Network selection method, terminal and network side device

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and discloses a network selection method, a terminal, and a network side device. The network selection method in embodiments of the present application comprises: when a first condition is met, a terminal executes service-based network selection, the first condition comprising at least one of the following: the terminal is in an automatic network selection mode; the terminal supports service-based network selection; the terminal is configured to use service-based network selection; the terminal acquires a service-based network selection parameter, the service-based network selection parameter being used for indicating an association relationship between service information and a service-based network selection list; the terminal receives the service information from an upper layer; and the terminal receives first information from a network side device, the first information being used for network reselection.

Description

Network selection method, terminal and network side device

[0001] Cross-reference to Related Applications

[0002] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202510064995.6, filed on January 15, 2025, and entitled "Network selection method, terminal and network side device", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application belongs to the field of communication technology, and particularly relates to a network selection method, a terminal and a network side device. BACKGROUND

[0004] In the related art, a terminal performs network selection based on operator configuration and signal quality, without considering the service condition of the terminal, which may result in that the terminal cannot normally use a service or uses a service with poor quality. For example, the terminal currently camps on a low earth orbit (LEO) to use a data service, at this time, the terminal is simultaneously under the coverage of the LEO and a geosynchronous orbit (GEO), if the terminal wants to use a voice service, according to the related art, the terminal will still camp on the LEO because the signal quality of the LEO is higher than that of the GEO, at this time, the terminal can only use a voice service with poor quality, or even cannot hear the call content, and the user experience will be affected. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a network selection method based on service, however, the terminal currently cannot determine under what conditions the network selection based on service can be performed, and thus cannot perform the network selection process based on service, resulting in that the terminal cannot normally use a service or uses a service with poor quality. SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide a network selection method, a terminal and a network side device, which can solve the problem that a terminal cannot determine under what conditions the network selection based on service can be performed.

[0006] In a first aspect, a network selection method is provided, comprising: in a case where a first condition is met, a terminal performing network selection based on service, the first condition comprising at least one of the following: the terminal being in an automatic network selection mode; the terminal supporting network selection based on service; the terminal being configured to use network selection based on service; the terminal obtaining a network selection parameter based on service, the network selection parameter based on service being used to indicate an association relationship between service information and a network selection list based on service; the terminal receiving service information from an upper layer; and the terminal receiving first information from a network side device, the first information being used for network reselection.

[0007] In a second aspect, a network selection method is provided, comprising: sending, by a network side device, first information or second information, the first information or the second information being used for a terminal to perform service-based network selection in a case where a first condition is met, the first condition comprising at least one of the following: the terminal being in an automatic network selection mode; the terminal supporting service-based network selection; the terminal being configured to use service-based network selection; the terminal obtaining service-based network selection parameters, the service-based network selection parameters being used to indicate an association relationship between service information and a service-based network selection list; the terminal receiving service information from an upper layer; and the terminal receiving the first information from the network side device, the first information being used for network reselection.

[0008] In a third aspect, a network selection apparatus is provided, applied to a terminal, comprising: a processing module, configured to perform service-based network selection in a case where a first condition is met, the first condition comprising at least one of the following: the terminal being in an automatic network selection mode; the terminal supporting service-based network selection; the terminal being configured to use service-based network selection; the terminal obtaining service-based network selection parameters, the service-based network selection parameters being used to indicate an association relationship between service information and a service-based network selection list; the terminal receiving service information from an upper layer; and the terminal receiving first information from a network side device, the first information being used for network reselection.

[0009] In a fourth aspect, a network selection apparatus is provided, applied to a network side device, comprising: a communication module, configured to send first information or second information, the first information or the second information being used for a terminal to perform service-based network selection in a case where a first condition is met, the first condition comprising at least one of the following: the terminal being in an automatic network selection mode; the terminal supporting service-based network selection; the terminal being configured to use service-based network selection; the terminal obtaining service-based network selection parameters, the service-based network selection parameters being used to indicate an association relationship between service information and a service-based network selection list; the terminal receiving service information from an upper layer; and the terminal receiving the first information from the network side device, the first information being used for network reselection.

[0010] In a fifth aspect, a network selection apparatus is provided, configured to perform the steps of the method according to the first aspect, or implement the steps of the method according to the second aspect.

[0011] In a sixth aspect, a terminal is provided, the terminal including a processor and a memory, the memory storing a program or instructions executable on the processor, the program or instructions, when executed by the processor, implementing the steps of the method as described in the first aspect.

[0012] In a seventh aspect, a terminal is provided, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor is configured to perform service-based network selection when a first condition is met, the first condition including at least one of the following: the terminal is in an automatic network selection mode; the terminal supports service-based network selection; the terminal is configured to use service-based network selection; the terminal has obtained service-based network selection parameters, the service-based network selection parameters being used to indicate the association between service information and a service-based network selection list; the terminal has received service information from an upper layer; the terminal has received first information from a network-side device, the first information being used for network reselection.

[0013] Eighthly, a network-side device is provided, the network-side device including a processor and a memory, the memory storing a program or instructions executable on the processor, the program or instructions, when executed by the processor, implementing the steps of the method as described in the second aspect.

[0014] A ninth aspect provides a network-side device, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is used to send first information or second information, the first information or the second information being used by a terminal to perform service-based network selection when a first condition is met, the first condition including at least one of the following: the terminal is in an automatic network selection mode; the terminal supports service-based network selection; the terminal is configured to use service-based network selection; the terminal has obtained service-based network selection parameters, the service-based network selection parameters being used to indicate the association between service information and a service-based network selection list; the terminal has received service information from an upper layer; the terminal has received the first information from the network-side device, the first information being used for network reselection.

[0015] In a tenth aspect, a readable storage medium is provided, on which a program or instructions are stored, which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method described in the first aspect, or implement the steps of the method described in the second aspect.

[0016] Eleventhly, a wireless communication system is provided, comprising: a terminal and a network-side device, wherein the terminal can be used to perform the steps of the method as described in the first aspect, and the network-side device can be used to perform the steps of the method as described in the second aspect.

[0017] In a twelfth aspect, a chip is provided, the chip including a processor and a communication interface coupled to the processor, the processor being configured to run a program or instructions to implement the steps of the method described in the first aspect, or to implement the steps of the method described in the second aspect.

[0018] In a thirteenth aspect, a computer program / program product is provided, which is stored in a storage medium and is executed by at least one processor to implement the steps of the method as described in the first aspect, or to implement the steps of the method as described in the second aspect.

[0019] In this embodiment, under a first condition, the terminal performs service-based network selection. The first condition includes at least one of the following: the terminal is in automatic network selection mode; the terminal supports service-based network selection; the terminal is configured to use service-based network selection; the terminal has obtained service-based network selection parameters; the terminal has received service information from the upper layer; or the terminal has received first information for network reselection from the network-side device. By fulfilling the above first condition, the terminal can determine under what conditions it can perform service-based network selection. Simultaneously, the service-based network selection performed by the terminal ensures that the network providing the service to the terminal matches the service used by the terminal, thereby efficiently utilizing network resources and improving user experience. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of this application;

[0021] Figure 2 is a schematic flowchart of a network selection method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of a network selection method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of a network selection method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of a network selection method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of a network selection method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 7 is a schematic flowchart of a network selection method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the network selection device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the network selection device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal according to an embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network-side device according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0033] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in this application are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such terms can be used interchangeably where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first" and "second" are generally of the same class, not limited in number; for example, the first object can be one or more. Furthermore, "or" in this application indicates at least one of the connected objects. For example, the scope of protection for "A or B" covers at least three scenarios: Scenario 1: including A but not B; Scenario 2: including B but not A; Scenario 3: including both A and B. In addition, the terms "A and / or B," "at least one of A and B," and "at least one of A or B" also cover at least the above three scenarios. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0034] The term "instruction" in this application can be either a direct instruction (or explicit instruction) or an indirect instruction (or implicit instruction). A direct instruction can be understood as the sender explicitly informing the receiver of specific information, the required operation, or the requested result in the instruction sent. An indirect instruction can be understood as the receiver determining the corresponding information based on the instruction sent by the sender, or making a judgment and determining the required operation or requested result based on the judgment result.

[0035] It is worth noting that the technologies described in this application are not limited to Long Term Evolution (LTE) / LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, but can also be used in other wireless communication systems, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single-carrier Frequency-Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA), or other systems. The terms "system" and "network" in this application are often used interchangeably, and the described technologies can be used in the systems and radio technologies mentioned above, as well as in other systems and radio technologies. The following description describes New Radio (NR) systems for illustrative purposes, and the term NR is used in most of the following description; however, these technologies can also be applied to systems other than NR systems, such as 6th Generation (6G) communication systems.

[0036] Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to an embodiment of this application. The wireless communication system includes a terminal 11 and a network-side device 12. The terminal 11 can also be referred to as User Equipment (UE), and can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, notebook computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld computer, netbook, ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), mobile internet device (MID), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) device, robot, wearable device, flight vehicle, vehicle user equipment (VUE), shipboard equipment, pedestrian user equipment (PUE), smart home (home devices with wireless communication capabilities, such as refrigerators, televisions, washing machines, or furniture), game console, personal computer (PC), ATM, or self-service machine, etc. Wearable devices include: smartwatches, smart bracelets, smart headphones, smart glasses, smart jewelry (smart bracelets, smart chains, smart rings, smart necklaces, smart anklets, smart anklets, etc.), smart wristbands, smart clothing, etc. Among these, in-vehicle devices can also be referred to as in-vehicle terminals, in-vehicle controllers, in-vehicle modules, in-vehicle components, in-vehicle chips, or in-vehicle units, etc. It should be noted that the specific type of terminal 11 is not limited in this application embodiment. Network-side equipment 12 may include access network equipment or core network equipment, wherein access network equipment may also be referred to as Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment, radio access network function, or radio access network unit. Access network equipment may include base stations, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access points (APs), or Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) nodes, etc.Among them, base stations can be referred to as Node B (NB), Evolved Node B (eNB), Next Generation Node B (gNB), New Radio Node B (NR Node B), Access Point, Relay Base Station (RBS), Serving Base Station (SBS), Base Transceiver Station (BTS), Radio Base Station, Radio Transceiver, Basic Service Set (BSS), Extended Service Set (ESS), Home Node B (HNB), Home Evolved Node B, Transmit / Receive Point (TRP), Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) equipment (such as satellite or high altitude platform stations). The term "base station" can be any suitable term in the field, such as "station" or any other appropriate term in the relevant field, as long as the same technical effect is achieved. The term "base station" is not limited to any specific technical term. It should be noted that the embodiments of this application only use the base station in the NR system as an example for introduction, and do not limit the specific type of base station.

[0037] Core network equipment, also known as core network nodes, core network functions, or core network elements, includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: Mobility Management Entity (MME), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), User Plane Function (UPF), Policy Control Function (PCF), Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), Edge Application Server Discovery Function (EASDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Unified Data Repository (UDR), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Centralized network configuration (CNC), Network Repository Function (NRF), Network Exposure Function (NEF), Local NEF (L-NEF), and Binding Support. Functions include BSF, Application Function (AF), Location Management Function (LMF), Gateway Mobile Location Centre (GMLC), Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF), and Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) equipment (such as satellite or high altitude platform station).It should be noted that the embodiments of this application only use the core network equipment in the NR system as an example for introduction, and do not limit the specific type of core network equipment. If the name of the core network equipment mentioned in the embodiments of this application changes in subsequent protocol versions (e.g., 6G), it is also within the scope of protection of this application.

[0038] Optionally, the core network equipment can be implemented by one or more functional modules in a single device, or by multiple devices working together; this application does not specifically limit this. It is understood that the aforementioned functional modules can be network elements in hardware devices, software functional modules running on dedicated hardware, or virtualized functional modules instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0039] The network selection method provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, through some embodiments and application scenarios.

[0040] As shown in Figure 2, this application embodiment provides a network selection method 200, which can be executed by a terminal. In other words, the method can be executed by software or hardware installed on the terminal, and the method includes the following steps.

[0041] S202: Under the condition that the first condition is met, the terminal performs service-based network selection, the first condition including at least one of the following: 1) the terminal is in automatic network selection mode; 2) the terminal supports service-based network selection; 3) the terminal is configured to use service-based network selection; 4) the terminal obtains service-based network selection parameters, the service-based network selection parameters being used to indicate the association between service information and the service-based network selection list; 5) the terminal receives service information from the upper layer; 6) the terminal receives first information from the network-side device, the first information being used for network reselection.

[0042] In this embodiment of the application, the terminal supports service-based network selection, which can be understood as the terminal supporting service-based network selection features, service-based network selection modes, or a new network selection list. This new network selection list can be controlled by the operator or by the user, and it can be a service-based network selection list.

[0043] In this embodiment of the application, the terminal can obtain service-based network selection parameters, which are used to indicate the association between service information and the service-based network selection list. Thus, the terminal can determine the service-based network selection list that matches the service information.

[0044] The service-based network selection parameter can be configured in the terminal's identification card, which can be a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) or a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM). The configuration of the service-based network selection parameter in the SIM card is equivalent to an implicit capability indicator. When the service-based network selection parameter is configured in the SIM, the terminal can perform service-based network selection even if it does not obtain the service-based network selection parameter from the network-side device.

[0045] The service-based network selection parameter can also be obtained by the terminal by receiving first information or second information, wherein the first information or second information may include the service-based network selection parameter.

[0046] In this embodiment of the application, the terminal receives service information from the upper layer. Specifically, the terminal's lower layer receives service information from the upper layer. The terminal's lower layer can be the UE Non-Access Layer (UE NAS layer) or the UE Access Layer (UE AS layer), etc.

[0047] In related technologies, network selection refers to signal level / quality network selection. That is, the access stratum (AS) selects cells that meet the signal conditions and reports the identifier of the network to which the cell belongs (PLMN ID) to the non-access stratum (NAS), or reports the PLMN ID and signal quality to the NAS. The NAS then selects the network with the highest priority according to the stored network selection list.

[0048] The service-based network selection in the various embodiments of this application can be understood as follows: the AS selects cells that meet the signal conditions and reports the PLMN ID of the cell to the NAS, or reports the PLMN ID and signal quality to the NAS; the NAS uses a new network selection parameter, which may include the association between service information and the service-based network selection list; the NAS first determines the service-based network selection list that matches the service information, and then selects the network with the highest priority from the service-based network selection list and attempts to register.

[0049] The network selection method provided in this application embodiment allows a terminal to perform service-based network selection when a first condition is met. This first condition includes at least one of the following: the terminal is in automatic network selection mode; the terminal supports service-based network selection; the terminal is configured to use service-based network selection; the terminal has obtained service-based network selection parameters; the terminal has received service information from an upper layer; or the terminal has received first information for network reselection from a network-side device. By meeting these first conditions, the terminal can determine under what conditions it can perform service-based network selection. Simultaneously, the service-based network selection performed by the terminal ensures that the network providing the service to the terminal matches the service used by the terminal, thereby efficiently utilizing network resources and improving user experience.

[0050] In some embodiments, a terminal performing service-based network selection may include: the terminal performing service-based network selection based on first information or second information. Through the first or second information, the terminal can determine the association between service information and a service-based network selection list. Therefore, based on the service information, the terminal can determine a service-based network selection list that matches the service information, and then select the network with the highest priority from the service-based network selection list and attempt to register, etc.

[0051] It is worth noting that the terminal being configured to use service-based network selection can be expressed as "the MS is configured for using service-based network selection". The terminal obtaining service-based network selection parameters can be expressed as the terminal having stored service-based network selection parameters.

[0052] In some embodiments, the terminal performing service-based network selection includes at least one of the following:

[0053] a) The terminal obtains service-based network selection parameters, which are sent by the network-side device or configured in the terminal's SIM.

[0054] The service-based network selection parameters can be configured in the terminal's SIM card and obtained by the terminal; or they can be sent to the terminal by the network-side device through first or second information.

[0055] The service-based network selection parameter can include the association between service information and a network selection list, which includes a service-based network selection list. Therefore, the terminal can determine the service-based network selection list that matches the service information based on the service-based network selection parameter.

[0056] b) The terminal determines a service-based network selection list that matches the service information based on the service-based network selection parameters.

[0057] c) The terminal performs network selection according to the service-based network selection list.

[0058] In other embodiments, if no service-based network selection list matching the service information is obtained, the terminal can perform network selection based on network selection policy information, as described below.

[0059] In some embodiments, the terminal performing network selection based on the service-based network selection list in c) above includes one of the following:

[0060] 1) The terminal selects a network according to the service-based network selection list and attempts to register until registration is successful.

[0061] The service-based network selection list may include one or more network (PLMN) or access technology combinations. For example, service-based network selection list 1 includes: PLMN 1 and NR, PLMN 1 and E-UTRAN, PLMN 2 and NR, PLMN 2 and E-UTRAN; service-based network selection list 2 includes: PLMN 1 and NR, PLMN 2 and NR GEO, PLMN 2 and NR LEO, PLMN 1 and E-UTRAN, PLMN 2 and NR, PLMN 2 and E-UTRAN. The access technology here is used to identify the radio carrier type, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), GSM Compact, Extended Coverage GSM IoT (EC-GSM-IoT), and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 2000. 1xRTT, cdma2000HRPD, evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), NG-RAN, satellite NG-RAN, satellite E-UTRAN, WLAN, virtual wireless access (VIRTUAL), narrowband Internet of Things (IoT)NB-IoT, wired access (WIRELINE), wired cable access (WIRELINE_CABLE), wireless broadband access (WIRELINE_Broadband Forum access, WIRELINE_BBF), Long Term Evolution for Machines (LTE-M), New Radio Unlicensed (NR_U), EUTRA Unlicensed (EUTRA_U), Trusted Non-3GPP access (TRUSTED_N3GA), Trusted WLAN (TRUSTED_WLAN), UTRA, GSM / EDGE Radio Access Network (GERA), NR_Low Earth Orbit (LEO), NR_Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), NR_Geostationary Orbit (GEO), other NR satellite access (NR_OTHER_SAT), low-capacity NR (NR_Reduced) capability, NR_REDCAP), Broadband Evolved (WB_E)_UTRAN_LEO, WB_E_UTRAN_MEO, WB_E_UTRAN_GEO, WB_E_UTRAN_OTHERSAT, NB_IO T_LEO, NB_IOT_MEO, NB_IOT_GEO, NB_IOT_OTHERSAT, LTE_M_LEO, LTE_M_MEO, LTE_M_GEO, LTE_M_OTHERSA, NR_EREDCAP. ,

[0062] In this step, the terminal can select the first priority network / access technology combination to try to register. If registration fails, it can select the second priority network / access technology combination to try to register. If registration fails, it can continue to select the third priority network / access technology combination to try to register, and so on, until registration is successful.

[0063] It is worth noting that the service-based network selection list here is a naming convention used to distinguish it from network selection lists in existing technologies (such as Operator Controlled PLMN Selector with Access Technology). It refers to one or more PLMN / access technology combinations(s) associated with service information. It is also worth noting that the service-based network selection list can refer to one or more PLMNs or one or more access technologies associated with service information.

[0064] 2) If none of the networks in the service-based network selection list have successfully registered, then network selection will be performed based on the network selection strategy information.

[0065] If, following method 1) above, none of the networks in the network selection list based on the service have been successfully registered, the terminal can perform network selection based on the network selection policy information. This network selection policy information may be included in the first information or the second information. The terminal obtains the network selection policy information by receiving the first information or the second information from the network-side device.

[0066] In some embodiments of this application, the (service-based) network selection policy information includes at least one of the following:

[0067] 1) Network selection policy identifier, used to indicate the network selection policy. Different network selection policies may correspond to different service information or service-based network selection lists.

[0068] 2) Business information.

[0069] The service information in various embodiments of this application may include at least one of the following: service type indication, APP identification information, APP attribute information, application server information, data network name (DNN), single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI); and terminal usage settings information.

[0070] It's worth noting that the service type indicator here can be a direct instruction or service information. For example, it could be a broad service category, such as: location services, computing services, sensing services, AI services, data services, multimedia services, immersive services, security services, task management, AIoT services, energy-saving services, and NTN services. It could also be a subcategory under a specific service category, such as: XR computing services, AI computing services, edge AI services, and terminal AI services.

[0071] It is worth noting that the APP identification information here is used to indicate the application providing the service.

[0072] It is worth noting that the APP attribute information here is used to indicate different functions of the APP. Different functions of the APP have different requirements for network resources. It can be a broad category attribute, such as online application, real-time interaction, task planning, or a sub-category attribute, such as calculation or location.

[0073] It is worth noting that the application server information here is used to indicate the application server providing the service; it may include at least one of the following: AS ID, AS FQDN, AS IP address, AS name.

[0074] It is worth noting that the DNN here is used to provide a specific service or a type of service.

[0075] It is worth noting that S-NSSAI here is used to provide a specific service or a type of service.

[0076] It is worth noting that the terminal usage settings information here is used to instruct the network on the terminal's usage settings, including at least one of the following: voice centric, data centric, signalalling / connection centric, computing centric, algorithm centric, etc.

[0077] 3) A service-based network selection list may include one or more networks (PLMNs) or access technology combinations.

[0078] It is worth noting that the network selection strategy here is a name, and can also be called a network selection rule. When it is called a network selection rule, the network selection strategy identifier can be called a network selection rule identifier.

[0079] When a terminal performs network selection based on network selection policy information, it can determine a network selection policy that matches the service information and determine whether there is a service-based network selection list associated with the network selection policy. If there is, the terminal selects a network according to the service-based network selection list associated with the network selection policy and attempts to register. Alternatively, if there is no network selection list, or the terminal fails to register successfully, the terminal selects a network based on a first network selection list and attempts to register. The first network selection list can be an existing PLMN list, such as "HPLMN Selector with Access Technology", "User Controlled PLMN Selector with Access Technology", or "Operator controlled PLMN Selector with Access Technology".

[0080] In some embodiments, the terminal performing network selection based on the service-based network selection list in c) above includes:

[0081] 1) The terminal determines whether the current network or access technology combination is the highest priority in the service-based network selection list.

[0082] 2) If the current network or access technology combination is the highest priority in the service-based network selection list, the terminal executes the service corresponding to the service information. For example, the terminal uses the current network or access technology combination to execute the service corresponding to the service information.

[0083] 3) If the current network or access technology combination is not the highest priority in the service-based network selection list, the terminal performs one of the following: ① Selects a network according to the service-based network selection list and attempts to register. Specifically, the terminal can enter an idle state, select a network according to the service-based network selection list and attempt to register. For specific operation procedures, please refer to the description of other embodiments; ② Provides the service-based network selection list to the underlying layer, triggering the underlying layer to perform cell reselection.

[0084] As shown in Figure 3, Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a network selection method provided in an embodiment of this application, including the following steps:

[0085] 1. After the UE is powered on, it uses the traditional (legacy, or original) PLMN selection mechanism to select the network because the UE has not started any APP after powering on, that is, no business is being conducted.

[0086] 2. The UE being in the on PLMN state means that the UE has successfully registered with a network. At this time, the following situations may occur:

[0087] If the UE is in the visited local network (VPLMN) and the periodic search timer expires, the UE performs a high-priority PLMN search, also known as performing a traditional PLMN selection.

[0088] If the UE loses coverage of the selected PLMN, the UE selects any available and allowed PLMN.

[0089] If the UE performs user reselection, the UE will remove the last selected PLMN from the list of existing network selections.

[0090] If the UE is in an idle or connected state and receives service information from the upper layer, then service-based network selection is performed; or, if the UE is in a connected state and receives the first information from the network-side device, then service-based network selection is performed, as detailed in Embodiment 3 below.

[0091] 3. The UE determines whether it has received service information from the upper layer or whether it has received the first information from the network-side device. The first information includes network selection policy information.

[0092] If not, then perform the traditional PLMN selection.

[0093] 4. If service information is received from the upper layer, or first information is received from the network-side device, the first information may include network selection policy information, then determine whether there is a service-based network selection list that matches the service information; or determine whether there is network selection policy information that matches the service information.

[0094] 5. Based on the service-based network selection list that matches the service information, select the first priority PLMN / access technology combination and attempt to register. If registration fails, select the second priority PLMN / access technology combination. If registration fails, select the third priority PLMN / access technology combination, and so on, until registration is successful.

[0095] 6. If registration fails in step 5, network selection based on the network selection strategy information that matches the business information will be performed.

[0096] In this embodiment, the terminal can determine a network selection policy that matches the service information and determine whether there is a service-based network selection list associated with the network selection policy. If there is, the terminal selects a network according to the service-based network selection list associated with the network selection policy and attempts to register. If the registration is successful, the terminal can indicate the selected network or access technology (PLMN / RAT). Alternatively, if there is no PLMN, or the terminal cannot register successfully, the terminal performs network selection according to the existing PLMN list.

[0097] Based on any of the above embodiments, before the terminal performs service-based network selection, the method further includes: the terminal obtaining first information or second information, wherein the first information or second information is used by the terminal to perform service-based network selection.

[0098] In some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0099] 1) A service-based network selection enable indicator is used to indicate whether the terminal is configured to use service-based network selection. Alternatively, the service-based network selection enable indicator may be used to indicate that service-based network selection is enabled, or to indicate that the use of service-based network selection is permitted.

[0100] 2) Service-based PLMN selection parameter: This parameter indicates the association between service information and the service-based PLMN selection list. Since the service-based PLMN selection list includes one or more network PLMNs or access technology combinations, the service-based PLMN selection parameter can be used to indicate the association between service information and PLMNs or access technology combinations.

[0101] It is worth noting that the service-based network selection parameter can contain the association between one or more service information and the service-based network selection list. The association between the service information and the service-based network selection list can be represented as an encoding relationship, that is, one encoding field is used to indicate the service information, and the next encoding field is used to indicate the service-based network selection list. It can be that one service type corresponds to one service-based network selection list, or multiple service types correspond to one service-based network selection list.

[0102] 3) Network selection strategy information.

[0103] In some embodiments, the first information indicates network selection policy information, and the first information is used by the terminal to perform network reselection based on current service information. The first information may include at least one of the following:

[0104] 1) First field, the first field is used to indicate the length of the content of the first information. The first information may include an information element identifier, a length field and a content field. The first field may be a length field, used to indicate the length of the content field.

[0105] 2) Second field, the second field is used to indicate the duration that the terminal needs to wait to perform network reselection. The second field can also be called a timer field, which can be used to indicate the duration of the timer. If the timer expires, the terminal can perform network reselection.

[0106] 3) The third field, also known as the service type field, is used to indicate the type or content of the service.

[0107] It is worth noting that the third field here can be used to indicate business information.

[0108] 4) The fourth field, or network selection policy information field, indicates at least one of the following: the number of access technologies and service-based PLMN list associations associated with the access technologies; the identifier of the access technology; and the service-based PLMN list.

[0109] The fourth field includes at least one of the following: a) a quantity field, used to indicate the number of access technologies and the number of network selection lists associated with the access technologies; b) an access technology identifier field, each access technology identifier field indicating one access technology, the number of access technology identifier fields being consistent with the number indicated by the network selection policy information; c) a PLMN list field, used to indicate the list of PLMNs associated with the access technologies, which can be given in priority order, wherein each PLMN list field also includes a PLMN quantity field and a PLMN identifier field.

[0110] In some embodiments, the terminal obtaining the second information includes: the terminal obtaining the second information through a first NAS message, where the second information may include at least one of the following: a service-based network selection enable indication, a service-based network selection parameter, and network selection policy information. Alternatively, the terminal obtaining the second information includes: the terminal obtaining the second information from the SIM, where the second information may include service-based network selection parameters, and may also include network selection policy information.

[0111] It is worth noting that the above-mentioned fourth field is only one encoding method. In essence, it is used to indicate a service-based network selection list, that is, one or more PLMN / access technology combinations. For example, the fourth field can also be a first PLMN identifier field, a first access technology identifier field, a second PLMN identifier field, and a second access technology identifier field, wherein the first PLMN identifier field and the first access technology identifier field are associated, and the second PLMN identifier field and the second access technology identifier field are associated.

[0112] In some embodiments, the terminal obtaining the first information includes: the terminal obtaining the first information through a second NAS message, the first information further including network selection policy information. The first information can also be obtained through a second NAS message, for example, through a Steer of Roaming (SOR) process, i.e., the first information is contained in an SOR container.

[0113] In some embodiments, the first NAS message or the second NAS message includes at least one of the following: a UE Configuration Update (UCU) command message, a registration accept message, a registration reject message, a downlink NAS transmission message, a service accept message, a service reject message, a deregistration request message, and a notification message.

[0114] It is worth noting that the first NAS message and the second NAS message can be the same NAS message or different NAS messages.

[0115] In some embodiments, before the terminal obtains the second information via the first NAS message, the method further includes: the terminal sending a registration request message, the registration request message including at least one of the following:

[0116] 1) First instruction, used to instruct the terminal to support service-based network selection or request network selection policy information.

[0117] 2) Network selection policy information identifier, used to identify network selection policy information, which can also be implemented through terminal policies.

[0118] In some embodiments, when the second information includes network selection policy information, the terminal obtaining the second information includes: the terminal receiving a UCU command message, the UCU command message including the second information, which can be understood as the terminal obtaining network selection policy information through the UCU command message.

[0119] In some embodiments, before the terminal obtains the first information through the second NAS message, the method further includes: the terminal sending a registration request message, the registration request message including a third indication, the third indication being used to indicate that the terminal supports service-based network selection or supports obtaining network selection policy information through the SOR process.

[0120] To illustrate the network selection method provided in the embodiments of this application in detail, the following description will be based on three specific embodiments.

[0121] Example 1

[0122] In this embodiment, the UE performs network selection based on pre-configured second information or second information received from the network-side device. Specifically, the UE performs network selection (or network reselection) based on the second information and the desired service information. The second information can be pre-configured in the UE or provided to the UE by the network-side device as a network policy, thereby solving the service-based network selection problem and achieving gains in ensuring or improving user experience.

[0123] The corresponding signaling flow is shown in Figure 4, and includes the following steps:

[0124] Step 0. After the UE is powered on, a suitable PLMN is selected using the legacy mechanism.

[0125] Step 1. The UE initiates registration with the selected PLMN. Optionally, the registration request message may contain at least one of the following:

[0126] 1) First indication, used to instruct the UE to support service-based network selection or request network selection policy information.

[0127] When the first indication is used to indicate that the UE supports service-based network selection, in one embodiment, the UE adds a bit to the 6G Mobility Management Capability Information Element (IE) to indicate that the UE supports service-based network selection; in another embodiment, the UE adds a first IE, which is used to indicate the network selection mode operated by the UE, including at least one of the following: PLMN selection based on signal strength, Stand-alone Non-Public Network (SNPN) selection based on signal strength, PLMN selection based on service, and SNPN selection based on service.

[0128] When requesting network selection policy information, the first indication is used to indicate whether network selection policy information has been requested. In one embodiment, the UE adds a second IE, which is used to indicate whether network selection policy information has been requested. In another embodiment, the UE adds a third IE, which is used to indicate the network selection information or information requested by the UE, including at least one of the following: PLMN selection information based on signal strength, SNPN selection information based on signal strength, PLMN selection information based on service, and SNPN selection information based on service.

[0129] 2) UE policy selection identifier, used to identify network selection policy information, that is, the service-based network selection policy is a UE policy.

[0130] In one implementation, the UE state indication message can be used to indicate whether the UE supports service-based network selection, that is, by adding a bit to the UE policy classmark to indicate whether the UE supports service-based network selection.

[0131] 3) Network selection policy information identifier, used to identify network selection policy information.

[0132] In one implementation, if the UE has one or more stored network selection policy portions, the UE should set the payload container type IE to "network selection policy container" and include a first message in the payload container IE, the first message being used for at least one of the following: 1) providing a network selection policy information identifier to the network-side device, 2) indicating to the network-side device whether the UE supports at least one of the following: PLMN selection based on signal strength, SNPN selection based on signal strength, PLMN selection based on service, and SNPN selection based on service.

[0133] Step 2. The Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) sends a registration acceptance message to the UE. Optionally, the registration acceptance message includes a second indication to instruct the AMF to support providing network selection policy information.

[0134] When the second indication is used to instruct the AMF to support providing network selection policy information, in one embodiment, the AMF adds a bit to the 6G network capability IE to indicate that the AMF supports providing network selection policy information; in another embodiment, the AMF adds a fourth IE, which is used to instruct the AMF to support providing network selection policy information, including at least one of the following: supporting the provision of PLMN selection information based on signal strength, supporting the provision of SNPN selection information based on signal strength, supporting the provision of PLMN selection information based on service type, and supporting the provision of SNPN selection information based on service type.

[0135] Step 3. The AMF provides the Policy Control Function (PCF) with at least one of the following: a first indication, a UE policy selection identifier, and a network selection policy information identifier. See Step 2 for details.

[0136] Step 4. The PCF decides to provide the UE with network selection policy information.

[0137] Step 5. The AMF provides network selection policy information to the UE via a UE Configuration Update (UCU) command message. The network selection policy information includes at least one of the following:

[0138] 1) Network selection policy identifier, used to indicate the network selection policy. Different network selection policies may correspond to different service information or service-based network selection lists.

[0139] 2) Business information, which includes at least one of the following: Service type indication, APP identification information, APP attribute information, application server information, Data Network Name (DNN), Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI); and terminal usage settings information.

[0140] 3) A service-based network selection list may include multiple networks (PLMNs) or a combination of access technologies.

[0141] Step 6. The UE receives service information from the upper layer.

[0142] Step 7. The UE obtains the second information pre-configured in the SIM card. The second information includes service-based network selection parameters, which indicate the association between service information and network selection lists (such as PLMN / access technology combinations). The association between service information and network selection lists is as follows: Service type 1 (high bandwidth) is associated with service-based network selection list 1 (PLMN 1 and NR, PLMN 1 and E-UTRAN, PLMN 2 and NR, PLMN 2 and E-UTRAN); Service type 2 (delay tolerant) is associated with service-based network selection list 2 (PLMN 1 and NR, PLMN 2 and NR GEO, PLMN 2 and NR LEO, PLMN 1 and E-UTRAN, PLMN 2 and NR, PLMN 2 and E-UTRAN).

[0143] The format of the second information is shown in Table 1:

[0144] Table 1. Format of Second Message

[0145] The second piece of information includes at least one of the following:

[0146] 1) Service-based PLMN selection enable indicator, used to indicate whether the UE is configured to use service-based PLMN selection (such as PLMN selection).

[0147] Service-based network selection enable indication can occupy 1 bit. Bit value 1 indicates that the terminal is configured to use service-based network selection, and therefore the terminal can use the service-based network selection parameters; bit value 0 indicates that the terminal is not configured to use service-based network selection.

[0148] 2) Service-based PLMN selection parameter, which indicates the association between service information and the service-based network selection list (such as PLMN / access technology combinations).

[0149] In one implementation, the encoding of service-based network selection parameters is shown in Table 2 below:

[0150] Table 2 Encoding Table of Service-Based Network Selection Parameters

[0151] Step 8. Perform network selection based on the pre-configured second information or the network selection policy information received from the network-side device, including at least one of the following:

[0152] If the UE does not receive service information from the upper layer or service-based network selection is not applicable (e.g., the UE is not configured to use service-based network selection), the UE performs network selection according to the existing PLMN list.

[0153] In one implementation, the applicability of service-based network selection (SBPS) for the UE is determined based on whether the UE is configured with a non-access management object (NAS MO). A value of 0 indicates that SBPS is not used by the UE, while a value of 1 indicates that SBPS is used by the UE.

[0154] If service-based network selection is applicable and the UE receives service information from the upper layer, the UE performs network selection according to the service-based network selection list, including at least one of the following:

[0155] If the UE has configured second information, the UE determines a service-based network selection list that matches the received service information.

[0156] If a matching service-based network selection list exists, the first-priority PLMN / access technology combination is selected for registration. If registration fails, the second-priority PLMN / access technology combination is selected, and so on, until registration is successful. If registration fails at all, network selection is performed according to the network selection policy information.

[0157] If no matching service-based network selection list is available, network selection will be performed according to the network selection policy information.

[0158] If the UE does not have the configured second information or cannot select a suitable network based on the configured second information, then network selection is performed according to the network selection policy information, including the following steps:

[0159] Match the received network selection strategy information with the received business information.

[0160] If one or more matching network selection policies exist, the service-based network selection list corresponding to the network selection policy with the smallest value is determined. The first priority PLMN / access technology combination is then selected for registration. If registration fails, the second priority PLMN / access technology combination is selected, and so on, until registration is successful. If registration fails at all, network selection is performed according to the existing PLMN list.

[0161] If no matching network selection strategy is found, network selection is performed according to the existing PLMN list.

[0162] Example 2

[0163] As shown in Figure 5, the difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that the AMF obtains network selection information based on service type according to local configuration or from the UDM. At this time, the network selection list based on service received by the UE can only include the currently registered PLMN and its equivalent PLMN.

[0164] Example 3

[0165] In this embodiment, the UE performs network reselection in connected mode based on first information received from the network. Specifically, the UE performs network reselection based on the first information and the desired service information. The first information is provided to the UE by the network-side device in connected mode, thereby solving the service-based network reselection problem and achieving gains in ensuring or improving user experience.

[0166] The corresponding signaling flow is shown in Figure 6, and includes the following steps:

[0167] Step 0. After the UE powers on, it selects a suitable PLMN using the legacy network mechanism and completes registration. Optionally, the registration request message includes a first indication, which indicates that the UE supports service-based network selection or supports obtaining network selection policy information through SOR.

[0168] When the first indication is used to indicate that the UE supports network selection based on service type, an example of the first indication can be found in the same embodiment 1.

[0169] The first indication is used to indicate support for obtaining network selection policy information via SOR. In one implementation, the UE adds a bit to the 6G Mobility Management Capability (IE) to indicate support for obtaining network selection policy information via SOR (e.g., SOR-SBPS-SI). In another implementation, the UE adds a fifth IE to indicate whether obtaining network selection policy information via SOR is requested. In yet another implementation, the UE adds a sixth IE to indicate that obtaining network selection policy information via SOR includes at least one of the following: obtaining PLMN selection information based on signal strength (SOR-SLPS-SI), obtaining SNPN selection information based on signal strength (SOR-SLSS-SI), obtaining PLMN selection information based on service (SOR-SBPS-SI), and obtaining SNPN selection information based on service (SOR-SBSS-SI). In this case, the first indication can be provided to the network-side device via a registration completion message.

[0170] Step 1. The UDM provides the AMF with network selection policy information according to the first instruction.

[0171] In one implementation, network selection policy information is included in the SOR information.

[0172] If the UE is in the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN), the network selection policy information may include at least one of the following: network selection information of the HPLMN, the Equivalent Home Public Land Mobile Network (EHPLMN), and the Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN) with which the HPLMN has an agreement. That is, the network selection policy information may include network selection information of the HPLMN, network selection information of the EHPLMN, and network selection information of the VPLMN.

[0173] If the UE is in a VPLMN, the network selection policy information may include the VPLMN's network selection information and the PLMN's network selection information, which is equivalent to the VPLMN.

[0174] Step 2. The AMF provides network selection policy information to the UE via downlink non-access stratum transport (DL NAS transport).

[0175] Network selection strategy information is included in the SOR information, and examples of the encoding are shown in Tables 3 to 7 below.

[0176] Add network selection policy information to the SOR transparent container. This network selection policy information includes one or more SOR-SBPS-SI information fields, where each SOR-SBPS-SI information field contains at least one of the following:

[0177] 1) The first field, or the length field, is used to indicate the length of the content of the first information, that is, the length of the network selection strategy information.

[0178] 2) Second field, the second field is used to indicate the duration that the terminal needs to wait to perform network reselection. The second field can also be called a timer field, which can be used to indicate the duration of the timer. If the timer expires, the terminal can perform network reselection.

[0179] 3) The third field, also known as the service type field, is used to indicate the type or content of the service.

[0180] 4) The fourth field, or network selection policy information field, indicates at least one of the following: the number of access technologies and the number of network selection lists associated with the access technologies; the identifier of the access technology; and the network selection list.

[0181] The fourth field includes at least one of the following: a) a quantity field, used to indicate the number of access technologies and the number of network selection lists associated with the access technologies; b) an access technology identifier field, each access technology identifier field indicating one access technology, the number of access technology identifier fields being consistent with the number indicated by the network selection policy information; c) a PLMN list field, used to indicate the list of PLMNs associated with the access technologies, which can be given in priority order, wherein each PLMN list field also includes a PLMN quantity field and a PLMN identifier field.

[0182] Table 3 Examples of SOR Information Encoding

[0183] Table 4. Examples of SOR Information Encoding

[0184] Table 5. Examples of SOR Information Encoding

[0185] Table 6 Examples of SOR Information Encoding

[0186] Table 7 Examples of SOR Information Encoding

[0187] Step 3. The UE checks whether there is network selection policy information that matches the currently used service information. The network selection policy information may include service information and a network selection list based on the service.

[0188] If so, the UE determines whether the current PLMN / access technology combination is the highest priority in the service-based network selection list. If so, the UE uses the service normally; otherwise, it performs at least one of the following: selects a network according to the service-based network selection list and attempts to register; provides the service-based network selection list to the underlying layer, triggering the underlying layer to perform cell reselection.

[0189] If not, then use the service normally.

[0190] The network selection method according to an embodiment of this application has been described in detail above with reference to Figures 2 to 6. The network selection method according to another embodiment of this application will now be described in detail with reference to Figure 7. It is understood that the interaction between the network-side device and the terminal described from the perspective of the network-side device is the same as or corresponds to the terminal-side description in the method shown in Figure 2; to avoid repetition, relevant descriptions are appropriately omitted.

[0191] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the implementation process of the network selection method according to an embodiment of this application, which can be applied to network-side devices. As shown in Figure 7, the method 700 includes the following steps.

[0192] S702: The network-side device sends first information or second information, which is used by the terminal to perform service-based network selection when a first condition is met. The first condition includes at least one of the following: the terminal is in automatic network selection mode; the terminal supports service-based network selection; the terminal is configured to use service-based network selection; the terminal has obtained service-based network selection parameters, which are used to indicate the association between service information and the service-based network selection list; the terminal has received service information from the upper layer; the terminal has received the first information from the network-side device, which is used for network reselection.

[0193] The network-side device in this application embodiment can be an AMF, etc.

[0194] The network selection method provided in this application, through the aforementioned first condition, enables the terminal to determine under what conditions it can perform service-based network selection; at the same time, through the service-based network selection performed by the terminal, the network providing services to the terminal is matched with the services used by the terminal, which on the one hand can efficiently utilize network resources, and on the other hand can improve user experience.

[0195] In some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following: 1) a service-based network selection enable indication, used to indicate whether the terminal is configured to use service-based network selection; 2) service-based network selection parameters, used to indicate the association between service information and the service-based network selection list; and 3) network selection policy information.

[0196] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following: 1) a first field, the first field being used to indicate the length of the content of the first information; 2) a second field, the second field being used to indicate the duration the terminal needs to wait to perform network reselection; 3) a third field, the third field being used to indicate the type of service or the content of the service; 4) a fourth field, the fourth field being used to indicate at least one of the following: the access technology and the number of service-based network selection lists associated with the access technology; the identifier of the access technology; and the service-based network selection list.

[0197] In some embodiments, the network-side device sending the first information or the second information includes: the network-side device sending the second information through a first NAS message or sending the first information through a second NAS message.

[0198] In some embodiments, before the network-side device sends the second information via the first NAS message, the method further includes: the network-side device receiving a registration request message, the registration request message including at least one of the following: 1) a first indication, used to indicate that the terminal supports service-based network selection or requests network selection policy information; 2) a network selection policy information identifier, used to identify network selection policy information.

[0199] In some embodiments, before the network-side device sends the first information via the second NAS message, the method further includes: the method further includes: the network-side device receiving a registration request message, the registration request message including a third indication, the third indication being used to indicate that the terminal supports service-based network selection or supports obtaining network selection policy information through the SOR process.

[0200] In one implementation, when the second information includes network selection policy information, the network-side device can send the network selection policy information to the terminal via a UCU command message.

[0201] In some embodiments, the network selection policy information includes at least one of the following: 1) network selection policy identifier; 2) service information, which may include at least one of the following: service type indication, APP identifier information, APP attribute information, application server information, DNN, S-NSSAI; terminal usage settings information; 3) a service-based network selection list.

[0202] The network selection method provided in this application can be executed by a network selection device. This application uses the example of a network selection device executing the network selection method to illustrate the network selection device provided in this application.

[0203] This application provides a network selection device. As an example, the network selection device may be a communication device or a component within a communication device, such as a chip. The communication device may be a terminal, a network-side device, or a server, etc. Exemplarily, the terminal may include, but is not limited to, the type of terminal 11 listed above, and the network-side device may include, but is not limited to, the type of network-side device 12 listed above. This application does not impose specific limitations.

[0204] The network selection device includes a receiving module, a transmitting module, and a processing module. These modules can be implemented in software or hardware. When implemented in hardware, the processing module can be implemented by a processor. For example, the processor can include a general-purpose processor, a special-purpose processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Artificial Intelligence (AI) processor, a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Network Processor (NP), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, gate circuits, transistors, discrete hardware components, etc. The receiving and transmitting modules can be implemented by a communication interface, which can include one or more of the following: transceiver, pins, circuits, buses, radio frequency units, etc.

[0205] Specifically, referring to Figure 8, when the network selection device is a terminal or a component within a terminal, the network selection device 800 includes a processing module 802, used to perform service-based network selection when a first condition is met. The first condition includes at least one of the following: the terminal is in automatic network selection mode; the terminal supports service-based network selection; the terminal is configured to use service-based network selection; the terminal obtains service-based network selection parameters, which are used to indicate the association between service information and the service-based network selection list; the terminal receives service information from the upper layer; and the terminal receives first information from the network-side device, which is used for network reselection.

[0206] The network selection device provided in this application embodiment enables the terminal to determine under what conditions it can perform service-based network selection through the aforementioned first condition; at the same time, through the service-based network selection performed by the terminal, the network providing services to the terminal is matched with the services used by the terminal, which can efficiently utilize network resources on the one hand and improve user experience on the other.

[0207] In some embodiments, the processing module 802 is configured to: 1) obtain service-based network selection parameters, wherein the service-based network selection parameters are sent by a network-side device or configured in the SIM of the terminal; 2) determine a service-based network selection list that matches service information based on the service-based network selection parameters; and 3) perform network selection based on the service-based network selection list.

[0208] In some embodiments, the processing module 802 is configured to: select a network according to the service-based network selection list and attempt to register it until registration is successful; or, if none of the networks in the service-based network selection list are successfully registered, perform network selection based on network selection policy information.

[0209] In some embodiments, the processing module 802 is configured to: determine whether the current network or access technology combination is the highest priority in the service-based network selection list; if the current network or access technology combination is the highest priority in the service-based network selection list, execute the service corresponding to the service information; if the current network or access technology combination is not the highest priority in the service-based network selection list, perform one of the following: select a network according to the service-based network selection list and attempt to register; provide the service-based network selection list to the underlying layer, triggering the underlying layer to perform cell reselection.

[0210] In some embodiments, a communication module is further included, configured to: acquire first information or second information, the first information or the second information being used to perform service-based network selection.

[0211] In some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following: 1) a service-based network selection enable indication, used to indicate whether the terminal is configured to use service-based network selection; 2) service-based network selection parameters, used to indicate the association between service information and the service-based network selection list; and 3) network selection policy information.

[0212] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following: 1) a first field, the first field being used to indicate the length of the content of the first information; 2) a second field, the second field being used to indicate the duration the terminal needs to wait to perform network reselection; 3) a third field, the third field being used to indicate the type of service or the content of the service; 4) a fourth field, the fourth field being used to indicate at least one of the following: the access technology and the number of service-based network selection lists associated with the access technology; the identifier of the access technology; and the service-based network selection list.

[0213] In some embodiments, the communication module is configured to: obtain second information via a first NAS message or obtain second information from a SIM; or, obtain first information via a second NAS message.

[0214] In some embodiments, the communication module is further configured to send a registration request message, the registration request message including at least one of the following: 1) a first indication, used to indicate that the terminal supports service-based network selection or requests network selection policy information; 2) a network selection policy information identifier, used to identify network selection policy information.

[0215] In some embodiments, the communication module is further configured to send a registration request message, the registration request message including a third indication, the third indication being used to indicate that the terminal supports service-based network selection or supports obtaining network selection strategy information through the SOR process.

[0216] In some embodiments, the network selection policy information includes at least one of the following: 1) network selection policy identifier; 2) service information, which may include at least one of the following: service type indication, APP identifier information, APP attribute information, application server information, data network name (DNN), single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI); terminal usage settings information; 3) a service-based network selection list.

[0217] Referring to Figure 9, when the network selection device is a network-side device or a component within a network-side device, the network selection device m00 includes a communication module 902, used to send first information or second information. The first information or the second information is used by the terminal to perform service-based network selection when a first condition is met. The first condition includes at least one of the following: the terminal is in automatic network selection mode; the terminal supports service-based network selection; the terminal is configured to use service-based network selection; the terminal has obtained service-based network selection parameters, which are used to indicate the association between service information and the service-based network selection list; the terminal has received service information from the upper layer; the terminal has received the first information from the network-side device, and the first information is used for network reselection.

[0218] The network selection device provided in this application embodiment enables the terminal to determine under what conditions it can perform service-based network selection through the aforementioned first condition; at the same time, through the service-based network selection performed by the terminal, the network providing services to the terminal is matched with the services used by the terminal, which can efficiently utilize network resources on the one hand and improve user experience on the other.

[0219] In some embodiments, the communication module 902 is configured to send second information via a first NAS message or send first information via a second NAS message.

[0220] In some embodiments, the communication module 902 is further configured to receive a registration request message, the registration request message including at least one of the following: 1) a first indication, used to indicate that the terminal supports service-based network selection or requests network selection policy information; 2) a network selection policy information identifier, used to identify network selection policy information.

[0221] In some embodiments, the communication module 902 is further configured to receive a registration request message, the registration request message including a third indication, the third indication being configured to indicate that the terminal supports service-based network selection or supports obtaining network selection strategy information through the SOR process.

[0222] The network selection device provided in this application embodiment can implement the various processes implemented in the method embodiments of Figures 2 to 7 and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0223] As shown in Figure 10, this application embodiment also provides a communication device 1000, including a processor 1001 and a memory 1002. The memory 1002 stores a program or instructions that can run on the processor 1001. For example, when the communication device 1000 is a terminal, the program or instructions executed by the processor 1001 implement the various steps of the above-described network selection method embodiment and achieve the same technical effect. When the communication device 1000 is a network-side device, the program or instructions executed by the processor 1001 implement the various steps of the above-described network selection method embodiment and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, this will not be described again here.

[0224] This application also provides a terminal, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is used to run programs or instructions to implement the steps in the method embodiment shown in FIG2. This terminal embodiment corresponds to the above-described terminal-side method embodiment, and all implementation processes and methods of the above-described method embodiments can be applied to this terminal embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect. The terminal may be the network selection device shown in FIG8. Specifically, FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a terminal implementing an embodiment of this application.

[0225] The terminal 1100 includes, but is not limited to, at least some of the following components: radio frequency unit 1101, network module 1102, audio output unit 1103, input unit 1104, sensor 1105, display unit 1106, user input unit 1107, interface unit 1108, memory 1109, and processor 1110.

[0226] Those skilled in the art will understand that terminal 1100 may also include a power supply (such as a battery) for powering various components. The power supply can be logically connected to processor 1110 through a power management system, thereby enabling functions such as charging, discharging, and power consumption management through the power management system. The terminal structure shown in Figure 11 does not constitute a limitation on the terminal. The terminal may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements, which will not be elaborated here.

[0227] It should be understood that, in this embodiment, the input unit 1104 may include a graphics processor 11041 and a microphone 11042. The graphics processor 11041 processes image data of still images or videos obtained by an image capture device (such as a camera) in video capture mode or image capture mode. The display unit 1106 may include a display panel 11061, which may be configured in the form of a liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode, or the like. The user input unit 1107 includes at least one of a touch panel 11071 and other input devices 11072. The touch panel 11071 is also called a touch screen. The touch panel 11071 may include a touch detection device and a touch controller. Other input devices 11072 may include, but are not limited to, physical keyboards, function keys (such as volume control buttons, power buttons, etc.), trackballs, mice, and joysticks, which will not be described in detail here.

[0228] In this embodiment, after receiving downlink data from the network-side device, the radio frequency unit 1101 can transmit it to the processor 1110 for processing; in addition, the radio frequency unit 1101 can send uplink data to the network-side device. Typically, the radio frequency unit 1101 includes, but is not limited to, antennas, amplifiers, transceivers, couplers, low-noise amplifiers, duplexers, etc.

[0229] The memory 1109 can be used to store software programs or instructions, as well as various data. The memory 1109 may primarily include a first storage area for storing programs or instructions and a second storage area for storing data. The first storage area may store the operating system, application programs or instructions required for at least one function (such as sound playback, image playback, etc.). Furthermore, the memory 1109 may include volatile memory or non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory may be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct memory bus RAM (DRRAM). The memory 1109 in this embodiment includes, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0230] Processor 1110 may include one or more processing units; optionally, processor 1110 integrates an application processor and a modem processor, wherein the application processor mainly handles operations involving the operating system, user interface, and applications, and the modem processor mainly handles wireless communication signals, such as a baseband processor. It is understood that the aforementioned modem processor may also not be integrated into processor 1110.

[0231] The processor 1110 is configured to perform service-based network selection when a first condition is met, the first condition including at least one of the following: the terminal is in automatic network selection mode; the terminal supports service-based network selection; the terminal is configured to use service-based network selection; the terminal obtains service-based network selection parameters, the service-based network selection parameters being used to indicate the association between service information and the service-based network selection list; the terminal receives service information from the upper layer; the terminal receives first information from the network-side device, the first information being used for network reselection.

[0232] The terminal provided in this application embodiment, through the aforementioned first condition, enables the terminal to determine under what conditions it can perform service-based network selection; at the same time, through the service-based network selection performed by the terminal, the network providing services to the terminal is matched with the services used by the terminal, which on the one hand can efficiently utilize network resources, and on the other hand can improve user experience.

[0233] It is understood that the implementation process of each implementation method mentioned in this embodiment can refer to the relevant description of the network selection method embodiment and achieve the same or corresponding technical effects. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0234] This application also provides a network-side device, including a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is used to run programs or instructions to implement the steps of the method embodiment shown in FIG7. This network-side device embodiment corresponds to the above-described network-side device method embodiment. All implementation processes and methods of the above-described method embodiments can be applied to this network-side device embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect.

[0235] Specifically, this application also provides a network-side device. As shown in FIG12, the network-side device 1200 includes a processor 1201, a network interface 1202, and a memory 1203. The network-side device may be the network selection device shown in FIG9. The network interface 1202 is, for example, a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI).

[0236] The network interface 1202 is used to send first information or second information. The first information or second information is used by the terminal to perform service-based network selection when a first condition is met. The first condition includes at least one of the following: the terminal is in automatic network selection mode; the terminal supports service-based network selection; the terminal is configured to use service-based network selection; the terminal has obtained service-based network selection parameters, which are used to indicate the association between service information and the service-based network selection list; the terminal has received service information from the upper layer; the terminal has received the first information from the network-side device, and the first information is used for network reselection.

[0237] In addition, the network-side device 1200 of this application embodiment also includes: a program or instructions stored in the memory 1203 and executable on the processor 1201. The processor 1201 calls the program or instructions in the memory 1203 to execute the methods executed by each module shown in FIG9 and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0238] This application also provides a readable storage medium storing a program or instructions. When the program or instructions are executed by a processor, they implement the various processes of the above-described network selection method embodiments and achieve the same technical effects. To avoid repetition, they will not be described again here.

[0239] The processor mentioned above is either the processor in the terminal described in the above embodiments or the processor in the network-side device. The readable storage medium includes computer-readable storage media, such as computer read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk, or optical disk. In some examples, the readable storage medium may be a non-transient readable storage medium.

[0240] This application embodiment also provides a chip, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface is coupled to the processor. The processor is used to run programs or instructions to implement the various processes of the above network selection method embodiments and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0241] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of this application may also be referred to as a system-on-a-chip, system chip, chip system, or system-on-a-chip, etc.

[0242] This application also provides a computer program / program product, which is stored in a storage medium and executed by at least one processor to implement the various processes of the above-described network selection method embodiments, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0243] This application also provides a network selection system, including: a terminal and a network-side device, wherein the terminal can be used to perform the steps of the network selection method described above, and the network-side device can be used to perform the steps of the network selection method described above.

[0244] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatuses in the embodiments of this application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0245] From the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by means of computer software products plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms, and of course, they can also be implemented by hardware. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM, RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc.), and the computer software product includes several instructions to cause the terminal or network-side device to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of this application.

[0246] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other implementations under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. All of these implementations are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A network selection method, comprising: If a first condition is met, the terminal performs a service-based network selection, where the first condition includes at least one of the following: The terminal is in automatic network selection mode; The terminal supports service-based network selection; The terminal is configured to use service-based network selection; The terminal obtains service-based network selection parameters, which are used to indicate the association between service information and the service-based network selection list. The terminal received service information from the upper layer; The terminal receives first information from the network-side device, and the first information is used for network reselection.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The terminal performs service-based network selection, including at least one of the following: The terminal obtains service-based network selection parameters, which are either sent by the network-side device or configured in the terminal's SIM. The terminal determines a service-based network selection list that matches the service information based on the service-based network selection parameters. The terminal performs network selection based on the service-based network selection list.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The terminal performs network selection based on the service-based network selection list, including: The terminal selects a network according to the service-based network selection list and attempts to register until registration is successful. or, If none of the networks in the service-based network selection list have successfully registered, then network selection will be performed based on the network selection policy information.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The terminal performs network selection based on the service-based network selection list, including: The terminal determines whether the current network or access technology combination is the highest priority in the service-based network selection list; If the current network or access technology combination is the highest priority in the service-based network selection list, then the terminal executes the service corresponding to the service information; If the current network or access technology combination is not the highest priority in the service-based network selection list, the terminal performs one of the following actions: selects a network according to the service-based network selection list and attempts to register; or provides the service-based network selection list to the underlying layer, triggering the underlying layer to perform cell reselection.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, Before the terminal performs service-based network selection, the method further includes: The terminal acquires first information or second information, which is used by the terminal to perform service-based network selection.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The second information includes at least one of the following: Service-based network selection enable indicator is used to indicate whether the terminal is configured to use service-based network selection; Service-based network selection parameters are used to indicate the association between service information and the service-based network selection list; Network selection strategy information.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The first information includes at least one of the following: The first field is used to indicate the length of the content of the first information; The second field indicates the duration the terminal needs to wait to perform network reselection. The third field is used to indicate the type of service or the content of the service; The fourth field indicates at least one of the following: the access technology and the number of service-based network selection lists associated with the access technology; the identifier of the access technology; and the service-based network selection list.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein, The terminal obtaining the second information includes: the terminal obtaining the second information through a first NAS message, or the terminal obtaining the second information from the SIM; or, The terminal obtaining the first information includes: the terminal obtaining the first information through a second NAS message.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The first NAS message or the second NAS message includes at least one of the following: UCU command messages, registration acceptance messages, registration rejection messages, downlink NAS transmission messages, service acceptance messages, service rejection messages, deregistration request messages, and notification messages.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein, Before the terminal obtains the second information through the first NAS message, the method further includes: the terminal sending a registration request message, the registration request message including at least one of the following: The first instruction is used to instruct the terminal to support service-based network selection or to request network selection policy information. Network selection policy information identifier, used to identify network selection policy information.

11. The method according to any one of claims 5-10, wherein, When the second information includes network selection policy information, the terminal obtains the second information by: The terminal receives a UCU command message, which includes the second information.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein, Before the terminal obtains the first information via the second NAS message, the method further includes: The terminal sends a registration request message, which includes a third indication. The third indication is used to instruct the terminal to support service-based network selection or to obtain network selection strategy information through the SOR process.

13. The method according to claim 3, 6, 10, 11 or 12, wherein, The network selection strategy information includes at least one of the following: Network selection strategy identifier; Business information; A service-based network selection list.

14. The method according to claim 1, 2, 4, 6 or 13, wherein, The business information includes at least one of the following: Service type indication, APP identification information, APP attribute information, application server information, data network name (DNN), single network slice selection auxiliary information (S-NSSAI); terminal usage settings information.

15. A network selection method, comprising: The network-side device sends first information or second information, which is used by the terminal to perform service-based network selection when a first condition is met. The first condition includes at least one of the following: The terminal is in automatic network selection mode; The terminal supports service-based network selection; The terminal is configured to use service-based network selection; The terminal obtains service-based network selection parameters, which are used to indicate the association between service information and the service-based network selection list. The terminal received service information from the upper layer; The terminal receives the first information from the network-side device, and the first information is used for network reselection.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The second information includes at least one of the following: Service-based network selection enable indicator is used to indicate whether the terminal is configured to use service-based network selection; Service-based network selection parameters are used to indicate the association between service information and the service-based network selection list; Network selection strategy information.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The first information includes at least one of the following: The first field is used to indicate the length of the content of the first information; The second field indicates the duration the terminal needs to wait to perform network reselection. The third field is used to indicate the type of service or the content of the service; The fourth field indicates at least one of the following: the access technology and the number of service-based network selection lists associated with the access technology; the identifier of the access technology; and the service-based network selection list.

18. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein, The network-side device sending the first or second information includes: The network-side device sends the second information via a first NAS message or sends the first information via a second NAS message.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein, Before the network-side device sends the second information via the first NAS message, the method further includes: the network-side device receiving a registration request message, the registration request message including at least one of the following: The first instruction is used to instruct the terminal to support service-based network selection or to request network selection policy information. Network selection policy information identifier, used to identify network selection policy information.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein, Before the network-side device sends the first information via the second NAS message, the method further includes: the method further includes: The network-side device receives a registration request message, which includes a third indication. The third indication is used to instruct the terminal to support service-based network selection or to obtain network selection strategy information through the SOR process.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, wherein, The network selection strategy information includes at least one of the following: Network selection strategy identifier; Business information; A service-based network selection list.

22. A network selection device, applied to a terminal, comprising: The processing module is configured to perform service-based network selection if a first condition is met, wherein the first condition includes at least one of the following: The terminal is in automatic network selection mode; The terminal supports service-based network selection; The terminal is configured to use service-based network selection; The terminal obtains service-based network selection parameters, which are used to indicate the association between service information and the service-based network selection list. The terminal received service information from the upper layer; The terminal receives first information from the network-side device, and the first information is used for network reselection.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein, The processing module is used for at least one of the following: Obtain service-based network selection parameters, which are sent by the network-side device or configured in the SIM of the terminal; Based on the service-based network selection parameters, a service-based network selection list matching the service information is determined; Network selection is performed based on the service-based network selection list.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein, The processing module is used for: Select a network from the service-based network selection list and attempt to register until registration is successful; or, If none of the networks in the service-based network selection list have successfully registered, then network selection will be performed based on the network selection policy information.

25. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein, The processing module is used for: Determine whether the current network or access technology combination is the highest priority in the service-based network selection list; If the current network or access technology combination is the highest priority in the service-based network selection list, then the service corresponding to the service information is executed; If the current network or access technology combination is not the highest priority in the service-based network selection list, perform one of the following: select a network according to the service-based network selection list and attempt to register; provide the service-based network selection list to the underlying layer, triggering the underlying layer to perform cell reselection.

26. The apparatus according to any one of claims 22 to 25, wherein, It also includes a communication module for: Obtain first information or second information, which is used to perform service-based network selection.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein, The second information includes at least one of the following: Service-based network selection enable indicator is used to indicate whether the terminal is configured to use service-based network selection; Service-based network selection parameters are used to indicate the association between service information and the service-based network selection list; Network selection strategy information.

28. The apparatus according to any one of claims 22 to 27, wherein, The first information includes at least one of the following: The first field is used to indicate the length of the content of the first information; The second field indicates the duration the terminal needs to wait to perform network reselection. The third field is used to indicate the type of service or the content of the service; The fourth field indicates at least one of the following: the access technology and the number of service-based network selection lists associated with the access technology; the identifier of the access technology; and the service-based network selection list.

29. The apparatus according to any one of claims 26 to 28, wherein, The communication module is used for: The second information is obtained through the first NAS message or from the SIM; or, Obtain the first information through the second NAS message.

30. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein, The communication module is further configured to send a registration request message, the registration request message including at least one of the following: The first instruction is used to instruct the terminal to support service-based network selection or to request network selection policy information. Network selection policy information identifier, used to identify network selection policy information.

31. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein, The communication module is also used to send a registration request message, which includes a third indication, which is used to instruct the terminal to support service-based network selection or to support obtaining network selection strategy information through the SOR process.

32. The apparatus according to claim 24, 27, 30 or 31, wherein, The network selection strategy information includes at least one of the following: Network selection strategy identifier; Business information; A service-based network selection list.

33. A network selection device, applied to network-side equipment, comprising: The communication module is configured to send first information or second information, wherein the first information or second information is used by the terminal to perform service-based network selection when a first condition is met, wherein the first condition includes at least one of the following: The terminal is in automatic network selection mode; The terminal supports service-based network selection; The terminal is configured to use service-based network selection; The terminal obtains service-based network selection parameters, which are used to indicate the association between service information and the service-based network selection list. The terminal received service information from the upper layer; The terminal receives the first information from the network-side device, and the first information is used for network reselection.

34. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein, The communication module is used to send second information via a first NAS message or to send first information via a second NAS message.

35. The apparatus according to claim 34, wherein, The communication module is further configured to receive a registration request message, the registration request message including at least one of the following: The first instruction is used to instruct the terminal to support service-based network selection or to request network selection policy information. Network selection policy information identifier, used to identify network selection policy information.

36. The apparatus according to claim 34, wherein, The communication module is also used to receive a registration request message, the registration request message including a third indication, the third indication being used to indicate that the terminal supports service-based network selection or supports obtaining network selection strategy information through the SOR process.

37. A terminal comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing a program or instructions executable on the processor, the program or instructions, when executed by the processor, implementing the steps of the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14.

38. A network-side device comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing a program or instructions executable on the processor, the program or instructions, when executed by the processor, implementing the steps of the method as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 21.

39. A readable storage medium storing a program or instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method as claimed in any one of claims 1-14, or implement the steps of the method as claimed in any one of claims 15-21.

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