or, the update information is sent in a random access message.

[0340] In some embodiments, the sending module 1010 is further configured to send second information, the second information being used to indicate second identification information of the terminal device, the second identification information being the sub-region level identification information reassigned for the terminal device.

[0341] In some embodiments, the second information is further used to indicate the valid area of ​​the second identification information.

[0342] In some embodiments, the update information includes at least one of the following: the first identification information and the indication information of the first sub-region.

[0343] In some embodiments, when the first sub-region is a cell or a list of cells, the update information further includes at least one of the following: identification information at the TA or TA list level assigned to the terminal device; first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the TA or TA list corresponding to the identification information at the TA or TA list level assigned to the terminal device; identification information at the RNA or RNA list level assigned to the terminal device; and second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the RNA or RNA list corresponding to the identification information at the RNA or RNA list level assigned to the terminal device.

[0344] In some embodiments, the processing module 1020 is further configured to, when the terminal device moves from a first cell within the first sub-region to a second cell within the first sub-region, if the second cell supports and / or has activated paging based on the sub-region level identification information, continue to determine the paging timing for sending a paging message to the terminal device based on the first identification information; if the second cell does not support and / or has deactivated paging based on the sub-region level identification information, or the network device has not allocated the sub-region level identification information to the terminal device, determine the paging timing for sending a paging message to the terminal device based on the identification information of the terminal device within the PLMN.

[0345] It should be noted that the above embodiments only illustrate the division of the above functional modules when implementing the device. In actual applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional modules according to actual needs, that is, the content structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0346] Regarding the apparatus in the above embodiments, the specific manner in which each module performs its operation has been described in detail in the embodiments related to the method, and will not be elaborated upon here. For details not described in detail in the apparatus embodiments, please refer to the above method embodiments.

[0347] Please refer to 11, which shows a schematic diagram of a terminal device provided in one embodiment of this application. The terminal device 1100 may include a processor 1101, a transceiver 1102, and a memory 1103. The processor 1101 is used to implement various processing functions of the terminal device 1100, such as generating information to be sent, processing received information, controlling transmission and / or reception, etc., such as implementing the functions of the processing module 920 described above. The transceiver 1102 is used to implement transmission and / or reception functions, such as implementing the functions of the receiving module 910 and / or the transmitting module 930 described above.

[0348] The processor 1101 includes one or more processing cores. The processor 1101 executes various functional applications and information processing by running software programs and modules.

[0349] The transceiver 1102 may include a receiver and a transmitter. For example, the receiver and transmitter may be implemented as the same wireless communication component, which may include a wireless communication chip and a radio frequency antenna.

[0350] The memory 1103 can be connected to the processor 1101 and the transceiver 1102.

[0351] The memory 1103 can be used to store a computer program executed by the processor, and the processor 1101 is used to execute the computer program to implement the various steps in the above method embodiments.

[0352] In some embodiments, transceiver 1102 is configured to receive first information, the first information being used to indicate first identification information of the terminal device, the first identification information being the identification information of the terminal device in a first sub-region, wherein the PLMN where the terminal device is located includes multiple sub-regions, and the first sub-region is one of the multiple sub-regions. Processor 1101 is configured to determine the timing for the terminal device to listen for paging messages based on the first identification information.

[0353] For details not described in this embodiment, please refer to the embodiments above, which will not be repeated here.

[0354] Furthermore, the memory can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, including but not limited to: magnetic disks or optical disks, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, statically accessible memory, read-only memory, magnetic memory, flash memory, and programmable read-only memory.

[0355] Please refer to Figure 12, which shows a schematic diagram of a network device provided in one embodiment of this application. The network device 1200 may include a processor 1201, a transceiver 1202, and a memory 1203. The processor 1201 can be used to implement various processing functions of the network device 1200, such as generating information to be sent, processing received information, controlling transmission and / or reception, etc., such as implementing the functions of the processing module 1020 described above. The transceiver 1202 is used to implement transmission and / or reception functions, such as implementing the functions of the transmission module 1010 and / or the reception module 1030 described above.

[0356] The processor 1201 includes one or more processing cores. The processor 1201 executes various functional applications and information processing by running software programs and modules.

[0357] Transceiver 1202 may include a receiver and a transmitter. For example, transceiver 1202 may include a wired communication component, which may include a wired communication chip and a wired interface (such as a fiber optic interface). Optionally, transceiver 1202 may also include a wireless communication component, which may include a wireless communication chip and a radio frequency antenna.

[0358] The memory 1203 can be connected to the processor 1201 and the transceiver 1202.

[0359] The memory 1203 can be used to store a computer program executed by the processor, and the processor 1201 is used to execute the computer program to implement the various steps performed by the network device in the above method embodiment.

[0360] In some embodiments, transceiver 1202 is configured to transmit first information, the first information being used to indicate first identification information of a terminal device, the first identification information being the identification information of the terminal device within a first sub-region, wherein the PLMN where the terminal device is located includes multiple sub-regions, and the first sub-region is one of the multiple sub-regions. Processor 1201 is configured to determine, based on the first identification information, the timing for sending a paging message to the terminal device.

[0361] For details not described in this embodiment, please refer to the embodiments above, which will not be repeated here.

[0362] Furthermore, the memory 1203 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, including but not limited to: magnetic disks or optical disks, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, static on-demand memory, read-only memory, magnetic memory, flash memory, and programmable read-only memory.

[0363] This application embodiment also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for execution by a processor to implement the paging method on the terminal device side or the paging method on the network device side. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may include ROM (Read-Only Memory), RAM (Random-Access Memory), SSD (Solid State Drives), or optical disc, etc. The random access memory may include ReRAM (Resistance Random Access Memory) and DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory).

[0364] This application also provides a chip, which includes programmable logic circuits and / or program instructions. When the chip is running, it is used to implement the paging method on the terminal device side described above.

[0365] This application embodiment also provides a chip, which includes programmable logic circuits and / or program instructions. When the chip is running in a terminal device, it is used to: receive first information, the first information being used to indicate first identification information of the terminal device, the first identification information being the identification information of the terminal device in a first sub-region, wherein the PLMN where the terminal device is located includes multiple sub-regions, and the first sub-region is one of the multiple sub-regions; and determine the timing for the terminal device to listen for paging messages based on the first identification information. When the chip is running in the terminal device, it is also used to implement other steps performed by the terminal device as described in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0366] This application also provides a chip, which includes programmable logic circuits and / or program instructions, and when the chip is running, it is used to implement the paging method on the network device side described above.

[0367] This application embodiment also provides a chip, which includes programmable logic circuits and / or program instructions. When the chip is running in a network device, it is used to: send first information, the first information being used to indicate first identification information of a terminal device, the first identification information being the identification information of the terminal device in a first sub-region, wherein the PLMN where the terminal device is located includes multiple sub-regions, and the first sub-region is one of the multiple sub-regions; and determine the paging timing for sending a paging message to the terminal device based on the first identification information. When the chip is running in the network device, it is also used to implement other steps performed by the network device as described in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0368] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor reads and executes the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium to implement the paging method on the terminal device side or the paging method on the network device side.

[0369] It should be understood that the term "instruction" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a direct instruction, an indirect instruction, or an indication of a relationship. For example, A instructing B can mean that A directly instructs B, such as B being able to obtain information through A; it can also mean that A indirectly instructs B, such as A instructing C, so B can obtain information through C; or it can mean that there is a relationship between A and B.

[0370] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the term "correspondence" may indicate that there is a direct or indirect correspondence between two things, or that there is an association between two things, or that there is a relationship of instruction and being instructed, configuration and being configured, etc.

[0371] In some embodiments of this application, "predefined" can be achieved by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other means that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device (e.g., including terminal devices and network devices). This application does not limit the specific implementation method. For example, predefined can refer to what is defined in the protocol.

[0372] In some embodiments of this application, the term "protocol" may refer to standard protocols in the field of communications, such as BLE protocol, Wi-Fi protocol, and related protocols applied in future communication systems. This application does not limit the scope of these protocols.

[0373] In this article, "multiple" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0374] In this article, "greater than or equal to" can mean greater than or equal to, and "less than or equal to" can mean less than or equal to.

[0375] Furthermore, the step numbers described herein are merely illustrative of one possible execution order between steps. In some other embodiments, the steps may not be executed in the order of their numbers, such as two steps with different numbers being executed simultaneously, or two steps with different numbers being executed in the reverse order of the illustration. This application does not limit this.

[0376] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the functions described in the embodiments of this application in one or more of the above examples can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, these functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, wherein communication media include any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0377] The above description is merely an exemplary embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A paging method, characterized in that, The method is executed by a terminal device, and the method includes: Receive first information, the first information being used to indicate first identification information of the terminal device, the first identification information being the identification information of the terminal device in a first sub-region, wherein the Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) where the terminal device is located includes multiple sub-regions, and the first sub-region is one of the multiple sub-regions; Based on the first identification information, the timing for the terminal device to listen for paging messages is determined.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each sub-region corresponds to any of the following: A tracking area TA; A list of TAs, wherein the list of TAs includes at least one TA; A wireless notification area RNA; A list of RNAs, wherein the list of RNAs includes at least one RNA; A residential community; A list of cells, wherein the list of cells includes at least one cell.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive configuration information, the configuration information being used to determine at least one of the following: Sub-region level indication information; Does it support paging based on the identification information at the sub-region level? Whether to activate the paging function based on the identification information at the sub-region level; The effective area of ​​the sub-region level identification information; The terminal device receives the paging message discontinuously during the DRX cycle. The number of paging frames (PFs) paging based on the sub-region level identification information contained in one DRX cycle; The number of paging opportunities (POs) within a PF that are paging based on the identification information at the sub-region level; The temporal offset of the PF that performs paging based on the identification information at the sub-region level.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The system frame number (SFN) of the PF is determined based on the following parameters: the DRX period, the number of PFs, and the time-domain offset.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The number of a PO located within a PF is determined based on the following parameters: the sub-region level identification information, the number of PFs, and the number of POs.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that, The configuration information is also used to determine the following information: The offset between the paging timing based on the identification information at the sub-region level and the paging timing based on the identification information of the terminal device within the PLMN.

7. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that, The configuration information is also used to determine at least one of the following: The resource configuration information for the terminal device to send uplink information; The terminal device receives resource configuration information from downlink information; After sending uplink information, the terminal device waits for the timer configuration information to receive downlink information.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send capability information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device has the capability to perform paging and monitoring based on the identification information at the sub-region level.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The capability information is reported in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, or the capability information is reported based on a capability acquisition request sent by a network device.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the first condition is met, update information is sent, which is used to request the terminal device to update the identification information at the sub-region level.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first condition includes at least one of the following: The terminal device is moved out of the first sub-area; The terminal device moves from the first sub-region to the second sub-region, where the second sub-region and the first sub-region are two different sub-regions. The update timer for the sub-region timed out. The timer for updating the identification information at the sub-region level timed out.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, When each sub-region corresponds to a TA or a list of TAs, the update information is sent in the request message of the TA update procedure; or, In cases where each subregion corresponds to one RNA or a list of RNAs, the update information is sent in a request message for the RNA update process; or, In cases where each sub-region corresponds to a cell or a list of cells, the update information is sent in the uplink resources configured on the network device, and / or the update information is carried in a random access message.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive second information, the second information being used to indicate second identification information of the terminal device, the second identification information being the sub-region level identification information reassigned to the terminal device.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The second information is also used to indicate the valid area of ​​the second identification information.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that, The updated information includes at least one of the following: the first identification information, and the indication information of the first sub-region.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, When the first sub-region is a cell or a list of cells, the update information also includes at least one of the following: Identification information at the TA or TA list level assigned to the terminal device; First indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate the TA or TA list corresponding to the identification information at the TA or TA list level assigned to the terminal device; RNA or RNA list-level identification information assigned to the terminal device; The second indication information is used to indicate the RNA or RNA list corresponding to the identification information at the RNA or RNA list level assigned to the terminal device.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the terminal device moves from a first cell within the first sub-region to a second cell within the first sub-region... If the second cell supports and / or has activated paging based on the identification information at the sub-area level, then the timing for the terminal device to listen for paging messages continues to be determined based on the first identification information. If the second cell does not support and / or deactivates paging based on the sub-area level identification information, or if the network device does not assign the sub-area level identification information to the terminal device, then the timing for the terminal device to listen for paging messages is determined based on the identification information of the terminal device within the PLMN.

18. A paging method, characterized in that, The method is performed by a network device, and the method includes: Send first information, the first information being used to indicate first identification information of the terminal device, the first identification information being the identification information of the terminal device in a first sub-region, wherein the public land mobile network (PLMN) where the terminal device is located includes multiple sub-regions, and the first sub-region is one of the multiple sub-regions; Based on the first identification information, the timing for sending a paging message to the terminal device is determined.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, Each sub-region corresponds to any of the following: A tracking area TA; A list of TAs, wherein the list of TAs includes at least one TA; A wireless notification area RNA; A list of RNAs, wherein the list of RNAs includes at least one RNA; A residential community; A list of cells, wherein the list of cells includes at least one cell.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send configuration information, which is used to determine at least one of the following: Sub-region level indication information; Does it support paging based on the identification information at the sub-region level? Whether to activate the paging function based on the identification information at the sub-region level; The effective area of ​​the sub-region level identification information; The terminal device receives the paging message discontinuously during the DRX cycle. The number of paging frames (PFs) paging based on the sub-region level identification information contained in one DRX cycle; The number of paging opportunities (POs) within a PF that are paging based on the identification information at the sub-region level; The temporal offset of the PF that performs paging based on the identification information at the sub-region level.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The system frame number (SFN) of the PF is determined based on the following parameters: the DRX period, the number of PFs, and the time-domain offset.

22. The method according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that, The number of a PO located within a PF is determined based on the following parameters: the sub-region level identification information, the number of PFs, and the number of POs.

23. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 22, characterized in that, The configuration information is also used to determine the following information: The offset between the paging timing based on the identification information at the sub-region level and the paging timing based on the identification information of the terminal device within the PLMN.

24. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 23, characterized in that, The configuration information is also used to determine at least one of the following: The resource configuration information for the terminal device to send uplink information; The terminal device receives resource configuration information from downlink information; After sending uplink information, the terminal device waits for the timer configuration information to receive downlink information.

25. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 24, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device receives capability information sent by the terminal device, the capability information being used to indicate whether the terminal device has the capability to perform paging monitoring based on the identification information at the sub-region level.

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that, The capability information is reported in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, or the capability information is reported based on a capability acquisition request sent by the network device.

27. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 26, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device receives update information sent under a first condition, wherein the update information is used to request the terminal device to update the identification information at the sub-region level.

28. The method according to claim 27, characterized in that, The first condition includes at least one of the following: The terminal device is moved out of the first sub-area; The terminal device moves from the first sub-region to the second sub-region, where the second sub-region and the first sub-region are two different sub-regions. The update timer for the sub-region timed out. The timer for updating the identification information at the sub-region level timed out.

29. The method according to claim 27 or 28, characterized in that, When each sub-region corresponds to a TA or a list of TAs, the update information is sent in the request message of the TA update procedure; or, In cases where each subregion corresponds to one RNA or a list of RNAs, the update information is sent in a request message for the RNA update process; or, In cases where each sub-region corresponds to a cell or a list of cells, the update information is sent in the uplink resources configured on the network device, and / or the update information is carried in a random access message.

30. The method according to any one of claims 27 to 29, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a second message, the second message being used to indicate a second identification message of the terminal device, the second identification message being the sub-region level identification message reassigned to the terminal device.

31. The method according to claim 30, characterized in that, The second information is also used to indicate the valid area of ​​the second identification information.

32. The method according to any one of claims 27 to 31, characterized in that, The updated information includes at least one of the following: the first identification information, and the indication information of the first sub-region.

33. The method according to claim 32, characterized in that, When the first sub-region is a cell or a list of cells, the update information also includes at least one of the following: Identification information at the TA or TA list level assigned to the terminal device; First indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate the TA or TA list corresponding to the identification information at the TA or TA list level assigned to the terminal device; RNA or RNA list-level identification information assigned to the terminal device; The second indication information is used to indicate the RNA or RNA list corresponding to the identification information at the RNA or RNA list level assigned to the terminal device.

34. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 33, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the terminal device moves from a first cell within the first sub-region to a second cell within the first sub-region... If the second cell supports and / or has activated paging based on the identification information at the sub-area level, then the timing for sending a paging message to the terminal device is determined based on the first identification information. If the second cell does not support and / or deactivates paging based on the sub-area level identification information, or if the network device does not assign the sub-area level identification information to the terminal device, then the timing for sending a paging message to the terminal device is determined based on the identification information of the terminal device within the PLMN.

35. A paging device, characterized in that, The device includes: A receiving module is configured to receive first information, the first information being used to indicate first identification information of a terminal device, the first identification information being the identification information of the terminal device in a first sub-region, wherein the public land mobile network (PLMN) where the terminal device is located includes multiple sub-regions, and the first sub-region is one of the multiple sub-regions; The processing module is used to determine the timing for the terminal device to listen for paging messages based on the first identification information.

36. A paging device, characterized in that, The device includes: The sending module is used to send first information, which is used to indicate first identification information of the terminal device. The first identification information is the identification information of the terminal device in a first sub-region. The Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) where the terminal device is located includes multiple sub-regions, and the first sub-region is one of the multiple sub-regions. The processing module is used to determine the paging timing for sending a paging message to the terminal device based on the first identification information.

37. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program, the processor executing the computer program to implement the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17, or to implement the method as claimed in any one of claims 18 to 34.

38. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program that is executed by a processor to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 17, or the method as described in any one of claims 18 to 34.

39. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes programmable logic circuitry and / or program instructions, which, when the chip is running, are used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 17, or to implement the method as described in any one of claims 18 to 34.

40. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which a processor reads from and executes to implement the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17, or the method as claimed in any one of claims 18 to 34.

Images